Cui Wan walked back in a daze, harboring a trace of secret joy, her steps feeling almost weightless. Just as she neared her little courtyard, a rustling sound and hushed voices brought her to an abrupt halt.
She instinctively looked toward the sound. In the dimness, there seemed to be two figures.
One was her cousin Cui Ya, dressed in a vivid goose-yellow gown that stood out even in the fading light. The other... judging by his build and clothes, he was clearly a man, but not her cousin Cui Hong.
Cui Wan's heart gave a jolt. Sister Yaya was the Cui Family's only legitimate daughter, and her uncle and aunt had kept her under strict supervision since childhood. Never mind meeting an ordinary man in private-even passing a message to one was difficult.
How could she be here with a strange man... Cui Wan vaguely guessed what was going on. Her cousin had probably secretly fallen for another man and feared her parents finding out.
Cui Wan had no desire to meddle, especially at such a critical moment. One less trouble was better than one more. If she were discovered, she would inevitably become the target of their anger and scolding again. She held her breath and carefully backed away, hoping to leave unnoticed.
But her foot happened to land on some dry twig. A crisp crack rang out, especially clear in the silence.
"Who's there?!" came Cui Ya's sharp, wary demand.
Cui Wan froze in fright. Before she could react, the man's figure flickered like a phantom. He nimbly vaulted over the low wall beside them and vanished without a trace.
Cui Ya strode out of their hiding place, her face flushed with the mortification and panic of being caught. When she saw Cui Wan, her expression instantly turned to shock and anger. She rushed up to her in a few strides, her willow-leaf brows bristling. "Cui Wan?! What are you doing skulking around here?!"
"I... I was only passing by..." Cui Wan timidly stepped back, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Cui Ya glared at her, her chest rising and falling slightly, clearly furious. But then something seemed to occur to her, and the anger slowly faded from her face, replaced by a mixture of contempt and gloating. She looked Cui Wan up and down and sneered. "Forget it. Since you're such a pitiful little wretch, about to marry into the Chu Family to 'enjoy a life of luxury,' I won't hold this against you!"
She stepped closer and lowered her voice threateningly. "You didn't see anything just now, understand? Don't you dare tell Father or Mother! Otherwise..." A vicious glint flashed through Cui Ya's eyes. "I'll gouge your eyes out! You can go marry him as a blind bride!"
Cui Wan shuddered in fright and hurriedly nodded hard.
Satisfied by her timidity and obedience, Cui Ya gave a snort.
Yet Cui Wan was thinking that the news had already spread through the residence so quickly. Her uncle and aunt really were moving swiftly, and urgently.
Only... why had Sister Ya called her a pitiful wretch? Second Young Master Chu... was clearly a very good, very capable man. Sister Ya, secretly in love with another man and not marrying into the Chu Family, was the pitiful one!
As though she had seen through Cui Wan's thoughts, Cui Ya curled her lip, a barely perceptible complexity in her tone. "Anyway... once you're married off, we won't see each other anymore. Some peace and quiet at last!" As she spoke, for reasons unknown-perhaps to seal Cui Wan's lips completely, perhaps for something else-she suddenly reached out, roughly slipped an exquisite silver bracelet off her wrist, and thrust it into Cui Wan's hand without allowing any refusal.
"Here, it's yours. Hush money!" Cui Ya turned her face away, her voice somewhat unnatural. "Remember! You really mustn't tell! All right, all right, hurry back! Stop being an eyesore!"
The silver bracelet thrust into her hand was heavy and still held the warmth of Cui Ya's wrist. Cui Wan froze, looking down at the faintly gleaming bracelet carved with a trailing floral pattern, hardly able to believe it was real.
Cui Ya had always looked down on her. Never mind giving her anything-she rarely even showed her a pleasant face. Today... everything today felt like a bizarre dream.
A marriage agreement falling from the sky, her uncle and aunt's uncharacteristic affection, and now even her sharp-tongued cousin giving her "hush money"...
Seeing her stand there blankly, Cui Ya waved impatiently. "What are you still standing there for? Go!"
Cui Wan snapped out of her daze as though waking from a dream. Clutching the silver bracelet, she hastily lowered her head. "Th-thank you, Sister Ya." Then, like a startled little rabbit, she hurried toward her courtyard.
Only after running a long way did she dare stop and catch her breath. The silver bracelet pressed into her palm, reminding her that everything that had just happened was no illusion.
Her heart was still racing, and her cheeks burned fiercely. She pressed the silver bracelet tightly to her chest, where an indescribable feeling surged.
There was bewilderment and faint unease about the future, that distant yet profound yearning for Second Young Master Chu, and... a little sense of unreality brought on by this unexpected "gift."
Everything today was so wonderful... it really was like a beautiful dream from which she might wake at any moment.
