Chapter 2 Rebirth
In late spring, in March, the spring rain poured down, cascading from the eaves of the hipped roof, drenching the plants in the Apricot Garden so much that they could not lift their heads.
The air was thick with moisture, permeating the Apricot Garden and filling the room with a damp, earthy smell.
Meng Yutong was awakened by a sharp, excruciating pain.
It felt as if countless cold, sharp blades were twisting and churning inside her, churning her internal organs. A metallic taste rose in her throat, and a feeling of suffocation lingered.
She suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her thin nightgown, sticking stickily to her icy skin.
She suddenly frowned, realizing that the peach blossoms on the curtain were embroidered by her mother when she was a child, and were used to decorate the pear wood canopy bed with carved peonies in the apricot and peach courtyard of the Meng family.
This canopy was clearly packed away in her trunk when she got married, how could it be...?
"Ugh..." Another wave of intense phantom pain struck her. She curled up, clutching her abdomen tightly, as if that would help her resist the deep, bone-chilling pain from the begonia.
The Xiangfei bamboo in the corner, Qing Shu's indifferent face, the mountain of prescriptions for heart ailments, the glaring crimson on the white handkerchief, the despair of skin withering inch by inch... countless fragments flashed through her chaotic mind.
"Miss? Are you having a nightmare?" A slightly weary but concerned voice came from outside, accompanied by light footsteps approaching.
The door creaked open, and a cold wind carrying even more moisture rushed in.
When Meng Yutong finally saw who had walked to the bedside, her pupils constricted sharply. As if she had seen a ghost, she jerked backward and crashed into the cold bedpost with a dull thud.
Her throat tightened, and her voice sounded sharp and short: "Granny Gui?! You...you're not..."
"Is he dead?" The last three words stuck in his throat, trembling with disbelief.
Granny Gui was startled by her intense reaction and hurriedly stepped forward: "Miss! It's this old servant! What's wrong with you? Are you having a nightmare?"
Her cold, calloused hands eagerly reached for Meng Yutong's forehead.
The real, warm touch of Granny Gui on her forehead instantly calmed her down.
It's not a dream! It's not an illusion!
Meng Yutong stopped what she was doing and looked up to take a closer look. She saw that the person in front of her was over fifty years old, thin, with a slightly hunched back, and the white hair at his temples was carefully tied up with an ebony hairpin carved with osmanthus flowers. His expression was full of concern.
That ebony hairpin was carved by her own hands for the nanny.
"Granny Gui, is it really you?"
Granny Gui was her mother's personal attendant. When she was eight years old, her mother died, and Granny Gui stayed to take care of her.
It wasn't until the thirty-fifth year of Jinghe, after she married into the Ji family, that Granny Gui was able to return to her hometown with peace of mind.
Later, when she sent Bai Zhi to the countryside to deliver New Year's gifts, she learned that Granny Gui had gone to check on the crops in the rain, but had fallen and died.
Seeing that familiar face again, Meng Yutong was suddenly overwhelmed with a thousand grievances.
The familiar, faint scent of soap stalks lingered around Granny Gui's nose, a scent so real it brought tears to her eyes.
A tremendous sense of absurdity and the overwhelming joy of surviving a catastrophe swept over her, instantly shattering the defenses she had been holding up.
She could no longer hold back and suddenly threw herself into Granny Gui's warm embrace, bursting into tears.
The cries were heart-wrenching, a mixture of all the grievances, fears, and resentments accumulated from a past life.
"I'm dead... Granny, I'm dead!" She spoke incoherently, tears streaming down her face, instantly soaking Granny Gui's clothes. "It hurts so much... It hurts so much!" She clutched Granny Gui's clothes tightly, crying miserably.
Bai Zhi rushed in upon hearing the noise, only to be stunned by the scene before her.
While gently patting the child in her arms who was crying so hard she was almost breathless, Granny Gui comforted Bai Zhi with her eyes and gestured for her to go get some water.
“Miss, Miss, don’t be afraid, this old servant is here! It’s all a dream, it’s fake! Look, you’re fine, this old servant and Baizhi are here!” Granny Gui’s voice gradually calmed her down.
