“Come, eat some more fruit.”
Madam Shi reached out to grab the plate with four plums and pushed it in front of Ling Miaomiao, sending a beaming smile her way. Her voice was very sweet and seemed extraordinarily warm.
The plums were both plump, large and round. There was even some frost on the ink-black skin of the fruit. The entirety of the table was full of plates, there were black grapes, honey peaches and scarlet persimmons. They all looked incredibly fresh and there wasn’t a single scar or blemish to be found.
The cyan glaze on the teacups was extremely shiny. Bamboo leaves were drawn on the cups and the tea contained inside was clear. The tea leaves were plump and the dense fragrance of tea wafted into the air. All in all, everything, compared to Taicang County, wasn’t lacking at all.
On the way here, the lead protagonists all secretly exclaimed to themselves. Li Zhun and his family had moved to the abandoned village Jingyang Slope, and had spent great effort to reform and rebuild the place. Only a bare modicum of the prior decline could be seen. Many small houses and residences dotted the green hills and clear waters. It was rare for outsiders to come and the whole place smelled greatly of a place of seclusion.
Li Zhun’s home was built in the style of Jiangnan: White walls and black roof tiles. In stark contrast, there was a dense forest behind the house, giving it a heavy sense of elegance. They slowly walked up to the house, and upon opening the door, birds perched in the courtyard were startled, chirping as they flew into the sky. Then, the strong fragrance of flowers came billowing into their faces. Roses, hibiscus and crab apples. Red and pink, splendid colors of flowers with bees and butterflies lingering about. Once the young boy inside watering the plants saw them entering, he shyly dropped the pot he was carrying and ran into the rooms. The vapour in the air of the flower bed was thick enough to leave a seven-colored halo in the air.
Light streamed in through the short windows and through the motley of towering trees to shine upon the limestone bricks in the courtyard, many shapes and sizes of rays lighting up the bricks.
The air filled with the fragrance of flowers and birdsong; servants ready to serve at a call. Living like this was what one could truly consider to be a fulfilling life.
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Fbl bye sdzu prsjld y pkdtzl osae clqsal vbl rlya pbsole wr kd bkp bydep.
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Mu Sheng’s watery black irises drifted over to her and then stared at the pear. He pursed his lips, probably angry again.
“You’re really amazing, you can even carve pears.” Ling Miaomiao squinted at his expression, smiling in a compromising way. She crunched down on the pear a few times, causing the juices to burst out. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “So sweet!”
She habitually licked her lips, causing her lips to glisten brightly. Mu Sheng stared for a moment before turning around to look outside the window.
Madam Shi laughed without restraint, passing a handkerchief over. She was just like a warm and intimate big sister from next door, her eyes filled with loving care, “There are still persimmons, we planted them ourselves and they’re also very sweet.”
Li Zhun sat in the seat of honor, with both hands cupping his face, just like a child. He stared, engrossed with Madam Shi’s round face and her smiling face, to the point that he completely ignored his guests.
Liu Fuyi and Mu Yao could both see a deep-seated love within his eyes, and both of them turned to look at each other in a flabbergasted manner.
That’s right. Li Zhun’s love towards his wife was so great even outsiders could see it in a single glance. Wherever he went, he had to bring Madam Shi along with. If the two of them weren’t linked hands together, they were at least shoulder to shoulder. No matter how many countless times they crossed the door frame together, he would have to hold his wife’s arm and exhort, “Slowly, be careful.”
From beginning to the end, the gaze with which he used to stare at her was akin to the passionate first love a youngster would have. It was filled with curiosity and an endless amount of longing.
Li Zhun was a promising merchant and hence, was naturally very wealthy. He was also born free and outstanding. However, he didn’t have a single mistress outside, all his love was lavished onto pampering Madam Shi. This Madam Shi person wasn’t really any sort of gifted or amazing character. Even her appearance was slightly strange. In comparison, any of the servant girls here were more pleasing to the eye than her…
When Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi glanced at one another, their eyes also conveyed a great sense of doubt and countless conjectures floated through their minds.
“Brother Li, might I ask when you moved over to Jingyang Slope?” Liu Fuyi sipped his tea and interrupted Li Zhun’s intense gaze.
”Oh, Brother Liu. You don’t need to be so courteous.” Li Zhun returned to his senses and smiled slightly, “Four years ago, my daughter was deeply sick and I nearly had to sell off my entire house in order to return her to health, fortunately, I met Madam Shi.
