15 Rain
◎Ci Ying didn't have much time to be sad.◎
The girl in light yellow clothes, Lin Shu, was standing obediently beside Duke Lin and his wife, looking at Xie Huaijin opposite her with a loving look.
She was the only girl among the younger generation of the Lin family. She had been spoiled since she was a child. She fell in love with her cousin Xie Huaijin when she was young. Her grandparents also asked her about her wishes. After knowing her feelings, they promised her that she would become her cousin's wife. However, that lowly maid intervened.
She was born the same year her eldest aunt died of the epidemic. She had heard a lot about her from her grandparents and had seen her portrait in her father's study. So, even though her eldest aunt died young, she still had some understanding of her. But her second aunt...
Lin Shu actually didn't like her recently deceased second aunt. When she was at home, her grandparents and father were always very tight-lipped about her, looking like they couldn't express their feelings. People's likes and dislikes are contagious, and as Lin Shu watched, she developed a bad impression of her second aunt, whom she had never met before.
Later, her grandparents went to look for her second aunt because of her matter, but she refused to see them many times. Later, she made the biggest joke in Chang'an during that time. She threatened to commit suicide to force her cousin to marry the maid. Even her grandparents scolded her at home for being so ungrateful that she would rather give a maid away than help her own niece.
Lin Shu couldn't be happier. This time, she had come with her grandparents to see her cousin. Yesterday, her grandmother had explained the pros and cons to her: her second aunt had passed away, her cousin and the maid hadn't yet performed their ceremony, and the official documents hadn't arrived yet. According to etiquette, they weren't considered husband and wife. They would lobby her cousin to break off his engagement with the maid.
As for her, she would stay at the Xie Mansion for now, and after the mourning period for Second Aunt was over, the two families could discuss the matter of marriage. For decades, the Xie and Lin families had been connected. This cousin was the head of the family, and she was the only girl among the younger generation in the mansion, so it was natural for them to marry.
Thinking of this, Lin Shu's eyes sparkled.
Ci Ying stood outside the door, just in time to see Lin Shu's expression. Xiao Wan clenched her fists and cursed softly, "Shameless!"
Ciying's face was expressionless, calm and composed, but her hands beneath her sleeves were clenched until pale. It wasn't that she was defending herself like Xiaowan, but she had heard what Duke Lin and his wife had said, and she realized they hadn't come here to pay their respects to the lady.
Xiaowan was still angry when she saw a white figure walking towards her. It was none other than Ci Ying. Xiaowan wanted to reach out and grab her but it was too late. She could only follow with her head down.
When everyone saw her appear, their expressions changed.
Xie Huaijin smiled gently, and everything came back to life. Lin Shu, who was standing beside him, clutched her handkerchief tightly and said angrily, "Didn't you see the master and the mistress are talking? A servant is a servant, and you don't know any etiquette at all."
Old Madam Lin patted her granddaughter's hand and changed her demeanor: "Child, since you're here, come over here too." Ciying walked closer. The old lady held her granddaughter, who was about to make trouble, tightly grasped her and said kindly: "Ashu, we have spoiled her a little bit and have broken some of the rules, but she is not without reason."
Madam Lin put down her teacup and said, "Since we're talking about you, you might as well listen. I see you're quite intelligent, and I heard you took very good care of Su Wei. You must be a smart person. Smart people know when to stop. Pack your bags and leave the Xie Mansion. I'll have Huai Jin prepare twenty taels of silver for you. If that's still not enough, I'll add another ten. Don't be greedy."
It's more of an advice than a threat.
Ci Ying clutched the handkerchief tightly and walked to Xie Huaijin.
Today, Xie Huaijin was wearing a plain white robe, which looked like the snow on the shores of West Mountain Lake from a distance, cold and white.
The young man remained silent throughout the conversation, only taking a sip from his teacup when Ci Ying walked in. As they drank their tea, the two of them looked at each other with their backs to the crowd. Ci Ying was surprised to find a hint of a smile in Xie Huaijin's eyes.
Ci Ying was originally very angry, but the contrast was too great. Mrs. Lin was still pouring beans over there, and Xie Huaijin was smiling at her here. Ci Ying almost forgot what she was going to say. She was afraid that she would laugh too, but she couldn't bear to glare at Xie Huaijin. She pinched her palm and stopped looking at him, turning to look at Mrs. Lin.
