Chapter Thirty-Eight: The First Child from a Previous Life
The carriage stopped at the small gate of Yuhua Tower by the moat.
Yuhualou boasts a beautiful view and delicious food. From the private rooms on the second and third floors, you can see the surging waters of the moat. On a clear day, the scenery is even more spectacular.
The waiter led the two up to the third floor, to a private room reserved exclusively for Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu forcefully gripped Xu Chumian's five fingers in his palm and pulled her forward.
Xu Chumian kept a step away from him at all times, and it was clear that she was very unwilling.
She remained silent the whole way, her delicate, porcelain-white face tense, as if she were sulking with someone.
Zhao Yu stopped at the door of the private room. Xu Chumian was lost in thought and almost bumped into him.
Zhao Yu flicked her forehead, his long, narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. "What are you thinking about? I'm not going to eat you."
Xu Chumian stared coldly at him, then glanced into the private room.
Some memories came flooding back uncontrollably.
In the fourth year of Xu Chumian's marriage to Zhao Yu, the eighth day of the ninth lunar month was her birthday. At that time, Mu Mu had been gone for more than three months. Zhao Yu said that there was something going on in the palace that day, and he would rush back to celebrate her birthday in her place. So, during the day, Zhao Lingyao, the younger sister-in-law of the second wife, invited Xu Chumian to go shopping.
The two women, an aunt and her sister-in-law, planned to have lunch at Yuhualou Restaurant, only to be told that Zhao Yu's private room was already booked.
Xu Chumian was puzzled at the time, guessing that Zhao Yu might have finished his business in the palace and was going to discuss matters with other officials after leaving the palace. So she sat with Zhao Lingyao in the next private room.
Unexpectedly, just as the two of them were about to leave, the door to the private room suddenly opened.
What came into view was Shen Lingyin, who should have been in the deep palace. Her collar was disheveled, as if she had been ravaged by something.
Behind Shen Lingyin, an extremely familiar figure stood by the window.
That's Zhao Yu.
Xu Chumian was immediately struck as if doused with cold water.
She ran away; she didn't know how to face the situation.
Is it a hysterical response, or a confrontation that still retains some rationality?
Xu Chumian's mind was in complete turmoil. Her past speculations were like invisible threads tangled in her head, disturbing her peace.
The facts are now laid bare before her; what she has seen is only a part of the whole picture.
Perhaps in places she didn't know, deep within the palace, in Zhao Yu's villa, the two did everything intimately they could.
Xu Chumian left Yuhua Tower in a daze, tears falling like beads from a broken string.
She walked on without realizing it. The road had no end, or perhaps it did, or maybe Mu Mu was waiting for her at the end.
After all these years of striving and working hard, Mu Mu left her, and her only family member was gone forever because of her mistake.
Now, Xu Chumian is all alone, perhaps it is God's punishment for her.
Zhao Lingyao kept calling her from behind.
It wasn't until the carriage caught up that Xu Chumian realized her skirt was completely red.
This is her first child with Zhao Yu.
He died on her birthday banquet.
...
Those memories she thought were buried deep in time would occasionally surface to remind her.
Xu Chumian stared straight at the intricate cloud pattern on Zhao Yu's chest. Her expression was blank, which made Zhao Yu feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
He gently held Xu Chuming's cold fingers and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
Xu Chumian withdrew her hand, took a step back, and moved her lips, "Zhao Yu, I'm tired, I want to go home."
Zhao Yu lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on Xu Chumian's face.
He couldn't understand where Xu Chumian's inexplicable emotions came from.
"reason."
Xu Chumian frowned, not wanting to say anything more to Zhao Yu, and turned to leave.
She didn't want to stay there a moment longer.
But she had only taken a few steps when Zhao Yu stopped her, pulling her arm to a halt.
Zhao Yu suppressed his agitation and tried his best to keep his voice steady.
"go home?"
Xu Chumian looked stubborn, her lips pursed, her whole body filled with fear.
Xu Chumian remained silent for a long time, and the atmosphere in the third-floor corridor was tense and cold.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yu finally gave in and said, "I'll take you back."
Xu Chumian replied coldly, "No need."
The repeated resistance and opposition caused Zhao Yu to lose patience.
