Chapter 29: Lychee

Chapter 29: Lychee

The Zhoujin Garden was quite spacious, and its interior was exquisitely maintained.

The two Cui sisters, who had traveled to the capital from the provinces, were eager to explore further. However, Ying Shi wasn’t in the mood to accompany them, so she instructed Chun Lan to take the two girls around.

"Beyond the moon gate, there’s a flower garden with osmanthus trees. You’ve arrived just as they’re blooming," Ying Shi pointed to the back and said with a gentle smile.

Though their visit was unexpected, their manners were impeccable. They smiled and thanked her, calling her "sister-in-law."

The Cui sisters didn’t linger in the garden for long before they hurried back to the pavilion to cool off due to the summer heat.

As pampered young ladies, how could they bear the heat?

Ying Shi and Xiao Qiongyu sat quietly in the pavilion, chatting. Before they could engage with the two girls, someone from the front courtyard came to fetch them.

"Second Madam, Third Madam, and the two young ladies, the Old Madam has sent me to invite you all to the main hall for a family banquet tonight."

When she heard it was a family banquet and the Old Madam had sent for them, Ying Shi knew she couldn’t refuse today.

The family banquet was a formal occasion, and her casual outfit wouldn’t do.

Ying Shi hurried back to her courtyard, saying to them, "I’ll change my clothes and be right back."

When she returned to her room, Gui Niang and Xiang Yao rushed to help her change and fix her hair. Chun Lan, who’d been sent away earlier, returned and whispered, "Madam, the Cui sisters were quite disrespectful earlier."

Ying Shi turned her head to look at Chun Lan.

Chun Lan said, "Earlier, they sent me away to fetch an umbrella for shade. When I came back, I happened to overhear them whispering in the stone cave. They said you live alone in this huge garden with barely any maids. They called you extravagant and accused Madame Wei of wasting the master’s resources."

Ying Shi was nearly speechless with anger. Once she calmed down, she wasn’t too upset and just said, "Hmph, these words should be passed on to Madame Wei. She would probably be even angrier than me."

Gui Niang, however, was quite worried: "These Cui sisters are so young, yet they’re already scheming? They’re not even part of the Liang family yet, and they’re already calculating how much the other wives and masters have received. They act like everything belongs to them! How shameless!"

Ying Shi, however, was calm and unhurried: "Don’t worry, if we can see through them, the Old Madam certainly can. The Old Madam would likely disapprove of them as the eldest master’s wife."

Chun Lan felt a bit better upon hearing this, but she couldn’t help but add: "I just hope the future eldest madam is kind and approachable. Otherwise, when she takes charge in the future, and we see each other every day, it would be so suffocating."

Ying Shi was lost in her own thoughts for a moment—the Liang family hadn’t even hinted at arranging a marriage for Liang Yun, but many families from inside and outside the capital had already caught wind of it. Noble families in the capital and wealthy clans from the provinces would probably all come to visit on the Old Madam’s birthday.

It’s really no wonder.

The Liang family is different from other families. Marrying Liang Yun means becoming the Duchess overnight, bypassing the struggles other wives face.

How young is Liang Yun? He is already in a high position, serving as the Acting Left Prime Minister, the Vice Chancellor, and the Duke Mu. Any one of these titles is impressive.

To put it this way, those who are higher in rank and power are all old men, and those who are more handsome—no, Ying Shi doesn’t think she has ever seen a man more handsome than Liang Yun.

His appearance is impeccable, and his inner court is unusually clean.

There are many men in the world who do not take concubines, but most of them are peddlers, laborers, or ordinary people who can barely support themselves. How could they have the ability to take concubines?

But a man like Liang Yun, who is in a high position and not fond of beauty, is extremely rare.

It’s only natural that women would flock to him.

The strange thing is, what exactly is Liang Yun thinking? In his previous life, he never married. What about this life? There shouldn’t be any changes, right...

It wasn’t until the maid outside called her that Ying Shi snapped out of her thoughts.

