Chapter 100: Return ◇

◎ That woman gave him more than anyone else ◇

Time seemed to freeze for an instant—

The air suddenly felt deprived of oxygen.

The man's starry eyes were like an ocean, profound yet gentle, as if they embraced countless rivers. A veil of mist hovered above that deep sea, obscuring the nature of the waves that churned within.

Yu Lian blinked, and blinked again.

A moment of bewilderment and shock ultimately transformed into an overwhelming joy that bordered on disbelief. She lifted her head, her beautiful eyes, now tinged with a rosy glow, meeting his gaze for an instant. A single tear slowly trickled down the corner of her eye.

Immediately afterwards, a succession of tears rolled down her cheeks in quick succession.

Her eyes were exquisitely beautiful when she wept; whereas others might bawl uncontrollably, their snot and tears mingling in an unseemly display, she was different. She gazed at him with a poignant fixation, her lashes unblinking as her tears seemed to fall in orderly succession, as if tamed by the depths of her emotions, each drop following the next, in a continuous, gentle flow.

The man suddenly felt an intense constriction in his heart. He recalled the day he returned home after being rescued from the execution road, seeing her tearful eyes as she burned the memorial essay she had written by hand in front of his makeshift altar.

Four years were sufficient to transform everything. Four years could overturn mountains and rivers, change the ruler of the world, and settle the deep-seated vendetta from his previous life.

But her eyes remained unchanged, identical to how they were then.

They were exquisitely beautiful.

His gaze darkened further as he gazed down at her in silence. After a moment, a barely audible sigh escaped his lips, so soft that no one else could perceive the gradual softening of his heart.

Yet, Yu Lian heard it.

Her emotions seemed to break free all at once. As the man's large hand, cool at the fingertips yet warm at the palm, brushed against her cheek and gently wiped away her tears, she abruptly threw herself into his embrace.

She wept loudly.

Hua Ji's body froze, allowing her to release the pent-up emotions of the past few years within his arms. He let her tears, filled with grievances, fear, and joy, soak his chest, gradually staining his heart with an unfamiliar hue.

His entire body tensed up, and his large hand, hanging limply by his side, involuntarily rose, his fingers curling slightly. This was the first time that the woman in his memory had come this close to him. Whether it was their divergent paths in the previous life or the unexpected turn in this one, they had only met once – when she visited him in prison after his arrest, mocking and humiliating him through the bars of the gate, cursing him for not dying and for implicating others.

He said nothing, allowing her to vent her madness until she eventually left.

Later, her words spoken in the prison spread, and the emperor achieved his wish of humiliating him once more through her...

At this thought, the hand that had been raised to comfort her lingered in the air before falling back down, clenched tightly.

She was still weeping. When she had cried enough, she lifted her head, looking at him with a pitiful expression. "Why did you only come now..." Her voice held a tinge of accusation, her nose congested, evoking sympathy from others.

Everyone present, including the elderly matriarch who had just emerged from the house, staring in disbelief and overwhelming joy as her grandson/son miraculously reappeared before her, and Mrs. Chen, could not help but feel a deep sense of heartache amidst their astonishment and delight.

Poor Lian'er... Lian'er has suffered too much.

Upon hearing the commotion, the two hurried out, only to witness Lian'er collapsing into Hua'er's arms, weeping uncontrollably like a tiny, teary figure.

Despite their overwhelming disbelief and joy, they dared not take a single step forward or even call out, for fear of disrupting this tender reunion between the long-lost lovers.

They understood that at this very moment, the only one entitled to express her emotions fully was their granddaughter-in-law/daughter-in-law. She had endured far too much, bearing the agony of losing her beloved, severing ties with her family, and relocating to the countryside with them. She had to find ways to provide for the family, to push away thoughts of him, and to simply survive, all while suppressing an unimaginable amount of pain and profound love. No one could truly empathize; only she knew the depths of her suffering.

As her elder relatives, they could only grasp bits and pieces of her ordeal, offering her extra affection and support to bring her some happiness and contentment, but they could never shoulder her burden for her.

The small courtyard of the Hua family was encircled by soldiers clad in golden armor, their stern expressions and raised spears forbidding anyone from approaching. The villagers gathered at a distance, hesitant to come closer, yet filled with concern for the Mu family, fearing the worst.

