Yining couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had cried like this. Since her death over twenty years ago, she hadn’t been able to cry no matter how sad or angry she felt. Perhaps young Yining felt wronged, perhaps she felt wronged. Now, she simply couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
Yining kept thinking of her past life. On that snowy day when Lu Jiaxue came to propose marriage. She had watched him through the curtain – such a tall, elegant young man with clear, gentle eyes full of warmth and laughter. Even though he couldn’t answer her grandmother’s questions, Yining didn’t mind.
This was the man she was supposed to entrust her life to.
That’s why she had felt such sorrow and anger, filled with hatred for Lu Jiaxue’s coldness. How could she not be heartbroken? But day after day of hardship had worn away her hatred, as well as others’ memories of her and their guilt towards her.
Lin Hairu kept patting her back gently. The room was quiet, with Xuezhi softly bringing a bowl of sweet pear water.
Through tear-filled eyes, Yining looked at those around her – Lin Hairu, Xuezhi, and Old Madam Luo. They all gazed at her with concern. Gradually, Yining thought to herself that she would never bring up or think about those past matters again. These people were her family now.
Old Madam Luo held her tenderly, saying softly, “Mei’er, Grandmother knows you’ve been wronged. Don’t cry anymore.”
Xuezhi scooped up a small turtle from the vat and brought it close to Yining. “Young Miss, isn’t this turtle cute? Would you like to play with it?”
The turtle had retreated into its shell in Xuezhi’s palm, with only the tip of its tail sticking out. When Xuezhi gently poked its bottom, it reluctantly poked out its tiny pointed head.
Seeing this, Yining managed a weak smile, touched by their efforts to cheer her up. Lin Hairu and Old Madam Luo sighed in relief when they saw she had stopped crying.
Luo Chengzhang stood outside the door, hearing the child’s innocent laughter and the cheerful chatter from inside. The room seemed lively.
He sighed and quietly asked a maid to announce his presence.
When Old Madam Luo heard he had arrived, her face turned cold. She told Luo Chengzhang to wait for her in the main hall. Leaning on Mama Xu’s arm, she slowly walked out and sat in the master chair, asking calmly, “How do you plan to handle this matter?”
Luo Chengzhang said in a low voice, “I’ve already reprimanded Concubine Qiao. However, Xuan is still too young to understand or be scolded.”
Old Madam Luo’s expression softened slightly. She gestured to a chair, asking Luo Chengzhang to sit across from her. “Xuan is young, and I don’t expect you to be harsh with a child. However, I still think it’s inappropriate for Concubine Qiao to raise him. Why not have Xuan registered under Hairu’s name? She’s the principal wife and has no children of her own. It would be good for her to raise Xuan.”
Hearing this, Luo Chengzhang became anxious. “If Lin Shi wasn’t illiterate and so vulgar in her ways, I wouldn’t have let Concubine Qiao raise Xuan. Mother, Xuan absolutely cannot be raised by Lin Shi. He needs to study in the future.”
Old Madam Luo considered this. Lin Hairu’s temperament was indeed difficult to change. When she had chosen Lin Hairu as a bride, she had valued her kind nature and lack of scheming. But on second thought, weren’t these also Lin Hairu’s shortcomings?
After a moment’s contemplation, Old Madam Luo said, “It’s fine for Concubine Qiao to raise Xuan for now, but only until he turns five. He must still be registered under Hairu’s name. At most, I can assign a careful old woman to look after him.”
Luo Chengzhang thought this was the best they could do. He remembered Concubine Qiao’s desperate pleas as she clung to his sleeve before leaving, and Xuan’s pitiful crying. Separating mother and son did seem too harsh. However, Xuan could no longer be raised with Concubine Qiao’s indulgence.
Luo Chengzhang glanced towards the inner room, hesitantly asking, “Mother, how is Yining doing?”
Old Madam Luo replied coldly, “Yining is only seven years old. Just last night, she told me she would never misbehave again, yet you wrongly accused her like this. What do you think?”
After a moment of silence, Luo Chengzhang took out a cloth tiger from his sleeve. “Yining probably doesn’t want to see me. I brought this for her. Could you give it to her?”
Old Madam Luo looked at the maid beside her. The maid took the toy and went into the inner room.
A while later, the maid came out and bowed, saying, “The Seventh Miss doesn’t want it. She said to have the Second Master take it back.”
A bitter smile tugged at Luo Chengzhang’s lips. This little girl certainly knew how to hold a grudge.
He felt deeply guilty, not only towards Yining but also towards her mother, Madam Gu. He wished he could do something to make amends, but the little girl’s heart had truly been hurt this time, and she didn’t want to see him at all.
Old Madam Luo had Mama Xu see Luo Chengzhang out. As she watched her second son’s retreating figure, she silently made a decision.
She would die one day, and she couldn’t leave Yining alone and vulnerable.
She couldn’t let her be bullied.
Old Madam Luo closed her eyes, seemingly still able to see that child with the beginnings of youthful features kneeling before her, blood on her lips, her face gloomy and cold.
She wondered if what she was doing was right…
Old Madam Luo clutched her handkerchief tightly.
As night fell and a cold wind rose, two red paper lanterns hung from the eaves of a house at the end of the alley, casting a warm red glow.
The door creaked open, and a carriage drove out.
As the carriage was about to turn out of the alley, a figure suddenly appeared in front. The driver, startled, pulled on the reins with a shout. “Who’s there? It’s the middle of the night, aren’t you afraid of scaring people?”
The person spoke softly, “I was about to ask Third Young Master Luo the same thing. What are your plans, going out in the dead of night?”
There was silence inside the carriage, then a hand pushed aside the curtain.
In the moonlight stood Cheng Lang, tall and graceful. The night wind made his robes flutter. His face bore a faint smile, but his eyes held a hint of coldness.
Seeing him standing there, Luo Shen Yuan’s lips curved in a rare smile. “Second Young Master Cheng must truly have nothing to do if he’s up reading in the middle of the night. Why follow me? Where I go is none of your concern.”
Cheng Lang raised his head. The first time he had seen Luo Shen Yuan, he knew this man wasn’t as calm and steady as he appeared on the surface. Only now did he truly see the expression on Luo Shen Yuan’s face – a cold mockery, completely different from his usual demeanor.
“If Huaiyuan knew what kind of person his brother was, he’d be shocked,” Cheng Lang said with a smile. “Do you know how he usually talks about you?”
Luo Shen Yuan took a sip of tea, calmly asking, “How does he talk about me?”
“I don’t think Third Young Master Luo needs to ask,” Cheng Lang said lightly. “Don’t you already know all this?”
Luo Shen Yuan smiled and looked up.
Cheng Lang found his gaze almost weighty, with a subtle sense of pressure. But Luo Shen Yuan remained calm: “Second Young Master Cheng must have misunderstood. As an unfavored son born of a concubine, what could I possibly know?” He glanced at the sky and continued, “Such a strong wind. It will probably rain soon. I have matters to attend to, so I won’t keep Second Young Master Cheng company any longer.”
The carriage went around him and continued forward.
Cheng Lang had only been curious about this Third Young Master Luo. After noticing his frequent late-night disappearances, Cheng Lang finally picked up a trail and wanted to intercept Luo Shen Yuan. However, he didn’t know exactly what Luo Shen Yuan was up to.
After Luo Shen Yuan’s carriage disappeared, Cheng Lang sighed with a smile and turned back. This wasn’t his business, after all. No need to waste energy on it.
A raindrop hit his face. Cheng Lang raised his folding fan to shield himself from the rain. Looking at the dark sky, he saw that it had indeed started raining.