Chapter 137 Good News 2 But Cui Ying had a bad feeling...
"Xiao Qiyu!"
In the dead of night, Cui Ying sat up abruptly from her bed, her back soaked with cold sweat, her dark hair clinging stickily to her pale cheeks.
Another six months have passed, and it is the height of summer. The ice chest is filled with glistening white river ice, and inside are chilled fruits to cool you down. A cool sensation emanates from it, which stings the skin like needles.
A full year has passed since Xiao Qiyu set off on his expedition.
Unaware that she was a guest in her dream, Cui Ying couldn't distinguish between dream and reality. She was breathing heavily, her gaze blankly fixed on a dim light, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
Rushing footsteps sounded outside the tent. Cui Jin, wearing an outer robe and holding a candlestick, hurried towards the bed.
“Don’t be afraid, young lady, I’m right here.” Cui Jin put down the lamp and parted the curtains.
Seeing Cui Ying's pale face, Cui Jin felt a pang of heartache. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief and asked anxiously, "What did you dream about this time, Miss?"
This isn't the first time I've woken up like this in the middle of the night this year.
Cui Ying regained some of her senses, shook her head, and said in a choked voice, "I can't say. Some dreams are too ominous. If I tell them, they might come true."
Cui Jin hurriedly said, "As the old saying goes, dreams are the opposite of reality. The fact that you dreamed of something bad just means that your son-in-law is doing well over there. He is highly skilled in martial arts and has great strategic acumen. He will surely turn misfortune into good fortune and return safely. Besides, haven't we already received good news from the northern desert? Your son-in-law has penetrated deep into the enemy camp and beheaded Ashina Boketu. The Eastern Turks are in chaos and have almost been wiped out. Your son-in-law and his entourage will be returning to the capital in about a month."
The good news came two months ago. Xiao Qiyu pressed his advantage and led only two hundred soldiers into the Turkic royal court. Taking advantage of their unpreparedness, he took Ashina Boke's head. It was in this battle that he finally rescued his second uncle, Xiao Yuanshuo.
Everyone was overjoyed, and the whole country was in an uproar.
But Cui Ying had a bad feeling.
"Pursue the victory and penetrate deep into the enemy camp" sounds easy, but even though no danger was mentioned, Cui Ying felt that things were far from simple.
But she dared not think too much about it.
She could only suppress all her unease and suspicion, forcing herself to calm down, and murmured as if speaking to Cuijin, but also to herself, "Yes, he will definitely come back safely. I have so much to say to him, so much..."
A faint gust of wind came from outside the window, rustling the leaves as if a heavy rain was about to fall.
Once Cui Ying woke up, she found it hard to fall back asleep, tossing and turning until the rooster crowed before finally drifting off.
She was awakened around 3 a.m. by a familiar, cheerful sound.
"Wake up! Third Aunt, wake up! Look what delicious food I brought you! If you linger any longer, it'll get cold!"
Cui Ying struggled to open her eyes, and while her vision was still blurry, she saw Xiao Shu's enlarged smiling face.
Xiao Shu was holding several oil paper packages in her hands. When she saw that she had finally opened her eyes, she quickly opened the steaming oil paper packages one by one, revealing the plump, thin-skinned and generously filled xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and the golden and crispy fried pork sprinkled with bright red chili powder.
The aromas were enticing; these were all street food snacks that Cui Ying loved to eat.
Cui Ying's head was spinning. She stared blankly at the food, then looked up at Xiao Shu with a dazed expression: "Second Aunt let you go out as you please?"
Xiao Shu placed the oil paper package on the tray handed to her by the maid, clapping her hands indifferently: "My mother? She's been holding her little grandson all day long, she doesn't even care about me anymore."
Jingnu gave birth to a baby boy two months ago after ten months of pregnancy. Coincidentally, the day after the child was born, news came from the front lines that Xiao Qiyu had killed Ashina Boketu and rescued Xiao Yuanshuo.
