Chapter 41, Mid-Autumn Festival 3: The unique sharpness and toughness of youth.
"What do you know?"
Cui Ying glared at Xiao Qiyu, giving him the look of someone looking at a country bumpkin: "Your mother was only in her early twenties when she passed away, the time when she was young and loved excitement. Of course you can't compare her to an old-fashioned person. What's wrong with reading storybooks? Tomorrow I'll burn a stage for her and burn a few young and handsome martial arts actors along with it."
Xiao Qiyu was speechless after being confronted by her words. He knew that this was not the case, but he couldn't find a reason to refute it. He could only snort to express his dissatisfaction.
"What are you humming about?" Cui Ying continued to put the storybook into the fire. The paper was instantly engulfed by the flames, and the golden-red edges curled up. She said fiercely, "Don't keep your mouth shut. Keep chanting for me."
Xiao Qiyu snorted again, a hint of frustration in his voice, and began to recite the sutra.
Cui Ying glared at him and continued rambling on.
"Fifth Aunt, please keep these for now," Cui Ying changed her tone, becoming incredibly gentle, as if she were pleading with an unseen elder. "Once I get some good stuff, I'll burn it for you. If you ever want anything else, or even just a snack, just come to me in a dream. If you miss Xiao Qiyu, come to me in a dream too, and I'll make him come to your grave to kowtow and pay his respects."
"Auntie, don't worry, the old lady is taking very good care of Xiao Qiyu. Although he was injured a few days ago, he's strong and won't be able to recover for long before he's back to work at the Vermilion Bird Gate—"
In the quiet of the long night, with the cool dew, the girl's voice was like the warmest sunshine in spring, filled with the fragrance of flowers and brightness.
Xiao Qiyu unconsciously stopped chanting the sutra, looked at the stars in the sky, and listened quietly to Cui Ying's voice. His restless mind gradually calmed down.
"Fifth Aunt, you probably won't believe it, but Xiao Qiyu is incredibly powerful now. He commands several hundred men, and everyone who sees him respectfully calls him Captain Xiao. Every day, he rides his big horse to the Vermilion Bird Gate. With that kind of pomp, even the Heavenly King himself would have to be his underling."
“Auntie, please wait. Once Xiao Qiyu returns to the Vermilion Bird Gate, I will tell you in detail about his impressive appearance.”
At this point, Cui Ying nudged Xiao Qiyu with her elbow, her amber eyes gleaming clearly in the firelight as she looked at him and asked, "By the way, I see your injuries have mostly healed. When are you planning to return to the Vermilion Bird Sect?"
Xiao Qiyu stared into her eyes, a heavy sadness rising in his heart, and the truth slipped out in an instant: "I'm not going back."
"What did you say?"
Cui Ying immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, not only widening her eyes but also straightening her body abruptly.
"What do you mean you're not going back? Explain yourself clearly!" She knew Xiao Qiyu's temperament all too well. He got up before dawn to practice his boxing and valued his responsibilities more than his own life. How could he possibly give up just because he was injured? There must be something going on.
Before Xiao Qiyu could speak, Cui Ying reacted in an instant and muttered to himself, "I know, it must be because you killed that Turk to save me, it must be because of this! No way! I'm going to go and explain the situation to His Majesty. I'll take responsibility for my actions, what does it have to do with you!"
Xiao Qiyu's heart tightened. He knew that with her temperament, she was capable of breaking into the palace at night. He stretched out his long arm and grabbed her arm firmly like an iron clamp, so strong that she could not move.
“It has nothing to do with anyone else.” Xiao Qiyu’s voice was urgent as he forcibly suppressed his surging emotions. “It’s me. I don’t want to go back.”
Cui Ying cursed him, "I don't believe you, you big dummy!"
She struggled to break free from him, displaying an unstoppable determination to get justice for him.
Enraged, Cui Ying was harder to control than a pig. In desperation, Xiao Qiyu put his hands under her armpits and, with a little force, lifted her up like a kitten and placed her steadily on a Taihu rock that was taller than a person.
