Chapter 5 It's like seeing an old friend again. Those eyebrows, those features, why are there so many...
*
The name Liufang Xiaozhu is derived from the character "Liu" in Yu Liu Zhu, and a crabapple tree grows in the courtyard, echoing her nickname, Tang'er.
This crabapple tree was planted the year she was born, and now it is sixteen years old. After a winter of dormancy, new leaf buds can be seen on the originally bare branches, just like a new life.
As soon as Shen Linlang entered the courtyard, she immediately saw the person standing behind the wide-open carved window. She quickly quickened her pace, lifted the curtain, and stepped over the threshold.
"Tang'er, why are you being disobedient again?"
As she spoke, she arrived in front of him and personally closed the window.
Looking at Yu Liuzhu, who was only wearing a single garment and a cloak and had not dressed up, she said gently, "Your grandmother is waiting. Would you like me to comb your hair?"
Yu Liuzhu slowly raised her eyes, tears welling up in them.
This sight startled Shen Linlang. "Tang'er, what's wrong with you?"
"Mother," Yu Liuzhu said, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, "I don't want to marry Mu Lin."
Shen Linlang was greatly surprised.
Mu Lin was the heir of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. Both the Mu and Shen families were military families and had been friends for generations. Even after she got married, she maintained contact with the Mu family.
Three years ago, Mu Lin was going to join the army at the border. Before he left, the matriarch of the Mu family arranged a verbal marriage between the two families. Now that Mu Lin has returned to the capital, the marriage should be formally arranged.
"Tang'er, what's wrong with you?"
As Shen Linlang asked her question, her heroic face showed worry, but her eyes were sharp as she looked at the servants serving in the room.
The magpie stood to one side, holding a freshly ironed and scented new garment. After receiving a questioning look from its mistress, it shook its head respectfully but blankly.
Yu Liuzhu also looked over and said, "You can all leave now."
Upon hearing this, all the servants retreated outside.
Only the mother and daughter remained in the room, and Yu Liuzhu's eyes were already filled with tears, "Mother, a couple of days ago, I had a dream."
"What dream?" Shen Linlang asked hurriedly.
“I dreamt that I was having a very bad time after marrying Mu Lin. He treated me fairly well at first, but after we got married for a while, he became hot and cold for some reason. When I miscarried, he showed no compassion and didn’t even ask about it. He didn’t even tell me when he left the capital.”
"Tang'er!" Shen Linlang never expected it to be such a dream, and quickly comforted her gently, "You must be overthinking, that's why you had such a dream. It's just a dream, how can you take it seriously?"
It's common for women to feel anxious and uncertain before getting married. She's been through it all; in the days leading up to her marriage, she certainly had her share of worries.
She held Yu Liuzhu's hand, her gaze gentle and full of affection. "Listen to your mother, Mu Lin is a promising young man with military achievements, and he will be the future head of the Marquis's mansion. In the entire Great Ye Dynasty, how many young men are as good as him?"
"Mother." Yu Liuzhu's tears, which had been hanging in suspense, finally fell with this call. "I originally thought so too, that it was just a dream and shouldn't be taken seriously. But having such a dream once is a coincidence, but is having the same dream for three days in a row also a coincidence?"
"You...you had the same dream for three days in a row?" Shen Linlang was shocked, and her expression gradually became serious.
Confucius said, “I do not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits, but dream predictions are not uncommon.”
When she was pregnant with her daughter, she had a strange dream. The people in the dream were dressed in very strange clothes, and the furniture in the house was something she had never seen before. While many children were laughing and talking noisily, a little girl sat quietly in the corner. She was thin and well-behaved, and it was heartbreaking to see her like that.
Strangely enough, even in her dreams, she inexplicably knew that it was her daughter, and she even heard someone calling the child Azhu.
After waking up, she told her husband about it. He believed it was a dream about her pregnancy and named their daughter Yu Liuzhu before she was born.
Several years later, as she looked at her daughter who was growing up to resemble the little girl in her dream more and more, she felt the mystery and wonder of premonitions even more.
"If that's the case, there's probably something fishy going on."
Yu Liuzhu nodded, "That's what my daughter thinks too. The things that happened in the dream were so real, as if I had really experienced them. I was in unbearable pain when I woke up."
"My Tang'er." Shen Linlang loved her the most. Hearing her say the words "pain beyond endurance" felt as if the pain was her own. She immediately hugged her. "Don't be afraid, your mother is here."
She nestled close, her body trembling slightly.
Those personal pains—being misunderstood by her mother-in-law, disliked by her husband, criticized by the servants, and ridiculed by others—even though they are now far away, still haunt her when she thinks about them.
“Mother, it’s not hard to know whether what happened in the dream was real or not. I remember that Mu Lin came to visit today, wearing a flowing blue brocade dress, with a stain the size of a fingernail on the hem for some reason. He had a jade pendant with a unicorn on it, made of the finest mutton fat jade, with a dark blue tassel.”