Overjoyed and overjoyed, Qin burst into tears and became convinced that her grandson had been born with good fortune. She cherished him even more, and her feelings towards Jingnu changed considerably. Originally, she only intended to wait for Xiao Heng to return and make Jingnu a concubine, but because of this child, she even harbored the idea of making Jingnu her official wife in the future. As for Xiao Shu and Xiao Ye, as long as they didn't cause any major trouble, she would let them be.
"Stop talking about that, eat it while it's hot!"
Xiao Shu even prepared chopsticks and stuffed them into Cui Ying's hands: "I carried these buns all the way back with them in my arms and close to my heart, just in case the wind made them cold."
Cui Ying was both amused and exasperated. She lowered her eyes to look at the steamed buns, and for some reason, she paused slightly when their eyes met.
This scene is all too familiar.
"Oh, why are your eyes red?" Xiao Shu, with her sharp eyes, immediately leaned closer to look, her brows furrowed. "Are you about to cry from being so touched? It's just a little food, it's not worth it."
Cui Ying rolled her eyes at her: "I just woke up and my eyes are sore. Why should I cry over two ounces of steamed buns?"
She forced down the sudden sour feeling, rinsed her mouth with strong tea, picked up a steamed bun, blew on it, and carefully took a bite.
With a mouthful of fresh and delicious flavor, Cui Ying's tense state of mind relaxed a little.
Xiao Shu also picked up a steamed bun and ate it with a smile: "It's so delicious! The ones from the shops outside taste the best. Sigh, if Xiao Liu were here, she would definitely love it too."
This is a long story. To put it simply, Prince Qi caught a glimpse of Xiao Wan somewhere and couldn't forget her. He even went to the emperor to plead for a marriage. Since she was a daughter of the Xiao family, the emperor did not make things difficult for him and readily agreed.
Although the old lady felt that Prince Qi was not a good match for Xiao Wan, she could not go against the emperor's will. She still prepared a generous dowry for her and sent her off in a grand ceremony, so that she could go to the land of Qi with Prince Qi.
The prominent families in the capital were abuzz with gossip, all believing that Xiao Wan had gotten lucky and taken the marriage that originally belonged to Xiao Shu, thus marrying into the Qi Prince's family.
But Xiao Shu herself didn't think so.
In her eyes, her sixth younger sister was young, beautiful, and gentle, and deserved to be married to a refined and gentle man from a respectable family. Although Prince Qi was of noble birth and not very old, he had already married a concubine who died young and had a nursing son. At best, he was just a widower with a child. How could that be a good marriage? Even if it was a marriage of convenience, it was Prince Qi who was marrying above his station!
The steam from the steamed buns rose like white smoke. Cui Ying chewed and swallowed, her tone losing its usual liveliness: "You wish! If Xiao Liu were still in the manor, he certainly wouldn't let you sneak out like this. If you run into a beggar, your little life would be over."
Xiao Shu snorted, completely unconcerned, and raised her chin: "What's there to be afraid of? I have several guards with me. Besides, I've learned some martial arts now. Seventh Brother left such a large training ground, it's just sitting empty anyway. Wouldn't it be a waste if I didn't use it?"
Upon hearing the words "Seventh Brother," Cui Ying felt a sudden warmth in her heart, and Xiao Qiyu's face appeared in her mind. She said softly, "Yes, yes, you can practice for now. When your Seventh Brother comes back, he will teach you personally."
This is a perfectly natural statement.
But as soon as she finished speaking, the smile on Xiao Shu's face suddenly froze.
She lowered her face, her hand holding the steamed bun drooped, and she lost all appetite.
The cheerful atmosphere in the room suddenly fell silent. Cui Ying sensed Xiao Shu's unusual behavior, looked up at her, and said, "Why aren't you eating? And why aren't you saying anything?"
A profound sadness suddenly welled up in Xiao Shu's eyes, instantly reddening them. She remained silent for a long while before slowly raising her eyes to look at Cui Ying.
"Third Sister..." Xiao Shu's voice was very soft. She paused for a few moments before saying, "If, I mean if, if my Seventh Brother doesn't come back..."
"What should you do from now on?"
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Author's Note: Don't worry, it's a happy ending [shy emoji]. I just like to tease the couple a little.
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