Chapter 13: A Premonition: A Table Seems to Divide Three Worlds.
It rained all night long and only stopped at dawn the next day.
When Song Baoyuan got up in the morning and walked out of the room alone, water was still dripping from the eaves.
The servants were busy and methodical. Only Qiao Yin was jogging along, carrying a wooden bucket in her left hand and held by Jiang Suisui in her right hand, looking reckless.
"Slow down, the ground is slippery." Song Baoyuan couldn't help but remind him.
Before she could finish her words, Jiang Suisui's feet immediately slipped as if they were greased, and she fell heavily on her butt.
"Bang!"
Qiao Yin was startled and didn't care about the bucket in her hand. She hurried to help the young master.
The wooden barrel rolled over, and the fishy water inside flowed all over the ground. A fresh green carp fell to the ground and jumped.
Jiang Suisui didn't cry or make a fuss. Before she even stood up, she lunged forward and stretched out her chubby hands to catch the fish.
"dirty."
Song Baoyuan quickly stepped forward and wanted to pick up her daughter.
But Jiang Suisui grabbed the fish's tail and refused to let go. "Mom! It's not listening!"
Song Baoyuan stood up the wooden barrel that was in the way and said, "Let go quickly, it's very dirty."
"What if it runs away? If it runs away, I won't be able to make fish soup for Daddy!"
Song Baoyuan was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and looked at Qiaoyin, "I didn't say I wanted to prepare this."
"It was Madam Yao who said to prepare it first," Qiao Yin replied softly, "and it just so happened that the young lady saw it and insisted on taking it to play with."
Song Baoyuan frowned unconsciously, "Where is Madam?"
"In the kitchen."
Because Jiang Chengyou wanted to follow the master's enlightenment, the whole family coaxed him. Yao Ma was even more useless and ignored him. She made him the snacks he wanted to eat at noon in the kitchen early in the morning.
When Song Baoyuan arrived, the freshly made cloud cakes were out of the oven, and the aroma of the cakes filled the kitchen.
"Mammy."
"Madam is here." Madam Yao put the cloud cake on a plate and gave it to Song Baoyuan to taste first. "Madam, are you here to make fish soup for your husband?"
A mouthful of cloud cake melted in her mouth, the sweet taste temporarily dispelling some of Song Baoyuan's sorrow.
"He himself said yesterday that there was no need to bother."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yao sighed, "You know that my husband is not a talkative person. Now that he has said this, he must have expectations in his heart."
"But he's not a duplicity person."
"Madam," Madam Yao felt helpless, unable to conceal her earnest words, "Didn't you hear what my husband said yesterday, that the young lady from the Sheng family was so thoughtful that she sent him food?"
Song Baoyuan lowered her eyes and said, "I heard it."
"The girl from the Sheng family isn't afraid of trouble, so how can you, as a wife, be afraid of hard work?"
"I don't feel it's hard, I just..." Song Baoyuan was suddenly speechless.
It just feels pointless.
It has been six years since I became a virtuous and caring wife to my husband.
No, I am still in such a predicament.
Nanny Yao wiped her hands and approached her. "I know Madam is still upset about the painting, but since she doesn't want to break up the family, she has to swallow some grievances. Things must be put to rest, and people must move on. If Madam gets angry at this time because of one or two things, it will give others an opportunity to take advantage of her situation."
"Beyond that, I must not let my husband think that his wife is less caring than others. Therefore, Madam must not only make this fish soup herself, but also personally deliver it."
Song Baoyuan stared at the cloud cake in her hand without saying a word.
*
Another day of searching outside, the real murderer who killed the Minister of Revenue seemed to appear out of thin air and then disappear underground, leaving no trace from beginning to end.
Jiang Keyu and Chang Yunbai were walking side by side on the street, the former flipping through files while walking, while the latter looked around.
"We finally found some clues, but they all disappeared while we were investigating," Chang Yunbai said sarcastically. "They're all deceiving their superiors and subordinates, refusing to tell the truth, and yet they're urging us to close the case. It's really funny."
