Yi Shangkun stepped into Aunt Lan's bedroom and quickly bypassed the screen, peering through a layer of dark purple gauze to find Aunt Lan sitting on the couch.
Aunt Lan, who was inside the room, had already overheard the conversation between Yi Shangkun and his daughter Yi Shangxue in the courtyard.
At this moment, through the purple veil, she looked at the man who appeared before her with an expression of unprecedented disappointment and resentment, and then glared at him fiercely.
However, Yi Shangkun was unaware of Aunt Lan's thoughts on the other side of the purple gauze. She still walked to the bedside with a smile and gently lifted the light gauze that separated the two of them.
Unexpectedly, a series of hoarse complaints came from Aunt Lan: "What are you doing here? What are you doing here again? Get out! I never want to see you again! Get out! Cough cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Yi Shangkun then realized that Aunt Lan looked like she was really sick; she was pale and bloodless as she leaned against the couch.
Before he could utter two words, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and began coughing repeatedly.
Upon seeing this, Yi Shangkun's smile vanished instantly, his eyebrows furrowing in a frown. He hurriedly walked to the table by the window, poured a bowl of hot water, and prepared to hand it to Aunt Lan.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Lan slapped him to the ground, gritting her teeth and roaring at him with a ferocious expression, "Yi Shangkun, you have such a cruel heart! As the saying goes, 'Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs.' Last night, the wind howled, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and rain poured down. Jun'er, he's not an outsider, nor is he your servant; he's your only son, Yi Shangkun! How could you bear to send him to such a far place in the south of the city on such a dangerous night, traversing mountains and rivers, just to find that lowly..." "That little slut I raised? I wish the lightning last night had struck her dead outside, and the torrential rain had drenched her to death. That way, she could never harm my son and daughter again. Heavens, if anything were to happen to my handsome son, I... I would fight you to the death, and I would never forgive that bitch, Nian Shi. God, why is my life so miserable? I've never had a single good day since I married you, sob sob sob..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun quickly stepped forward and sat down beside her on the bed, embracing her shoulder and leaning her against his. He spoke earnestly, "Lan, I know you've suffered these past years with me, Yi Shangkun. You, a young lady from a scholarly family, were forced to marry a stranger like me as a concubine. These years have been hard not only for you but also for the children. Yet, we've been husband and wife for over ten years. You've been busy with everything, and you endured ten months of pregnancy, giving birth to twins. I thought we should have understood each other perfectly. But now, do you truly see your husband, me, this way? Buddhist scriptures say, 'A mother carries her own child for ten months, suffering greatly, and on the day of birth, the mother is in danger and the father is terrified.' Jun'er is a piece of your flesh, but for me, isn't he the same?"
"If that's the case, then why...why did you still do that?" Aunt Lan seemed slightly moved by Yi Shangkun's heartfelt words, but she still didn't understand.
Yi Shangkun sighed and said, "As the ancients said, 'Parents who love their children deeply will plan far ahead for them.' So all along, you have been living frugally, thinking about everything for them, and only thinking about building up a solid family fortune for Jun'er and Xue'er so that these two children can live a life of no worries about food or clothing and live with dignity and respect for the rest of their lives."
“I am their biological mother, so of course I should help them make long-term plans. Is that wrong?” Aunt Lan suddenly stopped crying, sniffed, and interrupted Yi Shangkun to defend herself.
Yi Shangkun said, "Lan, don't you understand yet? The children have all grown up. They no longer need just good food and warm clothes, to stay in their comfort zone. They already have their own ideas and want to experience more of life's trials. Just like when the Prince of Qin personally visited the Yi residence last time, if it weren't for that, how would you and I have known that Jun'er, who always seems so carefree, harbors such lofty ambitions! Moreover, I've seen him shut himself in to study diligently ever since, no longer fooling around with Xue'er. Jun'er, a dignified seven-foot-tall man..." If even last night's wind, rain, and thunder could hold him back, what future could he possibly have, even if he went to war? This child is like a kite in your hand. If you're always worried he'll fly too high and escape your sight, and you tightly wrap the string around your hand, he won't fly high or steady; he might even break his wings and fall down in sorrow. But if you loosen your grip on the string, he'll fly higher, more steadily, and happier—that's the kind of unfettered, carefree, and regretless life he desires.
As Yi Shangkun spoke, his eyes shone with hope.
"But I'm just not reconciled. Why does it have to be that wretched girl? What if Jun'er were to die... then I..." Aunt Lan leaned on Yi Kun's shoulder and listened quietly. She seemed to have found some peace in her heart, but there was still a trace of resentment and reluctance in her voice.
