He had only spoken a few words when a sharp pain surged in his chest, followed by several bouts of coughing that aggravated his wound. Jun Daiti, standing nearby, anxiously said, "Don't speak anymore. Just lie down quietly."
Yu Changxuan suppressed his cough and said to Jun Daiti, "Thank you." His elder sister-in-law Minru stepped forward, pulling Daiti closer to Yu Changxuan, and said with a smile, "If you want to thank her, there's much more to thank our sister Daiti for. She has been taking care of you day and night, hardly even undressing or leaving your side."
Jin Xuan also smiled gently and added, "That's right. It pains me to see how devoted sister Daiti has been. While you were unconscious, I saw her sitting by your bed several times, watching you with tears in her eyes."
Yu Changxuan glanced at Jun Daiti and smiled again. "Then I'll thank you once more. When I can stand again, I'll bow to you in gratitude."
Jun Daiti's face flushed crimson, and she lowered her head. Hearing his words, she looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears. After a moment, she choked out, "I don't want your thanks. I just hope... I just hope you won't be like this again in the future..." Her words caught in her throat, and tears fell one after another. Seeing her like this, Yu Changxuan fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'll remember."
Minru gave Daiti a gentle push and laughed, "Don't cry, sister Daiti. The way you've treated our Fifth Master truly embodies the phrase 'deep affection and profound devotion.' If he ever dares to bully you like before, we won't stand for it."
Yu Changxuan nodded slightly and smiled. "After narrowly escaping death and wandering at the gates of hell, how could I dare to be as reckless and foolish as before?"
Jun Daiti said, "You've just woken up. Why talk about such things? Hurry up and take your medicine." Jin Xuan chimed in, "Ah, sister Daiti is so thoughtful. Yes, yes, take the medicine first." With that, everyone busied themselves—some fetching medicine, others water. Soon, footsteps and distant voices could be heard outside the room; Madam Yu had arrived.
Yu Changxuan had been bedridden for over half a month. Thanks to his robust constitution, the careful nursing at the official residence, and Jun Daiti's daily, meticulous care, everyone in the household—masters and servants alike—could clearly see that the relationship between Fifth Master and Miss Jun was growing increasingly close. Before long, rumors of an engagement began to circulate. When Minru found out, she dragged the gossipy old woman who had spread the rumors into the main courtyard in broad daylight and reprimanded her severely, declaring that anyone who dared tarnish her cousin's reputation would face her wrath.
That morning, after Yu Changxuan had his dressing changed and his bandages wrapped, Madam Yu sat beside him, observing his improved complexion. After a moment of thought, she smiled softly and said, "Daiti, this child, I see her becoming more and more admirable."Yu Changxuan said to Madam Yu with a smile, "I think it's a good idea too. Why don't you take her as your goddaughter?" Madam Yu immediately laughed, "Don't I have enough daughters already? Why would I go out of my way to adopt another one? Even though I like this child, I don't need to make her my goddaughter. Wouldn't it be better if I let her become my daughter-in-law?"
Yu Changxuan fell silent. Seeing his expression, Madam Yu understood what was on his mind and sighed softly, "Changxuan, I'm truly afraid you'll get stuck in this stubborn mindset. To put it bluntly, when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out—gone is gone. Why must you dwell on it like this? Do you really want to torment yourself for a lifetime?"
Yu Changxuan turned his head away. The floor was covered with a purple velvet cloud dragon carpet, its pattern seeming to ripple outward in circles. His military uniform hung on a foreign cloud-shaped hanger nearby, the golden collar insignia gleaming so brightly under the sunlight it hurt to look. By the window, a beautifully potted white jade hairpin flower stood on a carved rosewood shelf, swaying gently in the breeze. A delicate hosta flower petal, blown by the wind, drifted down and settled softly into the soil of the pot.
