The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0787 The Heart Of Caring Mother

At noon, Yun Qing and Fu Tianlei had a drink together and chatted. They had not seen each other for over a year and had endless things to talk about.

When Yuxi woke from her afternoon nap, the two men were still drinking. After hearing what Gancao had said, Yuxi smiled. "Wangye rarely gets to be this happy. Have Mama Bai prepare a few more dishes to go with the wine." Although Chen Shi was not well liked, Fu Tianlei's relationship with Yun Qing was different. Moreover, back then, Fu Tianlei had rejected Fu Jian's proposal and sided with them. For that alone, he deserved her respect.

Momo Quan remarked, "Fu Tianlei is a good sort, but Chen Shi is no good." Saying Chen Shi was no good was putting it mildly. She was absolutely awful.

Yuxi sighed with some emotion. "I heard that Chen Shi used to be quite all right. She always wanted a son, but kept giving birth to daughters. On top of that, there was Fu Jian, who always longed for a grandson and constantly stuffed women onto Fu Tianlei. As time went on, Chen Shi's disposition became somewhat warped." Yun Qing said that Chen Shi used to be a decent person, but only later became impossible to reason with.

However, Momo Quan did not see it that way. "There are principal wives in the capital who cannot bear children, yet they still live perfectly well. The main reason Chen Shi became this way is that she has narrow heart and chest." If she had been broad-minded, once she knew she could not bear a son herself, she could have found an obedient maid and taken her as a concubine. Once the maid had given birth to a son, Chen Shi could have taken him under her own care and raised him; he would hardly have been any different to one she had given birth to herself. However, that woman, Chen Shi, insisted on having every pregnant maid killed, and now she herself had been reduced to being half-dead.

Yuxi nodded. "Not only does she have a narrow heart and chest, but she is also harsh and ungrateful." Although Fu Qingluo had a poor reputation in Yu City and was disliked by many of the married ladies there, she had treated her sister-in-law Chen Shi so well that no fault could be found with her. Yet even after all that, Chen Shi had exploited her without so much as blinking an eye. Yuxi would never dare to get close to someone like that.

After hearing Yuxi out, Momo Quan suggested, "Once Fu Tianlei's appointment has been finalised, have them move out." She detested people who would sell out or exploit anyone to achieve their goals. People like that had room for no one but themselves in their hearts.

Yuxi gave an affirmative sound. "We've already found two residences for them. We'll see which one Fu Tianlei prefers. Once he has chosen, they can move in." Although Fu Tianlei was muddle-headed when it came to domestic affairs, he was very clear-headed when dealing with matters outside the household.

Momo Quan said, "That woman insisted on coming to Haocheng, dragging along that broken-down body of hers. I would say almost certainly that she came specifically for the medicine in your possession. Yuxi, if she asks you for it when the time comes, you absolutely must not give it to her." Back then, Yun Qing had distributed half the medicine among his subordinates, and Momo Quan could find no fault with that. After all, a single pillar cannot support the whole structure. If he wanted to defend the Northwest, he had to rely on these men as well. Sharing some of the good things with them would also strengthen their sense of belonging and make them more loyal to Yun Qing.

Hearing Momo Quan's words, Yuxi smiled. "Come to think of it, that really is possible. But even if that is what she has in mind, I still won't give it to her." Never mind that her relationship with Chen Shi was terrible; even if someone she was on good terms with came asking, she still could not give it away. Otherwise, if she gave it to one person simply because they asked, wouldn't she have to give it to everyone else who came asking afterwards? There was only a tiny amount left, not even enough for her own family. How could she possibly give any more away?

Momo Quan said, "It wouldn't be appropriate for you to say you have none, either. Liu-er will still need this medicine in the future! If Chen Shi asks you for it, say that the portion you kept is reserved for Liu-er."

Yuxi shook her head. "No. I would rather bear the reputation of refusing to save someone from death than drag Liu-er into this." If Chen Shi had really asked her for the medicine, she would have said she had none. As long as they did not tell anyone that Liu-er was using the medicine, who would know? Even if others eventually found out, there was nothing to fear. By previously giving everyone a portion, they had already done everything that benevolence and duty could demand of them. A person should not be too greedy.