At the age when a young girl is in love, she heard that her future husband was coming to visit, and she felt excited and her heart fluttered. She carefully looked at the handsome young man, not missing a single detail.
Even after many years, the memory remains vivid, yet it only intensifies the hatred!
Hearing her detailed explanation, Shen Linlang felt a pang of heartache. While feeling sorry for her, she couldn't help but worry. "You should rest well. Don't show your face today. I'll go and verify it later. If it's true, I will take care of it for you."
*
Auspicious purple clouds arrive from the east, bringing good fortune and peace.
The Xie family's courtyard was located in the east courtyard and was named Ruian Residence.
The courtyard features a landscape of mountains and flowing water, with artificial hills, small ponds, pine trees, rocks, and green grass, all exquisitely crafted and seemingly perfectly natural. Several brightly colored koi carp swim in the constantly circulating water.
After bypassing the decorative feature, Shen Linlang's solemn expression softened before she entered the house.
Seeing that she was alone and not Yu Liuzhu, Madam Xie asked, "Why didn't Tang'er come?"
She frowned slightly. "Tang'er must have caught a chill yesterday. She looks a little unwell. I was really worried about her, so I decided to let her rest."
Madam Xie also valued her granddaughter, saying, "Tang'er has never been very healthy since she was little, so she really needs to be taken good care of."
Then, they talked about Mu Lin.
"Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the children have all grown up. I remember when he came to our house three years ago, Erlang refused to let him go. We ate, dressed, and lived together, and were as close as brothers. Now the two of us are working together again, which is truly wonderful."
Xie was smiling, but Shen Linlang was preoccupied and couldn't smile.
At this moment, the beautifully embroidered curtain that blocked the cold and wind at the door was lifted, revealing a bright red face with eyes as black as lacquer, lips as white as cherry blossoms, and skin as white as snow. She was truly a stunning beauty, like a thunderclap in spring.
"grandmother!"
Madam Xie was stunned for a moment, staring intently at the young girl walking towards her. For a fleeting instant, it was as if time had turned back to many years ago when her daughter had just grown up.
Shen Linlang was equally shocked. The child seemed different today. Could it be that he was really cured?
"Why is Ali here?"
Shen Qinglu looked at her without speaking, but her dark eyes clearly shone with a light that seemed to change in a shimmering, iridescent way, as if they could speak.
For a moment, she had a strange feeling that just looking into those eyes made her feel like she had a thousand words to say to them, but she didn't know where to begin, which made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
This discomfort is indescribable, like someone striking your heart, or like a huge boulder pressing down on it, making it hard to breathe.
Xia Chan then came in, clearly out of breath. "Madam, the young lady was so worried about you that she insisted on coming to see you."
“Grandmother.” Shen Qinglu had already approached Xie Shi. “I missed you, Grandmother. You were busy, so I came to find you.”
Xie's heart suddenly felt like it was soaking in a mixture of flavors, a mix of sweet, sour, and astringent all rushing out at once.
The child, having suddenly become aware of her presence, became so dependent on her, and she...
"Good child, come to your grandmother." She touched Shen Qinglu's face and then her hands, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at her.
Shen Qinglu let her touch her, looking incredibly obedient.
Just then, another servant came to report that Mu Lin had entered the manor accompanied by the second young master and would arrive in about a quarter of an hour.
For Shen Linlang, regardless of whether her daughter's dream was real or not, there were some things she couldn't afford to lose.
She looked at Shen Qinglu, who was leaning against Xie Shi. Her stunning beauty was captivating and breathtaking, yet it also aroused some apprehension. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Mother, A-Lin will be here soon. Tang'er is not here today, but A-Li is. If he misunderstands something, it might not be good."
Xie thought about it and agreed.
Looking down at Shen Qinglu, who was staring at her expectantly, she hardened her heart and said, "Ali, be good. A guest is coming soon, and Grandma has something to say to him. Go to the back and wait there obediently, okay?"
When she said "behind," she meant behind the screen.
Shen Qinglu nodded seriously and, led by Xia Chan, obediently walked towards the screen.
The screen has four sides, which together form a landscape painting. The canvas is made of silk with a delicate and dense texture, and the background is beige. It does not allow for perspective from either side.
A short while later, an announcement came from outside.
Soon, two people came in together.
"Grandson greets his grandmother."
"This junior greets the old lady."
One voice was higher, with the clear, spirited quality of a young man. The other voice was lower, noticeably more composed, and to Shen Qinglu, it carried a faint, heart-pounding familiarity.
She instinctively peeked out and looked outside.
With just one glance, her breath seemed to stop, her gaze fixed on the young man in the blue robe.
Those eyebrows, those facial features, why do they look somewhat alike...?
The person she cares about most!
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