Cui Wan drew several deep breaths and steadied herself. She carefully tucked the silver bracelet into the depths of her sleeve pocket, composed her expression, and hurried back to her courtyard.
The moment she entered, she froze.
There really was a respectably dressed elderly physician standing in the courtyard with a medicine chest slung over his shoulder. Beside him were two unfamiliar servants carrying a small charcoal stove and a medicine pot, apparently preparing to brew medicine. Aunt Yue was accompanying the physician out of the room, a trace of relief on her face.
"Doctor, my mother..." Cui Wan hurried forward, urgency in her voice.
The old physician stroked his beard and spoke gently. "Rest assured, miss. Second Madam's illness was caused by prolonged worry and pent-up distress, which depleted her qi and blood. It was left untreated for some time as well, making it appear alarming. But as long as she takes her medicine regularly and receives careful care and gradual nourishment, she can recover. The root of the illness will take time to remove, though. It cannot be rushed."
She could recover...
Only then did the heart that had hung suspended all day finally land with a thud, followed by overwhelming joy and an aching sorrow. Her eyes burned, and she nearly cried again. She hastily sank into a deep curtsy before the physician. "Thank you, Doctor! Thank you!"
"You're too kind, miss." The old physician nodded, gave a few more instructions about brewing the medicine and her diet, then followed a servant away to write the prescription. Aunt Yue hurried off to help arrange the medicine, and for a while, the courtyard held a liveliness it had not seen in a long time.
Cui Wan collected herself and hurried into the room. Yang Xiu had already been helped upright against the headboard, a soft cushion behind her. Though her face remained pale, her eyes seemed a little clearer, and she was looking anxiously toward the door.
"Mother!" Cui Wan rushed to the bedside and took her mother's slightly cool hand.
Looking at her daughter's face, which had clearly been tear-stained before she forced a smile onto it, Yang Xiu felt her heart clench with pain. She gently stroked her daughter's cheek, her voice weak but clear. "Wanwan... tell Mother the truth. What exactly... did you promise your uncle and aunt?"
Cui Wan's smile stiffened for a moment. Then she shook her head and pressed her cheek against the back of her mother's hand. "It's nothing, Mother. It really is nothing. As long as you get better, that's all that matters."
"Foolish child..." Tears slid silently down Yang Xiu's face. "Mother knows better than you what sort of people your uncle and aunt are. How could they suddenly care so much about us for no reason? What... what exactly happened?"
Faced with her mother's worried, anxious gaze, Cui Wan knew she could not hide it. She could only lower her head and quietly recount everything that had happened in the main hall, leaving nothing out. Her aunt's sudden warmth, the marriage agreement, how she had agreed, and how her uncle and aunt had promised to have her mother treated...
As Yang Xiu listened, her tears flowed even harder. Her thin, withered fingers gripped her daughter's hand tightly. "My foolish Wanwan... how could they give you such a good marriage so easily? Besides... besides, my Wanwan is still so young. You aren't even fifteen yet... how can Mother bear to let you go..."
Seeing her mother weep so sorrowfully, Cui Wan grew miserable too, but she still forced herself to offer comfort. "Mother, don't be sad. I'm not little anymore. Besides, this... this really isn't a bad thing. The Marquis of Ningyang's Residence is so wealthy and grand. Once I marry into the family, I'll have lots and lots of silver to hire the best physicians and buy the best medicine for you. Perhaps... perhaps there might even be a turn for the better in Father's situation?"
Her words were naive, but this was also the most beautiful future she could imagine at that moment. Looking at the mixture of longing, unease, and feigned strength on her daughter's young face, Yang Xiu felt as though knives were twisting in her heart.
But matters had come to this, and anything she said now was too late. Her daughter had already agreed, and Cui Minghe and his wife had clearly made up their minds. Now, mother and child were alone and dependent on others for shelter. What room did they have to resist?
Yang Xiu remained silent for a long time. In the end, all her unwillingness and heartache became a heavy sigh. She raised her hand and gently wiped the tear tracks from her daughter's face with her sleeve. Her voice was hoarse, but held a resigned calm. "The Chu Family... in terms of family standing, they are indeed a good family. Before... I also heard that their second son was young and accomplished."
She paused and studied her daughter closely, as though trying to carve her likeness deeper into her heart. "Wanwan, after... after you marry into their family, take good care of yourself. Serve your husband well, be filial to your mother-in-law, and soon... have a child soon..."
At this, Yang Xiu's tears welled up again. She turned her face away, her voice choked. "Mother's heart aches for you... but Mother also knows that only this way can you avoid becoming like me, forever watching other people's expressions and suffering every indignity..."
"Mother..." Unable to hold back any longer, Cui Wan threw herself into her mother's arms and sobbed aloud. She understood the helplessness and bitterness in her mother's words, and heard the deeply buried love and reluctance to part.
