Chapter 6 Drunken Dream "The person you're going to marry is me, not my older brother..."
Three months ago, Xie Chengyan was seriously injured.
After his brush with death, he frequently dreamed of Shen Xi falling off the cliff, but for the first time in a long time, he dreamed of the Duke of Wei's mansion.
In his dream, his younger brother Xie Wenlang married before him, and his new wife was Shen Xi, a daughter of the Shen family. The two had a very deep relationship.
However, her mother, Madam Xue, was quite dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law, Shen Xi.
"Do you know that this morning the mistress spilled a cup of hot tea on the young mistress, and her hands were scalded!" the maid exclaimed in surprise.
"You're serving the young mistress, why haven't you gone to get the medicine yet? Aren't you afraid the second young master will punish you when he returns?"
"No way, the young mistress never dares to tell outsiders when she's been bullied, and she keeps it a complete secret from the second young master." The maid lowered her voice.
"That's right. The young mistress comes from a humble background. It's already a great honor for her to marry into the Xie family. The mistress already looks down on her. If she dares to go to the second young master and whisper sweet nothings in his ear, causing a rift between the mother and son, the mistress will definitely not forgive her."
"Not only that, I'll tell you a secret: every time the second young master and the young mistress finish sleeping together, the mistress always sends someone to bring over a bowl of cold medicine. She doesn't want her to give birth to any children of the Duke's mansion at all."
"Such a thing actually happened..."
"Shh, don't tell anyone! Even the Second Young Master doesn't know about this. If word gets out, the Mistress will skin you alive!"
His words revealed that this young mistress, Shen Xi, was a pushover who could be easily bullied.
The maids' conversations gradually faded away. Xie Chengyan was forced to listen to the whole thing, but before he could figure out what kind of dream it was, he was suddenly dizzy again.
The dream took on a completely different form.
This time it was a desolate, dilapidated, and narrow covered room.
A few soft sobs could be faintly heard from the window. Under the dark sky, Xie Chengyan could clearly see her through the rain curtain.
That face seemed veiled by a thin mist, yet it was remarkably fair, almost dazzlingly so. Its black, feathery eyelashes were damp, like a pear tree in the rain during the plum rain season.
He had seen this face by chance, about a year ago in late autumn.
That day, the last autumn rain of the eighteenth year of the Taixing era fell in the capital. Outside the General's Mansion, Xie Wenlang led the person to him, saying that she was his fiancée whom he was about to marry.
He only glanced at her briefly and didn't pay any attention. He didn't even remember her name or what she looked like, and he almost forgot that she existed.
A year has passed, and the young woman is now Xie Wenlang's newlywed wife, the very person the maids were gossiping about earlier.
Shen Xi, standing by the window, carefully rolled up her sleeve, revealing a gruesome burn across her fair, snow-white forearm.
Holding a silver needle in one hand, she rolled it over the candle flame until it turned red, then pursed her lips and skillfully stabbed it into her arm. The blister burst, and bright red blood flowed out.
Because she was afraid of being discovered, Shen Xi tried her best to endure the pain, but she still couldn't help but gasp.
Her eyes reddened, and she silently bandaged herself. But before she could finish, a maid came over and said that the second young master had returned to the mansion.
Shen Xi hurriedly lowered her sleeves, not forgetting to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She opened the door as if nothing had happened and went back to her room with the maid.
Xie Chengyan remained an observer throughout.
Yet this dream seemed to be a memory of his, but it had been forgotten somewhere, and now it had returned to its original place.
If what is described in the novel *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* truly exists, then this must be his past life.
Xie Chengyan vaguely remembered that he later sent his sister-in-law some ointment that was specially for treating burns, and also hinted that Xie Wenlang should give the maid who served in the room a warning.
But he stopped asking about Shen Xi after that.
The events of his past life flashed by like a fleeting glimpse. Xie Chengyan had no good impression of his sister-in-law in the past, finding her weak and easily bullied.
Little did anyone know that in the end, she would be so ruthless to herself, daring to leap off a precipice without batting an eye.
A drunken dream, years have passed without my noticing.
Xie Chengyan opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was already faintly bright. He was momentarily dazed and truly understood the feelings of Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly.
My thoughts drifted back to the argument I overheard at the Xue residence yesterday.
Chen Wangchen.
He had some recollection of this person; he worked at the Hanlin Academy, passed the imperial examination, and boasted of his exceptional intelligence and upright family values. However, he had never really paid much attention to the Shen family.