She lowered her head and whispered, "Miss Lin and Old Madam Lin are absolutely right. I naturally understand the principle of quitting while I'm ahead..."
Lin Shu's eyes revealed disdain and joy. Duke Lin and Old Madam Lin also looked at each other with satisfaction and contempt. Only Xie Huaijin put down his teacup and waited quietly for Ci Ying's next words.
"It's just..." Ci Ying hesitated, "That day in front of Madam's coffin, I and the young master bowed to heaven and earth..." Ci Ying hesitated to speak, looking at the wife of Duke Lin opposite her, with a conflicted look on her face.
"It doesn't count, how can it count!" Old Madam Lin stood up and spoke louder.
Ci Ying was forced to take a step back.
Lin Shu bit her lip. Although she wasn't very smart, she figured out something. Following her intuition, she chased after him and asked, "Do you just want to stay with your cousin?"
Ci Ying whispered, "Does being by my husband's side count as being a traitor?"
Lin Shu was furious and raised her hand to hit someone without caring about her image.
Ci Ying threw herself into Xie Huaijin's arms. Xie Huaijin accompanied her to finish the rest of the play, then raised his hands to protect Ci Ying. Mo Yu, who was standing behind him, grabbed Lin Shu, causing Lin Shu to scream, "Cousin, cousin!"
Amidst the chaos, Xie Huaijin said helplessly, "Grandfather, grandmother, when Second Aunt was still alive, the Xie family had already submitted the marriage certificate to the government. The certificate was delivered to the mansion two days before the wedding. Logically speaking, Ciying is indeed my wife now."
Ci Ying was stunned for a moment, and Xiao Wan lowered his head and let out a sigh beside him.
Lin Shu's eyes suddenly turned red: "Impossible, how is it possible..."
There was no further news about Ciying afterwards. Duke Lin and his wife looked unhappy and finally took Lin Shu away, saying they would bring her back another day.
After they left, the expression on Ci Ying's face immediately turned cold.
Xie Huaijin watched Ci Ying's angry expression with interest, and kindly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Ci Ying. Ci Ying took it and bowed her head apologetically: "I'm sorry."
There were many ways to deal with this problem, and she didn't even need to step in and escalate the situation, but she chose the most useless one, just to piss off those people.
Xie Huaijin smiled calmly, "It's nothing. I haven't seen my grandparents break down so much in a while. I can't do it alone. But after a while, my grandparents will realize what's going on. They'll definitely make things difficult for you, and the resentment they originally held against me will be passed on to you."
The young man recounted everything, and Ci Ying clenched her teacup. She knew she had been reckless in what she had done today, and she lowered her head even lower.
But in just a moment, Xie Huaijin's clear voice rang out: "But husband and wife are birds of the same forest. It makes no difference whether you hold a grudge against me or you."
Ci Ying lowered her head, the only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat. She slowly raised her head and looked towards Xie Huaijin, meeting the young man's smiling eyes.
Xiaowan's ears turned red behind the two of them. She turned around and saw Mo Yu's cold face. She blinked in fright and turned around.
On the way back, Xiaowan followed Ciying and said enviously, "Miss, no... Young Madam, the young master is such a nice person. He is completely different from what the people in the mansion described before."
Ciying was holding a handkerchief, so she couldn't really hear what Xiaowan was saying.
Her heart was swirling around the words Xie Huaijin had said. She clutched her handkerchief tightly, blinked her eyes, and looked a little helpless. She actually dared to say this because Xie Huaijin smiled at her when they looked at each other. She knew that Xie Huaijin would most likely stand by her side, and she just needed Xie Huaijin to stand by her side.
But I never thought it would be like this...
It clearly means the same thing, but when it comes out of that person's mouth, it sounds different.
Ci Ying didn't calm down until she reached the mourning hall. She stared at the lady's tablet and remembered that not long ago she had stared at the lady's tablet in the same way. When the lady died, her eyes looked at her with longing, but there was only longing, nothing else.
She was sentenced to death too early, so her sadness turned into every spring, summer, autumn and winter of each year. She didn't die young because the young lady of the Xie family could keep her alive with high-quality medicinal herbs worth a fortune a day. So when she left, the young lady didn't have any other emotions, but just touched her eyes and told her not to cry.
