In the Dream

Inside the room, there was silence for a long time.

Su Shouzhuo gazed at the woman before him, whose face was still veiled in red gauze. Seeing her remain silent for a long time, he assumed she was too ashamed to speak because of past events. He sighed softly and took the initiative to speak:

"Wanniang, don't overthink it. Back then, it was just a joke between your father and me. But now that you've entered the Su Household, you're a daughter-in-law of the Su Household. There's no need to bring up those old things anymore, nor to make things difficult for you."

He spoke very slowly and in a very low voice, as if afraid of startling her.

Gu Lanyin turned around, her eyes red-rimmed, and reached out to grasp Gu Wanniang's hand, pulling her closer to the bed. Her voice was soft and gentle:

"Your father-in-law isn't very eloquent, but he understands. We've seen how you've treated us these past two years. We shouldn't pry into your young people's affairs, but you must understand, what couple doesn't have disagreements? That child... he hasn't been with us since he was little, but we met him once more than twenty years ago. He seemed a bit aloof, but he's not a bad person. If he says anything unpleasant, please don't take it to heart."

When she said "that child," her tone lowered even more, as if she were calling a name that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Her eyes involuntarily looked away, as if she did not want to talk about it anymore.

Gu Wanniang, with Gu Lanyin holding her hand, did not pull away, but simply listened quietly.

Beneath the red veil, her lips moved several times, but in the end, she did not utter a single word.

She knew that the two elders knew nothing.

They assumed she was Su Yao's wife who had run away from home after a fight with him.

For the past two years, she has stayed in the Su Household as "Su Yao's wife," and they have treated her with the heart of a "daughter-in-law." They have shown her warmth and care, just like she experienced in that "dream."

However, the Su Yao in that "dream" was not the Purple Mansion True Person or the Abbot of Qixia Temple that she had heard about these days, but just an ordinary man who grew old with her at the entrance of their old residence in Qinghe Commandery City.

When I woke up, the alley was still there, but everyone was gone.

She didn't know why she fell asleep, nor why she woke up; she only remembered her long life, growing old with him, and having children and grandchildren.

When he awoke, countless years had passed, the world had changed beyond recognition, his parents had passed away, his brothers had grown old, and the person in his dream had become the Daoist disciple of the Heavenly Venerable lineage, and then succeeded as the abbot of the lineage.

She came to Yongzhou only to see if the two old people from her dream really existed.

After all, whether in her dreams or now, the two elders have never treated her badly.

But after waking up, her personality was different from that in the dream... she became a little more awkward.

Now the two elders were right in front of her, holding her hands and calling her "daughter-in-law" again and again.

She knew she should agree and put their minds at ease.

So Gu Wanniang gently grasped Gu Lanyin's hand in return, and said in a gentle, very soft voice:

"Don't worry, Mother. I... I'm not wronged at all. I'm doing fine with... him."

She couldn't bring herself to say "husband" or "Su Yao," and could only lower her head slightly, like a junior who was ashamed to speak in front of an elder.

Su Shouzhuo gave a weak smile, coughed twice, and then said:

"It's good that you're not wronged. You young people have a long road ahead of you. That child, you may only see him as cold, but he may still care about you. If he hadn't chosen you, why would he have sent you to see us off?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Wanniang's heart trembled.

yes.

He had never seen her before, and she had never seen him before, so why would he "let her come"?

She came here on her own.

After she woke up, she arranged things at her mother's house, then came by herself, and then stayed behind.

The two elders simply assumed that "the son was having his daughter-in-law fulfill her filial duties," and thus felt even more strongly that her relationship with Su Yao was genuine.

She couldn't explain, nor did she want to, for fear of hurting the two elderly people's feelings.

Seeing that she still wouldn't say much, Gu Lanyin assumed she was just shy, so she pulled her closer and whispered:

"Good child, when you and that child have a child in the future, bring it back for us to see. You don't know, this is what your father-in-law longs for most."

After speaking, she turned back to Su Shouzhuo and whispered:

"But I guess I'll never see the old man again..."

The couple looked at each other, and tears streamed down their faces.

Upon hearing this, Gu Wanniang's body stiffened slightly.

baby.

Her child.

The two children who were lively and energetic in her "dream," calling her "Mother" and Su Yao" Father."

When she woke up, the child was naturally gone. But she still felt that the tiny hand was still in her palm, warm and soft, and had never left.

She didn't know why she was so fixated on it. But she just couldn't let go.

That child was the only real and tangible connection between her and Su Yao.

Even if it was just a dream, even if he doesn't remember, she still has to find him and get to the bottom of it.

It wasn't for the title of "wife," nor for Su Yao, but only for those two children.

She wanted to see her two children again...

Thinking of this, Gu Wanniang closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her gaze had returned to its usual calm. She softly replied:

"Good."

Su Shouzhuo and Gu Lanyin both breathed a sigh of relief, assuming that she had finally agreed.

Gu Lanyin patted the back of her hand and smiled through her tears:

"That's more like it. What couple doesn't argue? After the child is done with his work, I..."

She paused for a moment before continuing:

I will definitely have him come to pick you up.

Gu Wanniang softly hummed in response, and said nothing more.

She wasn't worried about when Su Yao would return.

Her only worry was how she would face the person she had never met, yet who had been her husband in her dreams, on the day they actually met.

And perhaps no one knows the answer to all of this...

A moment later, Gu Wanniang stood up, bowed gracefully to the two elders, and said softly:

"Mother, Father, you two rest first. Mingcheng is still waiting outside. I'll go say a few words to him and then come back."

Su Shouzhuo nodded, and Gu Lanyin squeezed her hand tighter before letting go.

Gu Wanniang left the inner room, gently closing the door behind her.

She didn't go far, only standing in the shadow of the old osmanthus tree in front of the door.

The night wind rustled through the laurel leaves, and a few tiny yellow petals fell onto her red veil like a silent rain.

inside the house.

Gu Lanyin could no longer hold back. She buried her face in Su Shouzhuo's shoulder, and the sobs she had been suppressing for so long finally burst out.

The sobbing was extremely low and muffled, as if it were being squeezed out from the depths of the chest, as if afraid of being heard by those outside, yet also afraid of being unheard by those beside the person.

Su Shouzhuo raised his withered hand and patted her back repeatedly, sighing:

"Cry, just cry it out."

Gu Lanyin cried for a long time before gradually stopping. She raised her head, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and whispered:

"For the past two years, I've never dared to mention that child in front of Wanniang. But seeing Wanniang today, and hearing you bring it up again, it feels like my heart has been ripped out with a knife..."

Su Shouzhuo closed his eyes and sighed deeply:

I know. You may not say it, but you've never truly let it go.

"Let go?" Gu Lanyin a bitter smile, tears rolling down her cheeks again. "I've heard the waters of the Great Qing River every night for decades. The moment I close my eyes, I hear the sound of that swaddled baby falling into the water. How can I let go?"

Su Shouzhuo didn't reply, but simply hugged her tighter.

"When you were giving birth, the room was filled with rosy light..." he said slowly. "The neighbors said it was a good omen, but you kept saying that the child looked at you strangely, that it wasn't your child, but a demon that had taken your womb. I was panicked and scared then, so I let you and them do as they pleased... Later, it's better not to talk about it."

Gu Lanyin with tears in her eyes:

"I don't regret it. I'm afraid. If he were truly my son, how could I have thrown him into the Great Qing River? But those eyes of his, the eyes that looked at me then, I'll never forget them. Those weren't the eyes of an infant. I'm not lying, I... I'm truly afraid..."