Chapter 136: Yue Wang, Who Lacks Everything
After the two of them had eaten something, Mu Yunyao noticed that Su Qing kept looking at her. She could not help blinking.
“Mother, what is it?”
Su Qing had a smile on her face, and her expression seemed somewhat emotional.
“Nothing. I just feel happy.”
Mu Yunyao thought she was talking about saving Nan’er today and could not help saying, “Mother also likes that child Nan’er?”
Su Qing shook her head.
“Mother feels happy not because we saved someone today, but because of you, Yao’er.”
“Because of me?”
Mu Yunyao did not understand.
“Yes.”
Su Qing hesitated for a moment, then held Mu Yunyao’s hand and slowly said, “You told Mother before that in your dream, you saw your whole life. Although you passed over many things briefly, Mother can imagine how you struggled step by step through every difficulty, how you did everything you could, and in the end, still failed to meet a good end…”
Seeing tears in Su Qing’s eyes, Mu Yunyao quickly comforted her.
“Mother, you said it yourself. It was only a dream. Perhaps Heaven saw that I was pitiful, so it warned me through the dream and allowed me to know in advance what would happen. That is why I can avoid those things in this life. You do not need to feel sad over it.”
Hearing Mu Yunyao say this, Su Qing’s heart ached sharply.
“Yao’er, you do not need to lie to me. If it were only a fleeting dream, many things would surely have passed in a blur. How could you have mastered embroidery skills overnight? How could you also understand tea arts and medicine? Most importantly, you are my daughter. How could I not sense the changes that happened to you?”
Mu Yunyao’s heart trembled. In an instant, countless ways to conceal the truth surged into her mind. But when she lifted her head and met Su Qing’s eyes, which were full of heartache, she froze where she stood.
“Mother…”
Su Qing reached out and pulled her into her arms.
“I was so afraid that the matters of your previous life would affect your nature. I was afraid that the Su family would fill your heart with hatred. I was afraid that those hatreds would change your temperament. Now, it seems Mother can finally feel at ease.”
Yao’er had not become cold-hearted and bloodless. Instead, she was gentle and kind. With this, Su Qing could finally rest assured.
Mu Yunyao leaned against Su Qing’s embrace, and tears fell straight down.
“As long as Mother is here, I will definitely not destroy myself because of hatred. So Mother must live a long life. You must stay with me forever.”
It was precisely because Mother was here that she had not allowed hostility to control her. Because of Mother, a soft place had remained in her heart.
“All right. Mother will stay with you forever. So you must remember this. Even if you do not strive to do every good deed in the world, at the very least, you must live without shame in your heart. Mother only hopes that you will be safe and sound. When I grow old, I still have to enjoy your blessings!”
Mu Yunyao nodded heavily. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Su Qing’s waist, leaning fully into her embrace.
“It is so good to have Mother…”
Su Qing stroked her hair, her eyes full of tenderness.
“Silly child.”
Since Su Qing had already guessed the matter of her rebirth, the heavy stone in Mu Yunyao’s heart finally fell to the ground. Her whole person felt much lighter. First, she pestered Su Qing for Eight-Treasure Rice. At night, she also clung to Su Qing’s room and insisted on sleeping with her. This left Su Qing not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She kept saying that she had raised a big baby, causing Si Qin and the others who served Su Qing to secretly laugh.
Mu Yunyao did not mind at all. Leaning against Su Qing made her feel unusually at ease.
After several days of nursing their injuries, Nan’er and A'Mao both woke up. However, for the wounds on their bodies to heal completely, they would probably still need to rest for several months.
“Miss, Steward Qin has arrived.”
Mu Yunyao put down the book scroll in her hand.
“A few days ago, I said I wanted to find Steward Qin to discuss something. In the end, Mother came to talk with me, and I forgot about it. Invite Steward Qin to the flower hall. Prepare the things I arranged earlier. I will go to the front courtyard to meet him.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Greetings, Miss Mu.”
