Le monde des arts martiaux est un véritable cloaque

Chapitre 5

Seeing him leave, Xu Shirong finally relaxed, secretly wishing that Jiang would find him a concubine soon so they could move out and sleep separately, saving her from having to guard against him like a thief every night. Yang Huan returned to the bench, inwardly cursing himself for being useless, unable to make a move on his wife. If word got out, he'd become a laughingstock, and his frustration deepened. Both men, lost in their own thoughts, found themselves tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

It was already the end of the month, and the beginning of next month would be the time for Yang Huan to leave the capital to take up his post. Madam Jiang had already packed several cartloads of things and had them sent by waterway to Qingmen County in Tongzhou. However, she was very picky about the concubines, complaining that they weren't pretty enough, that they were too thin to bear children, or that their faces didn't look auspicious. It wasn't until a few days before departure that she finally settled on a girl named Qingyu and summoned Xu Shirong to take a look.

Upon seeing the girl, Xu Shirong's brows furrowed slightly. At this time, many girls married young, with many getting married at thirteen or fourteen. She was well aware of this, but seeing this girl, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen, standing there with her head down, and thinking that she would soon be violated by Yang Huan, she still felt a pang of pity.

“Madam, Qingyu was originally the daughter of an official, but her father was convicted and imprisoned and was to be forced into prostitution, so I bought her. Madam, look at her, with her round face, narrow waist and wide hips, she looks like a blessed woman who can bear children. She is also docile and will surely serve you and the young master well in the future.”

The matchmaker, with her sharp eyes, noticed that Xu Shirong frowned as soon as she arrived, and quickly began to puff out her cheeks and exclaim.

The girl named Qingyu glanced timidly at Xu Shirong and lowered her head even further.

Madam Jiang was very satisfied and summoned Xu Shirong, but it was just for show. Seeing that Xu Shirong seemed displeased, and fearing that she might change her mind and throw a tantrum to stop her son from taking a concubine, Madam Jiang hurriedly agreed. She negotiated the price with the matchmaker, wrote the paperwork, and the concubine was thus purchased.

"Jiaoniang, prepare a room in your courtyard and have her stay there tonight."

After the matchmaker left, Jiang spoke to Xu Shirong.

Xu Shirong glanced at Qingyu and saw that her face was flushed as if it were about to bleed. She gave a faint "hmm" and said, "Come with me now." With that, she turned and left. Qingyu bit her lip and finally followed slowly.

"Qingyu, did you willingly sell yourself into becoming a concubine?"

Xu Shirong had someone prepare a room in the west wing. Seeing Qingyu standing there with her hands down, unwilling to go over, he asked her this question.

Qingyu seemed startled, quickly looked up at Xu Shirong, and finally gave a soft "hmm".

Xu Shirong sighed inwardly. Being Yang Huan's concubine was unfortunate, but it was still better than being sold into prostitution. As for the girl named Qingyu, her future was entirely up to fate.

As Yang Huan's appointment approached, he had been constantly invited out by his cronies to fool around. In the past, what he hated most upon returning home after such outings was being dragged around by his beloved wife, crying and making a scene. Now, although she no longer cried or made a fuss, her gaze towards him was increasingly disdainful and cold, as if she wanted to avoid him at all costs. He felt a growing sense of frustration, and even the crying and fussing seemed better than this. The little tricks he used to enjoy were gradually losing their appeal. That night, returning home drunk, he was about to knock on Xu Shirong's door when Xiao Que, who had been waiting nearby, stopped him with a candlestick in hand, suppressing a laugh. "Madam said that the young master doesn't need to stay here from tonight onwards. The room over there is already prepared, and a new maid, Qingyu, has moved in to serve him."

Yang Huan was startled. He turned to look inside the door; it was completely dark. He knew his beloved wife had already fallen asleep. His heart felt like it was being clawed at by a cat, a chaotic mess. He thought he should be happy, but for some reason, he wasn't as happy as he had expected. As he tossed and turned, he suddenly looked up and saw the slight smile on Xiao Que's face, which glared at him. He snorted and deliberately shouted loudly into the doorway, "I'm off to my wedding night!" before turning and heading out.

Chapter Nine

Although the lights were off in Xu Shirong's room, she was not asleep. Hearing Yang Huan shouting at the door that it was time to go to the bridal chamber, she felt relieved, but then she suddenly saw Qingyu's helpless eyes, which seemed to contain some reluctance. Her heart became heavy again, as if she had helped push a young girl into a fire pit.

