Chapter 35

Chapter 35

After hearing Madam Lin’s words, Li Mingrou finally felt some of her earlier discomfort ease.

She kept Madam Lin company for a long while, speaking to her in a gentle voice, and did not leave until midmorning.

Afterward, she headed to Old Madam Xie’s quarters.

Li Mingrou knew very well that if she wanted to be accepted in the Xie Residence, gaining her aunt’s favor alone was not enough. Old Madam Xie’s approval was what mattered most.

She knew Old Madam Xie was fond of Ji Hanyi, but that did not matter. Old Madam Xie liked her too.

Li Mingrou catered to her preferences, often reading Buddhist scriptures aloud to Old Madam Xie. She also frequently copied scriptures herself and presented them as offerings, earning a great deal of Old Madam Xie’s favor.

Today, however, Old Madam Xie was not in. Li Mingrou was told she had gone for a stroll in the rear garden to clear her mind.

Li Mingrou was going to let the matter drop, but on her way back, she heard voices coming from the path ahead. One of them belonged to Old Madam Xie.

This was the path Old Madam Xie took back to her courtyard. It seemed the Old Madam had just returned from her walk.

Li Mingrou had only heard one sentence when she instinctively ducked behind the rockery.

She heard Old Madam Xie sigh. “I never imagined that Hanyi would kneel before me and beg to divorce Yuheng.”

“Hanyi has always kept everything to herself. For her to come and kneel before me, she must truly have been heartbroken. How could I bear to refuse her?”

The matron beside her consoled her. “Old Madam, don’t worry. The Eldest Master went to see you last night, which shows that he still can’t bear to part with the Eldest Young Madam.”

“In the past, it seemed as though the Eldest Master didn’t care about the Eldest Young Madam, but when he went to see you last night, it looked like she meant a great deal to him after all.”

“This old servant thinks the Eldest Young Madam must have grown disheartened after being neglected for so long. This time, the Eldest Master has probably finally understood his own heart. Perhaps the two of them will live happily together from now on.”

Old Madam Xie sighed. “I can only hope so.”

“Heng’er is another child who keeps everything bottled up. His eyes were red when I saw him last night, so he truly does seem to care about her. He simply won her too easily before and never learned to cherish her.”

“I hope he can coax her around properly this time. As his grandmother, all I want is for him to be happy. How could I truly want the two of them to divorce just like that? I only proposed giving them those two months so Heng’er would have time to win her back and wouldn’t end up regretting it later.”

The matron smiled. “Last night, Old Madam sent this old servant to listen outside the Eldest Master’s courtyard because you were worried they might start quarreling. But there wasn’t any commotion at all. Matron Wang went to make inquiries this morning and reported that the Eldest Master even held the Eldest Young Madam’s hand as they went to the First Madam’s quarters.”

“It looked as though they had reconciled.”

Relief spread across Old Madam Xie’s face. “That is good news.”

“Heng’er has finally learned how to cherish someone.”

The matron agreed. “Exactly. Old Madam, you can rest easy. The Eldest Master and the Eldest Young Madam will be fine from now on. Who knows? Perhaps it won’t be long before you’re holding a great-grandchild in your arms.”

Old Madam Xie chuckled softly. “I hope so.”

Their voices gradually receded until Li Mingrou could no longer hear them.

She emerged from behind the rockery, feeling cold all over.

No wonder she had felt that something was off today. So this was the reason.

Ji Hanyi really had asked Brother Xie for a divorce. She had even begged Old Madam Xie to grant it.

But Brother Xie clearly despised Ji Hanyi. Why, then, was he unwilling to divorce her?

Li Mingrou returned to her room. Looking at every item Brother Xie had given her over the years, she threw herself onto the daybed, her eyes turning red.

All these years, she had always been the person Brother Xie cared about most. Whenever he returned from a trip, she was the only one he brought gifts for. She refused to believe that Brother Xie was unwilling to divorce Ji Hanyi.

He must have refused because he was afraid Ji Hanyi would threaten to kill herself. How could Ji Hanyi possibly have the courage to truly go through with a divorce?

Li Mingrou brooded over it for the entire afternoon, but she did not feel any better.

It was already dark by the time Xie Yuheng returned. He had intended to come back earlier, but other matters had delayed him.

He had thought that when he returned, he would see Ji Hanyi sitting in the front hall, waiting to dine with him. Even if she blamed him for coming back late, he would apologize to her.

But the courtyard remained quiet and deserted. The lights in the main house were dim, making it obvious that she was not there.

When he stepped inside, he found only two braziers burning in the room. It was not warm at all.

He remembered how afraid of the cold Ji Hanyi was. In winter, stepping into her room had always felt like stepping into spring.

The inner chamber was equally empty and desolate. That quiet, graceful figure was nowhere to be seen.

Xie Yuheng stood there in a daze for a moment before asking the maid on duty, “Has Young Madam been back?”

The maid answered properly, giving him a full account. “Young Madam hasn’t returned for several days.”

Xie Yuheng asked again, “Has she eaten?”

