Love Like the Galaxy

The hall fell into silence, and Madam Xiao felt as if her chest was blocked, making it hard to breathe.

She had always been strong-willed and decisive, never looking back once she made up her mind. But this time, faced with her children's defiance, she found herself unable to scold or punish them. She could only keep repeating to herself, 'You're not wrong. Yang Yang is kind and honest. If you don’t protect her, she’ll only be bullied. You must suppress that troublemaker and not let Yang Yang suffer injustice.' —though deep down, she knew this wasn’t right.

Cheng Song, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up with a "huh," startling everyone.

There was no trace of a smile on Cheng Song’s face as he strode forward, grabbed Mother Fu by her hair, and dragged her sideways to the doorway. With a forceful swing of his arm, he flung her out onto the corridor. A sharp cry was heard before Mother Fu fell silent.

Cheng Yang let out a shriek and fainted onto Changpu, who was trembling in fear. Back in the Ge family, they had often taken things from other households, and the Lady of the Ge Family had always turned a blind eye, which made them grow accustomed to such behavior. Now, Changpu finally understood—the Cheng family was not the Ge family. Here, they couldn’t act as they pleased or push their luck.

Madam Xiao had intended to berate her second son, but when Cheng Song turned back, his eyes brimming with tears and his face filled with grief and indignation, the words died in her throat. Cheng Song walked back and knelt heavily beside Cheng Yong, declaring loudly, "If Mother wishes to punish Eldest Brother, then punish me as well!" Then, Cheng Shao Gong silently stepped forward and knelt without a word, clearly expressing the same sentiment.

Madam Xiao knew full well that her three sons were voicing their strong dissatisfaction. A lump rose in her throat, and as the situation seemed irreparable, Sang Shi suddenly let out a loud "Aiyo!" Everyone turned to look at her.

Clutching her stomach with one hand and gripping Madam Xiao’s wrist with the other, Sang Shi groaned in pain, "Sister-in-law, my stomach hurts again! Do you still have those pills from last time? Quickly, fetch two for me! Hurry!"

Madam Xiao was momentarily stunned and was about to call for Qing Cong to retrieve the medicine when Sang Shi, with surprising strength, yanked her up, still crying out, "It hurts so much! Get me the pills!" Then, she dragged Madam Xiao toward the inner hall.

Like a whirlwind, Sang Shi and Madam Xiao left, leaving everyone else dumbfounded and at a loss.

Once inside the inner hall, Sang Shi’s stomachache miraculously vanished. Sternly dismissing the maids, she shoved Madam Xiao onto the folding chair where she usually rested and glared. "Sister-in-law, you were quite the tyrant today—you scared me half to death!"

Madam Xiao, who had been too furious with her children to think straight, now realized Sang Shi had feigned illness to give everyone a way out before things escalated further.

Lying sideways on the folding chair and rubbing her chest, Madam Xiao retorted stubbornly, "Me, a tyrant? Look at that troublemaker, cornering me with every word—she’s the tyrant!"

"Serves you right! One wrong move, and the whole game is lost!" Sang Shi paced the room twice before stopping. "You started off wrong. You clearly wronged Niao Niao, yet refused to say a single kind word to her. Since ancient times, if a father is unkind, the children will be unfilial. You failed to stand on principle and instead flaunted your authority as a mother. No wonder you were forced into this corner!" Madam Xiao said resentfully, "These troublesome brats, why couldn’t they just yield a little! One word after another, as if I couldn’t see through that old hag and that wretched maid’s schemes. I’ll deal with them quietly later. But Yuan Yuan’s dignity—"

"Enough with your ‘Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan’—it makes me sick to hear it!"

Sang Shi took the brocade pouch from her waist and tossed it to Madam Xiao, speaking bluntly, "...It’s natural for hearts to lean one way or another, but your favoritism is too much! You’re clearly in the wrong, yet you keep spouting nonsense without reason—I can’t stand it. Isn’t Shao Shang your child too? Even if she were born of a concubine, you shouldn’t treat her like this! Just now, your words grew harsher with each sentence, even accusing her of ‘defiance’—such a grave charge! If you drive Niao Niao to her death, how will you explain it to your husband’s uncle?"