As the weather grew hotter, Xu Shirong took off her outer clothes but still felt somewhat suffocated. Just as she kicked off the thin blanket, she heard the door of the room seem to be hit by something heavy, followed by a suppressed low sob.

Xu Shirong listened carefully and realized it sounded somewhat like Qingyu's voice. Not knowing what had happened, she hurriedly got out of bed and went to open the door without even turning on the lamp.

Sure enough, Qingyu was kneeling at the door, her head bowed and sobbing softly. When Xu Shirong opened the door, she immediately began to kowtow frantically, making the blue brick floor thud loudly.

Xu Shirong was somewhat surprised and hurriedly tried to help her up, but Qingyu refused, kowtowing repeatedly and pleading, "Please, Madam, have mercy and spare me!"

Little Sparrow, who was sleeping nearby, was also startled awake and quickly brought over a candlestick. Xu Shirong squatted down and noticed that Qingyu's clothes were somewhat disheveled at the chest. Upon closer inspection, she saw a scratch on her collarbone, as if she had been injured by a sharp weapon, with blood beads oozing out. The red and white blood contrasted against each other, like red plum blossoms on snow, a shocking sight. Suddenly, she remembered hearing that many of the纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy families who were spoiled and dissolute) left over from the Qing Dynasty had abnormal fetishes in that area, even taking pleasure in abusing women's bodies. Now, seeing Qingyu's condition, could it be that she too had been abused by Yang Huan? Shocked and horrified, she stood up abruptly, took the candlestick from Little Sparrow's hand, and went into the west wing.

The door to the room was open, presumably because Qingyu hadn't closed it when she fled in her haste. Xu Shirong stood at the door, took a deep breath, and then stepped inside, only to find Yang Huan fast asleep on the bed.

Seeing that he had just abused Qingyu so badly, and then fell asleep again, Xu Shirong cursed him inwardly for being heartless and extremely angry. She saw a basin of water on the ground, put down the candlestick, picked it up, and poured it over Yang Huan's head.

Yang Huan, still half-asleep from the effects of the alcohol, was suddenly doused with cold water. Despite the increasingly warm weather, he was jolted awake, sitting bolt upright and shouting incoherently, "Fell into the river? Fell into the river?" Looking around, he saw Xu Shirong standing in front of him, holding an empty basin that was still dripping water. He then realized what had happened, hastily wiping the water from his face and angrily yelling, "You unreasonable woman! I was sleeping soundly, why did you splash water on me?"

Xu Shirong stared at Yang Huan, wishing she could smash the basin in her hand over his head. She barely managed to restrain herself before angrily saying, "You're having your wedding night, so why did you have to abuse Qingyu? How is this any different from that of a beast?"

Yang Huan, after being scolded, stood up abruptly from the bed, pointing at Xu Shirong and shouting, "You woman! Which eye of yours saw me mistreating her? I just asked her to fetch a basin of water for me to wash my feet, and she brought it and knelt there crying and whining, which was really annoying. I only scolded her a couple of times, and she actually took out a pair of scissors, pulled open her clothes, and tried to slit her throat. If I hadn't stopped her in time, would she still be alive? She's going on a trip in just a few days, and she's already run into such bad luck. What bad luck! A woman like that is just annoying to look at. Tomorrow, take her out and sell her!"

Xu Shirong was stunned for a moment before noticing a pair of scissors lying on the ground at her feet. She looked up and saw Yang Huan standing on the bed with his hands on his hips, looking furious. He didn't seem to be lying. Xu Shirong snorted, threw the basin down, and turned to leave.

Yang Huan was furious to find himself soaked to the bone, his bed unusable, and then he saw Jiao Niang turn and leave. He jumped off the bed, put on his shoes, and rushed to Xu Shirong's east room to confront her and demand justice.

Xu Shirong returned to the east wing and saw Qingyu already sitting in Xiaoque's room, with ointment applied to her wound. Xiaoque and Xiaodie, who had just arrived after hearing the commotion, were quietly comforting her.

When Qingyu looked up and saw Xu Shirong enter, a look of panic flashed in her eyes. She slid off the stool and knelt on the ground with a thud, whispering, "Please, Madam, spare me."

Xu Shirong hummed in agreement and asked, "What exactly happened to your injury?"

Qingyu hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, "I...I cut myself..."

The little sparrow on the side let out a "whoosh" and looked strange.

Xu Shirong frowned and said in a deep voice, "I asked you today, and you said you were willing to serve, so I asked you to serve. Why did you do this?"

