Chapter 60 She's the one for me in this life...
New Year's fireworks are a way to pray for a peaceful and prosperous year.
The grand mansions of marquises, with their imposing gates and courtyards, even their fireworks displays lasted longer and featured more elaborate designs than those of ordinary households.
However, since Wutong Garden is close to the Marquis's residence, the view from inside the courtyard is not very good.
Aman was already quite drunk, and the wind made him even more intoxicated. He didn't care whose fireworks it was and started making a ruckus outside to watch.
Fu Yunxiu couldn't dissuade her, so he could only go along with her wishes.
"It's settled then, just for a little while."
“Okay.” Aman nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.
Fu Yunxiu sighed, his face showing both helplessness and amusement.
Old Master Cheng observed everything and couldn't help but chuckle. Who would have thought that the rumored aloof and reserved eldest son of the Fu family would have such an unknown side?
She'll probably be a henpecked husband in the future.
However, he was happy to see it happen.
Old Cheng squinted and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
In the courtyard, Ah Man, now intoxicated, became increasingly unrestrained, refusing even to be helped up.
Fu Yunxiu couldn't dissuade her, so he could only push the wheelchair, following her tentatively, afraid she would fall. Mantou, carrying a lantern, followed beside him.
Aman staggered to the door. It was dark and he was dizzy, so he couldn't see where the lock was. His hands groped around, and he stumbled and fell straight backward.
"Aman." Fu Yunxiu was startled and subconsciously got up to help him.
Fortunately, the two were close by, and Fu Yunxiu was quick-witted and caught the person in his arms, thus preventing Aman from falling and getting a head injury during the New Year.
Looking at Aman, who had fallen asleep in his arms and was even smacking her lips comfortably, Fu Yunxiu was quite annoyed. He turned to look at Mantou, only to find the other girl staring at him in shock.
Even Old Cheng, who was sitting in his room drinking, suddenly appeared at the door.
Fu Yunxiu was a little confused. "What's wrong?"
"Young master," Mantou couldn't contain his excitement, and even his words were somewhat incoherent, "your, your leg?"
My legs?
Fu Yunxiu subconsciously looked down and realized that he had stood up without even realizing it.
It didn't require anyone's help, and there was no stinging sensation.
He just... stood up like that?
Fu Yunxiu's face lit up with joy, but the next moment, his legs seemed to suddenly lose their strength and become unresponsive.
Fortunately, Mantou was watching Fu Yunxiu and, seeing that things were not going well, gave the wheelchair a push.
Fu Yunxiu slumped into his wheelchair, and Aman landed steadily in his arms with him.
Fu Yunxiu was still in a daze when Old Cheng came to him, took his hand to check his pulse, and then lifted his cotton robe to examine his legs.
Aman nestled in his arms, and it didn't bother her at all.
Mantou shone the lantern forward, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.
After a long while, Old Cheng finally stopped moving.
"How is it?" Mantou asked anxiously.
"Things are going well, you're recovering better than I expected. The weakness is temporary, but it can happen at any time until you can stand up and walk freely again." Just like now.
Years of using a wheelchair have caused severe atrophy in Fu Yunxiu's legs. Although Aman helps with massages, the effect is minimal. To enable him to walk freely like a normal person, he will need additional training.
I'm afraid I'll have to suffer some more!
Fu Yunxiu, however, did not care about these hardships at all.
As long as I can stand up and walk like a normal person, what does suffering matter?
Moreover, how much hardship has he endured along the way?
Fu Yunxiu was somewhat dazed. The feeling he had just experienced had captivated him to the extreme, yet at the same time, it was unbelievable.
He actually stood up.
Although Mr. Cheng had previously said that such a day would come, there is still a difference between hearing it with your own ears and experiencing it firsthand.
At this moment, he felt as if he were dreaming.
He hadn't felt this unburdened standing for a long time.
It's been so many years, it seems like thirteen years, or maybe fourteen.
"Young Master." Mantou's eyes were filled with tears, and seeing the disbelief on the young master's face, her eyes became even more moist.
His young master has truly suffered too much.
But right now, joy clearly outweighs bitterness. If the young master can stand up the first time, he can stand up the second time.
"That's great! Aman will be so happy when he wakes up and hears this news," Mantou said.
