Chapter 15, Part 15: It was my fault; I made you sad.
Yuezhi gazed intently at the girl's face, incredulously observing her timid and bullied demeanor.
"You are... Changsun Huaqing?"
When someone called her name, Hua Qing's pupils dilated, and she broke down in tears.
Yuezhi was startled by her reaction, and could only see the pitiful Hua Qing. She didn't even notice that Pei Heng, who had dismounted, had changed into a smart outfit. Iron wrist guards were visible from the loose sleeves of his outer garment, which was the unique attire of a martial artist.
Pei Heng turned to look at Hua Qing, frowning. "If you want to cry, there are plenty of times when you can cry. I brought you back to see Yue Zhi, not for you to cry endlessly here."
Their relationship wasn't deep to begin with, and they hadn't left a good impression on each other when they were young. Now that they've met again after falling on hard times, Pei Heng's attitude towards Hua Qing is quite distant.
Upon hearing the reminder, Hua Qing immediately stopped crying and dismounted with the help of the two men.
Pei Heng said gently to Yue Zhi, "Take her back to change into clean clothes first, and I'll go tie the horse up in the backyard."
"Okay." Yuezhi didn't ask any more questions. As he said, she led Huaqing into the courtyard and into the inner room of the main hall, where she searched for suitable clothes for her.
Changsun Huaqing's current figure fits perfectly in the clothes she wore when she was sixteen or seventeen. Yuezhi found a set of indigo cotton clothes and took out a set of underwear, then turned around and handed them to the girl.
Turning around, they found Changsun Huaqing kneeling on the ground, trying hard to suppress her sobs, unable to stop crying.
"What are you doing?" She tried to help him up, but Hua Qing refused.
“My cousin bought me so I could take care of you. I can do laundry and cook, and I’ll do whatever you say, as long as you don’t kick me out and give me a bite to eat…”
The once arrogant young lady, who was as haughty as a peacock, now acts extremely humble in order to stay in this family.
Having been bullied by her before, Yuezhi found it hard to like her, but she couldn't bring herself to hate or despise her either.
"Why did you ask Pei Heng to buy it? Where are your parents?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Qing wiped away her tears sadly and recounted how, after she left the Bodhisattva Temple with Cui Wenzhu, although she was not sold like other slaves, she had no means of survival and could only do menial work such as washing clothes and boiling water for wealthy families to earn a meager living.
Like Pei Heng, Changsun Yi was punished to work in the military farms. The place he was to go was remote and cold, and none of his wife and children were willing to go with him.
Cui Wenzhu helped her get through that winter. After saving some hard-earned money, she went to the village where the garrison was located to find Changsunyi. She wanted to start over with her family and live a peaceful life. However, Changsunyi insisted on living in the dilapidated thatched hut for a whole winter, getting sick from the cold, but refused to move a single brick.
Over the years, the couple argued several times. Cui Wenzhu worked so hard farming and building houses that she vomited blood and died suddenly before she could even buy medicine.
Changsun Yi still fantasized that his empress sister could find a way to save him, and refused to do any hard labor. After spending his last copper coin, he sold Changsun Huaqing to a human trafficker.
Throughout the year, she was constantly bought and sold. Because she lacked food and clothing and was unable to work, she was eventually sold into a brothel.
She refused to give in, even at the cost of her life, and ran into the street begging for death, only to encounter Pei Heng, who was staying in Yanjing City.
He redeemed her from her servitude and told her, "Yuezhi's health is not good, and her eyes have been injured. She needs someone to take care of her. If you can serve her obediently, I will take you back."
Hua Qing readily agreed. She no longer wanted to wander aimlessly. Even being a servant was better than selling herself into prostitution.
After hearing this, Yuezhi couldn't help but sympathize with her plight. She softened her tone and joked with her, "He just loves to worry about others. My health isn't that bad. I don't need you to take care of me."
Seeing the girl freeze in shock when she heard her say "I don't need you," she quickly tried to make amends.
"But he's not always home, and I get quite bored being alone. I really need someone to keep me company. As long as you live a peaceful life, I won't kick you out."
As he spoke, he stuffed the clothes into her arms, saying, "These are my old clothes, you can change into them first."
"Hmm." Hua Qing then got up from the ground.
Yuezhi left the inner room, went out of the house, went around to the back of the courtyard and found Pei Heng feeding the horses. She took out a handkerchief, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it at his face.
Pei Heng heard familiar footsteps approaching and knew it was Yue Zhi, so he wasn't on guard. Unexpectedly, a handkerchief hit his face, and his nostrils were immediately filled with the scent of gardenias. His heart tightened.
He caught the fallen handkerchief with his hand, turned to look at her, and saw a slightly angry face, her fair cheeks flushed red.
"Didn't you say you were going to the city to prepare for the civil service exam? Why are you dressed differently now and brought Changsun Huaqing back to say you'd take care of me? What are you planning to do?"
“A sinner like me, if I were to become a clerk, would only ever be a lowly clerical official, with no hope of ever rising above my station.”
"Why didn't you tell me?" Yuezhi lowered her eyes.
Pei Heng quietly clenched the handkerchief, "You've already suffered so much for me, I don't want you to worry anymore."
"So you've gone into martial arts? Are you going to become a bodyguard, a constable, a bodyguard, or...?"
"I served as a centurion in the Liangzhou army."
"How could you go there?" Yuezhi couldn't believe he had made such a big decision behind her back. She was both angry and worried. She stepped forward and grabbed his shirt. "The army is tough and tiring. The barbarians often raid the border. People can really die if we fight!"
