The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0814 The Dream (1)

In the middle of the second lunar month, Yun Qing returned from Tong County.

While he was still there, Yun Qing had already received word that Yuxi had ordered Jiang Hongfu to be beaten. Since his subordinate hadn't mentioned the reason, Yun Qing wrote to Yuxi to ask for an explanation, but received no reply.

By the time Yun Qing arrived home, it was almost dinnertime. As soon as he entered their bedroom, he saw Yuxi sitting with Liu-er, who was playing with animal-themed cards. Hearing footsteps, Yuxi turned around and smiled when she saw him. "You're back."

Liu-er was also delighted to see Yun Qing and called sweetly, "Dad." Her voice was soft and delicate, making her especially lovable.

Smiling, Yun Qing picked Liu-er up, planted a little kiss on her soft pink cheek, and asked, "Liu-er, did you miss Dad?"

Liu-er frowned slightly, her expression showing an indescribable amount of distaste. Despite the dislike written across her face, however, she still replied, "Yes." If only he did not have that strange smell on him, it would have been perfect.

Seeing this, Yuxi could not help laughing. This little girl might be young, but she was very particular. Only Yun Qing could get away with it. If it were anyone else, Liu-er would not let them touch her if they had even the slightest odour.

Holding Liu-er as he sat on the couch, Yun Qing looked at Yuxi and frowned. "How did you get so much thinner?" It had only been half a month, yet Yuxi seemed to have shrunk by one whole circle.

Yuxi had been struggling with herself all this time, unable to decide whether to tell Yun Qing. She was unwilling to lie, yet the truth was somewhat difficult for her to say. Unable to eat well or sleep soundly, she naturally lost weight.

Yuxi smiled. "Haven't I always looked like this?" She had indeed lost a little weight over the past few days, but it was nowhere near as exaggerated as Yun Qing made it sound.

Yun Qing had originally intended to wait until that evening to ask about Jiang Hongfu, but now he could no longer hold himself back. "What happened? Why didn't you even reply to my letter?"

Hearing this, Yuxi replied, "I didn't reply because I thought that by the time my letter reached you, you would already be on your way home. I didn't expect you to stay there for more than ten days."

Yun Qing had only just opened his mouth when Zaozao's loud voice rang out from outside. "Mom, I'm back!" Whenever Zaozao returned from the front courtyard, those were the first words she called out upon entering the inner courtyard.

Zaozao came into the room and, upon seeing Yun Qing, her eyes immediately lit up. "Dad, you're back! Did you bring my pony back for me?" When Yun Qing went to the horse farm, he had promised Zaozao that he would bring her a pony. She had been talking about it constantly ever since.

Yun Qing laughed. "Of course Dad wouldn't forget something he promised you. But the horse is still behind us and won't arrive for another few days." He had ridden back as fast as he possibly could, but a pony was naturally no match for a fully grown horse.

Zaozao looked somewhat disappointed.

Yun Qing stroked Zaozao's head and smiled. "Dad chose a little black pony for you. It looks very impressive. Zaozao will definitely like it." By next year, Zaozao would be old enough to start learning to ride and shoot arrows.  For now, she could first become familiar with the pony and develop a bond with it.

Zaozao was delighted. Taking Liu-er by the hand, she said, "Dad, when Meimei grows up, choose a good pony for her too."

Looking at the two sisters standing together, Yuxi felt thoroughly dejected and frustrated. After a year of martial arts training, Zaozao's skin had grown considerably darker than it had been the previous year. In contrast, Liu-er's skin was so fine and fair that it resembled a peeled egg. Standing side by side, the two girls formed a striking contrast.

Mama Qu entered and said, "Wangye, Wangfei, dinner is ready. You may eat now."

After the family finished dinner, husband and wife went into the study. Yun Qing asked, "What happened to make you order Biaodi to be given twenty strokes of the board?"

Yuxi fell silent for a moment before saying, "Jiang Hongfu abandoned his post without permission and came here to question me about why I had Jiang Hongjin harmed. If he were not Husband's Biaodi, it would not have ended with merely twenty strokes." What Jiang Hongfu had done amounted to one below offending one above.

