Chapter 67 A child's voice came to offer warmth at Fengzhi Ferry, but sorrow had already left no sound. ...
At the Tongjin River ferry crossing, a light drizzle fell, and the air was shrouded in mist.
Su Jinxiu, wrapped in a moon-white cloak with mutton-fat jade buttons, stood beside Feng Yanting and Ye Lingbo, with servants standing behind her with their hands at their sides. The group of people all craned their necks to look, waiting for the giant ship in the distance to break through the waves.
A cold wind suddenly rose, carrying moisture that blew against her face, causing Su Jinxiu to stagger and sway precariously.
Ye Lingbo reacted quickly, reaching out to support her arm. Feng Yanting also frowned, casting a concerned glance at her.
"It's alright, Madam." Su Jinxiu waved her hand, her voice hoarse from lingering cold.
After Ying Bumei risked his life to save her by jumping into the river that day, she caught a severe cold and was bedridden for many days. Although she had recovered a couple of days ago, she still felt weak all over.
"You've just recovered from a cold, why did you insist on coming here to catch a chill?" Ye Lingbo frowned, her tone reproachful, but her movements were gentle as she carefully adjusted the collar of her cloak, tucking in the gaps. "Wouldn't it be better to rest and recuperate at home?"
Su Jinxiu forced a smile and said softly, "How could I not come to greet my elder brother when he returns? Wouldn't that be impolite?"
After saying that, she lowered her eyes to hide the panic in them.
His insistence on coming along wasn't out of any sense of etiquette. It was simply because he feared that if they stayed at the Feng residence and the coffin arrived ahead of schedule, he would have to ask her to greet it…
She couldn't bear to imagine such a scene, so she hurriedly followed along early in the morning, hoping to escape for a while.
After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, Su Jinxiu felt a surge of itchiness in her throat and finally started coughing violently again. She had to bend over and hold onto a wooden pillar to barely steady herself.
Just then, through the misty rain, a tall, slender figure stepped onto the deck of the boat.
The person who came was Fengxun.
He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, dressed in a dark green brocade robe embroidered with clouds, with a delicate jade belt around his waist. His posture was as upright as a lone pine tree, standing at the bow of the boat, exuding an extraordinary and distinguished air.
He led a young child with rosy lips and white teeth in his left hand and held a little girl with her hair in two buns in his right arm as he slowly walked off the boat.
"My sons!" Ye Lingbo could no longer contain her longing. She quickly stepped forward and hugged the two children tightly in her arms, her eyes instantly reddening.
After coughing, Su Jinxiu wiped her lips with a handkerchief and slowly straightened up. Looking up, she saw Feng Xun, dressed in a dark green brocade robe, being led towards her by Ye Lingbo. He was extremely handsome, having inherited all the best features of the general and his wife. His face was flawless, his eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, and his temperament was as pure and noble as snow in a mountain stream.
One glance was enough to tell that this person was unapproachable. The innate aloofness about him, the faint coldness in his eyes, were clearly the pride nurtured by a life of privilege, which unconsciously inspired awe and made people dare not approach him easily.
Su Jinxiu understood that she was, after all, the adopted daughter of the Feng family, so she followed the rules and performed a respectful and impeccable bow.
Feng Xun, holding the child, glanced down at her, nodded slightly in return, and said in a cool voice, "From now on, just call me brother."
"Yes, brother." Su Jinxiu's voice was still gentle, but she maintained a perfect balance, neither too close nor too distant.
Feng Xun glanced at her again, his gaze lingering briefly on her pale face.
In fact, he had noticed the pale figure as soon as he landed. The figure was coughing so hard in the cold wind that he could barely stand up straight, yet he still insisted on coming to greet him. His manners were impeccable.
He had initially assumed that the woman his parents had made an exception to adopt as their goddaughter must be a cunning woman trying to climb the social ladder by using the Feng family's name. But seeing her frail and sickly appearance, as if she would dissipate with a gust of wind, and how she was coughing so violently yet still holding on, he figured she wasn't someone difficult to deal with.
He withdrew his gaze, no longer lingering, and turned to look at his parents beside him, saying with remorse, "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial and has kept you waiting for so long."
Ye Lingbo's eyes were already red, tears welling up and almost rolling down her cheeks. Feng Yanting also stepped forward, patted his son's shoulder, and choked out, "Good, good, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
The boy who had been held by Feng Xun's left hand was now in Ye Lingbo's arms. He was very obedient and did not cry or fuss, only opening his bright black eyes to curiously observe the people in front of him. The girl that Feng Xun was holding in his right hand was fast asleep, wrapped in a small red fox fur cloak that fit her perfectly.
The boy was in Ye Lingbo's arms, but his gaze was fixed on Su Jinxiu. Su Jinxiu looked up and met his clear eyes.
The boy suddenly grinned. He was already adorable, and this smile made him even more innocent and charming, as endearing as the warm spring sun. Su Jinxiu was infected by this unexpected smile and also slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Just then, the little girl in Feng Xun's arms woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a group of strangers surrounding her and many sights she had never seen before. She was so frightened that she burst into tears.
Feng Xun quickly hugged her tightly and gently patted her back to comfort her, saying, "Qing Luan, Qing Luan, don't cry, Father is here."
Su Jinxiu could tell at a glance that Feng Xun was not cut out for holding and coaxing a baby. He simply held Qingluan awkwardly in his arms, his movements stiff and clumsy.