Meng Yutong buried her face in the familiar embrace, her sobbing voice escaping, "Granny, it wasn't a nightmare."
"Miss, have some water. What does it matter what was in your dream? It's all gone now." Bai Zhi held a cup of warm water and handed it to Meng Yutong.
Meng Yutong finally stopped crying. She slowly sat up straight, looked at Bai Zhi's tender face, and felt her own strong heartbeat. The numbness and stagnation in her memory gradually left her body.
She took the water, drank it all in one gulp, and was helped off the bed by Bai Zhi to wash her face. Only when she sat down in front of the dressing table did her mind gradually clear.
In the bronze mirror, the girl's long, jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders, making her skin appear as white as snow. Her eyes were large and round, and although the tear tracks had dried, the corners of her eyes still held a faint redness, adding to her delicate charm. When she pursed her lips, a pair of dimples appeared on her cheeks. Without any makeup, she possessed a natural and radiant beauty.
She had not yet married Ji Yun, and those three years as a wife felt like a dream.
But if it was a dream, it felt far too real. The agonizing taste of the begonia is still vivid in my mind, and the memory still sends chills down my spine.
No... none of that seemed like a dream.
It's as if... she's been reborn.
When the thought first crossed her mind, she found it absurd. Yet, the reality before her was undeniable, leaving her no choice but to believe it.
"Baizhi, Granny Gui, where do you think people go after they die?"
Is there really such a thing as reincarnation in this world?
Bai Zhi combed her hair and replied without thinking, "If one is a good person, one will naturally ascend to heaven after death; if one is an evil person, one will naturally fall into the deepest hell. Why did you suddenly ask this, Miss? Was it in your dream just now..."
"The arising and ceasing of causes and conditions, life, death, wealth and honor, are all predetermined." Granny Gui spoke with a stern face and a serious tone. "Besides, the world is ever-changing, so it's better to take care of the present and let nature take its course."
She secretly thought that the young lady must be missing the madam, and must have dreamt something very sad just now, which is why the usually dignified and quiet lady cried so pitifully.
However, it's normal for the young lady to miss her mistress, after all, she was only eight years old when her mistress passed away, a time when she was very clingy. Back then, she was lively, cheerful, and innocent.
However, when she was raised by the old lady, she was always taught to be calm and dignified. Not wanting to disappoint the old lady, she gradually suppressed her natural instincts and became a wooden beauty who could neither cry nor laugh. She was so sensible and precocious that it was heartbreaking.
Granny Gui suddenly felt a pang of emotion. It seemed like it had been a long time since she had seen her young mistress so disregard everything and throw herself into her arms to cry.
Meng Yutong pondered the phrase "let nature take its course" repeatedly, and suddenly felt enlightened.
She smiled with relief: "Granny Gui is right. What's done is done, but what's to come can be shaped. Since this is the will of Heaven, let's go with the flow."
Since that's the case, then consider it as a second chance at life. That 'dignified and virtuous' facade, worn for a lifetime, ruined my life.
This time, she won't waste her time and energy on irrelevant people, and she can't repeat the same mistake.
First, cancel the marriage with the Ji family, and then, according to the wish I made with my mother when I was a child, open a small clinic.
Thinking of her mother, her nose tingled slightly, because of the fortune teller's words, she and her mother made this wish.
While at her mother's bedside, she thought that if she were a skilled doctor, perhaps her mother wouldn't have died.
Her mother later passed away due to illness, and she also married the wrong person. Now, when she talks about it, she only feels that things have changed.
But it doesn't matter, it's not too late now.
Furthermore, once the time is right, she will separate from the Meng family and live solely for herself from now on.
As for the person who poisoned her... Qiu Haitang's pain is still etched in her heart, but the poison even involves Princess Jingfu's death. With her own strength, she probably can't see the whole picture, let alone fight back.
Instead of dwelling on old grudges, cherish new beginnings, protect those in front of you, and walk your own path well.
Thinking this, her calm heartbeat seemed to gradually quicken again. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, and there seemed to be a faint glimmer in the calm eyes of the person in the mirror.
