Upon returning to the Cheng Residence, the sky had darkened completely. The eldest brother, Cheng Yong, led the household servants and younger siblings, waiting at the entrance with raised lanterns.
The deep indigo sky of early spring, dotted with warm flickering lights, resembled a child's painting cut from dark blue wax paper—hazy yet heartwarming. Shao Shang, sitting in the carriage behind, lifted the curtain and saw the smiling faces of her elder brothers, prompting a smile of her own.
After months apart, the Cheng family had indeed undergone noticeable changes.
Madam Qing Cong had grown fairer, the three elder brothers and Cheng Yang had grown taller, and the two younger brothers had transformed from plump to lean, like lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice ribs. The most striking change was in Cheng Mu. Not only had her complexion improved, but her once plump face, which had made her eyes appear narrow and given her a perpetually resentful glare, now looked firmer and more toned from months of labor. Her face had even slimmed down, and her smile carried an unexpected kindness—proof that exercise brings happiness.
Cheng Shi knelt before Cheng Mu, offering words of comfort, while she, as usual, inspected her son from head to toe to ensure he was unharmed before declaring dinner served. After the meal, everyone gathered to chat. Cheng Mu, concerned about her youngest son Cheng Zhi’s well-being, wanted to ask Shao Shang but hesitated out of pride. Cheng Shao Gong repeatedly signaled his twin sister with his eyes, but Shao Shang pretended not to notice.
Unable to hold back, Cheng Yong said, “How have Third Uncle and Aunt been lately? Niao Niao, why don’t you tell us?”
Shao Shang replied respectfully, “Elder Brother, knowing Grandmother’s concern for Uncle and Aunt, I brought along a quick-witted maidservant. She has been serving them these past months and has seen and heard as much as I have. Starting tomorrow, she can recount everything in detail to Grandmother. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Though dissatisfied with Shao Shang’s attitude, Cheng Mu reasoned that forcing the stubborn girl to speak would yield little. So, she forced a smile and nodded reluctantly.
Cheng Shi turned and glared at his daughter, silently scolding the willful little troublemaker.
But Shao Shang cheerfully said, “Father, let me play a tune for everyone… Cousin, brothers, did you know I’ve learned to play the flute? Even Mother said it’s not bad!”
—Call her stubborn, call her obstinate, but someone in this world must still remember the innocent little girl who died of illness in the countryside. That girl’s death had indirect and direct causes, but Cheng Mu bore undeniable blame. Over ten years, Cheng Shi and his wife had repeatedly sent for their daughter, only to be thwarted by Ge Shi and this old woman.
This old woman was worse than Madam Xiao. At least Madam Xiao had the pretense of duty, claiming to strive for the family’s sake. But Cheng Mu acted purely out of selfishness. Even when her granddaughter returned from the countryside, sickly and frail, she showed not an ounce of remorse. Why should Shao Shang rush to reconcile just because the old woman now feigned humility and goodwill?
Is old age an excuse? Everyone grows old if they live long enough! So she would not forgive. Never forgive!
…The clear, haunting notes of the flute rose like a butterfly trembling on a spring branch, shaking loose a few petals before fluttering its delicate wings into a sea of blossoms, leaving behind only a fleeting, radiant shadow and a trail of fragrance.Cheng Shi closed his eyes and listened, finally allowing a smile to grace his face. It was rather pitiful—as the eldest son, he hadn’t inherited even a trace of his father’s good looks, nor had he picked up any artistic talent.
Halfway through the tune, Cheng Yong had already called for his pageboy to bring out his beloved zither, while Cheng Shao Gong took an exquisite black pottery ocarina from his waist. The former plucked the strings, and the latter pressed the holes of the ocarina to play, both harmonizing with Shao Shang’s flute melody.
Cheng Song couldn’t play any instruments, but he possessed a voice so remarkable that even vocal professors would fight over it. After a brief warm-up, Shao Shang was stunned. Good heavens, his low notes could reach at least C#2, and his high notes easily hit G4. Moreover, his voice was clear, majestic, and carried a lingering resonance.
At first, the four siblings weren’t quite in sync, but within moments, they found their rhythm. The dignified zither, the ancient ocarina, the bright flute, and the powerful, room-filling voice swiftly merged into a passionate rendition of Zai Chi —"Gallop, gallop, return to mourn the Lord of Wei. The journey is long, the road to Cao lies ahead. The nobleman travels far, my heart is heavy with sorrow..."
Cheng Shi shook his head and laughed, his anger completely dissipated.
Cheng Yang sat to the side, lightly tapping the rhythm with a look of admiration. She had learned to play the zither and the se, but her skills were mediocre, often hesitant and awkward. She would never dare to perform as boldly as her cousins in front of others.
