The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 83

Wang Shuhuai felt a little dry in the mouth.

For several days in a row, the Tiger Guards and the Imperial Guards took turns to check the forest for hidden dangers. The girls and boys were bored, so they competed in horse riding and archery in the playground. Xie Yunchu accompanied Wang Shuqin and Wang Shuya to fly kites for a day. The wind was strong, and Wang Shuqin’s dragonfly kite accidentally got caught in the treetop. It was not necessary to take it down, but her maiden name was embroidered on it.

“Go and get a guard,” Wang Shuqin ordered the maid.

At that moment, a young man in a white shirt walked over hesitantly, standing ten steps away. He saluted to Xie Yunchu and the others, stumbling as he said, “Miss Wang… Miss Wang, I have some skills in martial arts. Can I help you get it?”

Wang Shuya immediately hid behind the maid when she saw the foreign man. Wang Shuqin didn’t even look at the young man and said with a stern face, “No need.”

Apart from her brothers, she refused to meet any other men, fearing that if she spoke to some young man, her mother would take the initiative to propose marriage.

Xie Yunchu looked at the young man. He had red lips, white teeth, delicate eyebrows, and handsome eyes. He looked shy and gentle. When he saw that Wang Shuqin ignored him, he immediately lowered his eyes and dared not look around.

Xie Yunchu had already noticed the young man hesitating nearby, and if she guessed correctly, he had taken a fancy to Wang Shuqin.

Xie Yunchu had never tasted the sweetness of a young man’s love in her two lives, and she was envious of Wang Shuqin. “He has good intentions. Don’t be so mean to him.”

Wang Shuqin couldn’t stand Xie Yunchu’s teasing and simply turned her back. The young man was so anxious that his face turned red. He scratched his head, confessed his crime to Xie Yunchu, and ran away.

Soon the maid asked the guard to fetch the kite. Xie Yunchu pulled Wang Shuqin aside to talk. She knew where Wang Shuqin’s heart lay, so she advised, “You have a strong character, and you dare to take responsibility. I really admire and envy you.”

“It’s just that,” Xie Yunchu looked at the misty lake and mountains at the foot of the mountain in the distance, “this world is so colorful. You come alone and leave alone; what a pity. Qin’er, I’m afraid you will regret it when you are old—regret your stubbornness today, which has imprisoned your steps and left too many regrets.”

“I hope if you say you don’t want to get married, you really don’t want to get married, instead of getting yourself into trouble because of that angry remark.”

Wang Shuqin was stunned for a moment and didn’t say anything for a long time. After a moment of silence, Wang Shuqin suddenly turned her head to look at Xie Yunchu. “What about Second asister-in-law? Do you regret marrying my second brother?”

Xie Yunchu laughed and looked up at the sky. Did she regret it? Yes, she did. She felt regretful. She regretted that there had never been a passionate and sincere young man in her life who vowed to spend his life with her. But after all the worldly affairs and the ups and downs of life, her heart had long been ironed smooth and would no longer be disturbed in the slightest.

Xie Yunchu smiled. “Everyone has regrets. There are thousands of roads in the world, and the roads that have not been taken are regrets.”

Wang Shuqin said, “Oh,” as if she understood something. However, Wang Shuya, who was standing by the water, heard Xie Yunchu’s words. Her soft eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she murmured absentmindedly, “Does my second sister-in-law also have regrets? She married such an outstanding man; will she also have regrets?”

Wang Shuya lowered her eyes in despair.

After the forest was ready, the Emperor ordered everyone to enter the mountains. On the evening of June 8th, the girls of the Wang family were busy preparing their hunting bags. In the Begonia Garden, where Duke Gao stayed, Yang Xiyan’s maid neatly arranged all the riding gear on the bed and advised her, “Master, everyone will go to the forest tomorrow. You have been bored for a few days, so why not go out and relax?”

Yang Xiyan sat in front of the dressing table, pinning her hairpins in front of the bronze mirror, and said in a lonely and cold tone, “Where is he? Hasn’t he come back yet?”

The maid shook her head.

Yang Xiyan dropped her hands and looked at herself in the mirror, dressed exquisitely, and suddenly burst into tears. Gao Zhan had been assigned by the Emperor to guard the forest these days. He left early and returned late, and slept in the study at night. Yang Xiyan had no chance to see him at all. Sometimes she didn’t know what she was obsessed with, but she had liked such a person since she was a child. That obsession was deep in her bones and could not be kicked away or pulled out.

When Gao Zhan failed in his proposal to Wang Yining, she instigated her father to go to his house to propose marriage, but he rejected her. In order to avoid her, Gao Zhan stayed at the border for two years, but she was determined to marry him. So she found a way to get Gao Zhan drunk and then lay beside him, making him mistakenly believe that they had physical contact. The elders of both families were happy to see that and forced Gao Zhan to marry her.

She originally thought that after all these years of marriage, she would be able to smooth out the wrinkles in the man’s heart, but unexpectedly, Gao Zhan remained indifferent and never touched her in the three years of marriage.

Yang Xiyan looked gloomy. After a while, slow footsteps were heard outside the door. When Yang Xiyan heard that Gao Zhan had returned, she quickly wiped away her tears and stood up to greet him.

When the pearl curtain was lifted, the couple looked at each other. Gao Zhan was still sweating. He was not used to being so close to Yang Xiyan. He stepped back a few steps, opened the curtain, and asked her with a smile, “Where is the soft armor I brought from home? I heard from Ping Yu that you brought it to the backyard?”

He was going hunting with the Prince the next day and needed to wear soft armor. Yang Xiyan knew that he had to wear the soft armor on weekdays, so she deliberately kept it on to attract Gao Zhan to look for her. With red and swollen eyes, she muttered, “I’m going hunting tomorrow too. Can’t you let me wear it?”

Gao Zhan was surprised at first that Yang Xiyan was finally willing to go out, and then he smiled. “If you need me to find another one for you, tell me. That one is what I usually wear, and it doesn’t fit your size.” 

That soft armor had been with Gao Zhan for many years, and he didn’t like to give his personal items to others.

Yang Xiyan suddenly asked angrily, “If Wang Yining wants it, will you give it to her?”

Gao Zhan was silent.

Tears welled up in Yang Xiyan’s eyes. Gao Zhan looked at his wife crying and suddenly sighed in frustration. He said earnestly, “Xiyan, I’ve told you long ago that I treat you like a sister. You are outstanding in every way, so why do you have to hang yourself on this crooked tree of mine?”

“You may be a fairy in the eyes of others, but to me, you are nothing. I still say the same thing: whenever you feel more relaxed, we can get divorced.”

His handsome eyes swept towards the bed and caught a glimpse of his soft armor. Without saying a word, he entered the room, took it in his arms, and left without looking back. He departed with great resolve and without any hesitation. He wanted to make Yang Xiyan give up.