Ich denke an dich, wenn der Wind weht

Kapitel 110

The entire hall was shocked, and all eyes turned to look. The relatives who were unaware of the situation just watched. Even the well-meaning elder sister-in-law tried to persuade her, but Su Jinrong slapped her away, her face flushed red, and she angrily questioned her.

"What do you mean? Show me! What right do you have to give orders! You act recklessly just because you're a young lady of the Jun family, and you throw your weight around at the slightest disagreement. Why don't you just beat me up too?"

Jun Pianxian picked up a plain handkerchief and wiped her hands, seemingly oblivious to Su Jinrong's furious expression, and said casually, "Second sister-in-law is kind-hearted but not strict with her subordinates, and such a gossipy person has emerged. It is only right to teach her a lesson. If outsiders hear these baseless rumors, the Xie family's reputation will be tarnished, and who can bear the responsibility? Sparing her life is already merciful. Second sister-in-law shouldn't be so biased and unaware of the gravity of the situation."

Su Jinrong nearly exploded. "Who do you think you are, lecturing me? Who do you think you are? It was clearly you who..."

Knowing that the other party intended to escalate the situation, Shuang Jing glanced at him with her dark eyes and immediately stopped the torrent of insults that was about to pour out. Although Su Jinrong possessed martial arts skills, she had neglected them for many years, and coupled with being caught off guard, she was instantly subdued and had no choice but to be helped back to her chair, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Sister-in-law, you..." The commotion subsided, and the eldest sister-in-law breathed a sigh of relief, but then hesitated again. "Jinrong, she..."

"Second sister-in-law and this maid have a deep bond, and they find it hard to remain calm when things happen. However, she has forgotten that this is a New Year's banquet. She should understand after calming down for a while."

She gently patted Su Jinrong's shoulder with her slender hand. "The Xie family has fifty-six rules. Anyone who spreads rumors, misleads the master, or speaks falsely about superiors will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and expelled from the mansion, never to be employed again. These are the rules, and they apply to everyone. Second sister-in-law, don't be angry. If you're not satisfied, just go and explain it to your parents. Right and wrong will be judged fairly. Why get so worked up over a servant? Twenty strokes won't kill anyone."

The chaos subsided quickly, and most of those present had only heard the second sister-in-law shout a few words and were still in a daze. Those nearby, who knew the whole story, did not want to get involved. Their cold eyes swept over them one by one, and those who were stared at felt a chill in their hearts and all lowered their heads.

Su Jinrong's face turned red and then purple; she almost fainted from anger.

"Second Young Mistress has gone too far!" Shuangjing pulled out her hairpins and ornaments, her anger still simmering. "She should be given twenty strokes of the cane too, to see if she dares to spout nonsense again."

The warm, white jade hairpin was exquisite and delicate, and her slender fingers casually caressed it. "What else can I do? After all, she's a generation older than me."

"She said such awful things, are we just going to let it go like this? She deserves to be taught a lesson."

“Teach her a lesson? How could I possibly be so disrespectful?” Qingyan smiled faintly, turning her slender jade hairpin. “It’s just that my illness has been greatly taken care of by my second brother, and I should repay him in kind.”

"Miss refers to...?"

“I heard from Yunshu that Second Brother’s concubine is pregnant outside. How can we leave her without support? Tomorrow, I will have someone bring her into the garden. She can keep me company and I can take care of her nearby, which will save Second Brother from worrying about her all the time.”

Shuangjing immediately understood and burst out laughing.

"Miss's idea is excellent. Madam will surely approve. We can't let the Xie family's bloodline become illegitimate children."

A slight smile curved her lips as she tossed aside the hairpin and rose to undress. "Once the child is born, we'll choose an auspicious time to formally take him in, fulfilling my second brother's long and arduous love. That would be a truly happy ending for everyone."

Shuangjing, seemingly lost in thought, burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling.

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Tianya (a popular Chinese online forum), wishing MM (a female author) a happy birthday! *^_^*

promise

"That's it?"

The messy table was now empty; the feast was over, and the family members had all left.

Only a few women and five young men who had returned remained. Most people wisely left early, unwilling to offend either side, and were eager to avoid the unexpected and awkward situation.

