Widowed Mother's Advice
Chapter 13: Widowed Mother's Advice
Yi Huan left the house as usual. The carriage stopped and started until the afternoon. It was a long walk and he was accompanied by a competent attendant.
"Thank you for your hard work, little brother. It's hot, I'll treat you to some tea."
A boat-shaped silver ingot couldn't support Chang Er. The man holding the reins said tactfully, "Thank you for your understanding, Auntie. There are so many people and it's hard to do anything. My priority is to protect you from being bumped into."
"Forget about having no life to enjoy happiness." Yi Huan deliberately humiliated Chang Er, but Chang Er remained calm and determined not to leave her at all.
But after a while, Yi Huan said he wanted to get off and take a walk. When he reached the market, the carriage wouldn't come, and he started complaining about feeling unwell.
Chang Er had never seen such a willful person as her, who was of low status but spoiled because of her favor. His patience was almost exhausted and he did not respond to her complaints wholeheartedly.
Seeing that she was accompanied by someone to serve her and looked unwell but did not immediately find a doctor, Cao Zhen, thinking it would be bad to watch her die without helping, glanced at her several times before daring to step forward.
"Madam, I know a little bit about observation, smell, and palpation. Are you feeling dizzy and short of breath?"
Yi Huan sat diagonally on the hillside and looked up tiredly, "Can you diagnose illnesses? What's wrong with me?"
"Please stick out your tongue, ma'am, so I can take a look."
Yi Huan did as he was told.
Cao Zhen touched her neck with the back of his hand and found it wet and cold. Her tongue coating was dry and greasy, which were signs of heatstroke.
"It's not a big deal. It's probably because it's hot and stuffy, and the heat is hard to dissipate. Why don't you go to the tea shed in front to cool down and rest. I'll take a closer look at you."
Yi Huan quickly agreed and stood up to leave.
The second officer stopped him and said, "Miss Huan, if you want to see the doctor, I will accompany you back to the mansion. It's getting late and we have to go back."
"How dare you! I am still half the master of this mansion, who are you? I need to see a doctor and take his pulse immediately, how dare you stop me?"
The tall and agile man in a cross-collared robe stood with his back straight and his brows lowered, with a look of frustration and anger in his eyes. He just stood outside the open tea stall and could not hear their conversation.
After being upset by him, Yi Huan felt much better and didn't want to go back, so he followed Cao Zhen's words.
"I'm Yi Huan, and I'm wondering if you can tell me your name?"
Cao Zhen smiled lightly and said kindly, "Madam Huan, my name is Cao Zhen."
Sitting on her right, Cao Zhen placed his own hand under his arm and placed three fingers on her pulse. The closer he pressed, the deeper the frown between his brows became.
"The summer heat will dissipate easily, but you need to rest your body. Although you've had a miscarriage, if you take good care of yourself, you may still be able to get pregnant again."
"What? I was pregnant?"
"My wife, don't you know? Calculating the time, I lost my child a month ago. Fortunately, the month is still young and the root of the body is not damaged. I can get pregnant again."
Yi Huan was shocked and said, "I was pregnant with A Yu's child?"
She repeated it to herself, as if stimulated.
"My wife?"
Yi Huan suddenly grabbed her wrist, as if asking for help but also afraid to confirm his guess: "How did our child disappear?"
Cao Zhen found it difficult to speak. Although she had a husband and a pair of children, such a reason was really embarrassing.
"Madam Cao, that is my only child. Please tell me the reason."
Cao Zhen was moved. He took a breath and said, "It's because of too much sex and the cold that hurt your body. Did you take an abortion drug? Generally speaking, the drug is ineffective and won't cause an abortion, but your body was seriously damaged, so you lost the child."
"But fortunately, the ingredients used are moutan bark, cinnamon twig and peach kernel, which are warm in nature, so they will cause less damage to the body."
Yi Huan's hands were trembling, and he had to pinch his knuckles with his fingernails to steady himself.
No wonder Peng Zuo's eyes looked strange in the dungeon. No wonder he came day and night during that period, and each time he made a long fuss. It turned out that he had known for a long time that she was pregnant with A Yu's child and was determined to kill their child.
Afterwards, he made her drink the abortion pill. Did he really think that no one would know about it?
It’s so painful for her to keep it a secret!
Yi Huan's eyes were red with anger. It was because she was blindfolded that she realized now that the murderer who killed her father and son had been by her side. It was she who recognized the thief as her father and she felt guilty towards her lover.
hateful!
Cao Zhen looked at her emotionally unstable face with concern and consoled her, "My dear, you are in good health. The reason you lost your child is because your fate has not yet arrived. You and your husband still have a future. You will have children again in the future."
Yi Huan shook his head, his stiff smile particularly creepy, and said with pale lips, "He's dead, there's no future for us."
"My lady...my lady must look forward."
At night, Peng Zuoyuan dismissed Cuixue and others, took off his shirt, lifted the curtain and went to bed. He habitually stopped her from closing her eyes, and a gust of wind suddenly blew.
"Ah Huan!"
