Chapter 10 She still had to get married. Zhao Linzhang hadn't been seen for almost half a month...
Zhao Linzhang hadn't been seen for more than half a month. Shen Yunrong saw Liu Hu again in the Prince's mansion and realized that Prince Zhuang should have returned as well. These carefree days really pass by quickly.
Liu Hu rarely saw Shen Yunrong in the backyard without the young master. He had gone to the imperial mausoleum for a sacrificial ceremony with the prince and hadn't seen her for more than half a month.
During the past few months at the manor, Shen Yunrong's skin had become radiantly white, and her face had regained its color. She looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting. He was stunned for a moment until she spoke up: "Brother Liu, you're back?"
He scratched his head sheepishly, looked at the plum blossom she had just picked, and laughed, "You're back. Why did you come out alone? Let the maids and servants pick the flowers. Don't hurt your hands."
"The young master has fallen asleep and is being watched by the maids. He kept asking to pick flowers this morning, so I picked some for him to play with."
Liu Hu watched her stand against the wind, the wind lifting her skirt, making her look like a fairy in flight. He remembered what the prince had said, that he could get married.
Blinded by greed, he suddenly asked, "Miss Chen, don't you want to find another father for Nini?"
Shen Yunrong was surprised, not expecting Liu Hu to ask such a question. If she didn't think about her daughter, he was truly a very good man. Compared to the young men in Shenjiazhuang who farmed and gathered firewood in the mountains, he was already the best match.
Fate plays tricks on people; no matter how good things are, they don't belong to her. She shook her head.
“I swore to my late husband that I would never remarry in this life.”
After hearing this, Liu Hu gave up his restless thoughts; good girls are always met by others first.
After saying this, Shen Yunrong hurriedly took her leave. She was already a mother, how could she be worthy of Liu Hu?
As she arrived at the courtyard gate, a noble man in a crimson brocade robe with black trim was about to come out, and they almost bumped into each other.
Thinking of Liu Hu's words, he kept his head down as he walked. When he realized that the person he almost bumped into was Prince Zhuang, he was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects.
Before she could kneel down, a large hand grasped her forearm and lifted her up: "No need for formalities."
Zhao Linzhang saw that her little face was pink from the cold, and the red plum in her hand was as beautiful as her lips. After not seeing her for many days, this little wet nurse had grown even more outstanding.
He presided over the sacrificial ceremony and was so busy that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The imperial physician was right; the absurd dreams he had a few days ago were due to lingering poison, but now it seems that the poison has been cleared.
He hasn't had that kind of dream since he left.
Instead of feeling relaxed and joyful, there was a strange sense of loss.
The first thing he did upon returning home today was to check on Xiao Siliang and the woman beside her.
To my surprise, when she saw me, she turned pale with fright and her body was trembling uncontrollably.
Shen Yunrong looked at the man above her, who had become darker and thinner, and who looked eight or nine parts like the man on the mountain that day. Two people who looked alike could not possibly look so alike.
A terrifying memory enveloped her instantly; she dared not think what she would do if that person really was King Zhuang.
Could it be that he hurt her by gripping her too tightly? Zhao Linzhang had only given her a light touch; he hadn't used any force.
Why are you shaking like that? Are you sick?
Seeing the puzzled look on the prince's face, Shen Yunrong inwardly urged herself to calm down quickly.
"This servant is cold, young master wants to pick flowers." Shen Yunrong forgot the rest of her sentence after saying the first one, and only hoped that Prince Zhuang would leave quickly.
She did indeed look frozen, and Zhao Linzhang found it hard to imagine how such a frail woman could raise her daughter and mother.
"I heard you have a daughter?"
Shen Yunrong's heart skipped a beat, but he was a prince, and it would be easy for him to investigate her family history for three generations.
"yes."
"Aren't you going to find her another father?" Zhao Linzhang asked curiously. The founding emperor of the Dayan Dynasty had long ago allowed widows to remarry. It was truly hard for her, a woman, to raise her child and elderly mother on her own.