She knew she had chosen this path herself. It was also the only path that could save her mother and perhaps bring her father a glimmer of hope.
Only after crying for a long time did Cui Wan lift her head, still sniffling. She wiped her tears away hard, struggled to smile at her mother, and nodded solemnly. "Mother, don't worry. Wanwan will be obedient. I'll be all right. You must get better soon too. Wait until I... until I..."
She wanted to say that once she had secured her place in the Chu Family, she would bring her mother over so she would no longer be bullied.
But even she felt that prospect was remote, and in the end, she could not say it...
Over the next few days, the entire Cui residence was enveloped in a bustle and tension unlike its usual atmosphere.
It was said that when the Chu Family's madam, Wei Shuyun, learned that the bride would not be the legitimate daughter but a daughter of the second branch, she had initially flown into a rage, feeling that the Cui Family was insulting their marquis household's honor.
But the people sent there returned and reported that after Madam Chu vented her fury, she had ultimately fallen silent. Her family's present decline, her son's crippled condition, and the anxiety to continue the family line... each and every one of these meant that, however unwilling she was, she could only accept it.
In the end, it was the Chu Family who now needed something from others and had no choice but to lower themselves somewhat.
Soon, the betrothal gifts from the Chu Family were carried into the Cui residence. Though times had changed, a camel starved to death was still bigger than a horse. The Marquis of Ningyang's Residence was, after all, a marquis's household, and the chests they brought remained weighty. Fine silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry, antiques and jade... all worth a considerable sum, filling the open space before the main hall and dazzling the eye beneath the summer sun.
Cui Minghe and Lady Li circled the betrothal gifts several times, undisguised excitement and greed on their faces, grinning so broadly they could not close their mouths.
"Look at this quality! A marquis's household really does still have its foundations!" Lady Li stroked a bolt of shimmering cloud brocade, unable to bear taking her hands off it.
Cui Minghe stroked his beard, a keen light flashing in his eyes. "Good, good! With these, our Cui Family can catch its breath again."
As for where these betrothal gifts would go, Cui Minghe and Lady Li had already made their plans. Once the Chu Family servants who delivered them had left, they used the excuse that "the second branch consists only of a lone mother and daughter, with no one to manage affairs, and Wan is too young to understand such things" to brazenly have every last gift carried into the first branch's storeroom. They did not even show Cui Wan and her mother a proper inventory.
When the news reached the second branch's little courtyard, Aunt Yue was so angry that she kept wiping away tears, indignant on Cui Wan's behalf. Yang Xiu leaned against the headboard, her complexion somewhat better than a few days earlier. Hearing this, she merely fell silent, then took her daughter's hand and patted it gently.
"Wanwan," Yang Xiu's voice held the weakness of someone only just recovering from a serious illness, yet she was exceptionally clearheaded, "we mustn't fight over those things."
Cui Wan bit her lip, feeling wronged. "But Mother, those are mine..."
"Mother knows." Yang Xiu interrupted her, her eyes weary and helpless. "But you know what your uncle and aunt are like. Right now, they're counting on this marriage, so they won't mistreat you on the surface. But if you argue with them over these betrothal gifts and anger them, the days ahead..."
Watching her daughter's eyes instantly dim, her heart ached, but she had to continue. "Swallow this anger, Wanwan. Money and possessions are only external things. As long as you marry into their family and live well, that matters more than anything. We... cannot win this fight, and we cannot afford to lose."
Cui Wan lowered her head, her fingers tightly twisting the corner of her clothes. At last, she gave a soft "Mm." She knew her mother was right. As they were now, the two of them were like drifting duckweed, with nothing that would allow them to resist.
To have gained medicine to treat her mother's illness, and this seemingly splendid marriage, was already a stroke of luck.
Fortunately, perhaps to keep up appearances, perhaps to appease the Chu Family, Cui Minghe and Lady Li put a fair amount of care into preparing the wedding.
The new bridal gown made for Cui Wan used fine Hangzhou silk, and the embroidery was fairly exquisite. Though the dowry list could not compare with the wealth of a legitimate daughter's, all the necessary items were gathered. As for the wedding's ceremonies and scale, they uniformly declared to outsiders that everything would follow the standards for a legitimate daughter of the Cui Family. With the entire household bustling about, there really was something of the festive atmosphere of marrying off a daughter.
But this bustle belonged to the Cui Family, to Cui Minghe and his wife, and had little to do with the second branch's small courtyard. Each day, apart from caring for her mother, Cui Wan was summoned by Lady Li to listen to specious "instruction," learn some simple etiquette, and occasionally try on her bridal gown.
Like an exquisite puppet on strings, she was arranged and prepared, moving toward a future that filled her with both faint anticipation and deep unease.
Amid this haste and scheming, the wedding day drew closer, day by day.