Chapter 98 You don’t want to stay up all night with me? You just don’t want to spend every new year with me…
Yun Yang became nervous and looked up at Xue Yu as if waking from a dream. The helpless and bewildered look on his face made Xue Yu's heart tighten suddenly, and he felt an unbearable pain.
He knew this was no longer the time to tell the truth.
How can I go back to Youzhou?
Yin is emotionally unstable, Yun Jia is frail, and the Yun Mansion has been abandoned for a long time. If they go back, all these burdens will fall on Yun Yang.
He couldn't bear the thought of Yun Yang being alone or being bullied.
He would not allow her to leave him again.
She was quite cautious towards him along the way.
He didn't want to endure it anymore.
"Miss Yun, it's not appropriate to return to Youzhou now. The Yun Mansion has been dilapidated and hasn't been repaired for a long time," Xue Yu said. "Besides, my mother-in-law has remembered me. If you return to Youzhou alone, wouldn't that confirm her words?"
Yun Jia frowned, covered her face with a handkerchief, and coughed softly. She spoke softly, "Master Xue, it's inappropriate to call my mother 'mother-in-law' when no one else is around. If you hadn't mentioned the word 'mother-in-law' just now, my mother might not have recognized you as her former son-in-law."
After what happened just now and saying so many words in a row, Yun Jia was already very tired. His face was pale with a flush, and he looked weak.
"Miss, you don't know that I call Madam Yun mother-in-law not because..." Xue Yu seemed to have made up his mind and spoke in a firm tone.
Unexpectedly, Yun Yang stood up and supported her sister, patting her back gently while decisively interrupting him, "Stop talking. It doesn't matter what you call me, just don't upset me anymore. My sister is weak, and the most important thing right now is to recover. It's really not time to go back to Youzhou. Follow Master Xue to the capital first."
"Sister, I'm stranded in a foreign land all alone. I've received so much kindness from the Xue family, but now I have no choice but to leave without saying goodbye. Besides, you may not know, I'm still engaged," Yun Yang told Yun Jia. "Even if I want to return to Youzhou, now's not the right time. Going to the capital is too complicated."
Yun Jia's face was filled with confusion. "Marriage? You're engaged?"
"Let me explain it to you slowly and in detail," she said awkwardly, then frowned and looked up at Xue Yu.
Having said this, Yun Jia did not insist any more. She wanted to distance herself from the matter, but her sister also had something on her mind. In that case, she decided to go back to the Xue family in Shangjing.
Xue Yu hired a carriage and settled Yin in it. He was accompanied by the doctors Yun Jia and Yun Yang, and the group set off for Shangjing that day.
Yun Jia was out of focus and fell into a deep sleep after closing her eyes while swaying in the carriage. The scattered sunlight shone on her pale face, giving it a fragile and transparent feeling.
Yun Yang sighed deeply, lifted the curtain and asked the driver to go slower.
Yunjia had another dream, a dream filled with memories of her past with Wangshu. This dream seemed to last a long time, and she didn't know how long it had lasted before she suddenly woke up. She saw the narrow carriage in a dark room. The carriage seemed to have stopped. She could hear the whistling mountain wind and her mother's calm breathing.
She lifted the curtain and saw that they were in an inn on the official road. The driver was feeding the horses with food and fodder, but Yun Yang and Xue Yu were nowhere to be found.
The lantern hanging on the carriage swayed, emitting a faint light and shaking.
Yun Yang came back, lifted the car curtain and sat back. Her fair face was half hidden in the darkness, but Yun Jia could see that her eyes were a little red.
Yun Yang knew that he and Xue Yu had clearly had some ambiguous entanglements and irreversible things, but when he looked into it carefully, he found that they had no official status at all.
If there is one, it is an identity that is difficult to talk about - she was once his wife's sister.
Regardless of whether Xue Yu married her sister or not, in the eyes of everyone, including her mother and sister, she and Xue Yu had an awkward relationship that was completely unrelated.
How could she reveal her relationship with Xue Yu when her mother could not bear the stimulation and her sister needed care!
She had clearly gone to the capital to visit her sister, but she ended up rolling on the couch with her nominal brother-in-law! Yun Yang's ears burned at the thought.
The momentary passion faded, and now that she had calmed down, she felt like the scholar who slept with the top courtesan, with an impulse not to admit it.
In front of her sister and mother, she became an irresponsible child, timid and cowardly. What's more, her relationship with Xue Yu was really difficult to talk about. She didn't even dare to imagine what expressions her sister and mother would have when they knew.
Fortunately, Xue Yu agreed to keep it a secret until the time was right.