"No, I was born to be my late husband's woman, and I will die to be his ghost!" Today, she wondered if she was possessed by evil spirits, as both King Zhuang and Liu Hu asked her the same question.
Liu Hu's intentions were obvious, and she could guess them. That Prince Zhuang had seen all kinds of noble ladies and women, so why would he covet a widow like her?
She knew perfectly well that Prince Zhuang's mood was just a passing fancy, like someone who has eaten too much bird's nest and fish bones and occasionally wants to eat some wild vegetables to change things up. She would not indulge in wealth that did not belong to her.
Ever since she risked her life to protect Siliang last time, Zhao Linzhang had felt that she was not an ordinary weak woman, so he was not so surprised to hear from her that she was keeping her chastity for her deceased husband.
"Do your job well, and I won't treat you badly!" As long as she does her job as a wet nurse, Zhao Linzhang doesn't mind being her backer.
"Yes, this is what I should do," Shen Yunrong replied respectfully.
The night wind felt like it was carrying knives, freezing the earth solid.
The room where Shen Yunrong and the young master slept remained warm and cozy.
As if in a dream, she parted the vines and found a man lying there, his body hunched over, his forehead covered in sweat from discomfort.
She turned to run away, but the man suddenly cried out. She stopped in her tracks. It gets very cold on this mountain at night. The man seemed to be injured. She wondered if he would not survive the night.
As Shen Yunrong tore down the vines, she was about to scream in alarm, for they were poisonous!
But she felt as if someone had grabbed her by the throat, and she couldn't say a word.
He watched helplessly as she smashed the vines, squeezing out the juice and dripping it into the man's mouth.
She didn't know when, but the man stopped crying out in pain and started groaning. She went over and touched his burning forehead, and it was no longer hot.
He prepared to go down the mountain, as it would get dark soon if he didn't return, and his fate was in the hands of life and death.
A strong force pulled her close, and hot lips covered hers.
She felt a chill run through her body, and felt a piercing pain. She bit the man's shoulder, which only provoked him to attack her more fiercely.
She woke up drenched in sweat. The little boy was sleeping soundly in his warm bed, his face flushed. She looked around and realized that she had been dreaming. It had been a long time since she had dreamed like this.
It must have been seeing the dark and thin Prince Zhuang today that stirred up the most terrifying memories in her heart.
The cold wind howled outside, and she couldn't help but worry about her daughter and mother. In such a cold winter, she wondered if her mother would be willing to buy better charcoal.
The young master's bedroom was heated by an underfloor heating system. Outside it was freezing cold, but inside it was warm and cozy, so warm that his forehead was covered in sweat.
Worried about her family, she asked for leave from Granny Li early in the morning. Now the young master drinks some rice cereal during the day and doesn't drink much milk, only at night. She just needs to be back before dark.
This time, Granny Li arranged for a carriage from the Prince's residence to take her back. When she declined, she said, "Go early and come back early, don't delay your return to take care of the young master."
What Granny Li said was that in this weather, it might be impossible to get a carriage back.
The carriages in the Prince's mansion and those reserved for the Prince look almost identical at first glance. However, the Prince's carriage is exquisitely decorated, while the servants' carriages are much simpler, with only two rows of seats facing each other.
Light snow was falling as Shen Yunrong hurried home. Her mother was chopping firewood, while her daughter, dressed in a puffy outfit, watched quietly from the side.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yunrong returned in such terrible weather. Her mother quickly put down her cleaver and asked, "How did you get back in this freezing weather?"
"Mother, didn't I tell you to go to the market to buy chopped firewood?"
"I can save a lot of money by chopping it myself, and my old bones can still move."
Shen Yunrong tenderly picked up her daughter, who was dressed like a ball. This time, the daughter didn't cry or fuss, but just stared at her blankly, her eyes filled with curiosity and disbelief.
She touched her daughter's cold little hand, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her daughter was about the same size as the last time she saw her. In just over a month, the little boy had almost grown to twice her size.