She didn’t dare delay any longer and went out to meet the guests, as appearing too plain and reserved would be both undignified and out of place.

Ying Shi had Chun Lan redo her hair into a casual cloud bun, changed into a light cyan dress, and put on a pair of warm pearl earrings. She also pinned a purple silk flower and two pearl hairpins at her temples before following Xiao Qiongyu, leading the two young ladies to the main hall in the front courtyard.

...

Sunlight filtered through the tree branches, casting dappled shadows that swayed gently in the warm breeze.

The sound of cicadas outside the latticed windows mingled with the chatter of the women in the hall, making the afternoon feel tranquil and drawn-out.

As Ying Shi entered with the others, she saw the elderly lady talking with her maternal relatives in the main hall, with Madame Wei and Lady Xiao seated on either side of her.

To the left of the elderly lady sat a slightly younger woman, her sister-in-law from Boling, the elderly lady of the Cui family.

Standing behind the Cui elderly lady was likely her daughter-in-law.

Ying Shi kept her eyes down, initially worried about being interrogated by others.

However, the Cui elderly lady was engrossed in conversation with the elderly lady and didn’t glance at her, while the other ladies also didn’t speak to the younger generation, only discussing matters with Madame Wei and Lady Xiao.

They talked about whose daughter had married into which family, whose son had taken up what official post, whose daughter had a harmonious marriage, and how many children they had...

The elderly lady and her sister-in-law reminisced about their hometown, which they hadn’t seen in many years. At one point, the elderly lady sighed deeply, "It’s been over forty years since I married. I haven’t returned since my parents passed away... It’s hard on you, being only a few years younger than me, to travel all this way to celebrate my birthday."

Forty years, and she hadn’t returned once.

First, it was because the children were young, then her husband passed away, and she couldn’t leave. Later, her child died, and her grandchildren were still young, so the household couldn’t manage without her.

Now... now she finally had the time, but her body was no longer up to it. Her eyes were dim, her hearing was poor, and she could no longer endure long journeys.

Even if she did return to her hometown, she feared she would find no trace of her childhood.

Her parents, sisters, brothers... they had all passed away long ago. The old were gone, the estate had been renovated, and the nieces and grandnieces were all unfamiliar.

There was no hometown to return to.

The Cui elderly lady sighed, "Elder sister, you speak so distantly!" She then called her two granddaughters, who had accompanied her to the capital, to her side.

"Where have you been running off to? Young ladies about to be married shouldn’t get their skin tanned. Come sit by your grandmother and chat with your great-aunt, get to know each other better. Later, your cousin will also return, and we’ll all have a family dinner together."

The two young ladies quickly and obediently moved closer, calling out "Great-aunt" repeatedly, which even the usually stern elderly lady couldn’t help but smile at.

While the scene above was lively, Ying Shi and Xiao Qiongyu’s corner was somewhat quiet.

Ying Shi sat in a corner by the window, leaning against the incense table, drowsily listening to the conversations. Ying Shi had offended Madame Wei, who naturally wouldn’t let her stand nearby and get annoyed, nor would she speak a word to her, as if deliberately giving her the cold shoulder.

Ying Shi, however, was more than happy with this arrangement.

As for Xiao Qiongyu, she was much busier than Ying Shi, running around without a moment of rest. One moment she was called over by Lady Xiao to handle some matters, the next she was out looking for the kitchen staff to arrange the dishes for the family dinner.

Ying Shi, on the other hand, enjoyed her leisure. She sat alone for a while, while the elders above continued their intimate family talk. Maids filed in, carrying trays.

Ying Shi’s day-long gloom vanished when she saw the fruit served on the tall-footed plates.

On the sweet white porcelain pomegranate-patterned plates, a thick layer of ice was spread at the bottom, with peeled and pitted lychees arranged on top.

The sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the nearly translucent flesh of the lychees, and from afar, Ying Shi could already smell their unique sweet fragrance.

When her plate was placed on the incense table in front of her, Ying Shi carefully counted the lychees—there were exactly seven.

