flamboyant - Chapitre 66
Song Wuque, who was lounging on the threshold like a dog, wagged his tail as if in deep agreement and made two 'woof' sounds.
Song Xiaohua couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Someone even more unreliable than me has shown up... Ling'er, you really like your aunt, don't you?"
"Wow! My aunt is amazing! She's good at fighting and she can drink a lot too!"
"Absolutely! And she's beautiful too..."
Even the little boy could feel the strong sourness in her words, and he stretched out his little arms to hug her: "Not as pretty as Mommy!"
Even knowing that this was mostly exaggerated, she still smiled broadly: "You have the sweetest tongue!"
"Ling'er is telling the truth." He tilted his head, his face serious. "Mother is the most beautiful woman in the world!"
Instantly, Song Xiaohua's heart was bursting with joy.
Children don't lie; they see only the most essential and authentic side. So, this means that at least her inner beauty is breathtaking and unparalleled!
I secretly pinched myself twice to stop myself from bursting into laughter. Humility is a virtue; I need to stay calm and low-key, and set a good example for my son…
Before she could even compose herself, Lu Ling suddenly looked at her and chuckled, "Father is so clever, he knew Mother would be happy to hear this."
"...Did your father teach you to say that?"
"That's right! Daddy said that no matter what it is, praising Mommy will definitely make her happy. For example, Mommy is the smartest, the most beautiful, the gentlest, the kindest, and so on in the world."
Song Xiaohua was speechless with emotion.
Lu Ling thought for a moment and then added very seriously, "Father also said that we did this to make Mother happy, and it was well-intentioned, so it can't be called lying."
Song Wuque turned his head to look, then grinned, snorted, and made a sound that resembled a "wahahaha"...
Song Xiaohua was utterly speechless and choked with emotion.
In the afternoon, Lu Ling felt better and went to the school, while Song Wuque went to visit Grandpa Lu, leaving Song Xiaohua alone, listless under the gloomy sky.
Perhaps because I got too drunk the last two times, I haven't been able to muster any energy these past few days, and I've also been very irritable... well, even more irritable.
For example, last night, I actually believed in Lu Ziqi and believed that there was nothing between him and Xue Yuhan, but for some reason, I felt a strange anger rising to the top of my head. I didn't want to see or hear anything, so I just closed the door and sulked.
Now that I've calmed down, I can't help but start blaming myself. It's autumn now, and the nights are quite chilly. I wonder if there are enough blankets in the study, if the bed is warm enough, and if Lu Ziqi is used to sleeping there.
If I don't get enough rest, will it affect my appetite? If I have no appetite, will I eat too little or not eat at all, causing my old illness to relapse?
But if he's resting well, doesn't that mean it's the same whether she's around or not? She can't sleep well without him, but he's perfectly fine without her. Doesn't that mean she doesn't hold the same importance in his heart as he does in hers? ...
Just as Song Xiaohua was agonizing over her own feelings, Lu Wanxin sent someone to invite her to a tea party.
A tea party is simply a gathering of ladies and young women who drink tea, eat melon seeds, chat, and compose poetry to pass the time.
After greeting everyone, Song Xiaohua sat there watching the women, who were full and bored, wallowing in self-pity and forcing themselves to write poems to express their sorrow.
Xue Yuhan and Lu Wanxin were good friends. When Xue Yuhan visited the Lu family, she stayed in Lu Wanxin's garden, and naturally she was there now as well.
Although she had resolved her misunderstanding with Lu Ziqi, she still harbored resentment towards her second sister-in-law, because compared to her deceased elder sister, the difference was vast. For example, it was said that she had virtually no talent in poetry.
"Second sister-in-law, why are you just watching without saying anything? Do you think what the sisters are doing is too shallow and unpalatable?"
Xue Yuhan had changed into an orange dress today. Compared to the flowing and elaborate styles worn by the other women, her sleeves were slightly narrower and the skirt was slightly more fitted. Paired with a simple and neat hairstyle, she exuded a rather dashing and spirited air, bright and beautiful. She was completely different from the gentle and graceful woman she had been when they first met yesterday.
Although Song Xiaohua suspected her of being a rival in love, she was, in terms of age, a genuinely young "loli." Based on the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, she didn't actually harbor any hostility. Faced with this blatant attempt to cause trouble, Song Xiaohua decided to adopt the attitude of an elder and offer guidance.
So he composed himself, his lazy expression vanishing, replaced by a warm smile: "Little Han, what are you saying? Everyone already knows I'm not good at this. Although I've been learning from you sisters for so long, my talent is limited, and I still can't compose a single line of poetry." He glanced around, and as expected, most of the faces showed expressions of disdain, contempt, or contempt. His smile grew even more genuine: "However, as the saying goes, refined people do refined things. Although I am a commoner, I have a suggestion that might help you sisters become a little more refined."
Xue Yuhan glanced around the room and said, "Second Sister-in-law, please speak. We are all ears."
The crowd echoed their agreement, but their jubilation was clearly a mocking expression of wanting to see a good show.
Song Xiaohua snorted inwardly, got up and walked out of the corridor into the garden full of flowers.
In the autumn wind, the petals, having exhausted their last bit of strength, detached from the stem and drifted away in vain.
"These flowers are the purest things in the world, yet once they wither, they fall into the mud and are trampled on. People only remember their splendid beauty when they bloom, but they do not see the desolation when they fall and fly all over the sky. This is what is meant by 'flowers are easy to see when they bloom, but hard to find when they fall.' Why don't we collect these petals and find a clean place to bury them? 'A handful of clean earth covers their elegance,' which can be considered as fulfilling their 'purity in coming and going'."