Madam Xiao gazed at her four children in the center of the hall—the boys tall and robust, the girls fair-skinned and beautiful, all so intelligent, healthy, and brimming with vitality. A thought suddenly struck her: if she had fought tooth and nail to take her daughter with her all those years ago, perhaps she could have witnessed such a scene much earlier.
As the song ended, Cheng Mu shed tears, murmuring sorrowfully, "...If only your grandfather were still here. He wasn’t born in a good time, never found a kindred spirit in his life, and passed away so lonely. If he could see you all like this today, he might have lived a few more years..."
The hall fell silent. Cheng Shi stepped forward to gently console his elderly mother.
Shao Shang pursed her lips, unimpressed. She had heard that the late Cheng Taigong had subjected Cheng Mu to decades of emotional neglect, never once showing her kindness until his death. Yet, Cheng Mu still held deep affection for him. "I love you, and it has nothing to do with you" —it sounded noble and touching, but Shao Shang was certain she could never be that selfless.
The reunion party concluded, and the maids escorted their respective masters back to their quarters. Shao Shang yawned as she trailed behind Cheng Shi and his wife—blame it on her boudoir being so close to her parents’ residence!
Just as they were about to part ways, Cheng Shi suddenly turned back and said solemnly to his daughter, "Niao Niao, don’t go back yet. Come to our room."
Shao Shang’s heart skipped a beat. What had she done wrong now? After such a moving artistic experience, her father still had the nerve to ruin the mood by scolding her. Truly, he had no talent for sentimentality!
"Father, the city gates are under strict guard today. Shouldn’t you and Mother discuss this properly?"
The atmosphere in the city had clearly been off. Even the quieter alleys were unusually deserted. The weather was gradually warming, yet the usual bustle of vendors hawking their wares and the aroma from snack shops in the Yuyang neighborhood were conspicuously absent, leaving only the bare stone-paved streets.
To her surprise, Old Cheng replied with a sarcastic tone, "Why the rush? Lord Ling hasn’t even dropped a hint, which clearly means it has nothing to do with our family." With that, he took Madam Xiao’s hand and strode ahead.
Shao Shang had no choice but to follow. Damn it, being a child meant having no rights at all!In the inner hall of Cheng Shi and his wife's residence, Qing Cong had prepared tall candles and a sobering, stomach-soothing broth. After dismissing the maids, she stood guard by the tightly closed door, a small bamboo basket on her lap, absentmindedly doing needlework. Cheng Shi and his wife knelt on either side at the head of the room, while the girl sat alone in the center below.
"First, tell me everything you've done these past few months and who you've met. Don't leave out a single detail!" Old Man Cheng drained the broth in one gulp and slammed the bowl onto the table, making sure to establish his authority first.
"Do I have to say everything? That's several months' worth!" Shao Shang exclaimed in surprise.
Cheng Shi was momentarily speechless, then raised his voice again: "We'll talk about the rest later! First, tell us about Ling Buyi. How exactly did you meet him? How many times have you seen each other? What did you talk about? What did you do?"
"Oh, is that all?" Shao Shang wasn't the least bit intimidated and replied casually, "Uncle and Aunt already know all this. Huh, didn't they tell you? Father, I hate to say this, but you must have started scolding Uncle as soon as you saw him. No wonder he didn't say anything. You know, kindness should come before authority. Uncle is a grown man—you should use brotherly affection like a gentle spring breeze to—"
"Enough!" Madam Xiao couldn't take it anymore and slapped the table hard. "Speak properly!"
Shao Shang chuckled. "Father, Mother, I promise I'll tell you everything. But some of it might not sound very pleasant. What if you get angry and hit me again?"
Cheng Shi sighed. "Fine. Speak freely. We won't hit you."
"And no punishments either! A Yao and I have plans—I can't be stuck at home copying texts all day!"
Old Man Cheng suddenly felt trapped between a rock and a hard place, with dangers lurking everywhere. He took two deep breaths, feeling this was even more infuriating than when someone had stolen his military merits, but could only nod with great difficulty.
With the terms agreed upon, Shao Shang stopped playing games and succinctly recounted the incident at the hunting lodge, the night conversation at the Secluded Residence, and the gift of the horse—omitting the first encounter at the Wan family's. Why? Because the shrewd Old Man Cheng and Director Xiao would immediately realize Ling Buyi must also know about her bridge-dismantling scheme. She'd already been beaten once for that and had no desire to revisit the topic.
"That's all?" Cheng Shi asked skeptically after hearing her account.