“Steward Qin, there is no need for so much courtesy. These past two days have been busy, and I actually forgot to go to Jinxiu Garden to find you. I hope Steward Qin will forgive me.”
“It is nothing. If Miss has any matter, please give your orders.”
Mu Yunyao had Jin Lan and the others serve tea, then signaled for them to withdraw. She lifted her teacup and took a sip. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I imagine Steward Qin has already reported to Yue Wang that I know His Highness’s identity?”
“Please forgive me, Miss. I have indeed already reported it to Yue Wang. I imagine His Highness should receive the letter soon.”
“During these days, I have been thinking in private. I was able to borrow Jinxiu Garden from His Highness to open a tea business, and I even took forty percent of the profits. This was truly because His Highness was willing to support me and did not haggle with me. Because of this, I feel deeply grateful, so I thought I should also do something for His Highness.”
Steward Qin froze for a moment. Then a smile appeared on his face.
“Miss is truly too polite. By opening Buxian Tower, you have also helped His Highness.”
If they became one family in the future, then there would be even less need to calculate things so clearly. He wondered whether Old Cheng had managed to advise His Highness. Alas, on ordinary days, that old fellow only knew how to shout blindly. But when it came to proper matters, he could not help at all. The next time they met, Steward Qin would definitely scold him.
“It is like this. Seeing that Jiangnan has already reached the end of the eighth month and the weather has become cool, I imagine Yuexi must already be very cold.”
Steward Qin nodded.
“Yes. Yuexi is bitterly cold. There is already frost and snow there now.”
Those who had never been to Yuexi would never be able to imagine its cruelty. This season was still considered slightly better. In another two months, the weather would be so cold it could nearly freeze a person’s blood. Every breath made the entire chest feel as if steel needles had been driven into it.
What was even more frightening was that many places were mountainous and barren, with not even an inch of grass growing. By winter, even charcoal for warmth was scarce. If one had not seen it with one’s own eyes, who could imagine that the Emperor could be so cold-blooded as to exile his own son to such a desperate place?
Mu Yunyao had only heard about Yuexi from others. In truth, she did not know what its actual conditions were like. Now, seeing the gravity on Steward Qin’s face, her heart could not help stirring.
“It is like this. In my hometown, people can fry a kind of ginger tea. It mainly uses fresh ginger and rice flour. When one wants to eat it, one only needs to add hot water and stir it open. It is not only convenient, but can also dispel cold. It is only that the ingredients are too ordinary. I do not know whether His Highness would dislike it.”
Steward Qin’s eyes lit up.
“Miss, do you have this ginger tea here? May I have a bowl to taste?”
“Jin Lan, bring up the things I prepared.”
Mu Yunyao gave an instruction toward the doorway. Jin Lan immediately brought over a bowl and hot water.
Steward Qin quickly looked over. He saw a handful of pale-yellow rice flour placed inside the bowl. One could faintly see scallions, ginger, and vegetable leaves inside. With a slight sniff, a fragrant aroma drifted over.
Mu Yunyao personally moved. She slowly poured the hot water into the bowl while stirring it with a silver spoon. Before long, that handful of rice flour had turned into a bowl of rice porridge.
Steward Qin ignored the heat and lifted the bowl. He gently blew on it once. The rice flour was savory and fragrant, with a ginger flavor that was just right. The vegetable leaves that had originally been fried dry now unfolded again. Paired with diced meat carrying a scorched fragrance, one mouthful warmed the whole body.
“Miss, how much does this ginger tea cost?”
Steward Qin’s heart stirred with excitement. He had accompanied Yue Wang in Yuexi for five years and had seen the cruelty there. This bowl of ginger tea might save a person’s life in winter.
I like that the author chose to let Su Qing be aware that her daughter has reincarnated and it is not a dream what she had, yet she's still open-minded about this fact and she only worries her daughter will end up badly if she gets blinded by hate and revenge.
ReplyDeleteYes, I like the trust they have for each other.
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