The moon sets and the sun rises; the clouds disperse and the rain falls. One autumn rain brings a chill, and one spring rain brings warmth to the world.
After last night's heavy rain, the Western Qin Kingdom is now filled with blooming flowers and the revival of all things, a vibrant spring scene everywhere.
The sky after the rain turned exceptionally blue, the air was exceptionally fresh, and it carried a faint scent of earth.
The streets were as usual, and the passersby all wore expressions of undisguised happiness and joy.
The warm spring sunshine shines on people's skin, not only warming them but also making their whole bodies sparkle.
Spring has arrived once again. Spring is the season when all good things begin to happen, and it is also the season when endless hopes spring up in people's hearts.
When it was lunchtime at the Yi family mansion in the west of the city, the head of the family, Yi Shangkun, took his seat and took a rare moment to carefully examine the table in front of him. There was a large table full of various dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Perhaps it was also because of the intoxicating scenery of peach blossoms and willows outside that he showed a rare look of joy on his face.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he suddenly noticed that his gaze had shifted to the group of people sitting around the table, waiting to start their meal. He seemed to have noticed something different from usual, and then asked Xue'er, who was sitting beside him with a sullen face and a pout, as if someone had stolen some cherished possession from her, "Xue'er, why hasn't your mother come out to eat today? Is she feeling unwell?"
Yi Shangxue said with a disdainful look, "Father only needs to care about the affairs of the eldest son's family. Why does he need to care about us illegitimate children?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun was utterly bewildered and scolded Yi Shangxue, "You brat, how dare you speak to your father like that? As a young lady from a respectable family, where have you been studying all this time? From morning till now, you've been acting like this, all grumpy and sullen. You're always willful and unruly, and you're especially mean and harsh to the servants in the manor. Do you think I don't know anything? If you don't learn from your elder sister, you'll suffer even greater losses in the future..."
Seeing Yi Shangxue's furrowed brows and clenched teeth, completely enraged by Yi Shangkun's words and about to erupt, Nian Shi, sitting beside Yi Shangkun, swiftly picked up a spoon and scooped up a full spoonful of braised pork trotters with soybeans, rich in collagen, placed in front of the head of the household, Yi Shangkun. Interrupting Yi Shangkun's next words, she smiled and placed it in Yi Shangxue's bowl, smoothing things over by saying, "It's getting late. Our Xue'er must be starving to have said such things. Master, please don't scold her anymore. Let Xue'er eat first. A young lady like her is easily embarrassed; how can she withstand such a scolding? Xue'er, come, eat quickly. This braised pork trotters with soybeans is your favorite dish; it's good for beauty, nourishing blood and qi, and strengthening the spleen and stomach. Eat more. After you finish eating, I'll go with you to see your mother. With me here, Xue'er, don't worry about anything. Eat quickly!"
"Master, you should eat too." As she spoke, Madam Nian added some food to Yi Shangkun's plate, whose face was tense and whose brows were furrowed.
Yi Shangkun knew that it was Nian Shi who was trying to persuade him, and also to give the father and daughter a way out of their endless argument. So he could only sigh softly, then pick up his chopsticks and just eat with his head down, without saying another word.
Unexpectedly, as Yi Shangxue listened to Nian Shi's soft voice beside her ear, her eyes were fixed on a spoonful of food that Nian Shi had put into the bowl in front of her. Suddenly, she took a deep breath and forcefully overturned the bowl, knocking it to the ground.
The porcelain pieces fell to the ground, making a series of crisp, clattering sounds.
Yi Shangkun glanced at the mess on the ground in surprise, then immediately looked up and shouted angrily, "What are you doing? Are you never going to stop?"
Seeing this, Nian hurriedly reached out and carefully tugged at Yi Shangkun's sleeve. However, this time Yi Shangkun seemed to have no intention of backing down any further.
So he put down his bowl and chopsticks and said seriously to Yi Shangxue, "What exactly is the purpose of your actions today? If you can't give a clear answer, you'll be going hungry all day."
"Hmph, if you don't want to eat, then don't eat. It would be best if you starved to death. It would be a clean death, and it would suit someone's wishes perfectly." Yi Shangxue suddenly stood up, kicked the stool after saying this, and turned to leave angrily.
For a moment, Yi Shangkun was so angry with his daughter that his veins were bulging.
They were raised in the same courtyard, ate the same food and drank the same water, so why is this daughter so different from the other?
Suddenly, he felt dizzy, but he still stood up and shouted at Yi Shangxue's departing figure, "You... if you have the guts, you can never eat a meal from my Yi family again in this lifetime."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangxue stamped her foot and said fiercely, "Fine, I won't eat it then! Who are you trying to scare!"
After saying that, he turned and walked out the door without looking back.
As Yi Shangxue left, Yi Shangkun looked up to the sky and sighed, "Unfilial son, unfilial son! What a misfortune for our family!"
Madam Nian then reached out and gently patted Yi Shangkun's chest to help him catch his breath, saying earnestly, "Master, please calm down. Don't take it to heart with your own family. They are just children who don't know any better. Your harsh words and actions have hurt the relationship between father and daughter, and even more so the children's feelings. Harmony is the most important thing in a family!"