Momo Quan was not angry. "That's the heart of a caring mother for you. Still, you had better mention this to Wangye beforehand."

Yuxi shook her head. "There's no need to tell Wangye. Fu Tianlei is a man who knows the proper limits and what is appropriate. He wouldn't make such an excessive request." Although Fu Tianlei and Yun Qing were as close as brothers, they were not actually related. Besides, the medicine wouldn't even be for Fu Tianlei himself. Even if he asked, Yun Qing would not agree.

Yun Qing and Fu Tianlei drank together for four hours. Even after they had finished, Yun Qing surprisingly refused anyone's help and staggered back on his own.

Yuxi went forward, helped Yun Qing sit down and gave him the sobering tea that Gancao had brought. Seeing that Yun Qing was still reasonably lucid, she asked, "Would you like to take a bath before going to sleep?" He reeked of alcohol from head to toe. If he went to bed like this, all the bedding would need to be changed afterwards.

Yun Qing tugged on Yuxi's arm. "Bathe. Together."

Gancao had already passed the stage of blushing furiously. She told Yuxi calmly, "Wangfei, I'll have the kitchen prepare the water."

Yuxi caught Yun Qing's wandering hand and instructed, "Put some flower petals in the water." The petals would help remove the smell of alcohol.

Half an hour had passed by the time Yuxi had finished scrubbing Yun Qing clean and helped him back to bed. She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and told Gancao, "Have the bathwater prepared. I want to bathe too." Supporting such a great big fellow was truly exhausting.

After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, Yuxi entered the room and looked at Yun Qing, who was sleeping soundly. Smiling, she took a thin blanket and covered his stomach with it before leaving the room.

Zaozao returned that evening. The moment she saw Yuxi, she burst into loud sobs. Crying, she said, "Mom, it hurts. It hurts so much." Although Zaozao was usually full of life and was often threatened with punishment by Yuxi, she had never truly experienced hardship before. Today, however, she had experienced more than her fair share of suffering.

Upon hearing this, Yuxi hurriedly lifted Zaozao's clothes. When she saw the blue and purple bruises on her body, she asked anxiously, "Did Yeye hit you?"

Tears hung from Zaozao's cheeks as she replied pitifully, "Yeye whipped me. Mom, it hurts so, so much. Yeye is a bad egg. He's a big bad egg." What Huo Changqing was currently teaching her was the most basic skill: holding a horse stance. Holding a horse stance for a short while was manageable, but after a long time it became unbearable. Given Zaozao's restless nature, how could she possibly endure it? Although Huo Changqing doted on Zaozao, he was also a man of strong principles. When Zaozao cried and made a fuss, refusing to learn, he immediately resorted to punishment.

Yuxi's eyes instantly reddened. She instructed Gancao, "Go and get the medicine." This was only the beginning! Zaozao would have to suffer much more in the future. Yet Yuxi could not object to Huo Changqing's teaching methods because she had promised not to interfere. If she intervened now, she would be going back on her word.

When Yuxi applied the medicine to Zaozao's injuries, Zaozao cried out in pain. Hearing her cries made Yuxi's own tears fall. Holding Zaozao in her arms, Yuxi comforted her: "There, there. Zaozao, don't cry. It'll be better very soon." Yun Qing was sleeping so deeply that he could not hear Zaozao crying.

In truth, Huo Changqing's punishment of Zaozao was not particularly severe. What he did to Feng Dajun and the others back then—that was what you called harsh! Zaozao had been pampered and sheltered from birth, so she had never experienced anything like this before. The contrast was too great, so Zaozao could not take it.

After tossing about all day, Zaozao went to sleep not long after dinner that evening. Yuxi could no longer restrain herself and summoned Xu Wu. She asked, "What did Uncle Huo have Zaozao practise today?"

Xu Wu knew that Yuxi was concerned about Zaozao. He answered, "She held the horse stance for half a shichen in the morning and another half a shichen in the afternoon. Because Zaozao is still young, she gets a break after every fifteen minutes."

Yuxi responded, "Of course I trust Uncle Huo. It's just that Zaozao is still so young. I'm afraid that going too far is as bad as falling short."

