Jiangnan Gaiden - Capítulo 47
“A person’s personality will be distorted under the tyranny of violence for a long time. In addition, she has had no way to seek help except to silently endure it for more than ten years. I think that once she comes here, she will slowly return to her original self. Wuji, I really have to trouble you with this matter. I am so grateful that you are willing to take in my mother.”
Huan'er looked at Wuji with a serious expression and thanked him solemnly. At the very least, she owed Yu Niang so much, and it was only right that she should arrange the rest of her life for her.
Shi Wuji touched her lips. He shook his head.
"Don't say things like that, I don't like hearing it. It's too formal, I'm your husband."
Huan'er then sat on his lap, snuggling against him with a smile.
"Take a nap. Your mother has already arranged everything." She stood up, picked up Huan'er, and carried her into the inner room.
He placed her on the bed, pulled up the blanket, and was about to leave when Huan'er grabbed his hand.
"I need you to talk to me." She knew he was going to be busy with work again.
"Huan'er, you clingy little thing, you're almost a mother now." Lately, Shi Wuji has been whispering doting and affectionate words in her ear, which she loves. She especially enjoys taking advantage of his helpless yet tender feelings to carry out her clingy plans. After all, official business is never-ending, so what's a little break?
Shi Wuji lay half-reclined on the side of the bed, fully clothed, with Huan'er resting her head on his lap. He gently stroked her hair with one hand and spoke to her softly, intermittently, until Huan'er's eyelids grew heavy and her breathing became even. Only when he was sure she was asleep did he carefully lay her down, get out of bed, and pull the covers up. Seeing the faint smile on her lips, he gazed at her with deep affection for a long while before quietly leaving without making a sound so as not to disturb her.
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Huan'er looked thoughtfully at Yu Niang, who was quietly embroidering beside her. Sometimes she would continue embroidering, and sometimes she would pause and stare blankly for a while. Sometimes her face would show confusion, sometimes a blush, and sometimes unease.
In the five days since arriving at Aolong Fortress, Yu Niang's progress has been remarkable: from trepidation to caution, and finally to a lack of fear. Under the loving and kind care of everyone, Yu Niang has displayed the charm and beauty expected of a thirty-seven-year-old woman. Although still shy, she no longer cries easily, nor is she constantly on edge, fearing being bullied; she even laughs happily sometimes. Everything is a good sign, but what is Yu Niang thinking at this moment?
According to Huan'er's observation, Yu Niang harbored an inexplicable fear of men. In the first day or two after her arrival, she was so afraid of Leng Ziyang that she nearly fainted. She feared the tall, strong physiques of northern men; if she accidentally angered one, her frail body couldn't withstand his large fists! That was the deepest wound Su Guangping had inflicted on her. Leng Ziyang had long noticed Yu Niang's almost pathological fear of men, so he arranged for two maids to serve her in the guest courtyard and strictly forbade male servants from approaching her. Leng Ziyang's residence, Xingyuan, happened to be directly opposite the guest courtyard, and he would also find times when Yu Niang couldn't see him to enter and leave.
Yu Niang must be afraid of Uncle Leng! Huan'er understood this, but they had been sitting under the banyan tree in the guest courtyard embroidering and chatting since early morning, and she hadn't seen anything wrong with Yu Niang's expression. Why did Yu Niang's expression change after Uncle Leng entered the Apricot Courtyard and then hurriedly left? Huan'er bet she had caught Yu Niang stealing a glance at Leng Ziyang, and then being absent-minded when talking to her, her eyes following the departing figure as if she had lost something.
Approaching fifty, Leng Ziyang, being a martial artist, not only maintained his good physique but was also as robust and muscular as a young man. His personality was exactly like Leng Gang's—cold, taciturn, yet very considerate. Widowed for many years, he had no intention of remarrying, abstained from alcohol and women, living like a Puritan, so dull and aloof that people dared not approach him.
Did Yu Niang have feelings for Leng Ziyang? Huan'er kept wondering. If so, it would be a good thing; Yu Niang was only thirty-seven, beautiful and outstanding, and it would be inhumane to let her spend the rest of her life alone. In Huan'er's eyes, Uncle Leng wasn't a man who understood romance, but he was a good man she could rely on for life. Yu Niang had lived in hell for the first half of her life; having someone to rely on and someone to love her for the second half would be enough to compensate for the suffering she had endured.
But would Leng Ziyang agree?
What should be done? Leng Ziyang seems to have a solitary and aloof personality. He hasn't remarried for many years, perhaps because he feels that a wife and children are a burden. Is it appropriate to just settle for the two of them?
Just as they were deep in thought, they saw Shi Wuji walk into the guest courtyard and head straight for them.
Yu Niang quickly pulled Huan'er up to stand respectfully in greeting.
"No need to get up, you're busy. I'll take Huan'er back to Lan Courtyard." Shi Wuji greeted Yu Niang politely, then helped Huan'er out of the guest courtyard.
"Is something wrong?" Huan'er asked. Was he telling her to rest again? She wrinkled her nose. She was fed up with Shi Wuji always telling her to rest and sleep. Every time she woke up, she felt terrible. She should find some time to have Leng Gang instill a concept in Wuji: pregnant women need moderate activity, not to lie in bed like a patient all day.
"Let me show you something." Shi Wuji smiled mysteriously.
Just now in the Plum Blossom Courtyard, seeing the jade hairpin in Wuxia's hair made him realize his carelessness. Huan'er wore no jewelry at all; how could the dignified eldest daughter-in-law of the Shi family not look pitifully shabby? There was a jewelry box on the dressing table in the Orchid Courtyard, filled with all sorts of jewelry, but Huan'er had never used it, only taking a few pearls and playing with them like marbles. When asked, she said, "Vulgar." Wuxia also had quite a few pieces of jewelry, especially when she got married; Huan'er had plundered the treasury of rare treasures for her as dowry, yet Wuxia had never used them. Why was this ordinary jade hairpin the only one Wuxia cherished? It turned out that Leng Gang had given it to her. This reminded Shi Wuji that he had never "truly" given Huan'er anything.