My husband, Seventh Sister, and... my husband have only been married for a short time...
Several enthusiastic women heard that they had come from Jiangnan to visit their elder brother who had been traveling for many years and had not returned. The brother had mentioned in his letter that he was attracted by the appearance of this mountain town and the simple and warm-hearted neighbors, and therefore wanted to stay here temporarily.
A woman with a northern accent took Qin Weixi's arm and kept glancing at the aloof young nobleman beside her, who was also dressed in a jade-green brocade robe: "Such a handsome couple, are you married, Seventh Sister?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Weixi feigned surprise, asking, "Auntie, are you from the North? Where did you originally live? My grandmother was also from the North, but the whole family moved to Jiangnan and lived there for a long time." As she spoke, she feigned shyness, a blush creeping onto her face. "Seventh Sister and...husband have only been married for a year."
Chu Yening, who was beside him, suddenly lowered his eyes and chuckled softly.
The woman was stunned when she saw the young nobleman, whose bright eyes and smiling face made him even more handsome. She quickly said, "Really? It's like meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land. Do you have a place to rent now? If not, I live alone at home. The house is quite big. Why don't you stay at my place for the time being?"
Tao Qingyun stepped forward and interjected, "Auntie, my brother-in-law doesn't like to talk, so there's no need to pay him any mind. We're currently staying at the inn in the village, and most of the guests there are just here for fun, so we won't bother them. If we have some free time another day, we'll definitely go and ask for some food."
The woman looked up and saw that the young man in blue who had suddenly approached her had delicate features, was waving a folding fan, and had a smile on his lips. He was just as handsome as the aloof nobleman, and his words were so sweet. She smiled and said, "That's fine, young master. You can just call me Aunt He."
As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of Luo Qiniang looking towards the riverbank behind her with a hint of inquiry in her eyes. He immediately realized, "That's Yu Niangzi." He then ran over and pulled up the lone woman who was still waving a washing mallet.
The lone woman nearly slipped when she was suddenly pulled, but Aunt He pulled her in front of the group and said excitedly, "Miss Yu, isn't it a coincidence? You're also..."
But the fish lady suddenly interrupted her, saying coldly, "I used to make a living by selling fish, so just call me the fish lady."
This solitary woman was different from others. Although she wore a coarse cloth short brown dress, her full head of black hair was neatly combed, and she had a silver hairpin with twin lotus flowers that looked a bit old inserted in her hair. However, her appearance was not like that of women of the same age. Instead, she looked like she had experienced many vicissitudes, with strands of white hair growing at her temples.
He was not yet forty years old, but he seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life.
But she was certain that this person was Lu Yu, a face deeply etched in her memory from countless nights of resentment and wretchedness, a face she would never forget.
She smiled faintly and gave a slight curtsy: "This humble woman is Luo Qiniang!"
"Greetings, Madam Yu!"
At this moment, Chu Yening suddenly took her hand, his eyes filled with a tender smile, and said gently, "Madam, we've been out for quite some time. It's quite chilly by the river. Shall we go back?"
Lu Yu, who had been keeping his eyes down and maintaining a stern expression, suddenly raised his head and looked at the person who had spoken.
In the past, Lu Yu was aloof and lived in her residence, never attending banquets of noblewomen. Therefore, she had never met the people from her youth, nor did she know that the beloved son of the Marquis of Jingning, whom her husband had served the lord with a "sincere" heart, was now standing in front of her.
Tao Qingyun laughed and waved her folding fan, saying, "Aunt He, you flatter me. My brother-in-law doesn't have any special skills, except for one thing: he dotes on my sister like a precious gem!"
Aunt He lost her husband early in life and had no children. She had only been married for a few years when her loving husband abandoned her and left her alone. So she went to live with her aunt in Chongqing, but her aunt also passed away from illness.
She chuckled with envy in her eyes, then looked up and saw the fish maiden beside her standing there, her eyes reddening.
She asked in surprise, "Miss Fish, what's wrong with you?"
Qin Weixi turned around and looked at Lu Yu, who shook his head: "It was the wind."
Chu Yening had already taken her hand and walked towards the riverbank. Suddenly, she remembered the silver hairpin that was stuck in Lu Yu's hair. Such an old thing, why would she wear it for so many years? It must be a precious item.
Qin Weixi recalled the words Kang had spoken of about Lu Yu and Li Mou's deep affection by the Jinshui River. A thought struck her, and she suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled at Lu Yu: "One stem bears two flowers, two flowers lean on each other, a lifelong bond. Madam Yu, this twin lotus hairpin is truly beautiful."
Lu Yu was taken aback upon hearing this. After a moment, she stood still, listening to the rolling river behind her, but two lines of clear tears streamed down her face.
The following afternoon.
Qin Weixi, as if she had nothing better to do, went to find Aunt He, with whom she had "met her first time" yesterday. This time, although Chu Yening and Tao Qingyun did not accompany her, Mu Tong and Zi Jin followed her from a distance in the shadows to prevent any unforeseen events.
She carried the flower molds from yesterday morning and had made many pastries that morning. She saw that Aunt He had already eaten lunch and was doing sewing in the warm sun in the yard.
Hearing a noise outside the door, she looked up and saw Luo Qiniang, who was as beautiful as a flower yesterday. Aunt He stopped what she was doing and hurried to greet her.
Qin Weixi handed over two food boxes, and when Aunt He opened them, she found they contained colorful pastries with different fillings.
Her eyes widened in surprise: "Did you make this, Seventh Sister?"
Qin Weixi nodded and smiled, "I just arrived here, and I hit it off with Aunt He yesterday. We became very close." Then she hesitated, "But I'm not familiar with the other aunties, so I'd like to trouble Aunt He to take me to the other aunties."
