Луна ярко светит над пустынными горами, а небо усеяно цветами

Глава 48

Once seated in the flower hall, Huan'er couldn't help but ask:

"What is that? Show me!"

“This.” Shi Wuji pointed to an inconspicuous little wooden box on the table in front of him. It was about the size of a palm, completely black, and even a little moldy.

Huan'er showed no disappointment. She would have been disappointed if she had seen a table full of gold and silver treasures! Her mother from the 20th century was a person with special abilities, and her house was filled with strange and unusual things. Experience told her that the more inconspicuous something was, the stranger it was... Could there be a dinosaur bone inside? With great interest, she carefully picked it up and cautiously opened it—it was a necklace made of red thread, and the pendant was a strangely shaped stone. You could see through three layers of the stone from the outside. The surface was transparent and it was very warm to the touch. The innermost layer had two poles drawn in black, red and white, and surrounding the poles was a four-symbol diagram. The outer layer of the four-symbol diagram contained the eight trigrams.

"What is this? Heaven and earth give rise to two poles, the two poles give rise to four symbols, the four symbols give rise to eight trigrams. The longer I look at it, the more I feel the eight trigrams are rotating, and the two poles are rotating in opposite directions... Wow! It makes me dizzy!" Huan'er quickly grabbed the box, what a peculiar thing!

"This Bagua stone is an ancient relic, its contents vast and profound. Those who understand its study can glean secrets from it, know the past and present, and communicate with the future; it is a divine object. However, our Shi family has only used it for inheritance for generations, without any ambition. Our ancestral will mentions that this object can bewitch people's minds and, when certain circumstances converge, cause a reversal of time and space, revealing an eerie quality. Therefore, it is kept in a black box. Strangely enough, when a pregnant woman wears it, it has the effect of calming the fetus and gathering the spirit." Shi Wuji took out the Bagua stone and hung it around Huan'er's neck.

"It's too precious. I have a bad memory, what if I lose it?" Huan'er was naturally happy. But losing the Shi family heirloom wouldn't be fun.

Shi Wuji smiled:

"You can't lose it. This Bagua stone absorbs your aura and will stick to you. You can't lose it."

Huan'er wrapped her arms around his waist and said softly:

"Thank you, I like it very much."

"What were you thinking about just now?" Shi Wuji recalled Huan'er's thoughtful expression when they first arrived at the guest courtyard.

“I’m thinking of marrying my mother to Uncle Leng so they can keep each other company.”

Huan'er's idea surprised Shi Wuji.

Although Yu Niang never truly entered the Su family, the era held extremely strict norms for women. The concept of "a woman cannot serve two husbands" arose to counter the Tang Dynasty's practices of incest and polygamy. Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, not only was foot binding popular to prevent women from appearing in public, but unmarried girls were also strictly required to stay within the confines of their homes. Public opinion strongly promoted the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues" and the establishment of chastity arches. Under this social system, a woman's remarriage easily attracted criticism and was labeled with unseemly terms. Children should have strongly opposed their mother's remarriage, especially since Su Guangping was still alive. No matter how wicked he was, he was still Huan'er's biological father. How could Huan'er possibly want to matchmake Uncle Leng with Yu Niang?

"What are you thinking? This is just wishful thinking on your part." I doubt even Yu Niang would have the guts to defy traditional morality and marry someone.

Huan'er disapproved of the ancient social morality.

"Wuji, tell me, since I married you, when have I ever obediently followed the rules that women are supposed to follow? My mind hasn't been brainwashed. If I think something is right and beneficial, I'll do it regardless of any system or regulations. I'm the wife of 'Northern Asura'! I'll stop at nothing to maintain my husband's reputation!" She gave a cheeky laugh and said, "Help me handle this. As for Uncle Leng, just find out if he's interested in my mother, okay?"

Shi Wuji smiled bitterly. He knew that once Huan'er made up her mind, she would see it through to the end. What could he do if he didn't help her? She wasn't alone anymore. Could he let her do it all by herself?

“Okay, I’ll be careful,” he agreed.

"Yes! I knew you were the best to me!" Huan'er was very satisfied.

Originally, Shi Wuji was going to tell Huan'er about their trip south in four days, but Huan'er was extremely clever and would surely guess their purpose in going south within two days. Then, out of worry, she would definitely want to go with him. After thinking it over, Shi Wuji decided to wait until the day before their departure. Having witnessed Huan'er's determination and persistence, he didn't want to take any risks. It was most appropriate for her to focus her attention elsewhere at the moment.

"Tomorrow, Wuhen, Wujie, and I will go hunting in the mountains and get two sable pelts. One will be yours for the winter, and the other will be for the baby to keep warm after he is born." He took her small hand and led her to the Fragrant Courtyard. The courtyard was filled with osmanthus trees, which were in full bloom at the moment. The white blossoms fell like snowflakes in the autumn wind, like a rain of flowers, covering her with fragrance. Huan'er exclaimed happily and ran into the rain of flowers, spinning around. She had been to Japan to see cherry blossoms, and when the cherry blossoms covered her, she felt infinitely excited, completely immersed in a dreamlike world away from the world. At this moment, she felt as beautiful as a fairy, as if she were about to fly away. The snow-white osmanthus blossoms were even more beautiful than the cherry blossoms, because they also covered her with fragrance. When she spun around until she was dizzy and weak, Wuji's warm chest was always ready for her to lean on. With Wuji, she was always safe and carefree, and Shi Wuji was already captivated by her rare ecstasy and the sudden surge of ecstasy. He could only watch over her and follow her.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" Huan'er shouted, hugging and kissing her husband.

Shi Wuji was stunned for a long while, overwhelmed by a surge of joy that drowned out all his reason. He had always appreciated the power of silence, and believed that a shy, affectionate gaze was more powerful than directly expressed feelings, that tender gestures were enough to convey everything. However, he never imagined that the raw words of love uttered in the heat of passion could be so deeply moving, stirring his very soul and affecting every sense and will. Overwhelmed with joy and excitement, he almost burst into tears!