Qingyu suddenly raised her head, her eyes already filled with tears. She smiled bitterly and murmured, "If I say I don't want to, can I really escape? My family has been punished. When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? Serving one person is always better than serving hundreds. I was just confused and did that just now. Please forgive me, Madam. I will go back to serve the young master now..." As she spoke, she struggled to get up.

Xu Shirong recalled the matchmaker saying she had once been the daughter of an official, and now, listening to her speech, she certainly seemed educated. Seeing that she was about to get up and leave, she said calmly, "I left out half of what I was saying earlier. If you don't wish to..."

She had only spoken half a sentence when Yang Huan, soaking wet, walked in and yelled at Qingyu, "You wretched woman! I haven't even touched you yet, and I'm already in trouble! I was sleeping soundly and got soaked to the bone. Tomorrow, take me out and sell me off, and don't ever hang around in front of me again!"

Qingyu's face turned deathly pale. Knowing that if she were sold like this, she would likely have no choice but to become a prostitute, she knelt down again, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Please, young master, spare me. I was just confused for a moment. I will definitely serve you well in the future. Please have mercy..."

Qingyu's face was already streaked with tears, even Xiao Que felt a little sorry for her. Yang Huan sneered, "What kind of woman haven't I seen? Do I need you to serve me? You'd better not get your bad luck on me. Hurry up and sell her off! You're an expert at this anyway." The last sentence was directed at Xu Shirong.

Xu Shirong was pondering when she saw Yang Huan swaggering towards her bedroom. Just as she was about to stop him, Yang Huan glared at her and roared, "It's my own room! Why can't I go in now? I'm going to sleep in that bed tonight!" With that, he kicked the door open and went inside.

Seeing that he was acting aggressively, fueled by alcohol and in the right, Xu Shirong knew that she had indeed gone too far earlier, so she held her temper and ignored him. She glanced at Qingyu, who was still kneeling there, looking somewhat dazed, and finally couldn't bear it. She sighed, called Xiaoque over, gave her a few instructions, and told her to take Qingyu to rest. She then called Xiaodie to the west wing, where they rearranged the bed before she lay down herself, simply giving the main room to Yang Huan.

Xu Shirong preferred peace and quiet, and since she was no longer the original legitimate wife, she had all the other maids in the courtyard, except for Xiao Que and Xiao Die, moved far away to live separately. So, although there was a lot of noise in the main house, the maids, even if they overheard some of it, could only vaguely hear it and assumed that their mistress was being jealous again and disrupting the young master's concubine-taking night. They secretly chuckled to themselves. Xiao Que and Xiao Die had been strictly ordered to keep quiet, so they naturally wouldn't go out and talk. Only Yang Huan remained, and she was a little worried about him, fearing he might complain to Madam Jiang, and if he found out about last night's events, who knew what kind of trouble he would cause. Just as she was hesitating whether to go and shut Yang Huan up again, news arrived early the next morning that immediately attracted the attention of the entire Grand Commandant's mansion.

Early that morning, the man who had gone to Guangzhou with Master Yang and his wife from the South Courtyard, San Dun, returned to the Grand Commandant's residence, saying that Master Yang and his wife would be home soon. Xi Jie and Qing Ge were naturally overjoyed, needless to say. Xu Shirong watched coldly as Yang Huan, upon hearing the news, seemed somewhat uneasy. The next day, he not only didn't mention Qingyu at all, but despite having already planned to leave for his post the following day, he actually went to the Old Madam to persuade her to postpone it for a few days, saying that he might not return for years and that he should wait until his second uncle came home to see him before leaving. The Old Madam was so moved that she praised her grandson for being so sensible.

After Xu Shirong arrived, Xiao Que and Xiao Die gradually stopped being as afraid of her as they had been at the beginning. The little girls always had a tendency to gossip, and they overheard bits and pieces of stories about Master Yang and his wife from the two girls. They said that the second wife, Madam Gu, although of humble origins, was beautiful, virtuous, and kind. All the servants in the household adored this mistress of the South Courtyard. She was also an exceptionally skilled cook; even the signboard hanging outside her family's grand restaurant was inscribed by the current emperor and bestowed by the Empress Dowager. As for Master Yang, who had long been a playboy, he had gone to great lengths to win her heart. The intricacies of his schemes still seemed to sparkle in Xiao Que and Xiao Die's eyes as they recounted them, their faces filled with envy.

Although Xu Shirong was a reserved person, she only considered herself a guest in this mansion. However, after hearing so many rumors, she couldn't help but take a liking to the couple. Hearing that they would be going home soon, she became quite curious and wanted to see what kind of perfect couple could raise such adorable children as Xi Jie and Qing Ge.