Since they couldn't find anything about the murderer, they naturally had to look for clues in the victim. However, the details of the Minister of Revenue were uncovered, implicating many officials. Many of them were high-ranking officials, and if they refused to tell the truth, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice would be helpless.
Jiang Keyu frowned, feeling that the situation was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Don't look at it anymore. You can still see the flowers?" Chang Yunbai snatched the file from his hand. "Xiao Si is here. Let's eat first."
Sheng Qinyin showed up at the agreed tea stall early, ordered a pot of tea in advance, and laid out the food she brought.
Jiang Keyu looked worried as Chang Yunbai dragged her into the tea stall and forced her to sit in the middle.
He suddenly made a move and snatched the file back from Chang Yunbai.
The latter rolled his eyes at him and shook his head, but ignored him and picked up the bowl and chopsticks first.
"Don't you want to eat, brother?"
"I don't have much appetite, let's put it aside for now."
Sheng Qiyin's brows furrowed instantly. "You have to eat anyway. I see you've lost weight since you took on this case."
She poured a cup of tea for Chang Yunbai, seeking agreement. "Brother, don't you agree?"
Chang Yunbai raised his head and glanced at it, "It seems so."
"Eat yours." Jiang Keyu said impatiently.
He was upset and nothing good had happened to him recently.
This morning, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple summoned him alone and told him, in some ways, that the dead are the most important and asked him to give up investigating the past of the Minister of Revenue.
He also said that he believed in his ability and that even if he lost this part of the clues, he would definitely be able to find the real murderer.
How can he find it when there are no clues?
The tea stall was facing the street. Jiang Keyu had her back to the street and was becoming increasingly anxious as she listened to the hustle and bustle of people coming and going.
"The sky is big, the earth is big, and my own body..." Sheng Qiyin paused, her eyes quickly sweeping across the carriage slowly approaching around the corner, "My own body is the biggest."
As she spoke, she picked up the chopsticks and put the bamboo shoots in front of her into Jiang Keyu's empty bowl.
The carriage drove in, and passersby made way for it. Inside, Song Baoyuan lifted the curtain and scanned the area, as if searching for something.
"Second brother!" Sheng Qiyin complained, "Can you at least have a bite? At least for the sake of me bringing it here with all my effort?"
"That's right." Chang Yunbai agreed, pouring the dish he disliked the most into Jiang Keyu's bowl, "Give me some face, this is Xiao Si's thoughtfulness."
The two of them kept arguing, which gave Jiang Keyu a headache. She looked at the bowl in front of her that was filled with chopsticks from each of them, and she lost her appetite even more.
But it was indeed Xiao Si who sent it with great effort, so I should be grateful for it.
Jiang Keyu picked up the chopsticks and heard the sound of wheels behind her, but didn't pay attention.
“Daddy!”
The child's innocent voice instantly attracted countless eyes from all around.
A furry head popped out from Song Baoyuan's arms and lay on the carriage window. The coachman heard the noise and immediately stopped the carriage.
Jiang Keyu was stunned for a moment and looked back.
Little Jiang Suisui was clutching a cheese bun and waving at him excitedly. If Song Baoyuan hadn't been holding her back, she would have nearly jumped out of the car window.
"New Year's harvest." Jiang Keyu put down her chopsticks and stood up in a hurry.
He directly carried Jiang Suisui out of the carriage window, walked forward a few steps, and reached out to help Song Baoyuan get off the carriage.
"Why are you here?"
Jiang Suisui raised her head and answered quickly, "Dad said yesterday that he wanted to eat the sweet-scented osmanthus fish soup made by Mom, so Mom and I made fish soup for Dad early in the morning!"
"She was the one who insisted on buying pearl flowers, and she insisted on choosing them herself." Song Baoyuan pinched her daughter's face in a stern tone. "I couldn't persuade her, so I had to take her to Tanghua Garden. Since we were on the way to the Dali Temple, I thought I'd bring you a bowl of fish soup. Although you weren't here, Sui Sui was worried her father wouldn't have a warm meal, so she was anxious to find you. I remembered you were at Dongqiao Street yesterday, and after asking your colleagues at the Dali Temple, I came here."