She seemed to be about to faint from anger; her body went limp, her knuckles trembled, and she could barely hold onto him.
"All these years I've worked hard to save money so that we could live a peaceful life together, but you've gone behind my back into the most dangerous places, like the caves of swords and spears. Don't you ever think about what I would do if you died?"
Yuezhi looked up at him, her eyes welling up with tears, and the boy's handsome face gradually blurred in her vision.
Pei Heng frowned, raised his hand to support her arms, and only then did he realize how thin she was, even thinner than before he left home.
"It was my fault, I made you sad."
Seeing her so sad, his heart felt like it was being torn apart.
Yuezhi had never been so angry with him before. He felt a tightness in his chest, even more painful than when he was punished by his father when he was a child. Only, back then he was terrified of his father's rage, but now he was afraid that she would be disappointed in him.
He bent down and gently hugged her. "Don't you always say I'm smart and will achieve great things in the future? Don't you believe I can stay safe in the army and make a name for myself?"
Yuezhi choked up, knowing full well that she and he were just pretending to be siblings and that she had no right to care about him, but she still couldn't help feeling sad.
"Your mother collapsed because of insatiable greed, and your uncle, in his delusion of returning to past glory, has ruined his wife and daughters... I fear you will end up like them..."
"Pei Heng, I only know how to embroider and make clothes. As long as I can live a peaceful life, I will be satisfied."
"I won't stop you from going out and making your own way in the world, but what can I do for you if something happens to you?"
Her eyes hurt from crying, and as she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, the boy pulled her into his arms, and two lines of tears flowed onto his clothes.
He said, "I'm all grown up now. There are things I want to do, and you believe I can do them, okay?"
After a long silence, Yuezhi sobbed and calmed her breathing.
As her strength gradually returned, she looked up at him and could no longer ignore the fact that "he no longer needed her protection." Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She nodded. "I believe you."
Hearing the affirmative answer, Pei Heng was both touched and happy, and hugged her tightly before letting go.
After composing themselves, the two returned home. Hua Qing had already changed her clothes and was diligently sweeping the floor in the main room. When she saw the two return, she greeted them in a flattering manner.
"Cousin, is there any chores around the house that need to be done?"
"You should rest for a while. I'll teach you how to cook tonight. When I'm not around, you'll have to cook for Yuezhi, do her laundry, and boil water for her bath. Take good care of her and don't let her do any rough work."
"I will definitely take good care of you..." Hua Qing hesitated, unsure of how to address Yue Zhi.
Yuezhi: "Just call me sister."
"I will definitely take good care of my sister!" After putting on clean clothes and having a place to stay, Hua Qing felt much better.
Yuezhi led her to the well, wiped her face, and recombed her hair, tying it into two buns on the left and right sides, making her look as cute as Wang Miaomiao next door.
"Sister, you can call me Hua Qing from now on." The girl sat in front of the mirror, her face still covered with medicine, and spoke calmly.
“My father sold me, and I don’t care about the surname he gave me. He angered my mother to death. Even if he wanted to buy me back, I would not acknowledge him.”
Hearing her lonely tone, Yuezhi recalled that winter when she cut her hair from Cui Wenzhu.
She went into the inner room and rummaged around for a while, then came out with a small cloth bag and gave it to Hua Qing.
Hua Qing opened it with a puzzled look, and inside was a strand of long hair.
Yuezhi explained, "On the way from the capital to your exile, you had a high fever one day. In order to get medicine for you, your mother gave me her long hair. I used some of it to make a hair embroidery. These are the rest. I'm keeping them for you as a keepsake."
“It’s my mother’s hair…” Hua Qing’s eyes lit up. The long hair was smooth and shiny, as if it had just been cut, showing how well it had been preserved.
She smiled and covered the cloth bag to her chest.
When Cui Wenzhu died, his family was destitute and he didn't leave behind any decent belongings. He was simply wrapped in a straw mat and buried.
She never expected to find her mother's belongings here.
Hua Qing turned her face, laughing and crying at the same time, "Sister, thank you, you are such a kind person."
People's likes and dislikes are easily changed, and their circumstances are even more unpredictable. Yuezhi never expected that after recognizing a fake younger brother, she would also have a fake younger sister.
Pei Heng only stayed at home for two days before leaving.
At first, Yuezhi was worried, but she gradually relaxed. Just then, she received a letter from He Zhiyan in Yanjing City, and she devoted herself to buying a house.
A month later, she bought a small courtyard house with one entrance and one exit near the He residence. The house was similar in size to her home in Wangshan Village. She got the house deed and land deed and only spent three hundred taels of silver.
The Liangzhou army was stationed outside the north gate of Yanjing. To make it easier for Pei Heng to return home, Yuezhi asked someone to help pack his luggage, and they quickly moved to the new house.
When he left home, Wang Qiushi came to see him off. He followed the carriage for quite a distance, until they reached the edge of the field, where Hua Qing's feigned fierceness scared him back.
Yuezhi tapped her head, "Brother Wang is a good person, don't be so mean to him."
Hua Qing looked up, regaining some of her childhood arrogance, "I don't care if he's a good person or not. My cousin told me to keep an eye on him and not let him get close to you."
"Did Pei Heng tell you that?" Yue Zhi was increasingly confused about the two cousins.
Hua Qing proudly patted her chest, "Don't worry, sister, with me here, I won't let those strange men get close to you."
Yuezhi smiled helplessly: Now that the child has regained his energy, her days are going to be lively again.
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