Chapter 4
Chapter 4
After seeing me, Wei Yanzhi headed back to the palace to report on his duties.
My mother-in-law and I sat on the threshold, gulping down wine one mouthful after another.
Raising a cup to drown one’s sorrows only makes them flow deeper.
“We’re finished!” I lamented. “If Wei Yanzhi finds out I’ve been fooling around out there, he’s going to be absolutely furious.”
My mother-in-law was also weeping bitter tears.
“We’re doomed. I really thought he didn’t like you.”
“If he finds out that I was the one who egged you on to find that man, how am I supposed to survive?”
We truly were a pair of miserable women.
We locked eyes and burst into tears, clutching each other’s heads.
Wei Yanzhi didn’t return until evening.
My mother-in-law tucked her neck into her collar like a frightened quail.
I hung my head, rubbing my hands together nervously like a fly.
He frowned slightly. “Is it very cold today?”
“Cold,” my mother-in-law said.
“Not cold,” I said.
We looked at each other again and gave awkward smiles.
In this weather, how could the air be colder than Wei Yanzhi’s heart?
When we sat down for dinner together, the atmosphere grew even stranger.
Wei Yanzhi served me food.
I kept my head down and ate like my life depended on it.
To return the favor, I served him a few pieces of potato.
I chose the potatoes because they were closest to me; I didn’t dare reach across him for anything further away.
Wei Yanzhi ate them without a word.
By the eighth time I served him…
He finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up. “Madam, this is ginger.”
I gave a dry laugh. “Haha, dead husband, I thought you liked it.”
He covered his lips with his fist and coughed twice. A strange flush actually crept onto his cheeks.
When we stood up after finishing the meal, my mother-in-law brushed against my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
“You’ve really got it, haven’t you? Starting the flirting already.”
I wasn’t! I didn’t!
I was just used to calling him that. It was a slip of the tongue.
To be fair, he really used to be a dead husband.
Tonight was a full moon.
My mother-in-law and I stood outside Wei Yanzhi’s study, pushing the responsibility onto each other.
I said, “You go explain. You’re his biological mother; he definitely won’t get angry with you.”
My mother-in-law countered, “Have you ever heard the term ‘matricide’?”
We went back and forth for a while.
Ultimately, we decided that both of us would go speak to him, with the elder going first.
I waited outside for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn.
My mother-in-law came out with a long face.
I rushed forward and asked with concern, “Well? What did he say?”
She gave me a long, deep look. “I didn’t even get a chance to say anything! He wants me to manage your wedding arrangements and complete the ceremony properly.”
I nearly collapsed.
My mother-in-law pinched my philtrum hard. “Don’t you dare pretend to faint! It’s your turn to go in.”
I took a deep breath, steeled my resolve, and stepped inside.
Hearing the movement, Wei Yanzhi looked up and smiled at me.
“Mother was just here, and now you’ve come too. Is there something urgent?”
The candlelight reflected on his face, making his handsome features look even more refined.
I sat down beside him, my breathing so tight from nerves it wasn’t even smooth.
“It’s about… us.”
Wei Yanzhi lowered his head, incredibly quick to admit fault. “It is I who have wronged you.”
“I left so suddenly back then, never considering how my fiancée would manage on her own.”
“I regretted it later.”
“Three years ago, I happened to see you once.”
As I listened, the memory slowly came back to me.
During the first year of my widowhood, everyone in the capital was watching me closely.
I couldn’t leave the house, so I spent my time doing needlework to pass the day. I had even made a pair of knee pads and shoes for this dead husband, planning to use the excuse of visiting his grave to get some fresh air.
When I reached the grave, I realized I had forgotten my fire striker.
It was too late to turn back and get it.
So, I didn’t burn the knee pads and shoes right then.
When I returned with my mother-in-law a few days later, I found that the items were gone.
My mother-in-law had whispered a secret code to me: “Yanzhi has manifested his spirit.”
At the time, I thought she had just been moved by the scene and lost her mind again.
I never expected that this dead husband would actually come back to collect his own offerings.
He had seen me in secret during that time.
Wei Yanzhi squeezed my hand and drew closer.
“I have used everything you made for me; I treasure them to this day. I never imagined that besides my mother, there was someone else who remembered a dead man so dearly.”
I lowered my head to avoid his gaze, pursing my lips into an awkward smile.
Wei Yanzhi looked at me and held up three fingers, his expression extremely solemn.
“I can swear an oath. From this day forward, I will never leave you again. We shall be a couple for a lifetime, one soul for another. If I break this…”
I looked up sharply. In my sudden panic, I threw myself into his arms and pulled his hand down.
“Don’t make that kind of oath.”
I couldn’t keep my end of it; I’d be struck by lightning.
He reached out to hold me, letting out a low chuckle. “It’s a good thing I didn’t see much of you before. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have had the heart to focus on my duties.”
I leaned against his solid, broad chest. “…”
I’m sorry.
Seeing him like this, I really couldn’t bring myself to explain to his face.