He blocked the sharp hairpin and threw it to the ground. Peng Zuoyan held her arms with one hand and asked closely, "Ah Huan, are you going to kill me?"
"Yes! I want your life!"
There was undisguised hatred in those red and swollen eyes. Peng Zuoyan loosened his grip a little, "What happened? Didn't we have an agreement?"
"My child..." Yi Huan's voice trembled, but he forced himself not to lose face and said, "Those medicines after I got out of the water prison were used because you killed my child."
Peng Zuoyan felt unhappy for a moment, remembering that Chang Er had gone out with her today, and he must have found out the truth from somewhere, which was why he started making trouble again.
"Now that you know, Ah Huan, I will make love with you day and night. Can you tell whether that bastard is his or mine? Ha."
His sarcastic laugh was even more irritating. Yi Huan quickly pointed out, "At the end of February, you captured me and brought me back. After being put in the water dungeon, you were very strange. If you hadn't known that I was pregnant, how could you have lost your composure like this?"
"Something's wrong with me? What happened to you, Ah Huan?"
Yi Huan sneered angrily, "Peng Zuoyuan, do you still have any shame?"
"So you want revenge?"
"Kill a life for a life."
Peng Zuoyan's patience was boundless. He grabbed her red neck with his right palm and gradually tightened his grip. "Don't keep calling her your child. You are my concubine. I am blessed to be treated with favor and scolded. If you do it again, I will kill you."
Facing those cold murderous eyes, Yi Huan didn't feel scared at all. He just lay there and laughed, laughing until he had difficulty breathing and his cheeks turned red. His laughter made Peng Zuoyan's murderous intent gradually disappear.
"You took me by force, I accepted it. You killed my husband, I endured it. Ah Yu's death was our last bond. Do you have to kill us all?! You keep saying that I can live a rich and prosperous life with you, but that's your shortsightedness. You use your narrow-mindedness to measure my thoughts. In my world, if you kill someone, you should pay with your life!"
"So what if I took you away? Yi Huan, you are not a natural beauty, but I took a fancy to you and gave you this honor. It is a blessing. You are so ungrateful that you have done this. It is unpleasant."
Yi Huan wept bitterly, feeling both unwilling and helpless. "So this is our biggest difference. To you, human life is just like an ant!"
"If you obey, I will exalt you."
Yi Huan shook his head. "Not everyone pursues fame and fortune. There are things more important than these."
"Do you want to say that it was Chao Lanyou who treated you well?" Peng Zuoyuan's tone gradually became colder, and the rubbing between his fingers became more intense.
"A lonely and rude person cannot understand the feelings of a loving person. You will never understand the feeling of two hearts caring about each other."
Oh.
Her eyes seemed to be looking at a pitiful person. Peng Zuoyan disdained that kind of emotion and never wanted to get it.
"Only the weak would try to use fantasy to overcome difficulties, and you, Yi Huan, can only be my concubine for life. You must stay by my side until death, no matter whether I despise you or not."
Yi Huan stretched his neck forward in hatred, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Only the incompetent would bully others by taking advantage of their power. I refuse to accept it, neither in words nor in heart."
Yi Huan stared at him, biting her lip until her hand bled. She raised three fingers to the sky and spoke slowly, "I, Yi Huan, swear here that I will never be reconciled with the murderer of my husband and son. Either you die or I die. Otherwise, I will never be reincarnated, I will never have the hope of returning home, and I will be left alone and helpless for the rest of my life."
Putting his fingers into her bleeding mouth, Peng Zuoyan said solemnly, "Then you must ask me to spare your life, or your curse will come true."
Her nails scratched his wrist hard, and Yi Huan turned over and got off the bed, her red lips shining, and the dark silver moonlight behind her was like a whirlpool. Peng Zuoyan moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and for a moment he felt that he could not hold her.
Her emotions were stirring. Peng Zuoyan was silent for a few breaths, then called out, "Come here. Kneel down and admit your mistakes before me. For the last time, I will forgive you."
Yi Huan laughed, sneered, and backed away barefoot. Her stubborn spine slowly collapsed the moment the door closed, and she locked herself in the compartment, remaining silent until the next day.
In fact, it only takes six hours from the time the moon rises to the time it disappears.
Yi Huan opened her eyes blankly, her heart aching slightly. She counted the more than ten years she had accompanied Chao Lanyu. When she recalled the past, her tears could express her mourning and longing more than her own.
The leaves rustle, hanging firmly on the branches, rising and falling with the wind, the rainbow moon shines on the black leaves, and the flat leaves welcome the tiny moon.
Chaolanyu is any leaf in the forest, forming a hazy and silent forest. Yihuan is a screen, in the air, on the leaves, bound by fate but without roots. Like them, they once fell, possessed briefly, and will never meet again as dawn approaches.
And he just stood there quietly and spaciously. The soft night light did not make him look cold, but instead gave him a coat of outer robe, making him seem more tolerant. He did not have any noble airs, but was just an ordinary young man in his early twenties, actively shouldering the desire and ambition to support his family and protect his beloved girl. He was not a scholar, but had some survival skills and good interpersonal relationships, which made his life more comfortable.