In the small courtyard, Mrs. Chen, the elder matron, and Concubine Mei stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching with joy and concern from afar. The twins and Little Guo'er were held back and had their mouths covered so they wouldn't rush over and disturb their eldest brother and sister-in-law.

Mrs. Chen was even kneeling on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

"Why did you only appear now..." This sentence was repeated, this time with more emphasis. She reached out, her hand trembling as it brushed against his handsome face. With her icy cold fingertips, she traced the contours of his features - his high nose bridge, full forehead... even gently caressing his thin lips.

She quickly pulled her hand back, her cheeks blushing. Lowering her gaze, she whispered to herself, "Have you come to take me away?"

"I thought you had reincarnated and would never see me again, otherwise, why would you delay appearing before me..."

"I thought day and night, whenever I had a moment to spare, about you. What could be holding you back, preventing you from showing up, even in my dreams? But even in my dreams, you were heartless, unwilling to spare me a bit of affection."

"On some unknown day, I had a dream where someone called your name. I ran with all my might, hoping to catch up and see if it was really you. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach you. When I woke up, I realized it was just a dream."

She smiled softly, her reddened eyes clear as a spring, exuding a stunning beauty.

All her grievances turned into boundless love and devotion.

With a hint of bashfulness and immense happiness, she revealed a gentle smile, "My husband, you have finally decided to show yourself!"

Lost in thought, she resembled an innocent maiden with eyes only for her beloved, "Where are you taking me?" Her smile was pure, her eyes filled with trust as she declared proudly, "Whatever place my husband chooses must be wonderful. Anywhere with you is good."

As if fearing he might leave without her, she began to recount her accomplishments from the past few years, seeking his recognition and reassurance, "Lian'er has worked hard. Grandmother is in good health, Father has recovered, Mother has become much stronger. Second Brother, Third Brother, and Guo'er have been obedient and well-behaved, never causing trouble. In these years, I've accumulated some wealth that should sustain them..."

Finished speaking, she suddenly grew weak, collapsing into his arms. Before losing consciousness, Hua Ji heard her soft, almost whispered plea, "My husband, please don't abandon me again..."

The words were so faint that if she hadn't been in his embrace, or if he weren't a martial artist with heightened senses since childhood, he wouldn't have caught them.

Reacting swiftly, the man's hand, which had been supporting her waist, firmly embraced her before she fully fell. He then swiftly scooped her up horizontally and carried her towards the house.

Striding past his grandmother and mother, he climbed the steps, passed through the main hall, and ventured into the backyard. Relying on the meticulous descriptions in Zhu Ying's frequent letters, he precisely located Yu Lian's chamber and gently laid her on the bed.

This entire process took no more than a dozen breaths of time. As he rose to his feet, he found his robe gripped tightly by her delicate fingers. With no choice, he sat back down at the head of the bed.

The elderly lady and Mrs. Chen were beside themselves with worry, rushing in behind him. They barely had time to embrace their resurrected grandson/son in tearful joy before they anxiously asked, "How is Lian'er? What happened to her? Why did she suddenly faint? Was she frightened?"

Hua Ji lowered his gaze to the hand still clutching his robe, then shifted his eyes to her closed eyelids, casting an enchanting shadow. Her small face was extremely pale.

Clearing his throat, he spoke after a moment, responding to his grandmother's anxious inquiry, "It seems she's in a trance."

Upon seeing him return, her first reaction wasn't fear nor the expected joy of reclaiming what was lost. Her ecstatic delight resembled the joy one would feel upon discovering their beloved in a dream.

She said, "You've finally appeared," instead of, "You're back."

Her aggrieved complaint that he hadn't appeared in her dreams revealed her belief that this was all a dream. She thought her husband had finally come to her in her slumber and pleaded for him not to abandon her again. She even imagined he was there to take her away.

Where to?

She was ready to face death alongside him without fear, filled with boundless joy. Terrified that he might leave her once more, never to return.

She enumerated her accomplishments over the years, wanting to reassure him that she had taken good care of her grandmother, parents, and siblings. Therefore, he could now take her away without worry, for she had fulfilled her promise to him and had not betrayed her deep affection.