On the afternoon of the second day after Sanquan returned, the Grand Commandant's mansion was bustling with activity. It turned out that Master Yang and his wife had finally arrived home.

Chapter Ten

In the old lady's room, Xu Shirong met the second madam, Gu, from the south courtyard of the mansion for the first time.

When she went in, she saw a young woman standing next to the old lady, serving her a cup of tea and saying, "While I was away for the past few months, those two rascals, Xi-jie and Qing-ge, must have caused you a lot of trouble, Mother, right?"

As she spoke, Xu Shirong carefully looked her up and down. He noticed that her skin tone was slightly honey-colored, probably due to the southern sun. When she smiled, her eyes curved slightly, and her gaze was gentle. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of closeness to her.

After she finished speaking, Madam Jiang smiled and replied, "When you went out last time, wasn't it Mother who insisted that you leave the two little kids behind? Even if you find it troublesome now, you won't say it out loud."

The old lady chuckled and scolded Jiang Shi, then looked at the young woman and said, "Guangzhou is plagued by miasma and I've heard it's unbearably hot. I can't control the two of you, but I can't take my precious grandchildren there to suffer like this."

The young woman smiled slightly and said, "Although that place is a bit to the south, it's not as you think, Mother. It has a lot of ports, and every day it's full of foreign ships trading gold, rhinoceros horn, ivory, and tortoiseshell. It's very lively. Further south is the estuary, where the water and sky blend into one, and the scenery is quite nice."

Jiang said, "I've heard that the people there like to eat insects, snakes, and strange things, and they even eat them raw. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

Xu Shirong saw the young woman laugh again and said, "The locals do have the habit of eating snakes, rats, frogs, and civets, but they are all cooked. Only some fish are sliced into thin pieces and eaten raw. My second master ate a little of everything and said it tasted good."

Jiang shook her head and said, "My second brother is indeed bold; how could he have learned to eat these things indiscriminately like people?"

Seeing a hint of fear on the old lady's face, the young woman smiled and said, "The vegetables there are quite light in summer and autumn, and some of the desserts and sweet soups are also very good. I have nothing to do at home, so I slowly made some for you to try, Mother."

The old lady laughed and said, "Don't bring up those snakes and insects, I can't take it."

After she finished speaking, everyone in the room laughed, and Xu Shirong laughed along with her. But for some reason, she felt that although the young woman hadn't spoken to her, her eyes seemed to be glancing in her direction, intentionally or unintentionally. A slight unease settled in her heart; could it be that she sensed her change and was beginning to have doubts?

Xu Shirong was right. Gu Zao had been secretly observing her ever since she entered the room. It turned out that she had accompanied Yang Hao to Guangzhou at the beginning of the year, stayed there for several months before returning home. She had just arrived home yesterday when she heard from Rong Cai, who had stayed in the courtyard and was now married to San Dun, about Yang Huan's grand appearance in front of the imperial palace. Originally, it wasn't a big deal, but when she heard the phrase "worrying about the world's troubles before others," she was quite shocked.

Having been here for several years, she had gained some understanding of court affairs. Fan Zhongyan was still serving as the Prefect of Kaifeng at this time, and had not yet been demoted to write "The Yueyang Tower." How could Yang Huan know this? To say he came up with it out of thin air was utterly impossible; even if he were immersed in an inkwell for half a day, he wouldn't reach that level of skill and insight. She wondered if he had also been transported to the modern world by a modern person. She only remembered seeing him yesterday; he was still that same lazy, carefree person, exactly the same as before, without the slightest change. Last night, she was kept up until the wee hours by Xi Jie and Qing Ge, and only managed to coax her to sleep. However, she herself couldn't fall asleep for a long time. Yang Hao assumed it was because she was new to the house and unaccustomed to the bed, and jokingly hugged her and told her to sleep on him, unaware of the doubt and uncertainty in her heart.

Gu Zao woke up early, only to hear Rong Cai talking about Xu Jiaoniang in the west courtyard. The speaker meant no harm, but the listener took it to heart. Upon hearing that Xu Jiaoniang had lost her sight after being kicked in the head by a horse, and that after recovering she was quieter than before, and that Yang Huan had just taken a concubine, Gu Zao's heart skipped a beat. She wondered if Xu Jiaoniang had been transported to another world.