"Can't you let me finish what I have to say!" Xiao Qiyu pressed Cui Ying down firmly, slightly out of breath, quickly gathering his thoughts and trying to make his tone sound calm. "The position of Captain of the Vermilion Bird Gate was originally given to me by my family for training. It's not a long-term job. If I keep occupying the captain's position, wouldn't I be blocking other people's path to promotion? I, Xiao Qiyu, am neither a graduate of the military examination nor have any outstanding military achievements. My position is neither legitimate nor rightful. Why should I keep holding this position without doing anything? Just because I come from a better family and benefit from my family's influence?"
These words were resounding, carrying the sharpness and toughness unique to young people.
Cui Ying gradually calmed down, blinking as she looked at him, her long eyelashes casting small shadows under her eyes, as if she was processing the meaning behind his words.
Xiao Qiyu's gaze was intense: "I know you probably still think I'm lying to you, but this is indeed what I think. It's good to be blessed by our ancestors, but it's not a long-term solution. If I want to move up and go far, I have to work hard and make a name for myself. This is the only way for me."
As he finished speaking, the courtyard seemed to grow quieter, with only the occasional crackling of the brazier and the chirping of insects among the flowers. Several fireflies, attracted by the firelight, shimmered with a ghostly green glow and fluttered lightly around the two of them.
Cui Ying stared at him blankly for a long time, as if she were seeing him for the first time. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice with a hint of disbelief and surprise, "Xiao Qiyu, are your ambitions really this lofty?"
Xiao Qiyu was taken aback.
He spoke too hastily, and he didn't remember what he said afterward. His confident tone was just a way to cover up his guilt when he lied to her.
He was destined to take the military examination, but he hadn't thought about his ambitions.
Seeing Cui Ying's bright eyes, Xiao Qiyu nodded expressionlessly: "That's right, my ambition is very lofty."
"I support you!"
Cui Ying's eyes sparkled, and she slapped her thigh, saying, "I was short-sighted just now. Don't worry, I support you a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"
Xiao Qiyu's heart skipped a beat at her sudden enthusiasm, but he forced himself to remain calm and simply hummed in agreement, extending his arm to cover up his discomfort: "Come down, be careful not to fall."
Cui Ying held onto his arms with both hands, and without needing him to carry her, she nimbly jumped down on her own.
The two acted as if nothing had happened, returning to the brazier to continue chanting scriptures and burning paper money. However, Cui Ying chattered even more, even beginning to imagine Xiao Qiyu's future glory as a martial arts champion.
"Fifth Aunt, just wait to be posthumously granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree!" Cui Ying boasted shamelessly, her eyes gleaming.
Xiao Qiyu calmly recited the scriptures, but her heart was in turmoil. Facing the brazier where ashes danced, she silently prayed to her mother:
Mother, your son did not mean to deceive Cui Ying.
If you really want to enter Cui Ying's dream, remember not to expose me to her.
Mother, you are my own mother.
...
By the time the ceremony ended, it was already past midnight.
Xiao Heng pretended not to understand his grandmother and mother's expressions and spent the night in the front study as usual. After bathing and changing, he quietly looked at the Qilin black jade under the lamp, unconsciously stroking it with his fingertips, his thoughts drifting.
Suddenly, the door was slowly pushed open.
He put the ink jade back into his arms, looked up, and saw Qian Qiuchan, dressed lightly, holding a soup bowl, smiling as she stepped across the threshold.
Qian Qiuchan had just washed herself; her wet black hair was piled up at the back of her head, and she was still damp. She wore a strapless long dress with a lotus flower pattern in a light red color, and an almost transparent and colorless gauze over it. Her face was carefully made up, and her lips were bright red. She was surrounded by a deliberately concocted, sweet and alluring fragrance.
“Mother said that since you have troubled Ah Lang to preside over the ceremony today, she specially ordered me to stew a nourishing soup and send it over to reward you for your health.”
Qian Qiuchan's pronunciation was extremely soft and gentle. Her already upturned eyes were lengthened by the ink, making her eyes appear even more alluring and charming.
Xiao Heng didn't ask her where she got the audacity to trespass into the study. He glanced at her inappropriate attire and then looked away, his voice cold and deep: "Today is the family ancestral sacrifice. The spirits of our ancestors are still watching. Be mindful of your status."