Yi Shangkun comforted and reassured him, "Don't worry, Jun'er is my good son, he'll be alright. Go find Yun'er, consider it returning the favor to her and her daughter!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Lan immediately sat up and retorted, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean by 'just consider it as returning it to her and her daughter'? Over the years, although I took charge of the household as soon as I entered the family, have I not treated them well enough? Have they lacked clothes or food?"
Yi Shangkun placed a hand on Aunt Lan's shoulder, comforting her as he said, "Lan, I have complete confidence in entrusting this family to you. But do you know why I refused to agree to my father-in-law's request to abandon this wife who had shared my hardships and marry you as my principal wife?"
"Because everyone thinks you're honest, loyal, and sentimental. Actually, only I'm foolish. I know you're actually quite cunning at heart. You must have known I would marry you. Whether it was in Father's clinic or later when he was implicated by a friend and went to the palace to treat the Empress Dowager, he was accused of having exhausted his skills and deliberately prescribing this nonexistent medicine to deceive the court and avoid punishment because he was imprisoned in the palace. In that life-or-death situation, only you had the ability to help and rescue him. Right?"
Yi Shangkun smiled and shook his head.
Aunt Lan recalled, "To be honest, my father and I have always been amazed by this! Back then, you were penniless. How did you manage to obtain a rare thousand-year-old ginseng to present to the Empress Dowager and save my father's life? You also made a great impression in the palace, making those pedantic people feel ashamed in front of you. My father and I were completely won over by you."
Seeing the fleeting hint of pride on Aunt Lan's face, Yi Shangkun recalled, "Actually, this thousand-year-old ginseng doesn't belong to me, but to Yun'er's mother. Yun'er was given to me with her own life, so I absolutely cannot do something like crossing the river and burning the bridge, being ungrateful."
Aunt Lan finally understood and exclaimed in surprise, "I never imagined that the lowly woman in that courtyard would have such a treasure."
At this moment, Aunt Lan was unaware that the "mother" Yi Shangyun was referring to when Yi Shangkun spoke of her was not actually another woman living in the mansion, Yi Shangyun's nominal mother.
Yi Shangkun had always been clear in his heart that there were certain things he could never tell Aunt Lan. Deep down, he wasn't entirely sure why he had such thoughts, but he felt that saying them would surely bring some bad misfortune.
At this moment, in order to quell and appease Aunt Lan's anger, he had no choice but to play along, even if he didn't mean it. If Aunt Lan found out that Yi Shangyun was not born to Madam Nian, and Madam Nian's position was threatened, Yi Shangyun's life in the Yi household would likely become even more difficult.
“Oh! So you should actually thank her back then. Without her, I would have been completely out of ideas. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice!” Yi Shangkun replied.
Aunt Lan glared at Yi Shangkun and said dismissively, "You two are husband and wife. Is it necessary to distinguish between hers and yours so clearly? If you really want to distinguish, then what about the fact that Father built this mansion for us so that we wouldn't have to squeeze into your tiny thatched hut after we got married? He even bought it for us. How do you account for that?"
Yi Shangkun couldn't deny it. "Lan, what you said is true, it is true... It's all my fault for being incompetent. I can't give you a rich and carefree life, and I have to trouble your father-in-law. So, back then, the Nian family agreed to let me formally welcome you into the family with the proper rites and betrothal, and with an eight-bearer sedan chair, right?"
After all, in the heart of Nian Shi, who was born in the countryside, she knew perfectly well that if it weren't for the help of Aunt Lan's family back then, let alone Yi Shangkun's current status and prestige, even finding a place to shelter from the wind and rain would probably be a luxury.
After all, this is the imperial city right under the emperor's nose; not just anyone can survive here.
At this moment, looking at the serene and smug expression on Aunt Lan's face, Yi Shangkun suddenly recalled all the hardships of the past, and a strange sense of sorrow welled up within him.
Aunt Lan seemed to have finally been comforted and her worries were relieved. As she got out of bed to change her clothes, she said to Yi Shangkun, "By the way, I suddenly remembered that Yun'er seems to have an extremely precious gold and jade bracelet. Even I don't have such a valuable item. Where did she get it? I heard from Madam Nian that it was a gift from one of your deceased friends."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun suddenly tensed up for some reason. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Lan... that seven-colored gold and jade bracelet is Yun'er's destiny. Apart from that bracelet, I, Yi Shangkun, can give you anything else."
Aunt Lan was stunned by Yi Shangkun's expression. "Why are you so nervous? I didn't say I wanted that bracelet. Could it be that this bracelet has some kind of secret?"
Yi Shangkun breathed a sigh of relief, silently walked over and hugged Aunt Lan's waist from behind, whispering in her ear, "Lan, believe me. Maybe one day you will understand all of this, but definitely not now."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com