Aunt He's eyes flashed with anger upon hearing this: "This Yu Niangzi doesn't get along with us. She's probably at home drinking right now! But her youngest daughter is very well-behaved."
Qin Weixi's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise: "Does this Lady Yu drink alcohol? Judging from her accent yesterday, she seemed to be from the north as well."
"That's right, but she said she was kicked out by her husband's family and doesn't let us talk about it. Seventh Sister, please don't go around saying it."
Qin Weixi remained silent for a long time after hearing this, then looked at her with pity: "They are quite pitiful. How about this? Why don't you go and deliver the pastries to them yourself, Seventh Sister?"
Aunt He's eyes widened: "You? Seventh Sister, she might kick you out."
Qin Weixi smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's alright."
The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the village, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys.
Following Aunt He's advice, Qin Weixi heard the faint voice of a girl coming from a dilapidated house and courtyard just as they were about to leave the village.
A young girl with her hair in two buns, her bright eyes sparkling, was reading a book under the eaves. Hearing a noise, she looked up at the person coming from outside the courtyard, stepped forward, and asked, "Who are you?"
Before Qin Weixi could even speak, Lu Yu emerged from the house with a wary look in her eyes, looking at her clothes covered in patches.
She remained cold and said, "It's you?" but her cheeks flushed and her words were indistinct.
Qin Weixi opened the food box he was carrying and placed it in front of the little girl: "Has Miss Yu eaten?"
The girl, who was lovingly led away by her husband, now had a radiant smile, and her bright, clear eyes were just like her own back then.
Lu Yu felt an endless sorrow in his heart.
Yesterday she dreamed of her husband again, the one who would buy her flowers to wear when he returned victorious from battle, pastries with many fillings, and cosmetics that most men wouldn't know about.
Her husband knew her favorite color, knew that the pastries she loved were filled with mung bean paste instead of jujube paste, and knew that it wasn't easy for her to take care of her young daughter alone at home, so he specially hired a laundry maid to help her with the laundry.
But everything changed on New Year's Eve ten years ago.
The little girl looked at the various pastries in the food box, pointed gently with her finger, and exclaimed with delight, "Mom, there are your favorite mung bean flower pastries here!"
Lu Yu stared blankly at the box of pastries, already drunk and with tears streaming down his face. Suddenly, he grabbed his daughter, who was still looking at the box of pastries, and burst into tears.
"My husband just left like that, leaving my daughter and me behind..."
Upon hearing this, Qin Weixi glanced at the dilapidated courtyard and the tattered clothes on Lu Yu's daughter, her eyes flashing. Clearly, she hadn't expected Lu Yu, who had fled the capital with a large sum of money, to be living in such a state.
She asked tentatively, "What is Lady Yu's husband...?"
Seeing her mother crying so heartbrokenly, Lu Yu's daughter also reddened her eyes and said, "Father is gone."
In her drunken stupor, Lu Yu covered her daughter's mouth and pulled her into the house, leaving Qin Weixi standing in the courtyard, her face filled with icy indifference, watching them leave.
Inside the inn.
Upon hearing Lu Yu's words, Tao Qingyun laughed and said, "This Lady Yu is quite shrewd! But in my opinion, she had already lowered her guard that day. Her fondness for wine is probably because she doesn't see her husband every day and spends her days drinking."
"Hey, speaking of which, Madam Yu, while you're drinking, I suddenly remembered something. Before we left the capital, Liang Lang, reeking of alcohol, followed me to the Marquis of Chengyi's residence. I asked him what he wanted, but he wouldn't say, only giving me an empty wine jug. Was that the one you saw him deliver that day?"
Qin Weixi nodded, recalling the day he and Liang Lang talked about Xiaoxing in Dali Temple prison.
Tao Qingyun suddenly let out a cold laugh, lowered her eyes and sipped her hot tea: "He still has some backbone. After he made such a scene, Liang Xu didn't come out of his own residence until we left the capital. However, Liang Lang said that he also left the Liang family completely because of this matter. I had Fa Cai keep an eye on him for two days and said that he went to Jiangnan."
Qin Weixi got up and poured him another cup of tea, then said calmly, "Has Liang Shuwen removed him from the family genealogy?"
Tao Qingyun scoffed: "I don't think so. His eldest son is useless, his second son is gone, and only this youngest son is left. Even if he had a pig's heart, his clansmen might not be willing to accept him."
The room fell silent for a moment, as Mu Tong, Xue Zhao, and the others usually stayed elsewhere, and this inn was usually only occupied by the three of them.
After drinking two cups of tea, Tao Qingyun felt hungry and was about to leave the inn to buy some food when she inadvertently glanced at Chu Yening, who was sitting quietly by the window drinking wine and had been silent all along.
Seeing his rosy complexion, he smiled and said, "On the way here, Seventh Sister told me that she was afraid you had caught a cold and that she would find a good doctor to treat you after returning to the capital. But now I don't think so!"
As she spoke, Tao Qingyun reached out to pinch his icy face, which had never smiled in ages and only ever seemed to bloom for one person. She then said, "Let me see. I heard from my aunt that Jiang Rong cried and made a scene in front of my uncle, insisting on marrying you. Let me think what you said again... oh... I won't marry you."
Qin Weixi was holding a cup of hot tea and bringing it to his mouth when he heard this, he suddenly choked and coughed.
"You fat bastard, you black-beaked grouse!" Chu Yening stood up and kicked him hard before slamming the door shut.
Outside the door, Tao Qingyun laughed heartily: "Let me tell you, I have a plan for you tomorrow. I guarantee you'll come back to apologize to me after you hear it."
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