While there are siblings who don't get along, it's rare to see someone say those words to their sister.
Bastard.
The word stung my heart, and a strange sense of displeasure welled up inside me.
Xie Chengyan rubbed his fingertips, pondered for a long time, and finally pinched the bridge of his nose before calling Liang Tuo over: "Go and investigate what exactly is going on with that rumor about the Shen family?"
*
"Girl, we've arrived."
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Xi lifted the curtain and peeked outside. When Xie Wenlang invited her to the horse farm yesterday, her mind was mostly occupied by Xie Chengyan, and she didn't pay much attention.
It wasn't until she returned home that she realized Xie Wenlang had invited her to Xie Chengyan's horse farm. On his territory, she was bound to run into him.
All night long, she kept considering the possibility of fleeing the scene, but with a sliver of hope, she came as promised.
Looking out, Xie Wenlang's figure came into view at a glance. He had changed into a neat and tidy outfit suitable for riding, his black hair was tied up high, and he was leaning against the wall, one hand was placed across his brow bone to shield himself from the sun, while the other hand was casually swinging a riding whip.
Inside, a few of his friends had already formed a circle, and a group of teenagers were chattering excitedly, raising their voices every now and then.
However, Xie Chengyan was not seen.
Shen Xi unconsciously clenched her fists. After thinking for a moment, just to be on the safe side, she put on her veil before getting out of the car.
"Xi'er, what do you think of this horse ranch?"
Xie Wenlang walked closer and stood side by side with Shen Xi.
Shen Xi nodded: "Of course, that's excellent."
Xie Wenlang disagreed: "What's so great about it? It's just a little bigger than a regular horse farm. I don't see anything special about it. I don't know what you're hiding from me, brother."
Upon hearing Xie Chengyan mentioned, Shen Xi blinked slightly and asked casually, "Speaking of which, will General Xie be coming today?"
“Brother, he’s not coming.” Xie Wenlang strode in and led Shen Xi inside, speaking casually. “After the birthday banquet yesterday, brother drank quite a bit with the Crown Prince and the others. He’s probably still dead drunk in his general’s mansion right now.”
"Oh, that's fine then."
Hearing him say that, Shen Xi immediately felt relieved.
Xie Wenlang seemed to remember something and turned around: "Xi'er, you're not still afraid of your older brother, are you?"
That's not wrong, although it's not the kind of "fear" that Xie Wenlang thought it was.
But Shen Xi still nodded: "General Xie is solemn and dignified; it would be a lie to say that I am not afraid."
Xie Wenlang scratched his face in frustration. Xi'er was already so frightened after only seeing her brother once. If she were to marry into the Duke's mansion, they would meet even more often. What should he do?
However, he thought about it again. Xi'er would definitely live with him in the Duke's mansion if she married him. His elder brother was always traveling around and would only come back to his own general's mansion when he returned to the capital. In fact, they wouldn't see each other very often.
After thinking it through, Xie Wenlang quickly stopped worrying: "It's okay, the person you're going to marry is me, not my older brother. As long as you're not afraid of me, that's fine. Besides, maybe after I help you get to know my older brother better, you'll gradually stop being afraid."
Shen Xi: "..."
It's precisely because you're there that I'm even more afraid.
But she still nodded helplessly: "You're right."
"The weather is nice today, you should get some exercise. How about I teach you to ride a horse?"
But as soon as the two entered the horse farm, they had only exchanged a few words when Xie Wenlang was beckoned by his friend to come over and test his bow and arrow: "Wenlang, come here quickly. This is your elder brother's place. We dare not touch anything here. You come and test the arrow for us."
Xie Wenlang said irritably, "I already said that my elder brother isn't here today, and he agreed that we can take whatever we want from the south stables, except for the one in the south. He doesn't care about these things, so why are you being so cautious?"
"That's what he told you, we don't believe him. Hurry up, we still have a competition later."
Annoyed by the urging, Xie Wenlang finally went over, carefully examined the bow, and then picked up his usual bow, nocked the string, and aimed at the grass target in the distance.
His closest friend looked around the horse farm and exclaimed, "This place is huge and impressive!"
Xie Wenlang laughed, his hand still holding the bow in a drawing motion: "Yan Ziqian, that's enough. This is the third time I've heard you say that today."
Yan Ziqian shook his head knowingly: "You're lucky. I wish I had a brother who could give me whatever I wanted."