Hearing this, Yun Qing said unhappily, "How could Biaodi think such a thing? You and Jiang Hongjin have neither grievance nor enmity. Why would you harm him?" Hadn't his Biaodi always been intelligent? How could he do something so foolish?

Yuxi lowered her head and said nothing.

Looking at Yuxi, Yun Qing said, "Although Yang Duoming and Yan Xi are your subordinates, that doesn't mean this matter has anything to do with you. If he refuses to believe that, then let him. There is no need to argue over what is true with him."

Yuxi remained silent for a long time. Finally, she raised her head, looked at Yun Qing, and confessed, "I was the one who ordered Yang Duoming to do it."

Yun Qing wondered whether something was wrong with his ears; otherwise, how could he be hearing such things? Seeing that Yuxi's expression remained perfectly calm, he asked, "What deep hatred as vast as a sea of blood do you have against Jiang Hongjin?" Given Yuxi's temperament, unless she harboured a hatred carved into her very bones, she would never have harmed him.

Seeing that Yuxi still said nothing, Yun Qing embraced her. "Whatever it is, I'll face it together with you."

Yuxi felt her nose sting with emotion. After a long while, she requested, "I want to take a walk in the garden." Staying inside the room felt too oppressive. Perhaps she would be able to relax a little in the spacious garden.

Yun Qing took Yuxi by the hand and led her outside, saying as they walked, "All right. We'll walk around the garden and talk as we go." It would be good for her to finally speak about it. If she kept pressing it down upon her heart, sooner or later she would make herself ill.

Yuxi remained silent during the walk from the main courtyard to the garden. Although she had decided to tell Yun Qing, she still feared he might not accept it and would see her as a demon or a monster. However, Yun Qing's attitude just now had made her heart feel considerably more at peace.

More than half the garden had been destroyed by people searching for treasure. Yuxi had later replenished it with many flowers, plants, and trees. However, the replacements were all ordinary varieties, though, whereas what had been destroyed were rare and valuable specimens. Even now, little golden wild chrysanthemums were blooming beside the path.

When they reached the lakeside, Yuxi gazed at the rippling, glittering light on the water. Gripping Yun Qing's hand tightly, she spoke somewhat emotionally, "We're always busy. We hardly ever come out just to enjoy the scenery like this."

Yun Qing smiled. "If you like it, we can come every few days from now on. We can bring Zaozao and Liu-er too, and make it lively and bustling." He said this deliberately to help Yuxi relax.

Yuxi suggested, "Another day, we should bring Zaozao here to fish. It would be a good way to grind down and polish her temperament a little." Zaozao was good in every other respect, but she was simply too impetuous. Fishing and practising calligraphy could help to refine her character.

As Yuxi spoke, she walked towards the waterside pavilion in the middle of the lake. All the maids and older female servants remained outside while only the husband and wife entered the pavilion.

As soon as they entered the pavilion, Yun Qing could no longer hold back. "Yuxi, what exactly is going on?" Yun Qing had never been an especially patient man.

Now that they had reached this point, Yuxi no longer wanted to back down. "When I was four, I contracted smallpox and nearly died. I told you about that before."

Yun Qing was somewhat surprised. What did her bout of smallpox at the age of four have to do with this? "I know about that. Did something happen while you had it?"

Yuxi gave a soft affirmative. "When I had smallpox, I had a dream—a very strange dream. I dreamt that I recovered, but my San Ge died. Because of that, my Grandmother came to dislike me even more. She refused even to see me at all, ordering the maids and older female servants to confine me to my courtyard and forbid me from leaving…" Reaching this point, Yuxi paused.

Yun Qing asked in puzzlement, "Come to think of it, I've always wondered why Old Lady Han and Han Jingyan disliked you so much." After all, there is no love without cause, just as there is no hatred without cause.

Yuxi briefly explained how her mother had been schemed against by her close friend. "Old Lady Han and Han Jingyan didn't believe my mother. They were convinced my mother had plotted against Han Jingyan to climb onto a higher branch. So they hated the house and hated the crow on it as well, and they detested me too."

Only then did Yun Qing realise that there had been such a story behind it all.