"Let's not let Aman know for now." Calming down, Fu Yunxiu looked down at the sleeping person in his arms.
"Why?" Old Cheng and Mantou asked in unison, both puzzled.
If we're talking about who in this Wutong Garden most wants to stand up, if Aman is second, then probably no one would dare to be first.
"I want to be completely healed so I can give her a surprise," Fu Yunxiu said.
That makes sense.
But if they told Aman now, she would definitely be pleasantly surprised. However, since Fu Yunxiu has his own ideas, they can't very well stop him.
Mantou and Old Cheng exchanged a glance; though they didn't understand, they both agreed.
Seeing that the two tacitly agreed, Fu Yunxiu remained silent.
Actually, the main reason is that he doesn't know when his leg will be fully healed.
Just like now, he tried to move his legs, but found that he was completely powerless.
He was afraid that his leg would remain like this, sometimes better and sometimes worse.
Waiting is undoubtedly agonizing, so it's better not to tell her in the first place, but to give her a big surprise when she's fully recovered.
Old Master Cheng couldn't understand the tricks of the young people. After drinking and staying up all night, he was overwhelmed by Fu Yunxiu's surprise. This old man really couldn't hold on any longer.
"Alright, do whatever you want, this old man won't bother you any longer." Old Cheng yawned, waved his sleeve, and went to Mantou's room to sleep with practiced ease.
Mantou and Fu Yunxiu stared at each other in the courtyard until Aman, perhaps feeling cold, let out a couple of soft moans, which brought them back to their senses.
"Young master, let me help Aman back to her room." As he spoke, Mantou reached out his hand.
Fu Yunxiu glanced at him, frowned slightly, and said, "No need."
With one arm around Aman and the other turning the wheelchair, they walked over.
"..." Mantou was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening. Looking at his outstretched hand, he lowered it again, feeling embarrassed.
The young master's possessiveness towards Aman is growing stronger and stronger.
Thinking back, when Aman fainted after being punished, it was he who carried her to seek medical help.
Fu Yunxiu carried Aman back to the room, lit the lamp first, and then carefully placed Aman on the bed.
Ah Man was completely drunk. Even after being tossed around like this, he didn't wake up. He just smacked his lips, adjusted himself into a comfortable position, and fell asleep again.
Fu Yunxiu looked at her unrestrained sleeping posture, smiled helplessly, and helped cover her with the blanket.
"Happy New Year, goodnight," Fu Yunxiu said, placing a kiss on Aman's forehead.
*
The next day, when Aman got up, it was already broad daylight.
Aman was in a daze and only remembered that she was going to watch fireworks. As for how she woke up in her room, she had no memory of it at all.
She got up to wash up. Fu Yunxiu and Mantou had already gone to the ancestral hall of the Marquis's mansion to pay respects to their ancestors, and she didn't know when Old Master Cheng had returned. There was still some warm lean meat porridge left for her in the kitchen.
After Ah Man finished eating, she heard firecrackers going off all around the Marquis's residence, indicating that the sacrificial ceremony was in full swing.
Judging that it would be a while before the young master and the others returned, Aman, having nothing else to do, went to visit her neighbors and offer her New Year's greetings.
A group of women were chatting about everyday matters, and as they talked, the topic turned to the Marquis's family's annual sacrificial ceremony.
That spectacle was unprecedented in recent years.
"That's right. The Third Young Master passed the imperial examination and became a Juren. What a great honor this is! We must open an ancestral hall to let our ancestors know."
"That's true. If it were my son, let alone a scholar who passed the imperial examination, even if he were just a novice, I would set off two strings of firecrackers in front of the ancestral graves and have a good talk with him."
Although the Marquis's mansion is not an ordinary family, matters that bring glory to the family should naturally be handled with more solemnity.
"It's all thanks to the Third Young Master's hard work. He's achieved two academic honors in one year, and I heard he'll be participating in this year's imperial examination."
"Oh my, if he passes the imperial examination, the title of Marquis will surely belong to him."
With both a noble title and the position of a court official, this third young master's future is limitless.
The women chatted amongst themselves, their words filled with envy for a son like Fu Yunting. Aman was listening intently when she felt someone pat her hand in a comforting gesture.