"Sigh, my three children, not one of them can give me a moment's peace of mind. My eyelids have been twitching nonstop since yesterday, and I have no idea what's wrong with them," Yi Shangkun said with a heavy heart as he sat down.
Upon hearing this, Madam Nian sat down as well, frowning thoughtfully, and said, "Master... to be honest, I am no different from you. Since I got up yesterday, I have felt a tightness in my chest, as if something big is about to happen."
"You too?" Yi Shangkun looked at Nian Shi with a surprised expression.
Madam Nian nodded slightly, then stammered suspiciously, "Master... could it be that something's wrong with that girl Yun'er?!"
Hearing the doubts in Nian's heart, a new leaf quietly slid down from a large tree by the door. Yi Shangkun glanced at it as he looked out the window, then tilted his head back slightly. Suddenly, he looked out the window at a lone, snow-white cloud floating in the southern sky, let out a long sigh, and murmured, "Cloud..."
In the backyard of the Yi residence, in Aunt Lan's house.
Yi Shangjun was not there; Yi Shangxue was standing alone in the corner of the courtyard, under a crabapple tree next to the archway, angrily tearing at the budding flowers on the branches.
In fact, ever since the incident where she bumped into Qin Wang Xuanyuan Han in front of her own house and was scolded, her brother Yi Shangjun, who used to dote on her, seemed to have stopped spending his days idly wandering around with his unruly sister. He had become a promising young man with lofty ambitions and ideals.
"What? Has the young lady of the Yi family still harbored resentment?" After hearing what Madam Nian said later, Yi Shangkun finally adjusted his mindset and came to this courtyard alone to do what he should do.
But to her surprise, upon entering, she saw Yi Shangxue still looking resentful.
Upon hearing the sound, Yi Shangxue glared disdainfully at Yi Shangkun, who had just entered and was still standing at the archway without moving an inch, his face full of smiles. She then snorted coldly and turned her back.
Yi Shangkun remained expressionless, shook his head, and slowly walked towards her helplessly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and said apologetically, "Alright, Xue'er, don't be angry. It was your father's fault, isn't it? I shouldn't have scolded you in front of everyone. I didn't know your mother was ill. If your aunt hadn't mentioned it..."
Upon hearing Yi Shangkun mention Nian Shi again, Yi Shangxue immediately turned around, looked into Yi Shangkun's eyes, and interrupted him, saying, "Don't mention that slut in our courtyard; it's dirtying our place."
Yi Shangkun swallowed his anger and said helplessly, "Fine, let's not talk about it then. But you should take your father to see your mother quickly. How is she? Has she taken any medicine? Don't let it get worse!"
"Hmph, Father, you only remember my mother now? Last night, with such a fierce storm, you even sent someone to send my brother out to the south of the city to find your precious eldest daughter. Why didn't you think that my mother would be worried about her son, and that she would be restless and sleepless all night?"
"Oh, so that's what it's about. Well, I've already come to your mother's house in person to apologize..."
Before Yi Shangkun could finish speaking, Yi Shangxue hurriedly interrupted him, saying, "Father, you've changed, you've really changed. Before, Father wasn't like this with our courtyard. You were so considerate and attentive to the three of us, mother and son. But ever since that girl woke up half a year ago, Father is no longer the father he used to be." As soon as Yi Shangxue finished speaking, remembering his recent kindness towards Yi Shangyun, she forcefully broke free from Yi Shangkun's hands and ran crying towards her pavilion in the west.
At this moment, Yi Shangkun finally understood why Aunt Lan hadn't shown her face all day. It wasn't that she was sick, but because her precious son had been sent out by Yi Shangkun during the storm last night, and she was resentful and angry.
In fact, he had already anticipated this situation last night. However, if he had gone to ask Aunt Lan for the person in person last night, Aunt Lan would not have been able to let go because she loved her son dearly. Therefore, Yi Shangjun would definitely not have been able to go.
Besides Yi Shangjun, he seemed unable to find anyone more suitable to accompany Yan'er. Moreover, Yi Shangjun was about to leave home to join the army. The days of marching and fighting that followed would be far more challenging than this torrential rain.
After Yi Shangxue left, Yi Shangkun pondered to himself as he silently entered Aunt Lan's bedroom alone.
Aunt Lan's ancestors were natives of Xiqin City, and her father owned a well-known local medical shop in the west of the city.
Eighteen years ago, Yi Shangkun was penniless and had no relatives. He fled to the west of the city with his wife and newborn daughter, hoping to settle down there.
Initially, he intended to escape from Western Qin and go somewhere where no one knew him. Unfortunately, his daughter was too young to nurse, and by the time he reached the west of the city, she was already in critical condition, forcing him to stop there.
Later, in order to support his family, he had no choice but to become an apprentice in Aunt Lan's medical shop. Because of his honesty, sincerity, and extensive knowledge of herbs, he gained his father's favor.
Later, with the attention, introduction, and efforts of his father, Yi Shangkun was able to enter the palace and work in the Imperial Pharmacy, thus gaining dignity and respect.
How could someone as domineering as Aunt Kelan be willing to become a concubine and marry someone of such lowly status as Yi Shangkun?
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