Noticing that the others were engaged in conversation, she picked the largest lychee and put it into her mouth.

She savored the cool, refreshing taste as it melted in her mouth.

Even after all these years, Ying Shi held it in her mouth, hesitant to chew or swallow.

As a child, she had only seen lychees from the south once. She heard that a whole basket was sent, but many rotted en route, and only a few were left by the time they reached the Ruan residence.

If there were more, she might have gotten some, but with so few, naturally, there was none for her.

She had seen her cousins eat them and knew their appearance. She first tasted one in her previous life, after marrying into the Liang family, and only a couple of times during festivals.

She still remembered the first time she ate a lychee, making a fool of herself in front of Madame Wei...

At the time, she was so ashamed she couldn't lift her head, and for days, she feared others would laugh at her.

After Ying Shi finished the lychees with some refinement, she looked up to see Xiao Qiongyu had returned, watching her devour lychees while hers remained untouched.

Ying Shi dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief, curious: "Why aren't you eating, sister-in-law?"

Xiao Qiongyu had just come back, her temples damp with sweat. She smiled weakly and shook her head: "Lychees are too heaty; I shouldn't eat many."

Ying Shi blinked, thinking, 'My sister-in-law is truly disciplined. How can she resist such a treat? Heaty? I wouldn't care if it were a mountain of knives.'

The Liang residence was unusually lively today. The old lady didn't hold back the women, and they started serving wine even before the men returned from court.

The wine was light, mostly peach blossom, perfect for the women.

After finishing her last lychee, Ying Shi sipped the peach blossom wine, savoring it.

She sighed contentedly, her cheeks flushed from the wine. If in the past she had given the impression of being gentle and proper, today her demeanor was undeniably charming.

It left Xiao Qiongyu momentarily stunned.

The next moment, Xiao Qiongyu simply brought her own plate over to Ying Shi.

"I can't eat it. If you like it, you can have my portion."

Ying Shi was a bit slow to realize. She held her wine cup and looked at the untouched drink by Xiao Qiongyu's side, remembering that earlier in her courtyard, Xiao Qiongyu hadn't touched any tea either...

Couldn't eat heaty things, couldn't drink alcohol, couldn't drink tea...

Ying Shi's gaze lightly fell on Xiao Qiongyu's slender waist, and then it dawned on her.

"Sister-in-law, are you... pregnant?" Amid the noisy women above, Ying Shi whispered to her.

Xiao Qiongyu had originally wanted to keep it a secret, but faced with Ying Shi's direct question, she couldn't evade it and had to say: "It's still early. Madame and the old lady don't know yet. Sister-in-law, please don't tell anyone..."

Ying Shi was slightly surprised, but then she understood—Xiao Qiongyu had miscarried before. The last time she was pregnant, it was a highly anticipated event in the household, and everyone was overjoyed, almost ready to beat drums and gongs, but then she had a miscarriage.

It had left the old lady and the second branch's madams deeply disappointed and heartbroken.

She must be afraid of losing this one too, which is why she didn't dare to say anything.

Sure enough, before Ying Shi could speak, Xiao Qiongyu's eyes reddened as she explained: "Last time, I lost it after four months, even though everything seemed fine. This time, I'm not steady either, so I don't dare to say anything. I'll wait until after three months, when it's more stable..."

Ying Shi wasn't sure why Xiao Qiongyu kept miscarrying.

Perhaps it wasn't so easy to miscarry at first, but after so many times, it was said that even a sneeze could cause it?

Ah, if I were like her, I’d probably be lying in bed as soon as I found out I was pregnant. How could she still dare to move around?

In my past life, didn’t Xiao Qiongyu have a miscarriage shortly after I married into the Liang family? And it was a male fetus... Ying Shi’s expression darkened as she thought about it.

Counting the days, could it be the one in her belly now?

It was said that the second wife nearly cried herself blind and was so angry that she immediately demanded Liang Zhi take a concubine. She said something along the lines of, "It’s because you insisted on quarreling with my son that you lost a perfectly good grandson."