If he hadn't had the opportunity, he might never have become rich and powerful in his life. He would have a mother and a wife. If possible, if Chao Lanyu had been given a chance, he would have been a good son and a good husband.
Resentment? Mostly hatred. Yi Huan simply missed everything about Chao Lanyou, only tonight he forgot the hatred and humiliation.
Cui Xue, having received instructions from Peng Zuoyuan, knocked on the door and asked, "Miss Huan, Chao Liu is here. Do you want to see her?"
After hearing no response for a long time, Cuixue raised her voice.
"Miss Huan, your stepmother is here. Do you want to see her?"
Yi Huan looked back slowly, from the light back to the room, his vision darkening physiologically. Did someone just say that his stepmother was here?
There were only the two of them in the hall. Yi Huan's legs were too numb, and waves of numbness and pain touched Liu's tender and caring face. She couldn't help but pout, "Godmother."
"Hey, Ah Huan, Mom is here to see you. You've been waiting for a long time."
In fact, it was Liu who waited the longest. The Peng family had few members but many rules, and the old body in mourning clothes was not very happy either.
But after seeing Yi Huan, Liu didn't feel any discomfort in her legs and feet, she just felt that she had lost weight and her energy had decreased a lot.
"Haven't you eaten yet? I brought you some Hu pancakes, they're still warm, come and eat them."
There were four loaves of bread on a clean linen cloth, still in the familiar shape and taste.
The sesame cake had a lingering fragrance. Yi Huan took two bites and put it down. He had been making too much trouble, so he opened his lips but didn't know what to say first.
Liu's wrinkles rose as she spoke softly, "Ah Huan, I've long considered you a wife of the Chao family. I thought it would be difficult and inconvenient for a girl like you to live alone, and since you like Ah Yu, we mother and son can provide you with a shelter from the elements. When you get married,... forget it, why am I saying all this to irritate you?"
Yi Huan's face showed bitterness, "I'm just unlucky."
"Ah Huan, why don't you take care of yourself? Look at you...ah."
Liu also knew that she had lost her child. As a daughter of the same family and having watched Yi Huan grow up, Liu felt sorry for her haggard body.
"You blame me."
"How can I blame you for losing Ah Yu and the child? I feel sorry for you having to go through this alone."
"Ayu's death is related to me."
Speaking of emotions, Liu held her hand and patted it gently, "Even before he came to you, I thought of the worst outcome, that we would never have a child, but I'm glad that you're alive and well, Ah Huan. I'm half your mother, and I hope you take good care of yourself."
"Ah Huan, I can't persuade you to obey the powerful. I only ask you to stick to your heart and live a good life. My son is dead, but you still have me, your old mother."
"Whoever dies will be the one to see him off to the grave."
It turned out that she came to persuade her to live. Thinking of Liu who had lost her father and son one after another, and thinking about her safety, she came to comfort her. Yi Huan's cheeks were tense and she could not control herself, and she choked with sobs.
But Yi Huan had already made up his mind to leave, and this meeting was also a farewell.
He patted her belly with his wrinkled right hand. "Ayu was brought into this world by me, so his child is also born through me. They are destined to be together in heaven and will definitely find each other."
"Godmother, I don't know how I can endure this. Why should I endure this? I can't resist him. I..."
Liu stroked her hair with her dry hands and tried to persuade her: "My dear child, I feel sorry for you too. I know how sad it is to be alone in this life, but life and death are simple. Only by moving on can there be more hope."
"Good boy, promise me not to do anything stupid."
Yi Huan stubbornly refused and promised, "In the next life, we will be a family again."
Liu let out a quick sigh, her voice choking with sobs as she pleaded, "You still have me. Ah Yu died, and I was heartbroken. Now, if you die, do you want me to go through this blow all over again? Just think of it as if it were for me, just as if I were threatening you, just as if I were begging you, Ah Huan, I can't bear to see you... Suicide for love isn't important; staying alive is what matters."
"Godmother, I have made up my mind. I am determined to leave."
The person being told shuddered, “Why are you doing this?”
Yi Huan sighed softly, "When godfather passed away, you didn't go with him because of Ah Yu. I am the same as you." A relieved smile broke out on that sharp face, "It's just that I can feel more at ease."
Kneeling on the ground, Yi Huan kowtowed three times steadily.
"That's all."
Liu wiped her tears with her hand and said in a hardened tone, "For me, burying one is just burying one, so why would I care if there are three?"
Yi Huan raised her head with tears in her eyes and said with a smile, "Aunt Jun, I am so worried about you. I, your unfilial daughter Yi Huan, bow down to you for your kindness in raising me. Please take care of yourself in the future."
"Good boy, I would rather you were alive, but you, alas, I will not interfere or support you."
Yi Huan leaned on the edge of the table and watched Liu stagger away. The early morning light shone on the two lonely figures, and their facial expressions were dull and colorless, calm and uneventful.
When dusk came and the last ray of sunlight disappeared into the line between heaven and earth, Yi Huan had sat for long enough and allowed Cui Xue to persuade him to go back to the house, eat and rest, and he obeyed silently.
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