Madam Xiao took two Heart-clearing Pills from the pouch and placed them in her mouth. A cooling, pungent sensation rushed to her head, clearing her mind somewhat. She shook her head and mocked herself, "I was blinded by anger. I can’t believe I acted like this today."

Since childhood, she had been doted on by Grand Duke Xiao and received the same education as her brothers, mastering strategy, geography, court politics, and noble lineages. But when it came to understanding the subtleties of inner household dynamics, she was far inferior to Sang Shi. In truth, aside from a brief few months in her first husband’s home, she had always been the unchallenged authority in the inner quarters, never needing to bother with the petty schemes of servants.

She had to admit—this time, she had been stubborn and unreasonable. She was wrong, and she had lost.

Seeing her expression gradually soften, Sang Shi smiled. "Well? Didn’t expect that, did you? Niao Niao has such remarkable courage. You tried to intimidate her with your authority as an elder, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid."

Madam Xiao shot her a glare and made to stand, but Sang Shi stopped her. "Where are you going? To scold Niao Niao again? Today’s incident was your fault to begin with. If you reprimand her again, it’ll only make your three nephews pity her even more. They won’t dare resent you, so they’ll resent Yuan Yuan instead. If you truly care for Yuan Yuan, don’t go out and add fuel to the fire. And have you considered what your husband’s uncle will think when he hears of this?"

Madam Xiao sat back on the folding chair, pondered for a moment, then said plainly, "I’ll speak to the general myself. I won’t hide my mistakes." She never hesitated in such matters. "So... today’s incident... we just let it go...?" There had to be some resolution.

Sang Shi was equally straightforward. "Stay here. I’ll go. I’ll tell those little troublemakers that you’ve collapsed from anger. Later, have the children come and apologize. If you gloss over it, the matter will be settled."

Madam Xiao, with her fiery temperament, disliked such conciliatory methods and remained silent.

"Household affairs aren’t like court debates—there’s no clear black and white. What’s the point of winning if the children resent you? It’ll only drive a wedge between you," Sang Shi advised. "You’re a sensible person, so I won’t waste words. If this had happened in another family and you were an observer, what would you think? Anyone would assume Shao Shang was the niece and Yuan Yuan your own flesh and blood!"

"Nonsense!""Indeed, indeed, I know you are the fairest of all, sister-in-law," Sang Shi said with a laugh as she rose to leave, leaving behind a meaningful remark—"But some people in this world, in their zeal to prove their impartiality, end up treating outsiders better than their own flesh and blood. Isn’t that laughable?"

Madam Xiao felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

...

In Nine Dapple Hall, everyone remained stunned for a long while. Madam Qing Cong stepped forward to gently press Cheng Yang’s philtrum and motioned for Changpu to withdraw.

Shao Shang glanced at her brothers, who returned her gaze knowingly—all aware of Third Aunt’s underlying message.

At that moment, Cheng Yang slowly regained consciousness and crawled on her hands and knees toward Shao Shang, clutching her sleeve as she wept bitterly. "Niao Niao, please don’t hate me. I didn’t mean to—I never realized how much you’ve suffered. It’s all my fault. And to my brothers, I’m so sorry, so sorry..." Her words were halting, repeating the same apologies over and over between choked sobs, making the three Cheng brothers feel a pang of sympathy.

"Cousin, I truly don’t blame you," Shao Shang stopped her from apologizing further. "But the world has never been fair..." She smoothed Cheng Yang’s crumpled collar. "Cousin, you’ve had motherly care wherever you went, while I—though I have a mother—have never truly had one."

Cheng Yong chided softly, "Niao Niao, don’t speak nonsense." Shao Shang shrugged. "Then I won’t say any more."

Cheng Shao Gong, however, muttered darkly, "Though Cousin left the Cheng family young, her aunt cherished her like a jewel. And after returning, Mother doted on her as if she were her own heart. But Shao Shang..." He didn’t finish, but everyone understood.