The acupoint-setting technique was taught to her by Jun Suiyu, and no one else could do it. Su Jinrong had no choice but to act like a wooden doll for a while. As soon as the acupoints were released, she immediately threw herself into her husband's arms and cried bitterly. She tore and screamed for a long time. Xie Jingze was caught off guard and was weak, so he broke out in a sweat.

At the same time, the others learned the whole story from their sister-in-law, and their faces all turned grim.

"Second brother, take your sister-in-law back to rest." He gestured for Xie Jingze to press the sleeping acupoint, then glanced sideways at the woman who had finally calmed down. Xie Quheng's face was ashen, extremely displeased. "Teach her some manners later. After all these years of marriage, she still doesn't know what she can't say. She has no manners at all."

He turned to his wife and scolded her. "Why didn't you stop her? How could you listen to those words? You just let her spout nonsense!"

"It has nothing to do with my sister-in-law." Xie Yunshu met his second brother's apologetic gaze, his handsome face turning ashen. "It was my own erratic behavior that caused this gossip."

A perfectly good family dinner turned into an unexpected disaster. Xie Quheng sighed and waved his hand. "Go back and spend some quality time with your younger siblings. I'll handle things here."

Qinglan nodded in agreement, "Big brother is right. Second sister-in-law must have had too much to drink. Third brother, please don't take it to heart."

I walked with my brother along the damp, cold stone path. The snow had stopped, leaving only a biting chill.

"What does Third Brother plan to do?" Xie Feilan suddenly asked.

After a long silence, Xie Yunshu said calmly, "I received a letter a while ago. The Su family has been acting strangely in recent years, and has repeatedly acted arrogantly and recklessly by relying on the Xie family's in-laws, offending many fellow martial artists."

Xie Feilan was taken aback, somewhat incredulous. "You...aren't you afraid Father will object?"

Xie Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief. "If we let it continue to spread, we'll only get implicated if something happens in the future, putting the Xie family in a passive position. It's better to take this opportunity to teach them a lesson and make them restrain themselves. We can use other forces to do it discreetly. As long as we don't damage our relationship with our in-laws, Father won't say anything."

Xie Feilan wanted to sigh and laugh at the same time. "Third Brother, aren't you afraid Father will find out that you're angry for a woman?"

He heard a soft sneer and was taken aback to see his brother's mocking expression.

"Isn't this exactly what Father wanted?" A cold, insightful look flashed across his handsome face. "Mother may not know, but who knows the situation at home better than Father? He knew about the rumors all along but deliberately let them run rampant, all for today. Pianxian usually doesn't leave the house, so she only had the chance to embarrass her during Second Sister-in-law's family banquet. And fearing that someone would protect her, she called away the brothers."

No wonder the father excused himself early, claiming his wife was tired, and then sent his five sons over for a lecture.

“He wants to force Pianxian to deal with it, and use her to punish his second sister-in-law.” After thinking it over, Xie Yunshu was furious. “He wants to take over his mother’s responsibilities in a logical way, without considering that she is still so weak and has difficulty giving birth.”

“No wonder…” Xie Feilan was speechless for a long time.

"What."

“No wonder my sister-in-law said she heard something strange when she saw my third sister-in-law off.” Although her brother was getting increasingly angry, Xie Feilan couldn’t help but laugh, finding it more and more ridiculous as she spoke. “It was probably my third sister-in-law talking to herself. She said… ‘That damned old fox.’”

After a long silence, Xie Yunshu smiled, his anger turning into tenderness.

"Father is such a cunning old fox." The anger was gone from his words, replaced by a resentful complaint. "He's so scheming, isn't it enough for me alone? He even had to include Pianxian in his plans."

Xie Feilan laughed for a while, "I would like to ask, if you feel sorry for your wife being trapped by tedious and complicated housework, and your daughter-in-law is capable of doing it better, but is unwilling to take over, what would you do?"

Xie Yunshu was speechless for a long time, then looked dejected. "But Pianxian's body is too weak; she simply can't withstand it."

"Your mother was also very weak back then. It is said that your father was extremely worried when your eldest brother was born, just like you are now." Xie Feilan stopped in front of the garden, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

“She is no ordinary woman, which is why she can stand shoulder to shoulder with you. But now that she has become your wife, how can she be just a weak woman? Third Brother should understand this.”

Xie Yunshu pondered, "I will think carefully about Fourth Brother's reminder."

"It's best if Third Brother can come to his senses." Xie Feilan breathed a sigh of relief. "I can leave with a clearer mind."