But what about him? What right did he have? Could he repay her in any way?

Contemplating this, the man's large hand on his knee clenched tighter, as if an invisible force was gripping his heart, causing it to ache, suffocating him with pain!

All his preconceived notions, every suspicion, shattered at the moment of reunion.

Her varied reactions, those tearful eyes, her weak yet persistent plea... all mocked his narrow-mindedness, his cold-heartedness!

It was utterly humiliating.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the man steeled himself and gently caressed her face with his large hand. He patted the back of her hand that was gripping his robe and, with a mix of coaxing and force, pulled it away from him.

He turned around and knelt on the ground, facing his elderly grandmother and frail mother. "Hua'er has been un filial. I concealed my fake death four years ago, causing worry for Grandmother and Mother. Now, my heart is at ease, my great revenge is avenged, and I have returned to bring you both back to the capital."

The old lady looked at her beloved grandson, who had always been the pride and joy of her life, with tears in her eyes. Mrs. Chen couldn't control her tears and sobs. The two women helped Hua Ji up, calling him by his childhood nicknames—his grandmother called him Hua'er, while his mother called him Tongtong.

Wiping her eyes, the old lady said, "It's good that Tongtong is back. It's good that you're not dead. It doesn't matter if your grandmother and mother were sad, we'll get over it. We still have Xing'er, Yan'er, and Guo'er, as well as your father. But your wife, Lian'er, has nothing."

"She only has you."

"Over these years..."

With tears in her eyes, the old lady held her grandson's hand and talked incessantly about how difficult life had been for his wife these past years, expressing their deep guilt and gratitude towards her. Suddenly, she remembered something and puffed up with anger, asking, "What really happened back then? What exactly was going on? What great revenge? How could you be dead and alive at the same time? Why did those soldiers at the gate call Lian'er Empress?"

The words "She only has you" echoed in his ears, drowning out everything else. A sweetness, unnoticed before, slowly enveloped his heart. He had always known that his grandmother's Nine-Layer Cake was the sweetest and most delicious, but today, he realized that the woman had given him even more.

"Hua'er, Hua'er...?"

"Tongtong, what are you thinking about? Grandmother is speaking to you, have you heard?"

Flower Boy: Thinking about my wife, she makes everything sweet!

This mischievous Flower Boy isn't that easy to handle... Though he's currently in a bit of a predicament, hahaha.

The female lead has a weighty journey ahead. In the novel's description, there's a line, "After my husband pretended to be a zombie, I was forced to feign deep affection." This is indeed the main theme to come, hahaha.

Apologies, I had planned to update during the day today, but I was busy outside all day and didn't return home until late. Then, I struggled with writer's block until the wee hours of the night... Haha!

I have a delightful piece of news to share with you all. After a life of wandering and uncertainties, I have finally made the decision to settle into a temporary abode today. Though it is an old and worn nest, I am eager to breathe new life into it with my own hands. I have already envisioned the purchases I'll make and the transformations I intend to undertake. The mere thought of it brings immense joy to my heart.

This year has been another barren one in terms of material gain, yet it's been filled with joy and contentment. I've taken a slower pace, gaining new insights and perspectives on life. All the sharp edges seem to have smoothed out. It feels as though I'm gradually stepping out of a fixation and a confining circle. The future now holds endless possibilities. I would love to share with anyone, perhaps currently troubled, the secret to living without complaints: instead of expecting something from the outside world, ask yourself what you can do, what you can create. Shift your mindset, and all grievances, dissatisfaction, and sorrows will vanish.

Having resolved what I can personally contribute, without seeking fulfillment from external sources, I redirect all my expectations and hopes back onto myself. I rediscover the courage to give unconditionally and the spontaneous enthusiasm for life, the love for the world, and the patience and kindness towards others. With the abandonment of illusions and attachments, my life has become as clear as a mountain spring.

Above all, one must be happy! One must find joy! The greatest triumph lies in securing happiness for oneself! No external possession can surpass the satisfaction of self-contentment. Even without wealth, fame, status, or anything at all, an ordinary person can still achieve a joyful success!