Taking advantage of the sunny afternoon, Yin Hui had Jinzhan and Yinzhan wash her hair. Jinzhan sat on the side of the couch while she lay on her lap. Yinzhan brought a stool to the front of the couch and arranged the copper basin.
As her long hair became wet, Yinzhan gently massaged it, and Yin Hui felt so comfortable that she almost fell asleep. After the wash, she twisted her hair to prevent it from dripping and then moved to the glass window to wait.
The house was warmed by an earth dragon, providing a warmth akin to spring. Yin Hui’s hair dried quickly in the sunlight. After a good comb, it became fluffy and smooth, carrying a faint scent of floral dew.
“Mother, you look really good today,” Xiao Heng said, having come to find her after taking a nap. He stared at her for a while before expressing his observation.
Yin Hui smiled, “Didn’t I look good yesterday?”
Xiao Heng pondered for a moment and said, “Yesterday you were also beautiful, but today you look even better.” Though he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was different, she was still his mother.
When Wei Luo arrived at dusk, he noticed the change immediately. Frowning, he asked, “Did you wash your hair?”
Recalling some old sayings about confinement, like not taking a shower, Yin Hui explained, “I’ve been recovering well in the past few days, and the weather is warm. I won’t catch a cold after taking a shower, and it feels comfortable. I sleep well at night, which I believe is more conducive to recovery. Don’t you think so?”
Wei Luo only looked at her with disapproving eyes, refraining from saying anything. The wet nurse brought Qi Lang over, and Xiao Heng sat next to his younger brother, alternating between touching his little hand and patting his face, comparing Qi Lang’s tiny hands with his own large ones.
For Wei Luo, family gatherings always seemed too short, and dinner would be served soon. Surprisingly, Qi Lang took a nap at that time and was taken to the west room by the wet nurse for cleanup, not returning that night.
“Brother stinks,” Xiao Heng complained, hiding behind his father and pinching his nose in distaste.
Yin Hui chuckled, “You were like this when you were a child.” She glanced at Wei Luo while speaking. The man who loved cleanliness the most seemed to have a broken nose at the moment, showing no signs of disgust.
The family moved to the hall for dinner. After the meal, Xiao Heng went to see his younger brother, while Wei Luo followed Yin Hui into the inner room, handing her an invitation card.
Yin Hui accepted it suspiciously, opened it, and saw that it was written in black and white on red paper, inviting her grandfather and Yin Lang to the mansion to celebrate Qi Lang’s full moon.
She should have been happy, but Yin Hui’s eyes welled with tears. While other in-laws’ families entertained each other regularly, it had been four years since she married into the Yan Palace, and her grandfather was about to receive his first invitation from the Yan Palace.
It was because she was reborn, did many things, and gave birth to Qi Lang in exchange for it. In her previous life, her grandfather never visited her home until his death—simply because their surname was Wei and they were all high-ranking princes.
Yin Hui quickly walked around behind the screen, turning her back to Wei Luo and covering her mouth. Standing on the side of the screen, Wei Luo could see her shoulders trembling slightly.
He had knots in his heart, so why wouldn’t she have some? Despite being the daughter of a wealthy family envied by many, once she married into the palace, she became the most humble one.
The past couldn’t be changed; what mattered was the future.
“In the future, whenever the palace hosts a banquet, both your grandfather and Yin Lang will receive invitations.”
Once he had accepted her, but he was reluctant to acknowledge her family status. However, the moment he decided to invite Yin Yong to see his grandchildren, his original intention was to bring joy to her. Yet, when he listened to what his father said, openly admitting in front of Wei Yang that the Yin family was his wife’s family and the natal family of his children, Wei Luo took a step. Stepping out from the shadow of uncertainty, suddenly, he no longer cared whether their marriage was conventional.
Moving around the screen, Wei Luo embraced his silently crying wife, gently touching her head and saying, “Okay, crying too much will hurt your eyes.” His voice maintained its cold and authoritative tone, as if commanding her to stop crying. However, the movements of his hands provided Yin Hui with a sense of solace.
Yes, why was she crying? Since her rebirth, she had decided to change the unpleasant aspects of her life. Things were improving, so shouldn’t she be happy?
“Thank you.”
Injustice was there, and the difference in status was actually a fact. As a grandson of the Emperor, he willingly acknowledged her natal family in this life, and she should be grateful for that.
Wei Luo raised her face, and Yin Hui wore a grateful smile. The water in her eyes blurred the complexities within, and the tears dripped down, evoking a sense of pity.
Wei Luo leaned over and kissed her on the brow, saying, “Go to bed early, don’t think too much.”
Yin Hui nodded and escorted him to the door of the room. Since there was wind outside, he didn’t allow her to go out.
Returning to the inner room, Yin Hui put away the invitation card, but every word on it was imprinted in her mind. Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath.
In any case, the days were getting better.
King Yan’s mansion only hosted a grand banquet for relatives and friends when Wei Yang and Xu Qingwan’s eldest son, Da Lang, celebrated his full moon and first birthday. If Xu Qingwan’s and Ji Xianxian’s natal families were closer, they would have attended. Unfortunately, both families were in the capital, and the journey was too far, so they weren’t invited.
Because of it, even if the Yin family was not invited to the large and small banquets in Yan Palace in the past, it didn’t seem too rude. After all, the natal families of the other two daughters-in-law never showed up.
However, when the palace sent an invitation card to the Yin family, it immediately signaled a change in Wei Luo’s attitude towards Yin Hui.
Upon hearing about it, Ji Xianxian came to talk to Yin Hui, half envious and half self-deprecating, “Who would have thought that the seemingly cold third master would become more affectionate, while my seemingly gentle and considerate man is, in fact, becoming less considerate.”
Yin Hui could only say nice things, comforting Ji Xianxian, “Second sister-in-law, don’t be angry. This time the second master was punished by the father because of being with the dancer, and he will definitely not dare to do it again in the future.”