Jiang Suisui tilted her head to avoid her mother's hand, buried her head in her father's neck, and pouted, "My mother and I have been looking for my father for a long time!"
"I'm sorry." Jiang Keyu apologized quickly.
"Okay then." Jiang Suisui immediately became cheerful again. "Mom said that admitting your mistakes makes you a good child. So if Daddy admits his mistakes, he's a good daddy."
Jiang Keyu was amused by her cute appearance. He slowly raised his gaze above her head and looked at his wife, "You've worked hard."
"Look at him." Chang Yunbai, who was still in his original position, looked at us with disdain. "Just now he was giving us the cold shoulder, but now that his wife and child are here, he immediately turns into a good husband and father."
He shook his head and muttered, "His expression changed so quickly."
Sheng Qinyin, who was beside him, remained silent, but her hands under the table were tightly clenched around the corners of her clothes.
Jiang Keyu walked in front holding her daughter and led Song Baoyuan into the tea stall.
"Sister-in-law, please sit down." Chang Yunbai quickly made way so that the couple could sit next to each other.
Song Baoyuan had a faint smile on her face and bowed slightly.
When he looked up, his eyes coincidentally met Sheng Qinyin who was sitting opposite him.
"Miss Sheng is here too."
Sheng Qiyin smiled and asked, "Sister Song, how come you are free today?"
"Now that Chengcheng has the Master to take care of him, I'll naturally feel more relaxed," Song Baoyuan said, placing the lunch box on the bench and opening it. "My husband told me that Miss Sheng mistakenly thought I was being rude yesterday. It seems I'm not really suited to joking, as Miss Sheng actually took it seriously."
The aroma of fish soup filled the air. Jiang Suisui struggled to break free from Jiang Keyu's arms, stepped onto the bench, and domineeringly pushed away all the food in front of her, "I'll do it! Mother, I'll do it!"
She must serve the fish soup to the table herself.
But she definitely couldn't hold it steady. Jiang Keyu silently supported her but did not stop her active performance.
"I was indeed sad for a long time yesterday." Sheng Qiyin sighed, and then raised the corners of her mouth. "Luckily, my second brother has a good temper and was able to persuade me patiently, so I could think it through. Otherwise, I would still have misunderstood Sister Song."
She touched her face and said, "Sister Song is really too beautiful. I feel ashamed of myself and can't help but think too much. Yesterday, my self-confidence was hit by Sister Song. My eldest brother and second brother took turns praising me for an entire afternoon, and I finally got it back. But when I saw Sister Song again today, I still felt that I was ugly."
Jiang Suisui picked up the spoon, scooped a large spoonful of fish soup, and carefully fed it to Jiang Keyu's mouth, "Daddy, eat quickly, it's getting cold!"
"Okay." Jiang Keyu opened her mouth obediently.
Smelling this familiar taste, he gently touched Jiang Suisui's head, and then glanced at his wife who was looking at him as if unintentionally.
Song Baoyuan's expression was calm. "Appearance is determined by the heart. For a talented woman like Miss Sheng, full of poetry and literature, her appearance is not important at all. Why bother worrying about it and adding to her troubles?"
"A beauty like Sister Song naturally can't understand an ordinary person like me." Sheng Qiyin rested her elbows on the table and held her face in her hands. "But since it's already like this, I don't aspire to be a peerless beauty. As long as the people around me don't despise me, that's enough. But I'm also glad that I'm with the friends I care about because of friendship. Other things may change, but friendship won't."
Jiang Suisui felt that it was almost time, so she looked up and asked, "After Daddy has eaten, can you come with Mom to buy me some pearl flowers?"
Jiang Keyu looked embarrassed, "But Daddy still has official business to attend to."
"Hmph!" Jiang Suisui immediately dropped the spoon and went on strike, her face full of displeasure.
