Fifteen years have passed.
One day, Ertai was writing in his study while Shenxi was reading a storybook on a soft couch.
Ertai looked at Shenxi, who was curled up on the soft couch and looked like a ghost, feeling both helpless and doting.
As Shen Xi grew older and resembled Shen Nian by about 80%, Ertai treated Shen Xi better and better.
“Xi’er, don’t you want to get married yet? Fu Yu has come to see me several times. If he keeps waiting, he won’t be afraid of someone finding a new love. And your Uncle Fu, the betrothal gifts have been prepared long ago, and they’re getting more and more every year.”
"Father, you're already disgusted with Xi'er? This makes Xi'er so sad!"
Listening to Ertai's words, Shenxi put down the storybook in her hand and pretended to be aggrieved. As for her marriage, Shenxi didn't care at all.
“If Fu Yu can’t wait, he’ll find someone new. He can’t even wait this long. How could he possibly really like Xi’er?”
"Xi'er, I've been waiting for you for four years."
Hearing that Shen Xi didn't care about his marriage at all, Ertai felt even more helpless.
From the time he came of age, Fu Yu had been thinking about his Xi'er. However, he always listened to Nian'er's words and knew that getting married too early was bad for a woman's health, so he never agreed. Even when Yu Xing came to him, he didn't give in.
This dragged on for two years, until Xi'er turned eighteen. He finally relented, but the person involved refused.
"I don't want to get married~" If I get married, you'll have to leave Xi'er.
Shen Xi shook her head, ignoring Ertai's words.
She knew that her father had always been determined to die, but her mother's words were the only thing keeping him going.
Once she gets married, her father will have fulfilled her mother's wishes, and she will lose him.
...
Another year has passed.
Watching his daughter bid farewell and leave for her wedding, Ertai suppressed the metallic taste in his mouth and managed a smile.
After watching Shen Xi leave with Fu Yu, Ertai finished dealing with the guests and went to the ancestral hall. He brought a pot of wine and leaned against Shen Nian's memorial tablet, talking to Shen Nian in a rambling manner.
"Nian'er, Xi'er is getting married, can I... come to see you now?"
Ertai murmured to himself, then shook his head.
"No, Nian'er, wait for me a few more days. After Xi'er returns home, I will come to find you. Please wait for me. Forgive me for being so selfish. I don't want to live alone anymore. I miss you."
“I have fulfilled your instructions. I watched Xi’er get married. Yu Xing, Yong Xuan, and Qing’er will not let Xi’er be bullied. Mian Zhou, Mian Heng (Qing’er’s youngest son), and E Xu and E Cheng (Saiya and E Ting’s two sons) will also protect Xi’er. Our Xi’er will not be bullied.”
...
After Shen Xi returned to her parents' home.
"Little princess, I've come to find you."
Ertai looked out the window at the heavy snow that resembled their first meeting. He reached out and caught a snowflake. As the snow melted, he smiled and pulled out the dagger that Mardan had once used to kidnap and injure Shen Nian. Without hesitation, he plunged it into his heart, and blood quickly trickled down his lip.
He and Shen Nian had known each other since Shen Nian was a child, when it was snowing just as heavily as it is now.
At that time, Yongxuan couldn't find him and he didn't know martial arts. He secretly went out to look for Yongxuan and unfortunately encountered human traffickers. They drugged him, kidnapped him, and took him out of the capital. After waking up, he fought desperately and was covered in wounds. Finally, he was exhausted and found a chance to escape from the group of human traffickers, but he hit a rock on the way and lost all his memories.
He dragged his wounded body along the way, begging for money. The traffickers took all his valuables, and he needed money to treat his injuries. Eventually, he arrived at Mount Wutai and became a beggar.
I fainted as soon as I arrived at Wutai Mountain. Just before I passed out, I encountered Chen Nian, who had just sneaked back from outside. She was wearing a bright red cloak and looked like a porcelain doll. The porcelain doll was not afraid of me because I was covered in wounds and dirt. Instead, she took out the medicine she always carried with her and fed it to me.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw Shen Nian leading people to find him, and that fiery red figure rushing towards him was deeply imprinted in his mind.
When he woke up, for reasons unknown, he chose to hide and secretly watch her for a long time.
That inkstone was something she had thrown away when she got tired of copying books as punishment by her teacher. He secretly picked it up and kept it as a treasure.
Later, when he heard that the town was recruiting soldiers, he remembered that he had coveted her back then, so he resolutely chose to join the army.
Life in the military camp was tough. He was only focused on joining the army to make a name for himself and then marry her, so he didn't notice that the notice said he was entering a death camp.
Later, due to various reasons, he finally regained his memory in the military camp. When he successfully left the camp and went back to find her, she was no longer there.
He went to look for it many times afterward, but he never found it.
It can only be said that Ertai was very unlucky; every time he went to look for Qingyang Valley, he was always thinking about it.
Chen Nian would only return to Wutai Mountain from Qingyang Valley when the Empress Dowager and her entourage came to Wutai Mountain.
When Chen Nian returned to the palace, Ertai recognized him at a glance.
The identity of the person in the meditation at Wutai Mountain was kept secret by a gag order, so Ertai couldn't find out.
...
The next day, Ertai was found dead at home, with a smile on his face.
The rumors that the second son of the Fu family doted on his wife have been circulating in the capital ever since.
...
Many years have passed.
Listening to the storyteller recount the tale of her father and mother, Shen Xi, sitting in the upstairs private room, curled her lips into a smile.
Looking out the window at the heavy snow, I reached out and caught a snowflake in my palm.
Mother, Xi'er has written a book about you and Father.
My father told me that my mother had a dream of writing a book, but she was too lazy to actually write. Now, she has completed the task for her.
"Xi'er, it's cold, why aren't you wearing a cloak again?"
A clear, melodious male voice reached Shen Xi's ears. Turning to the side, she saw Fu Yu holding a cloak in one hand, looking at her with a helpless expression, his smile deepening.
"Brother Yu, I have fulfilled Mother's wish—"
End of main text.
(There are also side stories. Is there anything you'd like to see in the side stories?)
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