84 Can I not go?
◎The man's big hands touched her face, leaned over and kissed her red lips◎
The room was silent for a moment, and then became even more chaotic, with cries, roars, and banging on the table mixed together.
Outside the house, the two sisters looked at each other, tacitly lowered their footsteps, quietly retreated, and walked towards the west wing. After they were far away from the main house, Chu Linglan exhaled and said softly.
"Second sister, you know what? I used to envy my eldest sister so much. Everything was top-notch, like the moon surrounded by stars... But now, I suddenly don't envy her anymore."
Seeing her eldest sister in this state, Chu Yufu felt a mixture of emotions and a bit of a sigh. She raised her hand and patted her fourth sister's head, saying, "Yes. In the eyes of father and mother, the most important thing is themselves."
She looked at Chu Linglan's slightly tender face and said sternly, "You will be sixteen next year, and the marriage will be discussed soon. You don't have to listen to everything Daddy says about this matter, but you must take Grandma's words to heart. Do you understand?"
Chu Linglan nodded vigorously, her clear eyes curved, and she smiled with longing, "Yes! I'll remember that. I hope my future husband can be like my second brother-in-law, handsome and caring."
Chu Yufu didn't expect the topic to suddenly turn to herself, and her face flushed slightly. However, when she thought of Pei Yue and the news that he was about to go to war, a layer of sadness involuntarily appeared in her big dark eyes.
The door to the west wing was open, and the surroundings were quiet. The maids walking back and forth walked very lightly, as if they were afraid of disturbing the old lady's rest.
The two sisters lifted their skirts and tiptoed across the threshold. Glancing to the left, they saw Grandmother Wei lying on a low couch in the inner room. Her face was pale, a thin velvet blanket draped around her waist. A strong, bitter smell of medicine wafted through the air.
Mother Yang was sitting on the edge of the couch, massaging the old lady's head. When she heard the noise, she looked up and saw Chu Yufu. She was surprised and delighted: "Second Miss!"
Hearing the sound, Grandma Wei slowly opened her eyes, waved at her, and whispered, "Fu'er, why are you back?"
Chu Yufu quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and took her grandmother's hand. "Such a big thing happened at home. How could my granddaughter not come back? I heard from my fourth sister that the doctor has been here. Grandma, what did the doctor say?"
Grandmother Wei shook her head slightly, trying to reassure her: "The doctor said it's nothing serious. I'm old and useless, it's just a case of anger. I just need to rest..."
Chu Yufu pursed her lips, saying no more. She placed her fingertips lightly on her grandmother's wrist, closed her eyes, and listened. After a moment, she let go of her hand, her furrowed brows slightly relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Mother Yang brought two round stools and asked the two girls to sit down. Then she waved away the maids in the room, walked to the door herself, closed the door gently, and stood guard at the door.
Only the three of them, the grandmother and her grandchildren, were left in the house. Chu Yufu held her grandmother's wrinkled hand, her eyes swept across the empty room, and she sighed softly:
"I've heard about my sister's situation... Grandma, what do you think we should do about this?"
Grandmother Wei closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling slightly. After a long silence, she spoke tiredly, "She chose her own path. I didn't let her get married at the beginning, but she insisted on marrying. Now she has to bear it herself... I don't agree with her getting a divorce."
Chu Linglan looked at her grandmother's tense face and said timidly, "But grandma... Big Sister seems to be having a really hard time right now."
"Bang!"
Grandma Wei suddenly opened her eyes and slammed her palms on the edge of the couch beneath her, making a loud noise. Anger flashed in her eyes: "Don't divorce! She's the only one who's having a hard time! Divorce! That will drag down the whole family!"
"Because my husband took a concubine and we've even reached the point of divorce, if this gets out, outsiders won't say anything about the Changping Marquis's Mansion. They'll just say our Chu family's daughter is narrow-minded and intolerant, and that a Chu family woman is unfit to lead a family!"
