And now——
Young Marquis Su was counting on his fingers to calculate for Si Yan "how many taels of silver the broadsword is worth" when Su Qingyao hit him with a round fan and he cried out in pain; Prime Minister Su secretly stuffed a piece of osmanthus cake into Si Yan's hand, but pretended to look at the bird's nest on the eaves; Jiang Yan straightened her slightly tilted shawl, and his fingertips brushed the mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist, which was a relic left to her by her biological mother, and now passed on to Si Yan.
"Alright, alright," Su Jinli clapped her hands, the golden light of the setting sun falling on the white jade hairpin in her hair, "If you keep doting on me, Siyan will go to heaven."
Si Yan, however, hid behind Jiang Yan, holding the jade abacus, and poked her little head out: "Mom, my elder sister, my grandfather, and my uncle are all very kind to me."
"Oh? What about mother?" Su Jinli raised her eyebrows and deliberately put on a stern face.
Si Yan rushed out and hugged her legs, the jade abacus hurting her: "Mom is the best to me! She helps me with the most difficult accounts and even makes me sweet and sour pork ribs!"
Everyone laughed. Su Qingyao waved her round fan, and the ladies painted on it seemed to be laughing too. Young Marquis Su rubbed the back of his hand, which had been hurt by the blow, and muttered, "You little heartless one!" Prime Minister Su paused, twirling his beard, a smile etched in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Jiang Yan looked at his wife and children, his eyes almost overflowing with tenderness.
- [Holding Hands and Talking Warmly: Past and Present]
At dinner, Siyan's jade abacus was solemnly placed beside the dining table. Every time he picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, he would glance down at the abacus, as if the jade beads could calculate the amount of meat. Seeing him like this, Su Jinli suddenly remembered the bowl of cold porridge that Liu had brought to her bedside in her previous life. The rice grains sank to the bottom of the bowl, just like her own heart at that time.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Yan's voice rang in her ears, his warm breath brushing against her temples. He followed her gaze to Si Yan, a gentle smile on his lips. "Thinking about the first time you took Si Yan to the sugar painting stall, how he held on to the coins and refused to let go, insisting on calculating the change himself?"
Su Jinli laughed. That was when Siyan was three years old, counting two copper coins until his eyes turned red. In the end, Jiang Yan squatted on the street and bought him a crooked sugar dragon with a penny. Now that child has grown up, he can calculate the interest on a hundred taels of silver with an abacus and hide his kindness between the beads.
"Thank you, Jinli." Jiang Yan suddenly held her hand, and his fingertips touched the thin calluses on her palm - those were the result of years of holding a pen and writing books.
"What are you thanking me for?" She turned to look at him, the candlelight dancing in his eyes, reflecting her shadow.
"Thank you for letting me know," he paused, his voice low and gentle, "it turns out happiness is this concrete. It's the sound of Siyan's abacus, the scent of Qingyao's rouge, the ring of my father-in-law's imperial scepter, and..." He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, "and the light in the corner of your eyes every time you smile."
Su Jinli's heart suddenly warmed, like honey melted by the spring sun. She took his hand, feeling the calluses on his palms—they were from his early years of studying. The poor scholar who once squatted on the street and competed with her for the sugar painting was now a powerful prime minister, and the husband of her children.
"We are a family." She said softly. The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows on the blue bricks, tightly clinging to each other.
Yes, a family.
The suffering of a past life was like a faded ink painting, long blurred. Now, every day was like freshly ground cinnabar, richly inscribed with happiness. Her younger brother was no longer the sword-wielding bully, now clumsily teaching his nephew the "rules of the underworld." Her older sister, no longer the airs of a lady from a wealthy family, would secretly teach her how to mix the latest rouge shades. Her father was no longer the aloof court official, now making a detour after court to buy his grandson's favorite preserves.
And her children, Jiang Nianli and Jiang Siyan——
Si Yan was fiddling with rice grains in a bowl with a jade abacus, the clatter of beads mingling with the young Marquis Su's shouts. From the next courtyard came Nian Li's laughter. She had just learned a set of boxing moves from her grandfather and was chasing after Si Yan's servant. These younger generations, thriving in their family's care, would surely outshine them and shine brighter in the future.
- [Honey Years: The New Wave and the Warm Sun]
As the night deepened, Siyan fell asleep on the couch, holding the jade abacus, with crumbs of osmanthus cake still stained at the corners of his mouth. Su Jinli tucked him into the quilt, her fingertips tracing the cinnabar mole between his eyebrows—a spot he had at birth, and a striking resemblance to the flower ornament between her eyebrows.
Jiang Yan hugged her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head: "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking," she said, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window. She remembered Si Yan's promise to open the largest bookstore in the capital. "Our Si Yan will definitely be a remarkable person in the future. And so will Nian Li. She might even become the first female general to participate in the military examination."
Jiang Yan chuckled softly, the vibration of his chest emanating from his clothes. "Let them go. Whether Si Yan opens a bookstore or lends money, whether Nian Li wields a sword or takes the military exam, we will support them."
Su Jinli turned, the moonlight falling on his face, outlining a gentle outline. She recalled the sugar painting stall years ago, when he had handed her a crooked phoenix painting and said, "I'll take you and protect you from trouble in the future." Now, they truly protected each other and their children, turning the grievances of the past into honey.
"Well," she stood on tiptoe and placed a soft kiss on his lips, "our family should always be this sweet."
The night breeze blew through the window lattice, bringing the sweet fragrance of tuberose from the courtyard. Siyan smacked her lips in her sleep, and the jade abacus slipped from her arms. The beads glowed warmly in the moonlight, just like their hearts, which were filled with happiness at that moment.
This life is so good.
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