He said with a hint of sarcasm, "Xingyang is still not giving up. As long as you are alone, you can disappear in the capital at any time."
Xu Chumian turned and glared at him.
"It's all your fault that I was alone; you insisted on bringing me out."
Seeing Xu Chumian's eyes reddening as she tried to hold back her tears, Zhao Yu's displeasure vanished instantly.
Zhao Yu gently touched the corner of her eye. "So, I'll take you back."
Xu Chumian turned her head away, refusing to let Zhao Yu touch her.
Zhao Yu forcefully took Xu Chumian's left hand and said, "It's no big deal, alright, let's go home."
Before they could even sit down, Zhao Yu left with Xu Chumian.
The carriage returned to the Xu family's courtyard.
Inside, Mu Mu had just returned from acupuncture with Doctor Chen. Upon hearing the carriage, the little girl immediately ran to open the door.
But to my surprise, it turned out to be Uncle Guanyan.
Guan Yan grinned at Mu Mu.
It was Zhao Yu who got off the bus.
The little girl stared wide-eyed, curiously looking up at Zhao Yu, whom she hadn't seen for several days.
Zhao Yu smiled, a slight curl at the corner of his lips.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Chumian got off the carriage.
Mu Mu immediately went to her sister's side, and Xu Chumian led Mu Mu inside without giving Zhao Yu a single glance.
Zhao Yu, without any sign of disappointment, prepared to follow.
The courtyard gate slammed shut from the inside.
Zhao Yu stood there, his face darkening instantly.
Guan Yan opened his mouth wide and stood by the carriage, trying to minimize his presence.
Perhaps it was Mumu asking in the courtyard.
Xu Chumian's voice was soft.
"He's busy."
"We'll ignore him."
Zhao Yu was radiating a chilling aura, and all he wanted to do was drag Xu Chumian out and teach her a lesson right now.
Guan Yan swallowed hard and had no choice but to speak up, "Sir, why don't we go back to the yamen first?"
Zhao Yu turned and got into the carriage.
His eyes were sharp as knives, and his tone was several times colder than ice.
"Aren't you leaving yet?"
Guan Yan said, "Yes, yes, I'll be going now."
In the courtyard.
Xu Chumian's expression relaxed as she heard the sounds fading away outside.
Mu Mu tugged at her sister's sleeve and pointed to the table, where there were two bowls of cooked wontons.
Xu Chumian stroked Mu Mu's hair and said softly, "Eat."
When Zhao Yu returned to Dali Temple, he was told that Xiao Qingyan had been waiting for him for a long time.
In the courtyard, Xiao Qingyan looked dejected, and the light around him seemed to have dimmed.
The servants in the Dali Temple yamen served Xiao Qingyan tea, and as before, they hid under the eaves to gossip.
"Why does Lord Xiao seem to be heartbroken?"
"Could it be that the woman dumped him?"
"This is Lord Xiao!"
...
For a moment, Zhao Yu felt like the villain in a storybook who breaks up a loving couple.
Zhao Yu's actions were merely to help these two recognize reality as soon as possible.
Hearing the noise, Xiao Qingyan turned his eyes and saw Zhao Yu. The moment he saw Zhao Yu, he instinctively felt that something about Zhao Yu seemed to have changed.
"He'an, where did you go at noon?"
Zhao Yu pursed his lips, his expression indifferent, "Why are you here?"
Xiao Qingyan looked at his friend and asked, "You've been acting strange these past two days. What happened yesterday?"
"It's nothing, just business." Zhao Yu took a sip of tea.
With something on his mind, Xiao Qingyan didn't investigate Zhao Yu's unusual behavior any further.
"Thank you so much for the first time. I really don't know what the consequences would have been if you hadn't been there."
After a pause, Xiao Qingyan added, "By the way, how did you know it was her?"
Zhao Yu didn't answer, but instead asked again, "What are you doing here?"
Xiao Qingyan's face was bitter, and his eyes were filled with desolation.
"She found out who I was, confronted me, and wanted to break up."
Seeing Xiao Qingyan's pained expression, Zhao Yu admitted that he felt a rare sense of satisfaction.
Compared to him, Xu Chumian's ability to anger Xiao Qingyan was equally impressive.
"What do you think I should do?"
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