In the end, they still managed to return the topic to Madam Shi. Li Zhun was starry-eyed, twinkling bright as they shone with warmth while watching her. “Not only is she a brilliant doctor at healing my daughter’s illness, she also suggested we move here in order to help my daughter recuperate. The next spring that came around, we moved here.”
The main leads all fell into a moment of silence.
Mu Yao’s complexion became complex, “I really can’t see it at all. Madam, you’re also a doctor?”
Although the scenery and air at Jingyang Slope was admittedly very wonderful, this was also once a place where a plague had broken out at. Thousands of people had died and the village had been abandoned long ago. Villagers outside could sometimes hear the wind sounding like the language of devils. The yin aura here had been extremely dense here, and even those out foraging for firewood would habitually avoid this place.
What kind of decent citizen would suggest bringing a sick person to this kind of place to nourish their body?
Madam Shi was startled, lowering her head somewhat in embarrassment as she smiled, “I don’t dare call myself a doctor.”
Fuyi nodded, then asked, “Brother Li, you have a daughter?”
Just a few moments ago, it seemed like nearly everyone had come out to welcome them, yet they didn’t see anyone that seemed like they could be his daughter. They had thought Li Zhun and Madam Shi were childless at first.
”That’s right, my daughter’s name is Chuchu. She took my first wife’s maiden name: Fang, as her last name.” Upon bringing up his daughter, a loving smile filled up Li Zhun’s, even his tone grew a few tones warmer, “She’s only five years old.”
Before he finished speaking, a wet nurse clothed in brown robes walked in carrying a young child with a steamed bun for hair. He joyously gestured over, “Look, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears.” 1 [1] Caocao is…. A dude. Lol. Basically Cao Cao was this super infamous person that many people were afraid of during the Three Kingdom’s time period. A warlord, poet, statesman and king. This is basically the Chinese equivalent of speak of the devil and the devil appears.
He stood up and walked over to the side of the wet nurse. Caressing the small face of his daughter as he booped her little nose, teasing her as he spoke, “Isn’t that right, Chuchu?”
The little girl’s hair was still a little unruly, some of the hair ends curling up and sticking onto her forehead. Her delicate face was adorned with a pair of spirited dark pupils. Her nose was small and petite. If one were to ignore the slight amount of purple on her lips, she would look exactly like a brittle porcelain doll.
Chuchu was somewhat afraid of the strangers but looking at her father’s fingers, a faint smile appeared on her face. However, upon looking back at the people sitting in the hall, she shyly buried her head back into the arms of the wet nurse.
Seeing such a cute little girl, they knew for sure that Madam Shi was the stepmother. In addition, Li Zhun’s first wife, Madam Fang, was definitely a great beauty.
The father and daughter had the same kind of attractiveness. It was increasingly obvious they both had large oval faces and Madam Shi’s eyes that were a little too far apart from one another, looked very different from the young child’s.
However, it was unexpected that the three of them were so intimately close. Once the wet nurse opened her arms, Chuchu took the initiative to stretch out her arms to leap into Madam Shi’s embrace. She sat obediently on her knee, playing with the golden threaded buttons on her collar with great concentration.
“Today, the young miss was very obedient, she drank two bowls of medicine without crying or making a fuss.” The wet nurse’s face was joyful as she reported.
Suddenly hearing her own name being called, Chuchu stuck her face deeper into Madam Shi’s chest. She reached out with her long fingers and lovingly rubbed her back a few times. Her crisp and sweet voice was undulating with exaggeration as she nearly sang like a lark, “Is that true, you were this obedient?”
The little girl squirmed in her arms a few times, as if she was nodding her head, albeit somewhat embarrassed.
Li Zhun’s mood was ecstatic. He dismissed the wet nurse and sighed deeply, taking a sip of tea at the same time, “Brother Liu, you might not know but it’s already a great fortune to me for Chuchu to grow so big. Not to mention moving somewhere, even if it would cost me my family’s fortune, I would willingly endure it all.”
Liu Fuyi leaned forward slightly in deep concern, “Might I ask what kind of illness would require thousands of gold to cure?”
“Dyspnea. 2 [2] Dyspnea is the medical term for shortness of breath. There’s a wide divide between mild and extreme cases and in this case, it seems to be pretty extreme… Just like her mother.” Li Zhun looked over in pity at the still somewhat sparse hair on Chuchu’s head. A thread of sentiments flowing through his eyes, “My first wife, Madam Fang, also suffered greatly from this same illness. When she gave birth to Chuchu, misfortune struck and her illness relapsed, and so she died…”
“Between Madam Fang and I, there’s only this one line of blood left between us. I just want to take care of her and make sure she grows up safe and sound. Hopefully, Madam Fang’s spirit in heaven will be consoled.