Because Xu Jiaoniang had been somewhat hostile towards him in the past, and the two had not had much contact in daily life, although he had already developed suspicions, he refrained from immediately going to the west courtyard to find out what was going on. Instead, he took the gifts he had brought back from Guangzhou and hurriedly went to the old lady in the north room, knowing that Xu Jiaoniang would also come to pay her respects, and he would take a closer look then.

After Jiao Niang entered the room, although Gu Zao was verbally exchanging pleasantries with the old lady Jiang, most of her attention was focused on her, and the more she looked, the more suspicious she became. Jiao Niang was still the same Jiao Niang as before, but from the moment she entered, Gu Zao felt that she was a different person. Before, even when she wasn't speaking, there seemed to be a hint of resentment in the corners of her eyes and brows, but now her gaze was lowered, her expression indifferent, and she only spoke a word or two when Jiang asked her questions, brief and clear. This was definitely not the style of the Xu Jiao Niang of the past.

When Gu Zao's eyes met hers again, a thought struck him, and he gave her a slight smile.

Seeing Gu Zao smile at her, Xu Shirong felt even closer to her, so she smiled back and nodded slightly.

Gu Zaoqiang suppressed the turmoil in his heart. After everyone had dispersed, he thought for a moment, went back to his own courtyard to retrieve a gold-inlaid box containing a set of gemstone and South Sea pearl jewelry, and then headed to the west courtyard.

As they were about to leave, when Gu Zao entered the west courtyard, she saw that the outer room was already piled with some items to be taken, neatly packed. The head maids, Xiao Que and Xiao Die, were counting them one by one. Perhaps because they rarely saw Gu Zao here, they were both a little surprised. When they came to their senses and wanted to go in to report, Gu Zao stopped them.

When Gu Zao entered, Xu Shirong was sitting on a bamboo couch by the window, holding a book in her hand. Although her eyes were on the book, she hadn't turned a page for a long time.

Hearing the noise, Xu Shirong looked up and saw that it was Gu Zao. She quickly stood up to offer her a seat and called her "Auntie." However, Gu Zao was not much older than her, which made her feel a little strange.

Gu Zao presented the gift he had brought, which Xu Shirong could not refuse, so he accepted it and thanked him. Gu Zao waved his hand and smiled, "I just returned yesterday and heard that Yang Huan had made a great impression on the Emperor. Putting aside the literary talent, the ambition and aspirations he expressed in his words were truly moving. My second master was very pleased to hear about it, saying that his nephew has really made great progress." After speaking, he looked at Xu Shirong carefully.

Xu Shirong felt guilty because Yang Huan had used a careless remark she made that day to show off in front of others. She had resolved to be extremely cautious in the future and never cause such unintentional trouble again. When Gu Zao brought it up again, she assumed that Gu Zao was genuinely amazed like the others, so she just smiled slightly and said nothing.

Seeing that Jiao Niang only gave a faint smile without any change in expression after she said that, Gu Zao became somewhat uncertain again. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to test the waters one more time and said with a smile, "In my old hometown, there's a saying called 'time travel,' Jiao Niang. Have you heard of it?"

Xu Shirong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and asked, "Where is Auntie's hometown? And how do you explain time travel?"

Seeing that her puzzled expression didn't seem feigned, Gu Zao was suddenly unsure. He wondered if this beautiful woman's change in personality was truly due to a head injury. Otherwise, if she were a transmigrator like himself, how could she be unaware of this? Was she pretending to hide her identity? Judging from her expression, she didn't seem to be faking it, so he changed the subject and chatted for a while. Still somewhat persistent, he chuckled, "My Xi-jie is always complaining that there's nothing fun to do. A perfectly good girl is about to be spoiled into a tomboy by her father. When I was bored, I made her a doll that girls in my hometown love, with a rather interesting name: Barbie Princess. Unfortunately, it wasn't made well, and Xi-jie disliked it, so it was thrown away after a few days."

"Princess Eight-Stroke?" Xu Shirong repeated, then laughed and said, "The name is indeed a bit strange. Sister Xi is a very clever girl, and I like her very much. It's just a pity that she's leaving in a couple of days, and I'm afraid I won't be able to see her again."

Gu Zao was greatly disappointed, and had no more doubts. Whatever had happened to this beautiful woman before him, she couldn't possibly have transmigrated like him. As for Yang Huan's words, could they really have been a stroke of genius? But even so, it was all too unbelievable.

Xu Shirong noticed the sudden look of disappointment on Gu Zao's face and was puzzled. However, she wasn't familiar with Gu Zao, and although she felt close to her, she had never been one to show her emotions openly. Seeing Gu Zao's silence, she herself was speechless, and the two of them fell silent for a moment.