"Come inside quickly!"
Shen Yunrong quickly wiped away her tears, afraid that her mother would see them and start crying again.
It was just as cold inside as outside. When Chen's mother lit the charcoal stove, a plume of black smoke made her cough incessantly.
"Mother, I told you to buy some better quality charcoal. We don't need to skimp on these two expenses now." Shen Yunrong coughed a few times while holding her daughter.
"We'll need money for a long time to come, so let's save where we can." Mother Chen finally stopped coughing and pushed the charcoal stove, which wasn't emitting as much black smoke, to the center of the room.
Soon, the room finally felt warm.
The rising black smoke attracted Liu Hu's mother, who had also lost her husband at a young age.
"Sister-in-law Shen, why are you lighting charcoal so early today?" A thin, dark-skinned old woman peeked in from the doorway and smiled when she saw Shen Yunrong, "So it's Rongniang who's back."
Shen Yunrong stood up, holding her daughter: "Aunt Liu, come in and warm yourself by the fire!"
Aunt Liu slipped in, carrying a piece of meat in her hand.
"That boy Liu Hu sent someone to bring meat again. I'm an old woman and can't eat that much, so let's share it while it's fresh."
Shen Yunrong always came back in a hurry. She didn't even bring any food with her, and she was afraid of wasting time if she just bought something to eat on the way. After all, she had to be back before dark, and she wanted to spend more time with her daughter.
"Aunt Liu, you've always taken such good care of us. Please keep this meat for yourself." Shen Yunrong was very grateful to the mother and son. Without them, she, a weak woman, would not have been able to raise her child and mother to survive.
"It's just some meat, it's rare that you're back today."
Aunt Liu insisted, and Shen Yunrong dared not refuse. She took the meat and handed the child to her mother, saying, "Then Aunt Liu, please stay and eat with us. It will be more lively with more people."
Aunt Liu smiled and agreed, then sat down with Mrs. Shen to play with the child.
Watching Shen Yunrong deftly boil water, knead dough, and add chopped meat to the soup, a delicious and steaming bowl of noodle soup was ready. A sip of it on a cold winter day could warm you from head to toe.
Shen Yunrong then simmered the remaining half bowl of noodle soup at the bottom of the pot until it was soft and tender, and then fed it to her daughter spoonful by spoonful after it was warmed up.
My daughter has forgotten how to drink milk. She only comes once a month or so, so I simply don't let her drink it anymore, so she won't miss the taste of breast milk and make a fuss, causing her mother distress.
Aunt Liu was more and more satisfied with her. She ate until her belly was round and sat down to chat with Mother Shen. Then she changed the subject and said, "Rongniang, you are still young. It is too difficult for a woman to raise a child by herself. Aunt Liu has suffered all her life and knows this best. A woman still needs to find a man to live with."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunrong's resolve not to marry wavered. Seeing her daughter's thinness and the little hand tightly clutching her clothes, she remained silent.
The little prince will grow up quickly and won't need to be breastfed anymore. At that time, she will have to leave the palace.
If she really wanted to open her own shop, in this world, she's just a weak woman. Without anyone to back her up, I wonder if she could even succeed?
She used to think that things would work themselves out, but looking at her daughter, she didn't want her to suffer like this with her forever.
But when she looked up with her misty eyes, she wondered who she could marry, and who wouldn't despise her daughter.
Aunt Liu told her son that if he wanted to marry, he had to marry a woman like Rong Niang. She would be the first to object if her son actually married a widow.
"That tavern owner on this street, Manager Wang, his wife died last year, and he's looking to remarry," Aunt Liu said, seizing the opportunity.
"Open a tavern? That Manager Wang must be over forty or at least fifty!" Mother Shen was both anxious and angry when she heard this. She had sent meat and invited him to stay for dinner today, so this was what he was planning.