The window was open, and the sound of Ze Ning reciting lessons with his classical studies teacher drifted in and out, clear and distinct: "Who remembers the west wind chilling alone, / Desolate yellow leaves shutting the sparse window, / Standing in the slanting sun lost in thoughts of the past. / Don't be startled from spring slumber by wine, / Betting on books, the fragrance of spilled tea— / Back then, we thought it was all so ordinary."
A sharp pain struck his chest, his vision darkened, and he could barely catch his breath. A look of profound sorrow surfaced in his dark eyes. After a long moment, he finally parted his lips and murmured softly, "Back then, we thought it was all so ordinary..."
She left in March.
He still remembered—the pear blossoms hadn't yet fallen then, filling the entire courtyard. She sat by the window near the pear trees, mending his shirt for him, her head slightly bowed, revealing a pale, graceful neck. A few strands of soft black hair lay scattered against her skin, and her focused profile was as exquisitely beautiful as carved jade, glowing with a warm halo under the lamplight. He sat nearby watching her, their shadows cast together on the wall, a perfect pair. Outside the window, pear blossoms lay like frost covering the ground. When she finished mending, she looked up, nodded at him, and gave a gentle, tender smile, whispering, "Let me embroider a pear blossom on it for you."
Threading love through the needle, stitching memories into pear blossoms—back then, we thought it was all so ordinary.
Now, thinking back, his heart ached so fiercely it felt as if his entire being had been hollowed out, weightless and adrift. It was as if he had lived one lifetime and died another, exhausting all his emotions and energy, leaving him with no courage to hope for anything ever again.
Madam Yu, standing beside him, noticed his face growing increasingly pale and sighed softly. "Changxuan, look at Dai Ti—she takes such devoted care of you, even disregarding her own reputation. You mustn't let her down..."
Yu Changxuan's eyes were hazy and distant. Suddenly, he whispered, "Enough."Madam Yu was taken aback, unsure what he meant by "forget it," when she heard a maid's voice at the door saying, "Miss Jun, why are you standing here without coming in?" Madam Yu quickly stood up and called toward the door, "Dai Ti."
Jun Daiti walked in, holding a walnut wood tray with a rough floral pattern. On it were a white porcelain cup and several pills, all prescribed by the British doctor to be taken on time. Seeing this, Madam Yu said, "Let Dai Ti feed you the medicine first. We can discuss other matters later."
After Madam Yu left, Jun Daiti brought the tray over, first handing the medicine to Yu Changxuan. Once he had taken the pills, she promptly offered him the water. She waited until he finished drinking before taking the cup back, but she remained silent, sitting quietly with her head slightly lowered.
Her breathing grew slightly heavier, as if she were sobbing, and tears fell with a soft "plop" onto her lap, quickly soaking into the sapphire blue silk of her cheongsam. Choking back tears, she said, "Yu Changxuan, I’ve done so much for you, loved you, remembered you—isn’t that enough?"
Jun Daiti lifted her head, her face already streaked with tears.
Yu Changxuan looked at her. She was wearing a sapphire blue silk burnout velvet short-sleeved cheongsam, revealing her pale arms. On her wrist was a white jade bracelet with a rope pattern, and the cheongsam was fastened with pipa buttons. One of the buttons had a handkerchief tied to it. He remembered how she used to tuck her handkerchief into the bracelet around her wrist, winding it once around. Now, the bracelet hung loosely on her wrist, a clear sign of how much weight she had lost.
Listening to her sobs, he remained silent for a long moment before finally murmuring, "Enough, it’s more than enough. How could I ever let you down again, when you’ve shown me such deep affection?"
In July, all the hosta flowers in the Small Mansion were in full bloom. Pingjun lay in bed, drowsily opening her eyes to see the afternoon sunlight streaming through the Western-style curtains, casting thin beams of light onto the carpet. Faintly, she could see dust particles dancing in the air. Ruixiang sat beside her, intently weaving a flower basket, her nimble fingers playing with scattered white petals. The flowers shimmered brightly, evoking a memory of blooming pear trees somewhere in her mind.