Xiaowan looked at Ciying's sad back, glanced at the lady's spirit tablet and then at the people guarding outside, then took a piece of clothing and put it on.
Ciying didn't have much time to be sad.
Because the Duke Lin and his wife were not the first to question and threaten this marriage, nor would they be the last. Ci Ying covered her beating heart, clearly understanding that she had to stay with Xie Huaijin for a long time and could not be like this now.
She can't rely on Xie Huaijin every time. She has to hold Xie Huaijin's kind hand and climb up step by step. Everything is truly hers only when it is in her own hands.
She felt pessimistically that people would change. At first, the scholar lovingly held her on his knees and taught her to read and write, but later he exchanged her for ten taels of silver with an expressionless face while fleeing. At first, Ru Zhen stayed by her side and shouted that she would protect her for the rest of her life, but later she betrayed her again and again.
Ci Ying covered her heart, it was beating, even though she knew so well the unbearable nature of human beings, it still kept beating.
Fortunately, she fell in love with a very good person.
When sending his wife to the funeral, Ciying personally placed Aunt Yusheng's ashes inside.
It was raining heavily on the road.
Many people in the Xie family had died recently, but those who knew about it dared not speak a word. The eldest son's marriage, which should have caused a huge uproar, was surprisingly settled.
In the ancestral hall, Xie Qingzheng looked at the tablet in front of him. The elder behind him spoke, "The Lin family sent someone to pass on a message, saying that Huaijin said he and that maid had already bowed to heaven and earth in front of the stepmother's coffin, and the government has already registered the matter. Qingzheng, the Lin family is simmering with anger. If this isn't handled properly and allowed to escalate, it could lead to trouble. How could that maid have seduced Huaijin's heart and ruined the relationship between the Xie and Lin families..."
"The relationship between the Lin and Xie families has not been what it used to be in the past ten years." Xie Qingzheng said calmly, then looked at the people behind him helplessly: "He has seduced the soul, Elder. Others don't understand that child, don't you understand him?"
A man emerged from the shadows. It was the Second Elder. He walked out slowly, stroking his beard and asking, "What are the benefits of marrying a maid?"
Xie Qingzheng closed his eyes, his voice a little sad: "Marrying any young lady from a high-ranking family in Chang'an City will not bring as much benefit as this servant girl."
In the eyes of the Second Elder, Xie Qingzheng slowly uttered a few words: "Wei Ran."
Wei Ran, General Wei who returned to the capital a few months ago, is Lin Lan's lover after she escaped from marriage but failed.
Over the years, the king has granted him many marriages, even offering to marry his own sister, but Wei Ran turned a deaf ear to them. With a great reputation and commanding an army of 100,000, he stands alone from the aristocratic families.
The Second Elder was silent for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Will Wei Ran stand behind the Xie family because of Lin Lan?"
Xie Qingzheng chuckled softly, as if laughing at the naivety of the person behind him. Shu He had almost killed off the older generation of the Xie family, yet he still thought Shu He was planning for the future of the Xie family. He didn't intend to point it out, and said softly, "Yes, Wei Ran will stand behind anyone just because of Lin Lan's words."
This was a secret. Back then, the Lin family had dealt with everyone who knew about it. Although most of the noble families knew that Lin Lan had eloped with someone and was caught, no one knew that person was the now-popular General Wei.
Xie Qingzheng thought of Wei Ran in his memory. When he and Lin Xiang passed by the bookstore, Wei Ran and Lin Lan rode horses together, whipping their horses across the street. It was April, and the flowers were still in full bloom. The young man was riding his horse and whipping his horses.
When Lin Lan was kidnapped back by the Lin family, Wei Ran burst into tears. The two looked at each other tearfully across the bridal sedan, and finally stopped when Duke Lin and his wife knelt down.
Later, Wei Ran fled Chang'an, where he spent his days engaged in battle. Thus, the declining Wei family produced a great general. Every year, Wei Ran wrote to him, asking about Lin Lan's well-being. This year, Lin Lan was in poor health, and within a month of sending the letter, news arrived from the court that Wei Ran was returning with his troops.
【Author’s words】
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