0148 The Golden Winged Envoy (Thirteen)
After Shu Fu left, Mrs. Luo claimed to be unwell and stayed at home for the rest of her life.
Since Shu Wei had confessed her feelings to her grandmother, Madam Li, she had stayed by her side all day and never set foot in any other place.
While Shu Mingde was still at the academy, the mansion became quiet for a while, and the servants below were also silent, afraid of offending their master.
But for Yu Shuyin, this period was one of the few times she had a relaxed life.
She rarely visited her birth mother in the past, for fear of attracting Luo's attention and causing Luo to feel uncomfortable.
But right now, Ms. Luo is too busy taking care of herself to have any time to deal with her.
Therefore, Shu Yin only had one thought in her mind before she found a night and naturally went to find Aunt Yu to sleep with.
When Aunt Yu saw her beloved daughter come looking for her, she was overjoyed and at a loss for what to do. She stood there and paced around twice, not knowing what to do. Finally, her eyes were slightly moist, and she asked softly, "Auntie doesn't have anything good here, only some giant sesame balls that I made myself. Would you like some to eat?"
Shu Yin said "Eh," stood up, and took her hand: "Mother, don't bother. Jushengnu is too oily and sugary, and it's hard to digest if you eat it at night."
Aunt Yu nodded repeatedly and then said she would make her some tea.
“Mother,” Shu Yin said helplessly, resting her face against her birth mother’s soft and fragrant chest, “I’m not hungry, and I don’t want tea. I just want to be with you, Mother.”
Aunt Yu was slightly taken aback, and soon her eyes turned red.
The mother and daughter blew out the lamp, left a small gap in the window to let in some moonlight, and then half-tied up the curtain with the silver hooks with lotus patterns. Dressed in white nightgowns, they lay down on the bed together.
Shu Yin tucked the brocade quilt in and stared blankly at the shadowy top of the floral canopy for a while. After Aunt Yu lay down, she leaned against her and nestled in the other's soft arms, softly calling out, "Mother."
Aunt Yu, with a soft heart, lovingly stroked her smooth hair. After a long while, she sighed and said, "You can call me Mother in private, but in front of outsiders, you should still call me Auntie. Don't upset Madam."
Shu Yin squinted and remained silent for a long while before finally speaking softly: "Now that my second sister has moved out on her own, and my eldest sister's marriage is being controlled by my grandmother, if Madam wants to continue the marriage alliance with the Liang family, I am the only one left."
"Mother, I am very likely to become the young mistress of the Liang family."
Aunt Yu remained silent for a while, gazing at the moon outside the window, and chuckled softly, "Being the young mistress of the Liang family is very good." She patted Shu Yin's back as if coaxing a child, "A lady from a high-ranking family has no worries about food or clothing."
Shu Yin suddenly opened her eyes and saw her birth mother staring blankly at the moon outside the window, so she looked out in the same way.
She wasn't looking at the moon, but at the bright, snow-white courtyard wall illuminated by its moonlight. The moonlight reflected off the wall, creating a clear, shimmering reflection, while the bamboo and cypress trees in the courtyard swayed and, viewed from the wall, resembled intertwined algae and water plants.
Suddenly a bird perches, its wings rustling lightly against the bamboo.
In a flash, it darted away, and the bamboo stood tall and straight as before.
Like water plants that struggle to stay afloat despite being drowning.
For some reason, a mist suddenly appeared before her eyes, and a fine, dry feeling rose to the tip of her nose.
“I used to think it was a good thing…” Shu Yin murmured, “but now that I think about it, I feel a little regretful.”
Aunt Yu remained silent, waiting quietly for her to continue.
Shu Yin's eyes were blank as she said softly, "I don't actually like Liang Langjun that much. At first, I just didn't want to hastily marry a young scholar and suffer for many years before becoming an imperial consort. Why not enter a high-ranking family from the beginning?"
"But what I so desperately craved was regarded as a monstrous flood by my second sister. In order to avoid it, she was willing to leave the mansion and live separately."
"When my second sister left that day, I actually watched from the side for a while. Seeing how resolute she was, I actually felt a bit rebellious."
"Since I don't like Liang Zhiyan, why should I compromise myself for the so-called position of a high-ranking lady? If I want to have someone to rely on, is this the only way?"
"But……"
But the road ahead is treacherous; it's not so easy to travel.
Shu Yin couldn't continue speaking, so she simply shut her mouth and wanted to hear what Aunt Yu had to say.
But Aunt Yu still smiled and said, "This is earning a living through one's own efforts, which is also very good."
Shu Yin looked bewildered, then gave a bitter smile: "Mother agrees with everything, but I really don't know what to do."
After waiting a few moments without receiving a reply from Aunt Yu, Shu Yin closed her eyes in disappointment.
Enough. She can't even sort out these messy matters herself, so why should she bother her mother with them?