"Bai Zhi, when the rain stops, come with me to Wangxian Bridge."
That's where "Ah Ying" was last. Her new life begins there. It begins with rediscovering the self that dared to cry and laugh, the self that dreamed of becoming a female doctor.
She was going to tell her mother and the fortune teller under the peach tree that she was determined to take that path this time.
"Yes, Miss," Bai Zhi replied, her hands still busy tidying up her cloud-like black hair.
She was easygoing and carefree, but had a pair of skillful hands, especially skilled in embroidery and tailoring. She took care of Meng Yutong's hair, clothes, and accessories. Sensing that the young lady seemed a little unhappy today, she intertwined her two black hairs and cleverly tied them into a double-heart bun.
Following Meng Yutong's advice, she added some simple decorations, inserting a silver hairpin adorned with peach blossoms. The small silver flowers clustered in her hair, looking lovely and instantly dispelling her sickly appearance.
The straight-lattice window behind the dressing table was tightly closed, but one could vaguely see the torrential rain outside.
Meng Yutong's gaze passed over the bronze mirror in front of her and landed on a plain oil-paper umbrella under the corner of the window.
The character "纪" is engraved on the handle of the tung oil umbrella.
Memories drifted back to the day I first met Ji Yun.
At that time, Ji Yun spoke up for her, and she felt both excited and nervous. She couldn't help but be moved by Ji Yun's praise, but at the same time, she felt guilty because of it.
She knew that she was not the "dignified, virtuous, gentle and generous" woman he described, and she feared that her true colors would be revealed in the future, causing him to despise her.
Just as I was feeling uneasy, Ji Yun slowly walked out of the teahouse.
The man's features were like those of a landscape painting, serene and elegant. His jade-colored robe moved with his steps, and the bamboo leaf patterns embroidered with silver thread on the cuffs fluttered in the wind, further highlighting his refined and otherworldly temperament, like a jade tree standing out from the crowd.
A servant presented a plain oil-paper umbrella, the surface of which was painted with green bamboo leaves, and the character "纪" was carved on the handle.
Ji Yun took the umbrella, and as if noticing the scrutinizing gaze from the side, he slowly turned his head and saw the girl sheltering from the rain under the eaves.
When the man saw him looking over, he quickly looked away, appearing somewhat guilty.
Ji Yun nodded slightly and said calmly, "Miss Meng."
Meng Yutong's heart skipped a beat. "Young Master Ji recognizes me?"
Ji Yun did not answer. His gaze swept over the jade-colored double fish pendant at her waist, and then lingered around the two of them for a moment before handing the umbrella to Bai Zhi, who was standing to the side. "The rain is heavy and the wind is strong. Please take my umbrella and go back."
After he finished speaking, the servant brought over another umbrella. Before she could refuse, he turned and stepped under the servant's umbrella, and the two of them left the teahouse...
Now, returning to the day after our first meeting, and recalling that familiar figure from my memory, the excitement I felt when I received the umbrella has long since vanished, leaving only a profound silence in my heart.
The thoughtfulness that once made her heart race now seems to me merely a product of his upbringing, unrelated to affection or true feelings.
At this moment, she was just glad that she hadn't married Ji Yun yet.
"Miss, shouldn't we find a chance to return that umbrella to Young Master Ji? Should we prepare some thank-you gift and send it over as well?"
As usual, Bai Zhi took out a jade pendant shaped like two fish from the brocade box and was about to hang it on her waist.
Meng Yutong's thoughts returned, and she reached out to push it away, not wanting to wear it.
She remembered that in her previous life, she cherished this umbrella very much. When she sent it back to the Ji family, she even made some pastries and sent them with it.
When Meng Yurou found out about this, she exaggerated the matter in front of her grandmother, implying that she had been secretly associating with Ji Yun and damaging the reputation of the Meng family.
As a result, the grandmother punished herself by copying the "Admonitions for Women" for half a month.
Meng Yutong's gaze lingered for a moment on the character "Ji" on the umbrella handle, her fingers unconsciously pressing on the spot of phantom pain in her abdomen. "Hmm, it's time to return it to him."
It's not just this umbrella that needs to be returned.
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