In the quiet night, the carriage was filled with soft white moonlight, which made it seem a bit chilly. Yun Jia looked at her and realized that she hadn't even put on a cloak when she went out. The further she went to Shangjing, the colder it got, especially on such a cold night. She quickly pulled the robe folded beside her and wrapped it around Yun Yang, "Don't you know you're cold?"
Her hand touched her cheek, and it was not as cold as she had imagined. Yun Jia frowned and hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? You and Xue Yu..."
Yun Yang leaned against the carriage wall, her face turned away, her long black hair gathered on one shoulder. She sighed, ignored her, and changed the subject, "We're almost in Shangjing. We should be there tomorrow morning."
Yun Jia responded.
"The Xue family is kind and good people. They have never bullied me in the past two years and even found a good marriage for me. The man is a top scholar in the imperial examination and is now a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites. His surname is Lu Jie and he saved me when I fell into the water when I was six years old." Yun Yang said slowly.
Yun Jia's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't seen his sister for several years, and she was actually engaged to someone else. Looking at the side profile of her face, he saw her graceful curves and plump red lips. She was obviously a grown-up girl, completely different from the skinny little girl before.
"I'm sorry, sister, you didn't think enough. The Xue family treated you so well, and I should have gone to thank them. I really shouldn't have returned to Youzhou without a word." Yun Jia stroked her sister's long hair and said softly, "You fell into the water when you were five or six? Why didn't you tell me? If that's the case, then Lord Lu and you have a close relationship. It would be a good match."
Yun Yang shook his head dejectedly. This time he returned to the capital, he must sever his ties with Lu Jie and could not delay him any longer.
"After I return to the capital, I will cancel the engagement with the Lu family." She said indifferently.
Yun Jia's hand stopped in mid-air. "Why?"
Yun Yang mustered up her courage, turned around and looked at her sister, "Because I already have a lover, and I won't marry anyone else except him."
"Who is it?" Yun Jia said softly.
Yun Yang leaned forward and buried his face in his arms, closing his eyes timidly, feeling helpless and guilty. "I don't want to say..."
"Are you still embarrassed? If you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. When you want to tell me, tell me." Yun Jia smiled and said, "Then can you tell me, what kind of person does Yangyang like? How come even the third place winner is outshined by him?"
Yun Yang was stunned for a moment, a gentle touch still faintly lingering on the corner of her lips. Xue Yu...
"He is the best person, good in every way, no one can compare to him." Yun Yang said, her expression revealing the shyness unique to a young girl in love.
"As long as Yangyang likes it, I'm glad. I'm really curious about who can get such a high evaluation from our Yangyang? But after returning to Shangjing, you have to cancel the engagement with the Lu family and not hurt the relationship. I'll take you there." Yun Jia said softly.
A warm feeling spread in Yun Yang's heart like water. She nodded softly and leaned obediently on her sister's chest.
*
When we arrived at Xue's house, it was New Year's Eve.
The majestic gate was decorated with lights and the yard was also hung with lanterns. Xue Yu returned and brought back so many people, just in time for the reunion dinner. Old Madam Xue was almost in tears.
Don’t mention the war, nor the complicated relationship between brother-in-law and wife’s sister. During the New Year, everything can be discussed after the New Year.
Old Madam Xue looked at Yun Yang again. She had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes looked bigger and brighter. Yun Jia, who was standing beside her, had black hair and fair skin, and was glowing white among the beautiful women. She exuded a kind of gentleness and grace that was so appealing that it reminded people of the paintings of ladies from the previous dynasty, pure and clean.
The old lady came forward and shook Yunjia's hand, saying, "Jia is a very good name. You are a lady of good words and deeds, a graceful lady."
Yun Jia responded, "My mother gave it to me. Thank you, Madam, for the compliment."
After reminiscing about the past, the old lady was filled with emotion and was particularly delighted that Yin was still alive. Old people are happy to see the scene of reunion.
The snow fell silently outside, and the New Year's Eve dinner was very comfortable. Everyone at the table was toasting each other and having a great time.
The Fourth Madam settled Yun Jia and Yin Shi, and they both lived in the Jinxiang Pavilion where Yun Yang originally lived. The maids worked quickly and cleaned out the side room in the yard. Yun Yang moved there and let her sister and mother live in her original residence.
The mother, daughter and her two daughters had planned to stay up until dawn, sit around the fire, play mahjong and drink Tusu wine. Although Yun Jia was not a good drinker, she still covered her lips with her hands and took a sip. She choked and her face turned red, with tears in the corners of her eyes. Yin Shi was sometimes clear and sometimes confused. She even asked why her son-in-law didn't come, but was fooled by Yun Jia's few words.
After drinking the Tusu wine with peppercorns, Yun Yang felt warm all over and said a toast with a smile.