Xu Wu smiled and pointed out, "As the saying goes, uncarved jade can never become a useful vessel. Uncle Huo is strict with Zaozao for her own good, as for your concern that going too far is as bad as falling short, that absolutely won't happen. Dajun, the others, and I were all trained by our Yifu. When it comes to this, even Wangye cannot compare with him."

No matter how anxious Yuxi felt, Xu Wu had already said things to this extent. What else could she say? She could only endure it.

After Xu Wu left, Momo Quan entered the room and suggested to Yuxi, "I think Zaozao should move into Huo Changqing's courtyard. She can come back to the rear courtyard for a meal every few days. If you miss her, just go over there and see her." Momo Quan made this suggestion because she was afraid Yuxi would go soft. Although Yuxi might appear resolute and strong-willed on the surface, she was actually the softest-hearted person of all.

Yuxi said with a miserable expression, "When Herui wakes up, I'll discuss this with him." It was not merely that Momo Quan had no confidence in her; even Yuxi had no confidence in herself.

Momo Quan knew how much Yuxi's heart ached for Zaozao. But if a child were not given the ability to protect herself in times like these, she would eventually suffer badly for it.

The next day, Zaozao absolutely refused to go to the front courtyard. She wrapped her arms around Yuxi's neck and cried, "Mom, I don't want to go. Yeye will hit me, and it hurts so much when he hits me. Mom, I don't want to go."

Her crying made Yuxi's own tears well up again. Eventually, Momo Quan realised that things were getting out of hand, so she had Hongdou forcibly take Zaozao from Yuxi's arms and carry her to the front courtyard.

Momo Quan gripped Yuxi's arm and said, "Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above others."

Yuxi wiped away her tears and said, "If Zaozao were a boy, that would be one thing. A son needs to support and uphold the family household. But Zaozao is a girl. She doesn't need to suffer like this."

Hearing this, Momo Quan was torn between laughing and crying. "Didn't you say that women are merely men's appendages, and that once you had the power, you wanted to change that situation? Now Zaozao has precisely such an opportunity, yet you cannot bear to let her suffer. If she cannot endure hardship, how is she supposed to accomplish anything? Are you not being self-contradictory?"

Yuxi froze where she stood upon hearing those words.

Yun Qing slept until the sun was already high in the sky before finally waking up. After getting out of bed, he touched his head and asked Gancao, who had just entered carrying water, "What time is it?"

Gancao smiled. "The Chen hour isn't over yet." Yun Qing only ever slept late when he had been drinking. Usually, he got up right on time, even more punctually than a rooster announcing the dawn.

Yun Qing had just finished breakfast when Yuxi returned to the rear courtyard.

Seeing that Yuxi's eyes were somewhat red and swollen, Yun Qing stood up quickly and asked, "What happened?" Currently, no one in the entire Northwest could bully Yuxi badly enough to make her cry.

Yuxi shook her head. "It's about Zaozao. Uncle Huo hit her yesterday, and she cried a lot. Today, she refused to go to his place again. She clung to me, sobbing, and wouldn't let go. I couldn't hold myself back for a moment..."

After hearing this, Yun Qing burst out laughing. He had thought something serious had happened. It turned out she had been crying because of Zaozao. "Look at you. Aren't you usually so capable and tough?" Crying over something so minor? She was far too soft.

Feeling deeply aggrieved, Yuxi retorted, "Zaozao is the child I carried for ten months before giving birth to her. How could I possibly not feel terrible watching her suffer like this? The pain may be on the child's body, but the ache is in the mother's heart."

Yun Qing feared Yuxi's tears more than anything. Seeing her eyes redden again as though she were about to cry, he hurriedly asked, "Then what do you think we should do? This has only just begun. It'll be even harder later." Giving up halfway was absolutely out of the question.

Yuxi gritted her teeth and made her decision: "Then let Zaozao live directly in Uncle Huo's courtyard. Don't let her come back to the rear courtyard either. If I miss her, I'll go over there to see her myself. Once Zaozao has grown accustomed to the training, we can let her move back." Yuxi was also afraid that she might lose her resolve and prevent Zaozao from learning martial arts.

Yun Qing nodded. "All right. We'll have Zaozao move over there today." It was only the first day, and Zaozao had already started crying. Just imagine how much she would cry from now on!