The boat will straighten itself when it reaches the bridge; perhaps only when that day truly arrives will she know what she truly seeks.
The crescent moon sank halfway down, and the night outside the window grew deeper and deeper until not even a sliver of light could penetrate.
Aunt Yu finally looked away, brushed the hair from her beloved daughter's cheek, and gently pulled her into her arms.
She was illiterate and had no great ambitions in life. She dared not offer any advice when Shu Yin made her life choices, fearing that Shu Yin might be ruined by her words.
But there was one sentence she kept to herself, hesitating several times before daring not to utter it—
Anything that Yin Yin wants to do is good in her eyes.
...
After Shu Fu moved into the small house in Xuanyangfang, she spent two days tidying it up inside and out.
When she had some free time, she remembered that ordinary people often like to hold a housewarming party when they move to a new house.
She pondered for a moment, then wrote several invitations and sent them to Li Miao, Qin Youan, Yu Liucheng, Zhang Shier, and others.
She had originally thought that her decision to establish her own household would be considered a shocking event by the nobles of Chang'an, and that the parents of these young ladies would likely restrain them and prevent them from associating with her. Therefore, she had prepared for Li Miao to come alone.
Unexpectedly, on the day of the housewarming party, all the young ladies she had sent letters to actually showed up, and some even brought their other sisters to join in the fun.
Since the incident was sudden, Shu Fu had no choice but to go out to buy wine and asked A Jian to buy some cold noodles and pastries.
Finally, a group of young ladies gathered together to warm some wine and drink. After a few rounds of drinks, they said they wanted to offer their congratulations to Shu Fu.
Qin Youan was unwell and hadn't drunk much wine, but her voice didn't quiet down at all. She kept insisting that Shu Fu listen attentively to the congratulatory messages she had gathered.
She asked Zhang Shierniang for help, and then she staggered to her feet. She cleared her throat and said loudly, "May the orioles move to Renli and the swallows celebrate the virtuous neighbors. Congratulations on your move! May your home be filled with the fragrance of autumn."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shierniang laughed and scolded her, saying she didn't know where she had plagiarized it from.
Qin Youan retorted confidently—
It doesn't matter who wrote it, as long as her own feelings are genuine, that's enough.
The housewarming banquet finally came to a happy end when the moon was high in the sky.
A-Jian was in better spirits. Seeing that Shu-Fu looked exhausted, she couldn't help but laugh. She wanted to say something to cheer her up, so she tilted her head and thought for a moment, finally reminding Shu-Fu of something.
"Does the young lady know about what happened at the Kuai Zai Pavilion a few days ago?"
Shu Fu lifted her eyelids, somewhat curious, and moved half an inch closer to her, dragging her skirt, clearly intending to listen attentively.
"It was a scribe named Chen Yu who accused Liang Zhiyan of plagiarizing his poems. The Prince of Wuwei happened to be present, so he took it upon himself to summon Liang Zhiyan for a confrontation."
"Who would have thought that when Liang Zhiyan, who was completely unaware of the situation, arrived, Chen Yu first presented him with half a poem and asked him to respond. Liang Zhiyan thought that the prince was testing his talent, so he confidently picked up his brush and wrote a reply."
"But as soon as he finished writing, Chen Yu immediately took out a collection of poems and said that the first half of this poem was the same as the one with the line 'Ruyi vine conveys longing.' If the line about Ruyi vine was written by Liang Zhiyan, why didn't he recognize this line?"
"Liang Zhiyan originally wanted to argue, but Chen Yu clearly explained why Miss Xi Yunzhu was so fond of his half-line of poetry."
"It turns out that the two of them had fled together and had an extraordinary friendship. This poem was written by them during their escape to express their feelings. However, they were later forced to separate, which allowed Liang Zhiyan to take advantage of the situation and leave."
"Although Liang Zhiyan had many excuses, they couldn't compare to Chen Yu's resounding words. Every word had its source, and anyone could tell which one was the original..."
A-Jian took a sip of cool water and continued gloatingly, "With so many people around, Liang Zhiyan has certainly cemented his reputation as a 'plagiarist.' Speaking of which, isn't the Ministry of Personnel conducting its assessments around this time...? Heh, what a fitting end!"
Shu Fu quickly realized that the entrance exam was indeed approaching. What a pleasant surprise!
The girl held back for a long time, but finally burst out laughing with her bright, beautiful eyes crinkling.
"But later, when this young master Chen Yu went to find Prefect Xi to recognize him, he was told that Prefect Xi had already left Kuai Zai Pavilion and his whereabouts were unknown. This young master Chen then bid farewell to the bookstore owner and wanted to go after him himself, but the world is so vast, it's probably difficult to find him..."
Shu Fu sighed, buried her face in the soft pillow, and whispered, "Xi Duzhi also has his own pursuit. If they are destined to meet again, they will meet again."
———
The next chapter will have a different subheading, and this will be the last one.
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