Aman looked up and saw Aunt Zhu.
Aunt Zhu knew about Aman's relationship with Fu Yunxiu, and she also knew how glorious and unrestrained Fu Yunxiu had been back then. This title should have belonged to Fu Yunxiu, the eldest son. Hearing them praise Fu Yunting so highly, she was afraid that Aman would be upset.
Aman smiled at her, shook her head, and indicated that she was fine.
She didn't care about fame and titles, and neither did her young master.
She was just thinking that with the Marquis's mansion making such a grand spectacle, the young master would probably return even later. She wondered if he had dressed warmly enough when he went out in the morning, and whether he would catch a cold.
Will he get cold? Of course not. Fu Yunxiu wore the sheepskin cloak that Aman made for him last year when he went out today.
As for why I'm not wearing the new fox fur coat I bought this year, it's naturally because the one Ah Man made by hand is much warmer.
The ritual, which usually ended early in previous years, was dragged out until the afternoon this year due to the priest's prayers.
Fu Yunxiu participated in the entire event without feeling tired at all, only bored. Afterwards, the clansmen went to the Marquis's residence to enjoy the tribute and accumulate the blessings bestowed by their ancestors.
Fu Yunxiu didn't quite believe in these things, but he secretly hid two apples to give to Aman. Then he returned to Wutong Garden.
In the Wutong Garden, Aman looked at the two apples that Fu Yunxiu had brought, feeling both amused and exasperated. She wasn't a member of the Marquis's clan; if she ate these blessed fruits, her ancestors might blame her.
Even the servants in the Marquis's mansion didn't receive this treatment.
“Who said you’re not a member of the Marquis’s clan?” Fu Yunxiu shoved an apple into Aman’s hand. “Just eat it. Stop with the nonsense.”
Looking at the bright red, fresh apple in her hand, and then at Fu Yunxiu's determined expression, which suggested he wouldn't give up until she nodded, Aman finally accepted it.
It's just two fruits; surely the ancestors of the Marquis's family weren't that stingy.
Fu Yunxiu's expression finally softened when he saw that Aman had accepted it. Mantou saw this and smirked.
Young master, you really are something else. If you had just said that you considered Aman as family, Aman would have happily accepted it. Why do you have to be so demanding, acting like a bully?
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, snowflakes began to fall again. On such a cold day, nothing beats eating something hot.
Aman cooked a mutton soup pot, added nourishing red dates and ginseng, and also prepared a lot of vegetables to cook in the broth.
The three of them drank every last drop of the large pot of mutton soup, broth and meat.
Ah Man was so full that he lay by the window like a cat, trying to digest his food.
The light snow fell softly, and in just half a day, it had already turned the world white.
There are no other scenic spots in Wutong Garden. The plum trees that were planted last spring were still small, but now they have lost their leaves and are left with only bare branches.
"What a pity, I thought it would bloom this year!" Aman clicked his tongue.
Fu Yunxiu knew she was referring to the plum tree in the courtyard, and said, "It's still early. It will take at least two or three years for a sapling to grow into a big tree before it blooms."
Plum trees are not fast-growing trees; even with Aman's careful care, they cannot blossom and bear fruit within a year.
Aman naturally knew that the plum trees would not bloom at this time of year. She just felt that since the young master's health was gradually improving, it would be a good omen if the plum trees bloomed again this year.
Very well, once the young master's leg is healed, he can go for a walk in the snow and admire the plum blossoms with her. If they come across a suitable plum blossom, they can pick some to put in a vase. At that time, the house and the outside will be filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms, which will be quite a unique experience.
Just thinking about it made Aman's cheeks flush with excitement, and she looked like she was drunk.
Although Fu Yunxiu didn't know what Aman was thinking, he had his own vision.
By this time next year, he should be able to run and jump like a normal person, and move freely. Perhaps he and Aman will be married.
Thinking of this, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but glance at Aman.
The beautiful woman rested her chin on her hand and leaned against the window, her toes still swinging restlessly. Snowflakes fell on her hair, as if they were wearing a pure white crown on her head.
Her hair fluttered gently, revealing her beautiful face. Though not stunningly gorgeous, she was like a jewel, captivating the eye.
"She's the one for me in this life," Fu Yunxiu told himself.
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