The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 2

A figure flashed before her eyes, and Xie Yunchu took a slow breath. She closed her eyes and swallowed the pain in her eyes, slowly adjusted her breathing, and opened her eyes again. Her gaze fell on the high table not far away, where a gold-painted purple clay teapot was placed. She was very thirsty, and her skinny hand reached out tremblingly.

In a moment, a white and tender arm reached out and gently stopped her. A clear and pleasant voice sounded in her ears, “Sister, would you like some tea? I’ll serve you.”

Xie Yunxiu poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xie Yunchu’s mouth.

She had a faint smile, bright eyes, and a hint of success in her narrow, long fox eyes. But upon closer inspection, that hint of success was gone, leaving only a hint of earnestness and concern.

Xie Yunchu opened her eyes, her gaze seemed to be pulled out from a dark hole, sticking to Xie Yunxiu without moving.

Stepmother Lu sent her half sister Xie Yunxiu to the mansion for several days on the pretext of taking care of her. Xie Yunxiu had been frequently in and out of the main courtyard during this period, so it was not surprising that she had come to her bedroom.

She gritted her teeth and slowly squeezed out a hoarse sound, “Since when?”

“Hmm?” Xie Yunxiu frowned slightly, not quite understanding.

Xie Yunchu slowly leaned back on the pillow, trying to maintain her dignity, and asked expressionlessly, “You haven’t gotten married for so many years, since when have you been planning this?”

Xie Yunxiu’s body trembled slightly, and after a moment of daze, she came back to her senses. The expression on her face became cold and distant. She smoothed her dress and sat down opposite Xie Yunchu, not hiding her ambition at all.

“I fell in love with him the first time I saw him.”

Xie Yunchu’s voice was slightly blocked and her throat rolled as if she had swallowed a fly. She could no longer remember when Xie Yunxiu and Wang Shuhuai first met. Xie Yunxiu obviously did not want to elaborate. Instead, she looked at her elder sister slowly with a puzzled smile on her face.

“Sister, you are already on your deathbed. If you were smart, you would have planned early and found a reliable person to take care of your two children. Why are you acting so foolishly and showing your dissatisfaction?”

“Rather than someone else, it’s better to be me. At least I will treat the two children as my own. Besides, Sister Ke and her brother treat me very well. The master and madam also know me well and trust me. If I marry into this family, they will only be happy.”

Xie Yunchu was so nauseated by these words that she couldn’t breathe.

She had always been strict with her children, so they were more respectful than affectionate towards her. On the contrary, it was their aunt Xie Yunxiu who would always bring snacks and toys to them whenever she came to visit, thus winning their favor.

Xie Yunchu suddenly realized that maybe Xie Yunxiu had planned it in advance.

Mrs. Lu could tolerate her daughter studying in the academy for many years. Was it possible that the mother and daughter had been deliberately planning to drag her down and replace her?

When Xie Yunchu thought of that, her heartbeat was like a drum, anger and remorse twisted her chest, and she almost burst into tears. However, she had been the head of the family for many years and had her own temperament. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of Xie Yunxiu. The resentment in her heart surged and finally turned into intermittent coughs. She leaned on the kang, her thin body trembling like a cicada’s wing. After a long while, she finally put together a complete sentence.

“Even if your parents-in-law are satisfied with you… Ke’er and Yu’er are also bewitched by you… Wang Shuhuai will not agree.”

Wang Shuhuai had always taken rules to heart. Not to mention that he had some affection for her as a couple, even if he didn’t, it would be impossible for him to give others a chance to criticize him by welcoming Xie Yunxiu into his family so early.

At the very least, he would have to mourn for her for a year.

Xie Yunxiu seemed to see through her thoughts. She gently rolled up her hair with her slender hands and said with a smile, “Madam has asked me to live in the mansion for a year and take care of the two children. It’s only a year, so I don’t take it to heart. What’s more important is my brother-in-law’s intentions, isn’t it?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. When my brother-in-law came back yesterday to pay his respects to the madam and master, she told him about this in front of my mother. Guess how my brother-in-law reacted?”

Xie Yunchu’s fingers that were pressing on the kang bed suddenly grabbed, staring at Xie Yunxiu with a fierce look without saying a word.

Xie Yunxiu smiled brightly and said, “Brother-in-law did not refute it.”

Xie Yunchu’s heart was so tense that the string suddenly broke.

No wonder he stood at her door for a long time last night and didn’t come in.

She and Wang Shuhuai had been married for many years so she knew this man too well. If he really disagreed, he would definitely refute it. Keeping silent meant that he was weighing the pros and cons, or even acquiescing.

His wife hasn’t died yet, but he was already thinking about who to remarry, which showed how heartless he was. 

Or maybe he was very satisfied with Xie Yunxiu, and it was not known whether he liked her.

The last glimmer of light in Xie Yunchu’s eyes suddenly went out, and her body fell heavily on the kang bed, with phlegm in her mouth that she had not yet spit out, and her eyes gradually became unfocused.

Seeing her like that, Xie Yunxiu sighed leisurely, stood up, held a white handkerchief, leaned over to wipe her, and said earnestly, “Sister, why are you doing this? It’s been eight years. You don’t really think that my brother-in-law loves you so deeply, do you?”

“Over the years, what has my brother-in-law done for you besides building his own career?”

Xie Yunchu’s gray eyes turned half a circle and then froze.

In the eight years since their marriage, Wang Shuhuai had treated her gently and humbly. The couple had shared joys and sorrows and supported each other through thick and thin. They co-operated very well, one taking care of the outside while the other the home. They could be said to be equals and respect each other.

Everyone else envied her for marrying a good husband.

The husband was indeed outstanding, but there was always something missing between the couple.

Wang Shuhuai’s handsome face appeared in Xie Yunchu’s mind. His every move was methodical, and his every brow and smile were covered with light, a thin layer of distant aura that could keep people away from him.

He never asked her for anything, but he also never told her his feelings.

He had never had a quarrel with her, but he had never been gentle or considerate to her either.

She never really got into his heart.

Perhaps in Wang Shuhuai’s eyes, she was not Xie Yunchu, she was just his wife. He would feel the same no matter who became his wife.

Or maybe, he liked gentle and charming women like Xie Yunxiu…