Hearing her mother say this, Shen Yunrong remembered it. Every time she passed by, the shopkeeper Wang would always waddle his plump body to the shop entrance to greet her. Being unfamiliar with the place, she didn't dare to offend anyone, so she would smile, nod, and quickly leave.
"He's only just learned to be considerate at his age. His first wife had two sons and a daughter, all of whom are now adults. If you marry into that family, you'll be the mistress of the house and live a life of luxury."
"Aunt Liu, my late husband is still in mourning, so Rongniang doesn't want to remarry for the time being!" Shen Yunrong should have realized that with her current status, how could she possibly marry into a good family?
This Manager Wang was already one of the better families Aunt Liu knew, but to live with a man older than her own father... she shook her head. She didn't feel like she had reached this final step.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Aunt Liu gave up and left. She had only been in the Prince's mansion for a few months and had already broadened her horizons. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She clapped her hands and took her leave.
After feeding her daughter, the snow outside was falling heavier and heavier. Old Zhang, the coachman who brought her back, called to her from the doorway: "Nanny Chen, let's go back early, the snow is too heavy."
Shen Yunrong invited him to go back to the house together, but Old Zhang waved his hand and went to find some fodder for the horse, saying that he would come to the door to pick her up when she returned to the Prince's Mansion.
She hadn't expected the snow to be so heavy today, so she quickly put her daughter down and kissed her little face again.
"Be good, Nini, wait for Mommy to come back!"
He then handed the bundle he had brought to his mother: "Mother, here is some loose silver. Don't be stingy with it. It's not good to be frugal and get sick. The masters in the Prince's mansion are all generous, so don't worry about the money."
"Mother knows, you must take good care of yourself in the Prince's mansion." Mother Shen wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
If it weren't for that accident, she and her daughter would still be living a peaceful life in Shenjiazhuang, and her daughter would be married to a young man in the village.
Why should one leave their home and do these servant's jobs?
With tears in her eyes, Shen Yunrong bid farewell to her mother and bewildered daughter, then jumped into the carriage of the Prince's mansion and took out a sweet potato that had just been warming on the charcoal fire: "Uncle Zhang, have one to warm yourself up."
"Thank you so much, young lady!" Old Zhang was flattered and carefully accepted the gift after wiping his hands on his clothes.
"I should be thanking Uncle Zhang today!"
"You're too kind, young lady. It's what this old servant should do."
Liu Yu, a maidservant at the gate of the Prince's mansion, craned her neck but still couldn't see the Prince's carriage. She wondered what the wet nurse had gone to do. The young master was sleepy and had gone to bed early but hadn't come back yet. No matter how the maidservants tried to coax him, they couldn't.
Instead of the carriage, the prince returned on horseback.
Seeing her standing in front of the door, before she could even ask anything, Liu Yu hurriedly reported that Shen Yunrong had not responded for a long time.
Zhao Linzhang looked at the snowflakes falling from the sky and knew that she was not the type to miss a time, so he was afraid that something had happened.
Before he could even get inside, he pulled on the reins and turned the horse around. The horse snorted and started running.
Liu Hu and the other guards followed closely behind.
The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, stung their faces like blades. The carriage broke down halfway there, and Old Zhang, despite working up a sweat, couldn't fix it.
As night fell, Shen Yunrong broke out in a light sweat despite the heavy snow.
"Uncle Zhang, I'll go back first."
After saying that, he ignored Old Zhang's anxious shouts and said, "The snow is too heavy! How can a girl like you walk back!"
She moved with difficulty, step by step, until she finally understood why Old Zhang was so anxious. Soon, her hands and feet were numb from the cold, her whole body was stiff, and she struggled to move her figure in the snow.
A sound of hooves approached, and Shen Yunrong squinted at what was ahead. In the snow, she could vaguely see a black shadow. Thinking it was a passerby, she tried to move aside, but the sound of hooves stopped beside her.
"Come up!" The man on horseback, wearing a black cloak with a fox fur collar, his hair covered in snow just like hers, had a cold expression and extended his hand to her.
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