Gu Zao came to her senses and stood up, smiling, "Tongzhou is far away, and it's inconvenient to communicate with your family. In the future, you must take good care of your health when you're away; that's the most important thing. You should know that a woman doesn't necessarily have to live for her man."

She said this because she knew that although Yang Huan had been somewhat domineering and rude in the past, and had been ruthless in dealing with maids and concubines, it was probably half of that that was because Yang Huan had forced her to do so. If she had met a good man, would they have tormented each other like this? Now that she saw that Yang Huan had changed his personality and seemed like a different person, she felt a little pity for him and said this to persuade him.

These words struck Xu Shirong with emotion, as if she had found a kindred spirit. She nodded silently, a sense of reluctance rising in her heart.

After Gu Zao finished speaking, she took her leave. Xu Shirong saw her off all the way to the gate of the west courtyard. Just as Gu Zao was about to tell her to stop, she suddenly saw Yang Huan walking over.

When Yang Huan saw Jiao Niang and Gu Zao coming out together so affectionately, he thought he was seeing things. After looking more closely, he was sure he wasn't mistaken. He stood a few steps away and stammered, "Auntie... you came and went so quickly, without even sitting down..."

Gu Zao smiled and said, "I've already sat down. I heard from Jiao Niang that you're leaving tomorrow. From now on, you'll be the head of the county, so you must keep the people in mind and be a good official who serves as the parents of the county."

Yang Huan nodded vigorously, like a hen pecking at rice. Yesterday, Gu returned early, and he rushed over, but they only met briefly before he and his wife returned to their own courtyard to rest. Now, upon seeing her again, he secretly observed her and noticed that her complexion was honey-like compared to before; in his eyes, it was the best, while those pale, delicate types seemed inferior. Just as he was lost in thought, Gu had already bid farewell to Xu Shirong and left.

Her figure had long since disappeared through the gate in the courtyard wall, while Yang Huan was still staring blankly in that direction. Xu Shirong watched coldly, noticing that he seemed somewhat reluctant to leave, and a thought struck her, followed by a realization. This was truly a case of a toad lusting after a swan, and her contempt for him deepened even further.

Leaving aside Yang Huan's sighs and lamentations, Gu Zao returned to her room, still somewhat uneasy. That evening, Yang Hao noticed her unusual behavior, asked a few questions, and was somewhat surprised to learn that she had gone to the west courtyard that day. He said, "Isn't my niece-in-law always a bit off? Why did you go there to make yourself unhappy?"

Gu Zao pinched his ear, feigning anger, and said, "Your niece-in-law is acting strangely because your nephew is naughty! If you act like that in the future, be careful, or I'll start acting strangely too!"

Yang Hao picked her up and put her down on the bed. He then put his ear to her abdomen and listened carefully before laughing and saying, "I don't have the guts. I'm still waiting for you to give me another good daughter."

It turned out that the two of them had returned because Gu Zao was pregnant again. Yang Hao was worried that she wouldn't adapt to the new environment and that he wouldn't be able to take good care of her, so he rushed back. However, the old lady Jiang was still unaware that she was pregnant again.

Gu Zaobing felt lost during the day, initially excited by the thought of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. However, upon learning that the beautiful woman wasn't a time traveler like herself, she felt a pang of disappointment. Now, seeing her husband's tenderness and remembering her two children and the new life in her womb, her heart was instantly filled with tenderness and affection. She couldn't help but sigh deeply. What did it matter whether she traveled through time or not, or which era she was in?

The next day, Yang Huan and his wife were about to set off. All the women in the household saw them off at the gate. Jiang Shi cried and wanted to see them off again, but Grand Commandant Yang stopped her, saying, "Huan'er is going to become an official. What kind of behavior is this, crying like this? It's not like you're going to the ends of the earth. It's only a journey of a month or two. People will laugh at you if word gets out!"

Jiang spat at him and said angrily, "I only have this one son. Now that he's gone, I don't know when we'll see each other again. Can't I even say a few more words to him?"

Helpless, Grand Commandant Yang could only wait on the side with a stern face. Only then did Madam Jiang stop crying, holding Yang Huan's hand and giving him endless instructions. She also ordered the servants she had chosen to escort them along the way to do their best to get them there. Finally, they were allowed to leave. Grand Commandant Yang and Yang Hao escorted them all the way to the dock at the East Water Gate, where they boarded a boat and headed east along the Bian River.