Indeed, that was the case. Their return to Bianjing was so rushed and hurried that they had forgotten to bring Qingluan's wet nurse with them. This grown man was utterly at a loss, his patting motions completely haphazard, his strength utterly inappropriate. Qingluan's cries only grew more piercing from his haphazard patting.
Ye Lingbo was still holding the boy in her arms and couldn't free her hands for the moment. General Feng was a rough and careless military man, and had no idea how to take care of a child. Su Jinxiu saw this and stepped forward, saying softly, "Brother, let me hold Qingluan."
Feng Xun glanced at her, then looked down at his daughter who was crying her heart out in his arms, and finally handed Qing Luan over.
Su Jinxiu untied her cloak and pulled Qingluan into her arms. She supported Qingluan's knees with one hand, letting the child rest on her shoulder, and then wrapped her tightly with the cloak, leaving only her small face exposed. With her other hand, she gently stroked Qingluan's back.
Qingluan looked up at Su Jinxiu, blinked her dark grape-like eyes, and then buried herself deeper into her chest. Her sobs gradually subsided, and her little hands still tightly gripped Su Jinxiu's collar.
Seeing how much this beautiful child depended on her, Su Jinxiu couldn't help but soften her heart and gently patted her.
Ye Lingbo remarked in surprise, "These two children seem particularly close to you."
Su Jinxiu smiled faintly and then said to Feng Yanting, "Alright, don't stand in the cold wind for too long. Get in the carriage quickly and we'll talk in detail when we get back to the manor."
Su Jinxiu replied "Okay," then turned around, picked up Qingluan, and strode forward.
On the way back to the manor, General Feng and his wife rode in one carriage, while Su Jinxiu shared another with Feng Xun. The two sat facing each other, she holding Qingluan and he holding the boy, and the carriage was silent for a moment.
Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to speak, Su Jinxiu cleared her throat and asked softly, "Brother, this child is called Qingluan, what about him?" Her gaze fell on the boy in Feng Xun's arms.
"Qingyi".
Feng Xun uttered only two words and then said nothing more, his expression remaining distant.
Su Jinxiu met his gaze and tentatively called out softly, "Qingyi." Qingyi immediately slid off Fengxun's lap and reached out his little hands to rush into her arms.
Feng Xun pulled him back and said in a deep voice, "You are a boy, don't cling to your aunt."
Qingyi, however, refused to listen, twisting and turning and crying incessantly: "I want Auntie! I want Auntie!"
Finally, Su Jinxiu had no choice but to hold one child in each arm. Her eyes met Feng Xun's, and the atmosphere in the carriage instantly became even more awkward.
Holding two exquisitely beautiful children in her arms, Su Jinxiu noticed the resemblance between them and guessed they must be twins of similar age. So she chatted casually for a few moments, with Su Jinxiu asking questions and Su Jinxiu answering them in detail, but without saying anything more.
Su Jinxiu learned that the twins had just turned five, and their mother had died in childbirth. Her heart ached even more for the children, so she hugged them tighter and teased them with a smile, "Auntie has prepared some fun toys and delicious treats for you at home, just waiting for you to come back. Be a good girl, and you'll get them when you get there, okay?"
"Okay!" Qingluan and Qingyi replied in unison.
These two children seemed well-behaved in front of outsiders, but in reality, they were quite mischievous, causing Feng Xun many headaches. Yet, at this moment, they were so obedient and docile in Su Jinxiu's arms, smiling happily.
His adopted sister, with her head bowed and a gentle smile, looked lovely and her previously pale face regained some color.
Feng Xun couldn't help but look away.
Before long they arrived at Fengfu.
Feng Xun returned this time because his mother had sent a message ordering him to preside over the funeral of his second younger brother, Feng Chen. He had never met this second brother before, only knowing that he had been sent to Wudang Mountain at a young age. Now, the two brothers had not even been able to meet before he went to the battlefield to die for his country, and Feng Xun couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness.
But now that his parents are over fifty, he is truly the only one in the household with the energy and will to manage important matters. So these past two days, he has taken on the authority of the head of the household, managing all affairs in the household in an orderly manner, and the funeral arrangements have all been made perfectly.
Su Jinxiu was unsure of her own feelings at that moment.
She sat quietly on the veranda, watching everyone in the mansion dressed in mourning clothes, bustling about.
Sometimes someone would bring in paper money and a funeral banner, and sometimes a servant would announce that the second young master's coffin had been placed in the mourning hall. The funeral procession could be heard intermittently in my ears.
It's only October now, and the start of winter is still a long way off, yet it's already snowing lightly. It's really strange.
There is no greater sorrow than a broken heart, but Su Jinxiu no longer knew what sorrow was.
She had imagined countless times what she would do if she heard that Shi Qin had left and would not return.
A suicide pact? Or forget him and start a new life?
But now she realizes that all those plans were in vain. Because she was overwhelmed with grief, she could do nothing and think of nothing.
All I can do is sit quietly on the veranda, watching the things around me go by and the snowflakes fall from the sky.
"fraud."
Su Jinxiu's tears had long since dried up. She simply lowered her head, constantly fiddling with the hairpin containing her affection and the pair of Mohele dolls in her hand.
I am now delirious with illness, and I dream of idle people but not of you.
She recalled the letters he had sent home, in which he said that with the outbreak of war, he would become a hero created by the times, so that his sister could rest assured.
He added that he would return once he had achieved his goal.
"……fraud."
Author's Note: (Note:)
"Now, due to illness, my mind is in turmoil; I dream of idle people, but not of you." (Quoted from Bai Juyi's poem "Responding to Bai Juyi's Frequent Dreams of Wei Zhi")
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