Qian Qiuchan ignored his warning and instead took two steps closer, her lotus-like steps light and graceful. Her alluring eyes were fixed on Xiao Heng, and her tone was innocent and pitiful: "I was just worried that you were tired, and that you didn't have anyone to serve you. No matter how clever the servants are, they are still clumsy and rough. How can they compare to a woman's thoughtfulness and care?"
As she spoke, she seemingly unintentionally raised her hand to adjust her slipped gauze dress, revealing her bare shoulders. Her skin glowed with a delicate luster in the candlelight, and the sweet fragrance permeated the air even more intensely.
Xiao Heng remained expressionless, casually picking up a scroll of policy essays from the table and unfolding it, ignoring her approach.
"Don't worry, my lord, I only wish to serve you soup and I would never overstep my bounds."
Seeing that he remained unmoved, Qian Qiuchan leaned softly against the edge of the table, her gauze dress slipping completely off her arms, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin.
She picked up the soup bowl, scooped up a spoonful of clear soup with a small silver spoon, and with a slight lift of her wrist, she brought it directly to Xiao Heng's tightly pursed lips, carrying a delicate fragrance.
Most of the Xiao family's children were born with handsome features, with uniformly high noses and thin lips, and bright red lips.
Looking at Xiao Heng's lips, Qian Qiuchan's heart burned even brighter, and she coaxed softly, "My love, open your mouth."
Xiao Heng raised his hand holding the scroll, and the hard scroll struck Qian Qiuchan's wrist bone, causing her to gasp in pain and take a big step back. The soup bowl in her hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Xiao Heng remained calm, not even raising his eyes: "The Northern Garrison conducts a olfactory medicine identification test every three months. You know better than I what filthy things were put in this soup."
"Get out of here, and never let me see you again."
The atmosphere was deathly silent.
Qian Qiuchan stood amidst the spilled soup, rubbing her red wrists in a disheveled state, tears streaming down her face. Her voice was filled with the grievance and sorrow of having been exposed:
"I don't understand. Over the years, I have upheld the duties of a wife, serving my elders and caring for my younger siblings. I have been diligent and never slacked off. Why won't you accept me? We've been married for four years, and you won't even touch me. What have I done to wrong you?"
After speaking, and waiting for a long time for Xiao Heng's reply, Qian Qiuchan smiled sadly, looked up at Xiao Heng, her eyes filled with resentment: "I know, you still resent me for what happened back then."
But what can I do?
Qian Qiuchan's tears flowed even more freely: "Since I was a child, I have lived under the roof of others, eating the leftovers of my cousin and wearing her old clothes that she didn't want. When I reached marriageable age, my cousin was able to marry into a noble family, while I was to be arranged by my uncle to marry a poor peasant. Why is that!"
Qian Qiuchan's voice lowered, her body slumped weakly to the ground, and she tearfully accused, "I only live once. In terms of looks and temperament, how am I inferior to my cousin? It's just that I wasn't born into a good family. How could I be willing to miss that one chance to change my fate? You men have a vast world and look down on women's underhanded tricks, but if you were me, you wouldn't necessarily be much more noble than me!"
Xiao Heng's fingers tightened slightly around the book, his knuckles turning white. His gaze sharpened as he looked up, finally meeting the eyes of the woman sprawled on the ground, sobbing.
"What you call leftovers are actually imperial delicacies. Your cousin only took one bite and then sent the rest to your room. What you call old clothes and rags are what your cousin saw when you first entered the mansion. She saw that your clothes were shabby and didn't fit properly, so she cut off her own fine brocade clothes and personally altered them to fit you perfectly."
"The poor old man from the fields you mentioned is a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifteenth year of Jingming. He comes from a respectable family, is diligent, and was recently promoted to clerk in the military camp. He has a bright future ahead of him."
Seeing Qian Qiuchan's increasingly pale face, Xiao Heng withdrew his gaze, his voice icy: "If you keep telling lies, don't fool yourself too. You've already obtained the wealth and glory you desired. For the rest of your life—"
"Be content with your widowed life and don't bother me."
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Author's Note: Thank God, it's finally finished!
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