"That's really all," Shao Shang said helplessly. "Every time we met, there were plenty of witnesses—even A Yao was there. What could possibly happen?" Thinking carefully, apart from that first encounter at the Wan family's, she'd never been alone with Ling Buyi. Their interactions were cleaner than disinfectant.
Cheng Shi stood up and began pacing around the hall, deeply troubled and unsure how to phrase his next question.
Madam Xiao suddenly spoke: "Do you know..." She, too, struggled for words. "Do you know who Ling Buyi is?"
Shao Shang thought for a moment, then hesitantly replied, "Sister Qiqi told me Lord Ling holds many, many official titles, but I can't remember them all. A Yao also mentioned he's the Emperor's adopted son... That's about it..."
"Ling Buyi may appear dignified and amiable, but he's always been taciturn. Niao Niao, let me be frank—I've met Ling Buyi at least seven or eight times, and not only have I never exchanged a word with him, I've never seen him act as... as..." Old Man Cheng once again found himself at a loss for words. Finally, he blurted out loudly, "As attentive as he was today!"Shao Shang disliked the term and frowned, saying, "What do you mean by 'attentions'? Father's words are so unpleasant! He and A Yao are like brothers—perhaps he’s looking after us out of consideration for the Lou Family."
"Nonsense! I’ve never heard of any extraordinary friendship between Ling Buyi and the Lou Family! At most, he might attend one banquet out of every five or six invitations!" Old Cheng was sharp-eared and clear-eyed—how else could he have risen to his current position?
"That’s just Father being ignorant. Do people have to shout their friendships from the rooftops?"
"Enough!" Madam Xiao, seeing the father and daughter about to derail the conversation again, closed her eyes and suppressed her frustration. "Stop beating around the bush. Niao Niao, don’t you think Ling Buyi... has some... intentions toward you?"
"Mother’s words are even more unpleasant! What do you mean by 'intentions'?" Shao Shang turned her head away, displeased.
"Feelings! Feelings, then!" Old Cheng huffed, his beard bristling like the tentacles of a large octopus. "Don’t you think Ling Buyi has feelings for you?!"
The couple had expected their blunt question to elicit some shyness or hesitation from their daughter. Instead, they saw only clarity in her eyes, with a hint of puzzlement as she replied, "Aunt mentioned this too, but... look, when A Yao liked me, he immediately asked his parents to propose marriage—that’s how I knew he liked me. But Ling Buyi hasn’t proposed, so how can anyone know what he’s thinking?"
Cheng Shi choked on his words, realizing she had a point.
Madam Xiao closed her eyes briefly. "By your reasoning, after your parting at the hunting lodge, Ling Buyi was either busy suppressing bandits or recovering from severe injuries. Even if he wanted to do something, he wouldn’t have had the time."
"Exactly, I’ve thought of that too. But as things stand, we’ll probably never know whether Ling Buyi would have proposed if he’d had the chance." Shao Shang nodded, ending with a touch of humor. "In a way, isn’t this fate?"
In simple terms, Ling Buyi’s feelings for her were a conditional clause—the condition had to be stated in the present tense. Not the past, because he hadn’t proposed, nor the future, because he might never propose.
Alternatively, it could be likened to Schrödinger’s cat—until the box was opened, no one knew whether the cat was alive. Unfortunately, there was no chance to open the box now.
Cheng Shi was speechless and looked helplessly at his wife.
Madam Xiao stared at her utterly unruffled daughter for a long moment before suddenly understanding. "So, you just don’t want to let go of the Lou Family’s marriage proposal."
Shao Shang replied coolly, "That’s right. Opportunities like this don’t come twice. I don’t want to lose this match."
Cheng Shi dumbly sat back down beside his wife.
Madam Xiao asked, "Niao Niao, let me ask you this—do you have any affection for A Yao?"
The question was like a fine needle, pricking Shao Shang all over. She immediately countered with sharp sarcasm. "Though Mother hasn’t raised me much, her expectations for me are quite high! Let me ask Mother this: these days, while arranging Cousin’s marriage, did you plan for her to fall in love with some young man before marriage and then ask if she had feelings before deciding? Isn’t it all about parental orders and matchmaker’s words? How is that any different from my situation now? Most couples in the Capital City live like this—aren’t they doing just fine?"
Cheng Shi frowned, finding his daughter’s words rather impolite.To everyone's surprise, Madam Xiao wasn’t the least bit angry. Instead, she calmly said, “There’s no need to provoke me. You and Yan Yan are different. Whether she and her future son-in-law have affection for each other or not, as long as they treat each other with courtesy and mutual respect, they can still grow old together without either feeling wronged. Many harmonious couples in the Capital City are like this! Don’t evade my question—do you love A Yao as much as he loves you?”