Madam Qing Cong’s heart ached for Shao Shang as well.

How unjust the world was—born as twins under auspicious signs, yet fate took a sharp turn when she was three. The love she should have received was denied; the honor she deserved was withheld. She grew up under the care of two foolish, narrow-minded women, while the daughter of a truly wicked woman basked in sunlight, showered with affection, raised with care, and flourished in happiness—how could anyone accept this calmly?

Heart heavy with sorrow, Cheng Shao Gong whispered, "Shao Shang, I should have stayed with you back then. We could have faced it together."

Shao Shang rolled her eyes. "Then there’d be two illiterates now! Where would Eldest Brother find two desks for us?"

The mood, though somber, lightened momentarily with laughter.

Cheng Song thumped his chest. "You can have my desk too!" Cheng Shao Gong, ever the contrarian, retorted, "Forget it. You haven’t even opened a book since coming home. Who knows where your desk is—probably still packed on the luggage cart!" Cheng Song laughed and playfully swatted his younger brother. The room erupted in laughter, dispelling the gloom for a while.

Once the laughter subsided, Cheng Yong said warmly, "Niao Niao, from now on, whatever you want, just tell your brothers. We’ll make sure you get it." He silently vowed that even if it meant facing their mother’s reprimand, he would ensure his little sister’s happiness.

Overjoyed, Shao Shang seized the moment, clutching Cheng Yong’s sleeve as she stammered, "I—I—I want to see the outside world! The East Market, the West Market, Dehui Ward, Liuxiang Ward—I don’t even know where they are. I want to know what it’s like out there, but Mother won’t let me go."Looking at his younger sister's hopeful eyes, even a heart of iron would soften. Before Cheng Yong could speak, Cheng Song quickly assured her, "Don't worry! Even if Mother scolds us again, I’ll take you out to see the world!"

Cheng Yang stood awkwardly to the side, not daring to say anything. It was Shaoshang who turned to her and said, "Cousin, you should come with us too!" Cheng Yang was overjoyed, and Cheng Shao Gong chimed in, "Yes, yes! If cousin comes along, Mother won’t dare punish us!" The group burst into laughter again.

Madam Qing Cong shook her head, silently sighing, 'Youth is truly wonderful.'

Everyone was laughing, and Shaoshang laughed the hardest. But no one knew what was truly on her mind.

—Had she spent half a day scheming just for fairness or pity? Pity that couldn’t be turned into tangible benefits was utterly worthless. Besides, she had never been one to suffer losses without payback.

This entire act had never been about Madam Xiao in the first place.

Move Madam Xiao? Make her feel sympathy? Argue so convincingly that Madam Xiao would be overwhelmed with guilt and shower her with love? She hadn’t even considered it. There was no point trying to wake someone pretending to sleep—once someone’s heart was biased, no amount of effort could change it.

She wanted to act freely, to step outside openly, to understand the ways of the world—the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—and to learn how to stand on her own in the future. She refused to be trapped in a tiny corner of the world, drowning in helplessness.

Thank goodness for that foolish old woman and maidservant—otherwise, she wouldn’t have known how to take this first step.

Author’s Note: Many readers have said that the original Cheng Shaoshang was lucky to have died, or else her suffering would have been worse.

Actually, I’d argue that if the protagonist hadn’t transmigrated and it had been the original Cheng Shaoshang, the conflict between mother and daughter might not have escalated this far.

The original Cheng Shaoshang was a timid, inexperienced girl who bullied the weak but feared the strong. Someone as imposing as Madam Xiao would have cowed her with just a shout or a glare. She would have obeyed every order without question, going wherever Madam Xiao pointed. While they might not have been close, their relationship wouldn’t have deteriorated to this degree.

But the current protagonist is someone with fully formed principles and her own way of doing things. She couldn’t care less about Madam Xiao’s opinions, which is why Madam Xiao grew increasingly displeased, her resentment piling up over time.