The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 82

Xie Yunchu personally escorted her to the gate of the courtyard and apologized again and again, “Come back another day when you feel better. I will treat you well.”

Princess Fuyuan knew that Xie Yunchu was worried about her injury, so she smiled and waved her hand. “Okay, I’ll recuperate for another two days.”

Back in the guest hall, Wang Shuhuai was also sitting behind the desk, holding a small bamboo dragonfly in his hand, which was the toy she had made for Sister Ke before. She knew her husband had returned from home, so she sat down and asked him, “How is Sister Ke?”

Wang Shuhuai played with the bamboo strips in his hand and replied softly, “She cried a lot the first night, but then Third Aunt took her to play with the two children, and she became happy.”

Xie Yunchu was very worried, but the Duke’s matter was still uncertain, so she didn’t dare to go back. “Did you accompany her?”

“I coaxed her to sleep these two nights, and she was fine.” Wang Shuhuai raised his eyes and looked at her, his dark eyes as quiet as the abyss. He pushed the bamboo dragonfly toward her and asked, “Did you make this?”

One corner was broken, but it was still possible to tell that the craftsmanship was extremely skillful.

Xie Yunchu’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she thought of the ball and said inexplicably, “Dong Ning and I made it together.” 

Among the four maids, Dong Ning was the calmest and usually liked to make things like flowers and plants.

Wang Shuhuai hummed, but his tone was indiscernible.

Soon the maid brought the meal, and the couple ate together. Wang Shuhuai asked about the treatment of Princess Fuyuan’s injuries, and his tone became more serious at the end.

“This is too risky. We must be more cautious in the future.”

Xie Yunchu understood his concerns. If it were in the past, she would have said “Yes” meekly. But now, “I know what I am doing. I won’t speak up if I am not sure.”

The tone of her voice was calm and composed, even with a hint of courage, exactly the same as Wang Shuhuai’s.

Wang Shuhuai stared at his wife in amazement. She had a bright look on her face and looked confident and generous. He seemed to see his own reflection in her. He suddenly felt a sense of pride.

“Just be sensible.”

His wife had never given him any worries, no matter how docile she was in the past or how decisive she became.

Wang Shuhuai returned to Qiankun Hall to serve the Emperor. Xie Yunchu went to Wang Yining’s yard and accompanied her to look after the child. Wang Yining said with some regret, “We have to wait another two days before we can go up the mountain.”

“Why?” Everyone came there to hunt.

“This is the silver needle incident. His Majesty has issued an order to have the Tiger Guards re-check the mountains, forests, and grasslands to prevent any accidents.”

Xie Yunchu nodded. “No wonder. There may be iron hooks and knives left by hunters in the forest, so we have to be careful.”

After digesting the meal, Xie Yunchu went back to the yard to rest. She lay on the bunk bed but was not in a hurry to fall asleep. She was waiting for Wang Shuhuai to come back. If she wanted to help the Duke avoid the assassin, she had to ask Wang Shuhuai for help. She thought she would have to wait until midnight, but he returned in the first quarter of the evening.

Wang Shuhuai showered, changed his clothes, and went to bed. He saw Xie Yunchu leaning against the pillow and looking at him. He asked in a voice that was hoarse, “Why are you still awake?”

“Well, I’m waiting for you,” she replied, her voice warm and soft.

Wang Shuhuai’s expression became gentler. The man who had learned his lesson took the initiative to explain his schedule for the next few days. “I will accompany the Emperor during the day tomorrow and will return to the capital at night. I will probably be back at noon the day after tomorrow…”

Xie Yunchu keenly caught the words “return to Beijing”, frowned slightly, and revealed a somewhat panicked look. “Second Young Master, I just had a nightmare…”

Wang Shuhuai noticed that his wife looked frightened. “What nightmare?”

Xie Yunchu stammered, “I dreamed that Grandfather was being chased by a big hunting dog in the woods. The dog was chasing him and biting him like crazy, and finally…” Xie Yunchu didn’t dare to say the rest of the words, and her face turned pale with fear.

Wang Shuhuai’s face changed slightly. His grandfather had been bitten by a dog when he was young. The fortune teller said that if he wanted to grow up safely, he was not allowed to keep a dog at home. Therefore, the Wang family had never kept a dog in the front yard or the back yard for so many years. Although that was a ban in the Wang family, only a handful of people knew the reason. At least Xie Yunchu, the newly married daughter-in-law, could not know such an old secret.

Xie Yunchu in this new life didn’t know about that, but the Xie Yunchu in her previous life had heard about this after the Duke died. Wang Shuhuai usually never believed in ghosts and gods, but at that time, he became suspicious. Firstly, Xie Yunchu’s dream was too strange, and secondly, the poison needle was found lost not long ago. If all of this was not a coincidence, he dared not be careless.

Xie Yunchu knew that her husband was not easily swayed, so she pretended to be timid, gently pulled his sleeve, and said pitifully, “Second Young Master, that dream was too scary. If something really happened to Grandfather, wouldn’t we regret it for the rest of our lives? It’s better to believe it than not. Can you think of a way to persuade Grandfather to return to Beijing?”

Wang Shuhuai thought of what his grandfather had secretly told him and frowned slightly. There was no good reason for him to leave the Emperor and the Eldest Princess rashly, which might arouse suspicion. Facing his panicked wife, he said in a gentle voice, “Don’t worry. Leave this matter to me.”

Xie Yunchu felt relieved.

The atmosphere was just right to talk, so Wang Shuhuai lay down and casually asked, “When did you learn to ride a horse?”

Xie Yunchu didn’t intend to hide it from him. “I learned when I was ten years old with Sister Youran.”

Xiao Youran and Xiao Huaijin were twins, which meant that it was Xiao Huaijin who taught her how to ride.

Wang Shuhuai put the tip of his tongue against his right jaw and was silent for a long time. “When I have time, I will take you to race horses.”

Xie Yunchu turned a deaf ear to him, stretched, and said, “Well, it’s okay. You go ahead with your work…” 

She fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow.

Compared to her previous life, she was now happy and plump, ate well, slept soundly, and breathed quickly and evenly, sleeping motionlessly like a little lazy pig. She had her back to him, her figure undulating like the mountains, soft and pretty. The light from outside seeped in, outlining her graceful curves and shrouding her in a slightly tipsy halo, which stirred his thoughts.