Her lips moved silently a few times. Noticing this, Ruixiang leaned in and asked softly, "Miss Ye, how are you feeling? Are you burning up?"
Pingjun felt too heavy to speak. Just then, the door creaked open. Ruixiang turned to see Fuma from the Small Mansion enter. "So you’re hiding here," Fuma said. "I’ve been feeling uneasy—like something’s about to happen."
Ruixiang replied, "What could possibly happen? You’re just missing your son again, knowing he’s with the Northwestern Army."
Fuma paused, lowering her voice. "Yesterday, when I went to deliver tea, I saw Dean Jiang burning something in the study—looked like documents. Mr. Jiang’s face these days... it’s awful. I’ve heard people outside say that the Yuzhou Government is about to be overthrown by the Jinling Government."Ruixiang said, "What do you know? That's not called collapse, it's called convergence." Fuma nodded slightly, "Whether it's collapse or convergence, as long as there's no fighting, it's fine. How is this one doing?" Ruixiang glanced at Pingjun sleeping by the bed and chuckled, "She's due in about four months."
As they were talking, Pingjun let out a soft moan. Ruixiang quickly stood up and said, "Miss Ye, have some water."
Fuma hurried to pour a glass of water. Ruixiang helped Pingjun sit up and had just fed her a sip when a clamor of footsteps echoed from outside. The door was suddenly slammed open with a bang. Ruixiang's hand trembled in fright as she turned her head in alarm, only to see Tao Zixuan and Tao Yayi, the two sisters, standing fiercely at the doorway. Ruixiang felt her soul flee her body in an instant, "Madam Jiang!"
Tao Ziyi's gaze fixed on Ye Pingjun's face, and in the blink of an eye, her willow-like eyebrows shot up in anger. She hurled the handbag in her hand at Pingjun and roared furiously, "You wretched woman, how dare you seduce my husband? I'll have your life!"
By the afternoon, within the vermilion flower-brick gate pillars, hibiscus flowers bloomed vibrantly. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches, casting swaying floral shadows across the ground. On the cobblestone path, a disorderly rush of footsteps approached. The sentry at the entrance shouted, "Who goes there?!" Only to be met with a sharp "thwack" as someone punched him squarely in the face. The last thing heard was the terrified voice of the struck sentry, "Dean Jiang!"
The group passed the sentry post and headed straight for the main hall. This was Tao Yayi's private residence in Yuzhou, which usually saw very few visitors. The sudden commotion was a first. Zhou Zhenghai led a group of guards escorting Jiang Xueting into the hall, where the Tao sisters were seated on the sofa. The moment Tao Ziyi saw Jiang Xueting enter, she sprang up from the sofa. Her eyes were swollen and red as she glared at Jiang Xueting, gnashing her teeth, "Jiang Xueting!"
Jiang Xueting's gaze was as if he wanted to devour someone, "What have you done to her?"
Tao Ziyi flew into a rage at these words, shouting furiously, "What do you mean, what have I done to her? A vixen like her—even if I killed her, what could you possibly do to me?!"
Jiang Xueting's face instantly turned icy cold, his teeth grinding audibly, "You killed her?!"
Seeing the situation escalate, Tao Yayi grew uneasy and hurriedly grabbed Tao Ziyi, pleading repeatedly, "Sister, don't say things in anger. You're husband and wife; anything can be discussed calmly. There's no need to glare at each other over an outsider. Xueting, you too—"
Jiang Xueting pointed a finger at Tao Yayi, his expression terrifying, "You shut your mouth!"
Tao Yayi froze stiffly on the spot. Tao Ziyi, tears welling in her eyes, snatched a cushion from the sofa and flung it at Jiang Xueting, weeping bitterly as she cursed, "Jiang Xueting, you ungrateful dog! Tell me, whose child is she carrying? How dare you let her have your child! All these years you've been deceiving me—don't think I don't know it. All these years, you've been lying to me!"
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