Pshaw, when it comes to this, who can outmaneuver Lin Daiyu?
Thanks to the relentless bombardment of "Dream of the Red Chamber" every winter and summer vacation, even someone as oblivious as Song Xiaohua can at least recite the plot fluently and occasionally remember a few lines.
Leaving aside her act of 'burying the flowers,' the few seemingly unintentional words she uttered were enough to make everyone look at her with astonishment. For a moment, they were all somewhat puzzled; could this second mistress be a hidden master in disguise? ...
After speaking, Song Xiaohua sat back down, watching the delicate and timid women gaze at the rain of petals, lost in thought. Then, they all instructed their maids to quickly fetch embroidered pouches and hoes, preparing to bury the flowers.
Xue Yuhan hadn't expected that she wasn't the empty-headed, talentless person the rumors described. While her opinion didn't change immediately, she couldn't help but feel a bit curious. She had just walked over, intending to chat with her a little more, when the person who had been smiling just a moment ago suddenly started to shed tears.
"Second sister-in-law, what's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, I just feel sad."
Why?
"It's precisely because I don't know why that I feel so bad."
"…………"
Lu Ziqi had a social engagement at noon and didn't return home. When he entered the courtyard in the evening, he was really startled.
Song Xiaohua was seen sobbing, her head resting on the jade table, while Xue Yuhan whispered words of comfort to her. Lu Ling and Song Wuque, on either side, squatted in identical positions, staring blankly into the distance…
Ignoring her son's manners, she asked, "Yaoyao, what's wrong?"
Song Xiaohua raised her head, revealing two swollen, red peach-shaped eyes: "Dongqing~" She called out just like that, and then tears streamed down her face.
“Brother-in-law…” Xue Yuhan stood up with a helpless expression: “It’s probably because of the flower-burying incident that my second sister-in-law was moved. If I had known earlier that my second sister-in-law was such a sentimental person, I would never have used the poem to upset her.”
"Burying flowers? Writing poetry? Sentimental? Her?!" Lu Ziqi's eyes widened noticeably. He walked over and touched Song Xiaohua's forehead, muttering to himself, "She doesn't have a fever!"
She grabbed him around the waist and began to wail, "Dongqing, when the flowers wither, someone buries them, but who will bury me when I die?"
Who died?
"Uncle Huo, my mother said she's going to die."
"ah?"
"Ling'er, don't talk nonsense!"
Completely bewildered upon entering, Huo Nan picked up Lu Ling. Lu Ziqi and Xue Yuhan scolded him in unison, while Song Xiaohua, after a moment of stunned silence, wailed even louder: "Even Ling'er can tell I'm going to die, I'm definitely going to die. Dongqing, after I die, you can find someone else, but you must find a woman, please don't find Huo Nan, his beard will make Ling'er's skin rough..."
puff!
Black line...
Lu Ling kissed Huo Nan's furry face, then timidly said, "Ling'er isn't afraid of Uncle Huo's beard, but Ling'er doesn't want Uncle Huo to be her mother, because Uncle Huo can't give Ling'er a little brother to play with."
Keep pfftting!
The black line continues...
Xue Yuhan snatched Lu Ling from Huo Nan's hands: "Ling'er, don't worry. Even if your father really wants to find a man to be your mother, he won't choose someone so ugly."
"You brat, how dare you say I'm ugly?!"
"No, let me correct you. You're not just ugly, you're absolutely unbearable to look at!"
Lu Ziqi finally broke down, slamming his fist on the table: "Shut up, all of you! Utter nonsense!"
Song Xiaohua was startled and shuddered, then pouted: "You've already started slamming your fist on the table and glaring at me with disgust..."
Huo Nan stroked his beard and pulled the flustered Lu Ziqi aside: "Did you two have a fight?"
"There was indeed some misunderstanding last night, but given her personality, she wouldn't be reacting so strongly now."
He pointed to his forehead: "Is there something wrong?"
"I tried it, and I don't have a fever."
"Could it be that he got drunk that day and ruined his health?"
"It can't be that bad..."
Just then, Song Xiaohua's crying voice rang out: "Little Han, look! They're flirting right in front of me!"
Lu Ziqi immediately raised his voice: "You Rong, quickly go and invite Doctor Liu over. Tell him that Second Madam is not feeling well!"
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The examination revealed that there was nothing wrong with his brain, but something was wrong with his stomach.
It's unclear which tadpole Lu Ziqi released during one of his releases, but it managed to fight its way out and settle in Song Xiaohua's warm pond, where it thrived. This led to mutations in certain cells, affecting the normal functioning of the central nervous system.
Commonly known as transient psychotic disorder in early pregnancy...
Upon learning the news, Song Xiaohua remained calm and composed, leaning against the couch with a smile.
Lu Ziqi seemed quite excited, holding her hand and just grinning foolishly: "Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Are you hot? Are you cold? Are you tired?" He kept asking meaningless questions, until Huo Nan and Xue Yuhan finally gave in and left.
Later, even Lu Ling and Song Wuque couldn't bear it any longer. One of them grabbed the hem of his clothes and dragged him away from his incessant chatter, while the other took the opportunity to replace him.
The little hand carefully touched Song Xiaohua's belly: "Mommy, is Ling'er's little brother here?"
One sentence brought tears to Song Xiaohua's eyes again: "Don't you like it, little sister Ling'er?"
Lu Ling quickly shook her head and then nodded again: "Ling'er won't dislike them, Ling'er likes all the little brothers and sisters!"