People changing is not what’s frightening; what’s terrifying is the change of heart.
Today’s Yun Qi is like a *****, committing deeds of a *****, yet also wanting to erect a monument to chastity, a horrifying hypocrisy!
But these were things Mrs. Han couldn’t tell Yun Jinnian, for his sake, she could only follow him back home, at least until she had a clear understanding of what exactly Jinnian was thinking; she had to return to the Yun Family.
Yun Jinnian nodded, "Mother, ’Heaven lays great responsibility upon this man, hence it must first frustrate his spirit and exhaust his muscles.’ With mother by my side, Jinnian fears nothing!"
Mrs. Han held Yun Jinnian tightly.
Her daughter had not let her down.
Yun Qi sat in the hall drinking tea, Han Xuzi didn’t come to see him, and Yun Qi didn’t want to meet Han Xuzi either; Han Xuzi’s eyes were too sharp, nothing could be hidden from him.
When Mrs. Han went back this time, Yun Jinnian took along five maids and a nanny in her fifties, surnamed An. An nanny was thin and had poor complexion; on closer inspection, one could see her skin had been burnt by a great fire and had undergone skin grafting. It was hard to discern her original appearance, but her eyes were bright and full of life.
Nanny An was the court nanny Mrs. Han had spoken of; she had been saved by Han Xuzi and had since stayed at the Han Residence.
Mrs. Han also took a nanny, plus Bai Que and twelve other maids.
But the items they took back were few, apart from clothes, it was just two sets of jewelry, Yun Jinnian had additionally brought a medicine chest and a box of books.
"Let’s go!" Yun Qi said brusquely.
He was the first to board the carriage.
Mrs. Han and Yun Jinnian followed, boarding the carriage; Jinnian sat next to Mrs. Han, and no one spoke among the three.
The atmosphere was oppressive.
Yun Qi sat uneasily, "After the fifteenth, I will seek a government position!"
Yun Jinnian was taken aback.
Yet Mrs. Han said, "That would be excellent!"
Her expression was indifferent as if she was speaking to someone unrelated.
There was a time when she harbored expectations, filled with blame, grudges, and hatred – weren’t all these because she still held this person in her heart? Saying so much, wasn’t it in hope that he would try harder, take on more responsibilities? But now, to Mrs. Han, this person truly became a stranger.
Too guilty to speak more, fearing that speaking more would lead to more mistakes.
The carriage rattled along, Yun Jinnian pulled aside the carriage curtain, and looking out, the cold wind that blew in dispersed the awkward atmosphere inside.
Yun Jinnian watched the pedestrians on the streets, hiding all her thoughts.
What had happened to her parents was not for her to ask, so she didn’t; but she understood, the dynamic between her parents had changed.
Feng Wushuang walked slowly forward, embracing his paintings, and headed to the painting boat to sell them. After earning some silver, he’d go to the pharmacy to get medicine, then head home to prepare the concoction for his mother, and finally dedicate himself to studying hard for the examinations.
But as he turned his head, he caught sight of that opulent carriage, and at the window of the carriage, he saw that delicate little face.
The face was so calm it was heart-wrenchingly poignant.
Feng Wushuang wanted to say something, but the carriage sped past. He hurriedly hugged his paintings and followed, after chasing down a whole street, Feng Wushuang, gasping for breath, watched the carriage pull away.
He hastily hailed another carriage, "Follow that group of carriages up ahead!"
The carriage driver was astonished, but Feng Wushuang took out a ten taels of silver ingot, "Keep up with them, don’t lose them, and this ingot of silver is yours!"
Ten taels of silver, for a carriage driver, was more than a month’s earnings; he hurriedly urged Feng Wushuang into the carriage and chased after them.
"Don’t follow too closely!"
Watching the carriage stop outside the gates of the Yun Residence, Feng Wushuang lifted the curtain of the carriage window and watched Yun Jinnian step down from the carriage. The doorman shouted, "Second Master, Second Lady, Fourth Miss, you are back!"
Feng Wushuang gently let down the carriage curtain.
The Fourth Miss of the Yun Family?