Jiang Keyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Sui Sui, dear, Daddy can't accompany you this afternoon. But Daddy must go back early today and tell Sui Sui a bedtime story, okay?"
"Really?" Jiang Suisui's emotions were written all over her face.
Jiang Keyu held her closer and kissed her temple, "Yeah."
"I think affection is the easiest to change." Song Baoyuan extended her index finger and doted on her daughter's nose. "Once she's unhappy, she won't even acknowledge the bond of blood."
Sheng Qiyin paused for a moment, then continued in a melodious voice, "How can a child be the same as an adult?"
Chang Yunbai, who was watching them alone, said: "?"
His intuition told him that there was definitely something behind the conversation between the two, so he pricked up his ears and forgot about his meal, but he was still completely confused.
A table seems to divide the world into three parts.
A loving father and daughter, two women talking, and a bewildered audience.
Chang Yunbai glanced at Jiang Keyu opposite him, who was patiently coaxing his daughter.
He glanced left and right again, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
And this premonition continued until the day he established his own business and held a banquet in his mansion.
The author has something to say:
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Pre-collection——Reborn before fulfilling the marriage contract, please collect it!
When Sheng Mingyi was twenty years old, the Qi family moved to the capital, and she was able to meet her fiancé, Qi Wujiu, the youngest son of the Qi family, who was three years younger than her.
He was young and full of vigor, riding his horse at full speed through the mountains and fields, his crimson robe fluttering in the wind.
He is good-looking, loves to laugh, can talk to anyone happily, and is free and easy.
After they got married, he loved to hug her from behind, nibble her ears, whisper "sister", and like to ask "After this is over, let's go wander around the world, okay?"
Sheng Mingyi always said yes.
But she was a well-behaved lady from a wealthy family and the eldest daughter in the family who lost her mother at a young age.
With her constant persuasion, Qi Wujiu finally embarked on a career in officialdom.
And in the following years, for her honor and dignity, he worked carefully and rose through the ranks; to protect her brother who was frequently imprisoned for his excessive uprightness, he had to play both sides; to save her sister who was fighting for love, he confronted the royal palace...
I never left the capital again in my life.
Qi Wujiu was bedridden before he was forty years old. Before he died, looking at his wife who stayed by his side every step of the way, he suddenly remembered the first time he saw her from afar while riding on a horse many years ago.
She was quiet and gentle, elegant and beautiful, like a lily blooming in the valley, which made him nostalgic for her.
But it also became a shackle on his life.
So he said, "Let's not meet again in the next life."
*
When Qi Wujiu realized that he had returned to his youth, the first thing he did was to cancel his marriage with the Sheng family.
It went surprisingly smoothly.
He felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But just as he was leading his horse and about to leave the capital, he accidentally heard the news that the Sheng family was about to marry the Su family.
At that moment, her curiosity and worry about what kind of man she would marry in this life actually surpassed her obsession of twenty years in her previous life.
*
Sheng Mingyi, who cried herself to sleep at the age of forty because of her husband's death, opened her eyes again and found herself back in her boudoir.
Through the screen, she heard her father and brother cursing the Qi family for breaking off the engagement and expressing their dissatisfaction with Qi Wujiu.
The first thing she thought of was naturally her husband's last words.
She couldn't remember when her husband's face rarely smiled, or when the first thing he did when he came home from work was no longer to hug her with his back to the door.
She thought, let it be as he wishes.
I wish him a brand new life and continue to be the elegant wind in the mountains and forests.
"The first time I met him was at Qushui Villa in the suburbs of Beijing. He didn't know that was the farthest place I had ever been in my life."
*
Qi Wujiu suspected countless times that his wife had returned to her youth just like himself.
But every time before asking, he would meet her eyes, which were devoid of smiles and expectations when she looked at him.
*
Sheng Mingyi knows that she is vulgar. She does not believe that the justice her brother insists on will have any results, and she does not understand the value of the love her sister pursues.
What I don’t understand even more is why some people have said in person that they don’t want to meet her, but still insist on clinging to her.
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