Grandmother Wei took a few quick breaths and continued, "You'll be looking for a husband next year or the year after! If rumors like these get out, how can you possibly find a good family? Besides, what about your second sister? How long has she been married? She has to maintain her dignity in the Pei family!"
"As for your father, I won't say anything. He deserves it. It's the retribution for his evil ways! But you guys can't do that!"
After the call, Chu Linglan fell silent.
Chu Yufu pursed her lips and remained silent. As far as she knew, Pei Yue wouldn't look down on her for these other things. She could choose not to care, but she couldn't help but consider her fourth sister.
Grandma Wei's breathing calmed down a bit, and she took Chu Yufu's hand and sat up: "Let's go to the main house."
"Grandma!" Chu Yufu frowned slightly and quickly held her down. "Just take a good rest!"
Grandma Wei shook her head and stood up, saying, "It's okay. Grandma has recovered now. I have to go."
She insisted on going, so Chu Yufu had no choice but to comply and carefully helped her down to the bed. Chu Linglan hurried forward to support the other side, and Mother Yang followed closely behind, and the group walked out of the west wing.
The courtyard of Yunxi Hall was exceptionally quiet. Apart from the maids' footsteps, the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.
The noise in the main room had died down at this moment. Mother Yang pushed open the door and saw the room in a mess. The lampshade was overturned on the ground, and the tea sets and vases that were originally on the table had all disappeared, turning into broken porcelain pieces all over the floor.
Master Chu sat at the top, his face flushed, one hand pressed heavily on the table, his chest heaving violently, and he was breathing heavily.
Mrs. Wu sat at the bottom, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. Chu Junze paced back and forth behind his mother, looking particularly impatient.
Chu Jinhe sat opposite Wu. She had stopped crying. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts. She stared blankly at the patterns on the blue brick floor, looking absent-minded.
The door opened and light poured in.
Master Chu wiped his face, stood up and walked towards the door. His eyes swept over Chu Yufu's face. Without saying anything, he spoke hoarsely to Grandmother Wei, "Mother, why are you here again? Just take a good rest. Your son...your son will take care of it."
Chu Yufu lowered her eyelashes and did not call him.
The position of Minister of Works had been decided seven days earlier. It wasn't Mr. Chu who took the position, but another official with less experience but a down-to-earth and diligent spirit. That person was even a year younger than Mr. Chu. This meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the other person would likely remain in that position for many years, while Mr. Chu's career had essentially come to an end.
Mr. Chu was very angry about this.
After struggling for half his life, he finally stopped at the fifth rank, even losing his daughter, but still failed to achieve his wish. Master Chu's spirit was completely deflated, and he no longer had the same good face towards Chu Yufu as before.
There was only resentment in her heart. She resented Minister Pei for being unkind, and even more so, she resented her second daughter for being useless and unable to even persuade her.
Grandma Wei seemed to have noticed neither him nor the mess on the ground. She took two steps forward, her eyes fixed on her distraught granddaughter, her voice heavy and tired.
"He'er, the lotus pond is right in the garden. I won't stop you. Either you jump in now and end it all. Or, cheer up, clean up, and go back to your Changping Marquis's Mansion! Calm down and think carefully about how you want to live your life from now on."
"Since this is the path you carefully chose, you have to climb down even if it means crawling! Based on your current reasons, I will never agree to your divorce."
Chu Jinhe's eyes moved slightly, as if she heard it, but also as if she didn't.
Grandmother Wei ignored her and turned to look at Wu: "Wu! Go wash up! Later, you will personally send He'er back to the uncle's residence! When you see Cui, say everything you need to say, without missing a single word! Don't let her think that our Chu family is a soft persimmon that can be easily manipulated."
Wu lowered her head and sobbed, then replied, "Yes, mother..."
Grandmother Wei finished what she had to say, and as if she had used up the last bit of her strength, she turned around and walked out without stopping. Master Chu subconsciously followed her.