Xie Yunshu was slightly surprised. "You're leaving?"

"I still prefer Quanzhou. It's time to set off after the New Year." Xie Feilan smiled lazily. "The journey is long, and I don't know when I'll be able to return to Yangzhou. Fortunately, my brothers are taking care of my parents, so I have fewer worries."

"Have you made up your mind?" The words carried an unyielding insistence, and Xie Yunshu knew there was no need for further discussion.

Xie Feilan nodded, reverting to his usual flippant manner.

"Third brother, you have a heavy burden on your shoulders. Take good care of yourself."

The fragrance of incense lingered, and the brocade curtains hung low.

The slender woman, dressed only in a thin silk garment, combed her long hair in front of a bronze mirror. Her jade-like feet trod on the soft carpet, her delicate hands gently holding the ends of her hair, her smooth, glossy black hair swaying with the comb like a cascading waterfall.

When he came to his senses, he had already embraced the beautiful woman he had neglected for many days and expressed his conflicted emotions.

"sorry."

She stirred slightly, then softened, dropping the toothbrush and nestling into his firm embrace.

"To have you encounter all this..." His heavy words were filled with frustration, pain, and loss. "I really want to keep you in my heart, so that no one else can find you but me."

An uneasy atmosphere filled the air around her; her long eyelashes drooped as she gazed at the arms clasped together at her waist.

"Yunshu." She rarely called him by his name.

"Um."

"I will not die."

His deep eyes froze, and his calm words pierced the hidden fear deep within him, causing his chest to suddenly tighten.

"I...I definitely won't die." Gently stroking the head buried in his neck, his cool face held an almost tender affection.

I will not die.

I will give birth to this child safely.

So don't be afraid.

He suddenly froze, and it took him a long time to calm down. The unspeakable nightmare that had haunted him for so long was suddenly shattered, and he finally had the courage to face it.

I hate you.

"Um."

"Why did you keep this decision a secret from me? After all these years, you still don't believe me. You don't believe I can handle everything and give you a carefree life... At first, I really hated you." He spoke softly, revealing his resentment.

"Later, I hated myself." The deep, melodious voice was filled with bitterness. "I dragged you into this family, but I forgot that you never liked others to bear the burden. In the end, it was my lack of decisiveness... that forced you to take such a risk."

Her shoulders slowly became damp, and she gently pressed her face against them, feeling the warmth of her hairline.

After a long silence, she whispered in his ear.

"You are very important to me." She had never said such sweet words before, and her fair cheeks flushed slightly. "I don't want you to bend down and protect me, to bear everything alone. I want to share everything with you."

Her fingertips lightly touched her sharply defined sideburns, and a smile played on her lips. "Because you're so good, I can't be so selfish as to let your world consist only of me. From now on... I won't lie to you anymore, really."

He didn't look up, but tightened his arms around her. She endured it for a moment, then Hao, blushing, reminded her.

"Yunshu, child..."

Her arms immediately released her, and she exhaled. Their heads rested together, his clear, bright eyes filled with tenderness, and he gave her a deep, lingering kiss, which they held for a long time before parting.

Her face flushed, she breathed heavily for a while, and finally her breathing became steady. She looked up and smiled mischievously, pulling her slender fingers to her lower abdomen. Although she was several months pregnant, her waist had not changed much, and he gently caressed it through her silk clothes.

"Isn't it a little strange that this is the first time you've touched it?"

He leaned down and kissed you. "I do this every night, after you fall asleep."

She opened her eyes wide in surprise. "I thought you hated it."

“I really hate it,” he said softly, his fingers still gentle. “I constantly hope it won’t grow or will just disappear. The thought of it possibly endangering your life makes me want to strangle it.”

She couldn't help but chuckle and took a bite out of her sharply defined lips.

“Actually, I didn’t like it at first either. I always thought it was too much trouble. If it weren’t for… I wouldn’t have wanted to have it. But then I thought, if I die one day…” Her arm tightened, and she reluctantly changed her words. “…Years later, if I pass away first, you must give me a proper burial. If you also pass away many years later, who will take care of me then?”

"Thinking about it this way, having a child doesn't seem so bad." She looked down at her lower abdomen and smiled. "Someone has to bury us together eventually."

He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a slightly hoarse voice.

"We promised to grow old together and die together."

"Um."