Shao Shang remained silent for a long while before resentfully replying, “Yes, I do love A Yao, but not in the same way he loves me. But so what?”
“Then you are wronging him!” Madam Xiao said quietly.
“I don’t agree with Mother’s reasoning!” Shao Shang slammed her palm heavily on the floor and raised her voice. “There are many kinds of affection in this world—it doesn’t always have to be deep romantic love. Did Mother have profound feelings for Father before marriage? I believe the best marriages are those where both parties get what they need. As long as Second Uncle can provide Second Aunt with wealth and status, even if he were to beat his new bride three times a day, she would endure it!”
“I will be a good wife to A Yao. I don’t need to love him deeply to be a good wife! I will take good care of him, tending to his needs and being considerate in every way. I’ll strategize his career, manage his estate, and reform outdated customs. When he’s disheartened, I’ll encourage him; when he’s prideful, I’ll advise him. I’ll help him become a more capable and accomplished man! I’ll make sure everyone says the Lou Family made the right choice in taking me as their new bride!” Shao Shang gasped for breath, nearly shouting.
After a long silence, Cheng Shi finally spoke softly, “Niao Niao, it’s not like that. As your father, I know that if not for the chaos that brought ruin to the Xiao family, I would never have been able to marry your mother in this lifetime. But even now, I must say—if I had to choose again, even if it meant never being with your mother, I would still wish for her family to remain whole and prosperous, for her to still be that proud Young Lady of the Xiao family, radiant as the sun! Back then, I knew your mother didn’t have strong feelings for me, and I was willing to wait for her. But… does A Yao know?”
Tears welled up in Shao Shang’s eyes, falling heavily onto the floor with dull thuds.
The girl’s voice seemed to drift from a distant place, “But… what if I’m not that lucky?”
“Father could help Mother restore her family’s fortunes, so she married him. Aunt wanted to escape the pitying gazes and nagging of relatives, so she chose the most agreeable match from reliable candidates. How does Mother know I won’t grow to deeply love A Yao after marriage, just like you and Aunt did?”
“Father, Mother, Third Uncle, and Third Aunt—you’re all fairy-tale couples. There will always be such couples in this world. But what if I’m not lucky enough to find one?”
Tears dripped down, soaking her clothes as the girl knelt stiffly in the center, trembling with anger, her expression a mix of defiance and confusion.
She had never been lucky since childhood. Good things never fell into her lap—she always had to work twice as hard for everything.
If she studied hard, her grades would improve. If she worked at friendships, she would have close friends. Even emotions—if she tried hard enough, surely she could learn to love the person she was ‘supposed’ to love.
Though deliberate, her ‘effort’ was sincere!
Why did Old Man Cheng and Director Xiao have to criticize her for it?Since there's a smooth and easy path, why must one climb through thorny mountains?!
Why not follow the will of heaven? Heaven brought A Yao to her, and she seized the opportunity—what's wrong with that?!
After hearing these words, Cheng Shi was utterly stunned.
He hadn't actually expected his daughter to pursue some fairy-tale romance—marriage is a matter of fate, something that cannot be forced. Nor did he want her to cling to Ling Buyi in some social-climbing scheme. In truth, by this point, the conversation had nothing to do with Lou Yao or Ling Buyi anymore. What shocked him was his daughter's chillingly passive mindset.
Dizzy with disbelief, Cheng Shi instinctively reached for his wife's hand. Only when he grasped it did he realize how terrifyingly cold her fingers were—like those of a corpse.
"Fine. You and A Yao live well together. Your father and I won't say another word." Madam Xiao's face was deathly pale, her breath trembling, yet her tone remained gentle. "May you two love each other for a lifetime, without any hardships."
Her final words sounded almost like a prayer.
Author's Note: May I ask two favors of everyone?
I write light fiction in my spare time—that's all. You don't need to have been abandoned to write about abandoned wives. You don't need divorced parents to understand children from single-parent homes. We live in an information-rich society. Even without research, there's neighborhood gossip and a vast network of friends and classmates.
The stories I write have no connection to my personal experiences. My previous book suffered greatly from this kind of speculation—people claimed I must have been abandoned to write certain scenes, or that I must have been rejected by some crush to write other scenes.
It's utterly ridiculous.
If anyone continues using my stories to diagnose my personal life, I'll have no choice but to assume malicious intent.
Finally, I'm wondering if I should make the font size of "cliché Mary Sue" in the synopsis even larger so no one misses it. The female lead of this story won't establish military systems to overthrow dynasties, won't rally masses with impassioned speeches, and won't create any world-changing innovations—at most, she'll boost her family's productivity and improve some tools.
This is simply about her life—love, friendship, family, adversity and prosperity. That's all.
OpenNovel