At the end of the corridor, Grandma Wei suddenly stopped. She turned around abruptly, and under the astonished gazes of Chu Yufu and Chu Linglan, she raised her arm and, with all her strength, slapped her son hard in the face!
A resounding slap rang out in the silent corridor, and everyone present was stunned.
Master Chu covered his cheeks, his eyes widened in disbelief, and exclaimed: "...Mother!"
At this time, Grandma Wei was already in tears. She held back her sobs and said through gritted teeth.
"I should reflect on what's happened today, but you should reflect even more! I was wrong to put my whole heart into your sister, and without paying attention, I let you grow up to be this selfish, cold-hearted person you are now. You're wrong to be a father who has corrupted our child and ruined her life!"
At this point, she couldn't help but pause, her voice low and sad: "No, it's not just the children who have been hurt, but Aunt Wan as well! Go away... Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down, and think carefully about how you became what you are now!"
Master Chu's cheeks burned with pain, a pain far less intense than the humiliation of being slapped in front of his daughter. He clenched his fists at his sides, a vein throbbing in his forehead. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long moment before finally uttering, "...Yes, son, I will reflect on this. Mother, please take care of yourself and don't get angry again."
After saying that, he took two steps back, turned around with a staggering step, and walked towards the ancestral hall. His back looked hurried and embarrassed.
After watching Master Chu walk away, Chu Yufu tightened her grip on Grandmother's hand and whispered, "Grandmother, why don't you stay at my house for a while, get some peace and quiet, and take care of yourself?"
Grandma Wei was old after all. When she took her grandmother's pulse just now, she found that her pulse was much weaker than it was six months ago.
"No need. It's getting late. Fu'er, you should go back too." Grandma Wei waved her hands weakly. Her straight back seemed to collapse in an instant. She broke free from her hand and slowly walked forward holding onto the pillars.
The dim afterglow of the setting sun shone down, elongating her hunched figure. A cold breeze rustled past, causing the skirts of the people in the corridor to rise and fall.
Mother Yang caught up and took Chu Yufu's place, helping her slowly walk out of Yunxi Hall.
Chu Linglan tugged at Chu Yufu's sleeve: "Second sister, let me take you out."
"Okay." Chu Yufu nodded and sighed.
Chu Linglan walked the person to the second gate. Chu Yufu stepped on a footstool and boarded the carriage. She turned around and waved at her, signaling her to go back. Then she lifted the curtain, bent down and leaned in.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I raised my eyes, I was shocked by a dark shadow in the car and gasped!
She cried out in surprise, and after a closer look, she realized that the shadow was Pei Yue. Her tense heartstrings suddenly relaxed, and she complained, "Why are you here? You didn't even make a sound and scared me!"
The man leaned forward, stretched out his long arm, and pulled her to his side like a kitten, sitting her down steadily. "Someone from the mansion came to report that you hurried back to the Chu family. What happened?"
The driver whipped the horse and the carriage started to run, causing it to jolt up and down slightly.
As she was being dragged over, Chu Yufu relaxed her mind, leaned her head against him, and muttered in a low voice, "My eldest sister was wronged in the uncle's house and came home to ask for a divorce, which made grandmother angry. I came to see grandmother, fortunately, nothing serious happened."
Pei Yue hummed softly, and put his strong arms around her shoulders, holding her close to him and pulling her closer to him, making her feel more comfortable: "That's good."
The curtains were drawn inside the car, the light was dim, and the faint scent of pine snow filled the air. Chu Yufu closed her eyes quietly and asked softly, "I heard you were going to Northern Xinjiang. Is it November?"
"Hmm." A man's deep voice came from above. "His Majesty hasn't made his decision yet, but this is probably it."
Chu Yufu raised her head, a trace of worry in her large obsidian eyes. She bit her lip and whispered, "Can I not go?"
The man put his big hands on her face and leaned over to kiss her red lips: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
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