Dyspnea. So it was a problem with the heart. It was carried over in the womb and inherited. No wonder that despite her young age, her lips were an unhealthy purple color.
Mu Yao felt amazed, “Even dyspnea can be healed…”
”Come here Chuchu, let’s go back and rest.” Suddenly, Madam Shi lifted up the girl who had already started dozing off and walked back into the rooms. She nodded back at the guests in the hall in apology, “You can’t say that she was healed, it’s just suppressed it somewhat. Chuchu’s body is weaker than other childrens. She needs to sleep more hours than most.”
Everyone nodded and sent her off with their eyes, her bright skirt slowly disappearing from their sight. For a period of time, they all pondered.
When Peiyun returned to the palace, she was all but forgotten. The rims of Princess Duanyang’s eyes were red as she faced the pillar, sulking.
“Princess….” She kneeled, carefully considering her words while picking up the broken pieces on the ground.
Clearly, the conversation between brother and sister didn’t end off on a good note.
”Are you also here at my Emperor Brother’s behest to convince me?” Duanyang turned around, face deeply depressed and distressed. “Do you also feel the same way as my Emperor Brother? That I should be married to one of those high nobles? Even if each and every one of them were just a useless sack of wine, only knowing to guzzle wine and food? All they want is power and to obtain the position as the Emperor’s brother-in-law.“
Peiyun’s actions at picking up the shattered pieces paused. She raised her head to look at Princess Duanyang, “Princess, you are the most precious girl in our country. You ought to be paired with the most outstanding person.”
Duanyang’s face sank, “You’re still standing on my Emperor Brother’s side…….”
“Princess.” Peiyun’s normally warm and gentle eyes suddenly flashed with a blazing light, “How one should determine the most outstanding man should be left to you, there’s no declaration from the heavens as to how they should be defined.”
She stood up, stepping closer to Duanyang. She placed both of her hands on her shoulders, “The one that you like. That’s the most outstanding one out of them all.”
Duanyang blankly stared into her eyes. Suddenly, she felt like the normally docile Peiyun had become different.
The rims of her eyes reddened, “I also feel the same. I should chase after my own happiness after all, right?
”That’s right, Princess.” Duanyang could see her own reflection in Peiyun’s amber eyes. “One’s life on this earth is only so short. You shouldn’t leave any regrets for yourself. If even you, our princess, cannot find your own happiness, how could the rest of us possibly do so?”
“Peiyun……” Duanyang felt riled up and her blood pumped. She reached out to hold Peiyun’s hand, feeling as if she had suddenly obtained a solid ally, “Then tell me, what should I do to make Brother Liu stay?”
Peiyun kneeled and looked at her with gentle eyes, “Your highness, isn’t your opponent just the fact that Taoist Lui drifts abouts? As long as you can make him no longer drift about and no longer stay a Taoist; Couldn’t you keep him by your side forever?”
TLN: Whew I’ve been so tired when I get home everyday that I just pass out on my bed haha. Also, they just started allowing people to go back to the offices today…. we’ll see how long that lasts lol. Anyways, hope y’all people enjoy, stay safe, eat healthy and don’t harm thyselves! (Also work out ok? Some light workout to keep your energy levels higher…. lol >.>)
Thank you for the chapter ❤️❤️based on this chapter I wonder does madam shi uses some kind of charming magic? Hmmmm… Well lets’s wait and see.. 🤔
Thank you for the update! Princess duanyang is a piece of work. I can’t wait till she gets what she deserves and I really hope peiyins plan fails and nothing bad happens to our leads!
Princess, if you like Fuyi so much, how about letting go of your title and go after him instead of thinking about how to make him stay? She wants a life of leisure and also the man of her dreams (even if he must stop doing what makes him her dream man to be with her). Peiyun was bewitched? Poor thing, her troubles never ends. Now, let’s talk about rabbits! OMG, Ziqi your sweet pampering is showing! My heart can’t take it!!
Miaomiao and Ziqi are so cute~ This arc is definitely sweeter and a bit more troublesome huh… Hope nothing too terrible happens!! (I have given up on asking for their safety) Thank you for the chapter!!
Ah I can’t tell if Madam Shi is a good person or not, at first she seemed suspicious, and then I felt like she was really kind, and now I’m suspicious again.
“As long as you take from him his lifestyle, his values, and all he holds dear, couldn’t you keep him by your side forever?”