Ying Shi couldn’t quite recall clearly. At that time, as a widow, she rarely went out, and she wasn’t familiar with Xiao Qiongyu. Many details were forgotten, and she only heard about them from others.

She vaguely remembered bits and pieces, as if the cause of Xiao Qiongyu’s miscarriage was indeed a quarrel with Liang Zhi?

Why did they quarrel? To the point of causing a miscarriage?

Ying Shi looked at the girl, barely eighteen or nineteen, and sighed inwardly.

"Relax, the more you worry about such things, the worse it gets. No matter what, nothing is more important than the baby you’re carrying." Ying Shi tried to comfort Xiao Qiongyu in advance, hoping she would take her words to heart.

Although Xiao Qiongyu didn’t understand why she suddenly became so serious and spoke such deep words, she still nodded. "I know."

She spoke, her face glowing with the joy of a first-time mother, leaving Ying Shi momentarily stunned.

From the perspective of someone who’d been through it, Ying Shi couldn’t fathom why Xiao Qiongyu later put up with so much.

Her mother-in-law mistreated her, her husband had other women, and there were beautiful concubines... Ying Shi herself was trapped. Liang Ji wouldn’t release her, and she had no support, no one willing to help her.

But Xiao Qiongyu was different. She had parents, brothers, and plenty of support.

Yet, after entering the Liang family, her life was still chaotic...

Ying Shi ate Xiao Qiongyu’s lychees, the sweetness filling her mouth, and thought that, even for the lychees, she must help her this time and make her wish come true.

If they could avoid the quarrel? Perhaps if they avoided it... the child could be born safely? If Xiao Qiongyu had a child, she’d surely be content, and with a child, Liang Zhi might not take a concubine.

Ying Shi leaned against the flower window, pondering, trying to recall every detail from her past life, wondering if she’d missed something. What exactly had Liang Zhi done?

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.

She tilted her head slightly, and the strands of hair at her temples slid down her shoulders as she moved. The warm sunlight from outside the window bathed her face.

It was evening outside, the setting sun casting a golden glow, the bright clouds forming a backdrop, and the red light radiating in all directions.

A tall and slender figure approached, his official robe neat and solemn, the ceremonial hat dignified.

Ying Shi’s gaze happened to meet his deep, dark eyes beneath the ceremonial hat.

She leaned softly against the window, as if boneless, her clear black-and-white eyes misty with dew, glistening with moisture.

Her slender neck, her features like a painting, her vermilion lips like cherries, and the corners of her eyes touched by the golden light of summer.

Her earlobes were round and plump, a small, delicate pink, adorned with a pair of long, dangling earrings that swayed with her breath.

Through the red lattice window, the sunlight fell on her delicate, fair face, casting a series of dazzling shadows.

Her red lips parted slightly, her pink tongue raised gently, as if holding something soft and translucent. Her brows furrowed slightly like mist, as if something was causing her great distress.

It felt like a dream...

Liang Yun clasped his hands behind his back, averting his gaze with restraint. As he passed by the window where she was, his wide sleeves whispered as they brushed past, and his tall figure momentarily blocked the delicate threads of sunlight caressing her face.

Ying Shi squinted slightly, watching his shadow on her face fade away with each of his steps.

Liang Yun had returned—

Ying Shi quickly straightened up from her relaxed pose against the window and sat up properly.

But she heard Miss Cui Eleven’s gentle cheer beside her.

"Our big cousin’s back!"

...

Smoke curled up from the gilded beast-head incense burner, drifting lazily into the air.

The room fell silent for a moment before the bead curtains swished open, and the women greeted him with cheerful laughter.

"Big cousin is here?"

"Big cousin, do you play chess? Ninth sister’s awful at it; I’d rather not play with her. Let's have a game."

Ying Shi swallowed the lychee flesh in her mouth and slowly stood up, positioning herself by the window.

The sunlight layered her silhouette, soft and dreamlike.