The maid replied, “Young Madam went out this afternoon. It seems she still hasn’t returned.”
Xie Yuheng paused, but an indescribable sense of panic and emptiness welled up in his heart.

Meanwhile, Ji Hanyi was still outside, sitting with Rongchun on low stools beside a roadside stall selling sweet rice dumplings.

She had deliberately avoided Xie Yuheng. She did not want to dine with him, but she had nowhere else to go.

She had been returning to her maternal grandparents’ home too often lately. Another visit would inevitably make them worry, so she might as well enjoy some freedom outside instead.

In truth, ever since marrying Xie Yuheng, Ji Hanyi had hardly ever left the inner courtyard of the Xie Residence. Xie Yuheng was always busy and rarely took her out.

She had never dared to go out alone, afraid that her mother-in-law would reproach her — and that Xie Yuheng would as well.

She had lived every moment on tenterhooks, striving to be a good wife to Xie Yuheng and longing even more to earn the Xie Family’s acceptance.

She had always done everything in her power. It wasn’t that she hadn’t done well enough. What forever remained beyond her reach were their hearts.

Now that her own heart had nothing left to rely on, she wondered if perhaps this was what freedom truly felt like.

Warm white steam billowed into her face. Ji Hanyi let out a long sigh, lifted her veil, and took a bite.

It was so sweet.

She smiled and urged Rongchun to try one as well.

Rongchun had hardly ever seen Ji Hanyi smile at the Xie Residence. Now, seeing the smile on her face and the brightness in her eyes, she seemed like the cheerful young woman she had once been.

Rongchun’s eyes grew warm. She lowered her head and took a bite. Scalding sugar filling burst into her mouth, filling it with sweetness.

She smiled too. “It’s delicious.”

The streets bustled around them, full of passing voices and the warmth of everyday life.

Ji Hanyi closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. Which life was better, she wondered? A life like this, or the wealthy yet stifling existence at the Xie Family, respectable only in the eyes of others?

How was a woman supposed to choose the course of her life?

Old Madam Xie said a woman’s duty was to support her husband and raise her children. Every family appeared harmonious in public, but behind closed doors, they all survived by mending one crack after another. There wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t suffer grievances.

But her father had told her that no matter what happened, she must never let herself suffer too much.

Ji Hanyi still couldn’t make sense of it.

The one thing she did understand was that she truly loved this moment.

She loved it so very, very much.

On the other side of the street, Shen Si watched the scene in silence.

An understated yet luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop in a corner by the roadside.

Shen Si lifted the curtain between his fingers, his gaze settling on the figure seated on a low stool beside the street.

She wasn’t sitting with her usual perfect posture. Instead, she had curled herself into a tiny ball, the hem of her pink dress trailing across the ground. Every so often, she lowered her head, seemingly to blow on her food.

Puffs of white steam rose before her, spreading beneath her moon-white veil.

Shen Si’s habitually aloof gaze softened ever so slightly.

He glanced at the stall. It seemed quite popular.

When Wen’an saw that his lord had suddenly ordered the carriage to stop, he assumed there must be instructions for him. He hurried over to the window and bent at the waist, waiting for orders.

This broad avenue led back to the Shen Residence. It became exceptionally lively every evening, crowded with pedestrians and lined with taverns and restaurants. Perhaps because it was so busy, the Marquis had never once stopped here before.

Wen’an couldn’t fathom why his lord had suddenly done so today.

Seeing him gaze toward the stall, Wen’an wondered if the Marquis had developed a sudden craving for sweet rice dumplings.

Shen Si glanced at Wen’an outside the carriage, then returned his gaze to that petite figure.

He said nothing and simply waited for her to finish eating.

By the time his lord’s voice finally came from inside the carriage, Wen’an felt as if his legs were about to go numb.

“Go and invite her over.”

Wen’an froze.

Her? Who?

He followed the direction of Shen Si’s pointing finger and saw a woman rising from a low stool. She wore a misty rose dress woven with subtle butterfly patterns and edged with moon-white trim. A sheer veil draped over her hair, the dark locks beneath it faintly visible. Her bearing was so graceful that she stood out at a glance even amid the crowd.

Wen’an immediately understood what his lord meant and hurried over.

Ji Hanyi looked up at the sky. Xie Yuheng had probably given up after failing to find her. Night had only just fallen, so if she took her time returning, she would arrive neither too early nor too late. The timing would be just right.

But before she could take a step, someone approached her.

Their eyes met, and both of them froze.

They had recognized each other.

Though the woman’s face was obscured by a sheer veil, making her features impossible to discern, Wen’an recognized her figure and bearing at once. She was the woman from that day.

On that snowy, windswept night, she had stood holding a lantern. Even without seeing her face, her beauty had been breathtaking — far too striking to forget.

Only then did realization dawn on him. No wonder the Marquis had ordered the carriage to stop here.

Naturally, Ji Hanyi also recognized the man before her as Shen Si’s personal attendant.

She hadn’t expected to encounter him here. Could Shen Si be nearby as well?

While her thoughts were still in turmoil, the man before her spoke first, his manner respectful and courteous.

“My lord would like a word with you, young lady. Please come with me.”