Tangerines were simmering on the stove, their refreshing, sweet aroma filling the air. The bright yellow tangerines brought smiles to the faces of all three, yet also a hint of melancholy. Yun Jia suddenly recalled the Nuo opera she had performed on New Year's Eve in Nanzhao, when Wangshu had been by her side. Yun Yang, on the other hand, reflected on this being the second New Year's Eve without his father. Who could have imagined that the joyful family stay-up that year would be the last?
Yun Jia and Yin Shi were physically unable to hold on any longer, so they drank more wine and managed to hold on for a while. Then they felt drowsy and fell asleep before midnight.
There was incense burning in the room. My sister and mother were both afraid of the cold, so the heating on the floor was very hot, fragrant and warm.
Yun Yang propped up her head and quietly looked at the sleeping faces of her mother and sister. She seemed to be back to the time when the family stayed up all night to celebrate the New Year. She put her mother's medicine on the stove to warm it, and the bitter smell of medicine filled the air. Yun Yang stared at the window paper-cut by her sister on the window in a daze, and felt very peaceful in her heart.
It seems to be snowing outside. The white snowflakes are fine and fragmented, falling down and hitting the festive window grilles. There is an atmosphere that belongs only to the New Year. The window grilles are silhouettes of little tigers, which look like little tigers rolling in the snow, which is particularly smart and beautiful.
The years passed by so quickly. Yun Yang held his head up, wondering what he was thinking. It was almost midnight, and Xue Yu should be offering sacrifices to his ancestors in the ancestral hall...
When she was drowsy, she heard someone knocking on the window. She opened her eyes in shock. Afraid that the person would knock on the door again and wake up the sleeping person, she jumped out of bed in a hurry and opened the door without even bothering to put on her shoes.
"Who is it?" she asked in a low voice.
The spacious courtyard was deserted, with only the faint moonlight casting dark shadows on the rockery, lotus pond, and stone table. The sound of distant firecrackers could be faintly heard, one after another, heralding the change of the old year to the new.
No one?
Yun Yang frowned and turned around, but was hugged by someone. She suppressed her instinctive scream and elbowed the person behind her, and heard a muffled cry of pain.
A familiar cold fragrance came over.
"It's me." Xue Yu said softly.
She turned around and saw that he was still wearing the clothes he had worn at the New Year's Eve party. He smelled of alcohol, his face was slightly red, and he frowned in pain, looking at her aggrievedly.
Yun Yang hurried forward, one arm around his waist, the other hand checking his waist and abdomen, and said awkwardly: "You, you are silent, why are you scaring me? Did it hurt you? Where does it hurt?"
His tone was not good, his voice was deep, "Where does it hurt?"
The places where she touched felt slightly hot, and he felt extremely suffocated and uncomfortable. At the banquet just now, she pretended not to know him well, restraining herself and being polite and well-behaved. She stopped calling him brother-in-law and kept calling him Lord Xue, as if she had drawn a clear line between them. She didn't know how much distance she had to keep between them before she was satisfied.
He didn't know that he could be so full of resentment and complaints, so he wanted to ask her what was in her heart, and how she could treat him as nothing after having such an intimate relationship with him?
If she was acting, then she was so good that he couldn't tell whether he was being played around by her or whether she was really sincere to him.
"Does it hurt?" Her hand touched his waist again, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, she touched it lower, her eyes sparkling, "Does it hurt a lot?"
In fact, it hurt. This girl didn't know the severity of the situation. She really thought he was a bad guy. The elbow hit her unexpectedly. But he was afraid that if he said it hurt, she would coax him to see a doctor, so he endured the pain and said muffledly, "It doesn't hurt."
"Well, it doesn't hurt." Yun Yang finally smiled and tapped his chest with her fingertips. "Why did you come to see me? Why didn't you stay up with grandma on New Year's Eve?"
"Grandma is old now. She stays up all night just for the sake of good luck. She would have gone to bed long ago." Xue Yu said, looking at her with a pair of affectionate eyes that seemed to be resentful but not resentful. Her heart was filled with bitterness and pain. "They say that staying up together on New Year's Eve can make the years pass. I think the person who stayed up with her doesn't seem to want to be with me for the years to come."
Yun Yang lowered his head and hissed.
Xue Yu lowered his eyes and noticed that she was not wearing shoes. The toes exposed under her moon-white panties were white and small, with jade-like bones and a lovely shape like lotus beans growing in a lotus pod. At this moment, her left foot was awkwardly crossed with her right foot on the cold ground.
It was freezing cold in the middle of winter, and she was walking on the ground without shoes. How could she not be cold?!
He leaned over, grabbed her legs, and picked her up. Yun Yang screamed and quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide open, looking very funny and cute.
Xue Yu couldn't help but feel his heart fluttering, with a soft light in his eyes. He rubbed her sweet and flawless face with the tip of his nose, then carried her and strode towards the side room.
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