"Just think about it, he can only be my older brother."
Yan Ziqian's eyes darted around, and he asked again, "By the way, Wen Lang, when is your eldest brother's birthday?"
“It’s my elder brother’s birthday, the sixteenth of the first lunar month.” Xie Wenlang didn’t think much of it, then asked in surprise, “Why are you asking about that?”
Yan Ziqian raised his chin, signaling him to focus on the target: "It's nothing serious, it's just that my unmarried sisters have been asking me to inquire about your eldest brother. They've been pestering me every day, using both threats and inducements. I just happened to remember to ask you today, so I can report back to you."
Xie Wenlang raised the corners of his lips: "You should advise your sisters to give up on this idea as soon as possible. Our eldest brother never celebrates his birthday and never takes romantic feelings to heart."
"That won't do. What if we really do become a family in the future?"
Before he finished speaking, Xie Wenlang timed his move perfectly, released the bowstring, and immediately fired an arrow that landed squarely on the straw target.
He squinted at the arrow's accuracy, his expression arrogant: "Don't even think about it. I've met plenty of your sisters, and none of them are worthy of being my sister-in-law."
These were harsh words, but Yan Ziqian patiently pressed on, asking, "Why do you say that?"
Xie Wenlang raised his chin slightly, his tone proud: "Someone like my elder brother naturally deserves the best woman in the world; ordinary people are not good enough for him."
After hearing this, Yan Ziqian laughed and joked, "According to you, it's going to be hard for you to have a sister-in-law."
"nonsense!"
"When have I ever spoken nonsense? Tell me, in your eyes, besides Madam Shen, who else in the world could be the best woman?"
As he spoke, he deliberately emphasized the word "best".
Xie Wenlang realized what was happening and burst into laughter: "Of course, my Xi'er is the best girl in the world, even my future sister-in-law can't compare."
They didn't try to hide it from others, so Shen Xi heard everything clearly. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Just then, a clear and melodious chirping sound came, the sound was high-pitched and thin, mixed with a little fatigue and fear.
Shen Xi was suddenly stunned for a moment. Only after the young men on the horse track had gathered in twos and threes back to the source of the sound did she belatedly turn around.
The person in the middle was indeed a young man carrying a birdcage.
A golden cage served as a prison, trapping a young canary whose feathers had not yet fully grown. It looked like a fledgling that had just hatched, a tiny ball the size of a fist, huddled up and looking rather empty in the ornate cage.
The gathered crowd blocked out the light, and the canary in the cage was shrouded in shadow. It chirped uneasily, and the young men found it amusing, occasionally sticking their fingers into the cage to tease it, which startled the little bird, causing it to flutter its wings and dart about.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't escape the cage.
Shen Xi closed her eyes, her raven-feather-like eyelashes trembling uneasily like the wings of a little sparrow, suppressing some old, inappropriate memories and remaining still.
Until, through the closed eyelids, the warm orange light suddenly dimmed.
"Alright, Gao Yinian, put away your birdcage. Xi'er dislikes these things the most, and you even brought the bird and cage over together."
Xie Wenlang stood in front of Shen Xi, separating her from the crowd, and pointed at the person in the middle.
Gao Yinian looked over and noticed Shen Xi behind him: "We're going horse racing, why did you bring a girl with you?"
"I'd love to!"
"Oh my, sure, nothing is more valuable than Brother Lang's willingness."
Gao Yinian casually shoved the birdcage into the servant's hand, then remembered something and leaned forward: "Wen Lang, didn't you used to like walking your birds? Now we can't even see them anymore. Did you release them for Madam Shen?"
Xie Wenlang was about to nod subconsciously, but then he realized what was happening and impatiently shoved him away: "Is it any of your business? It's none of your business if I eat braised meat."
"He's already so obedient before we've even married him. Wen Lang, you're something else."
Xie Wenlang ignored him, turned around and faced Shen Xi. His still somewhat immature back completely blocked the view of others. He didn't like them looking at him, especially Gao Yinian.
"Xi'er, are you alright?"
Shen Xi opened her eyes and forced a smile: "It's alright."
Xie Wenlang breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could speak again, he tilted his head and looked past Chen Xi.
"Big brother, you're here!"
A note from the author:
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Prophet Xiao Lang, shut up a bit. Cherish Xiao Xi before she becomes your sister-in-law. [Eating melon emoji]
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