Chapter 5:
“Sister-in-law is joking. Wanwan is a sensible and understanding young lady who naturally understands the principle that a man’s ambition lies beyond the home.” Xie Wanning had not yet spoken when First Madam Lu said:
“Ziyan must uphold the family prestige of the Marquis’s Estate, so he cannot indulge in romantic love. We womenfolk cannot help much, so we should manage the household affairs well and not hold him back.”
Xie Wanning lowered her eyelashes and smiled without speaking.
These words, both in the dream and outside it, she had heard many times in the Lu Family. The willfulness spoiled by her parents and elder brother at home was unconsciously restrained upon arriving at the Wuyuan Marquis’s Estate.
She learned to be understanding, learned to always think for Lu Ziyan, and subconsciously found excuses for his coldness.
He was just under too much pressure; his father, elder brothers, and uncles had all died in battle, and the Lu Family relied on him alone as the only male to support the household. She should be considerate of him, understand him, and love him.
How could she dare throw tantrums at him and add to his troubles.
The her in the dream was like her heart was covered in lard; no matter how coldly arrogant his attitude or that he kept a concubine, she firmly believed he had her in his heart and never wavered in her determination to marry him.
But now, her mind was perfectly clear, and she could somewhat taste the warning intent in these words.
Xie Wanning came back to her senses, put down the pastries in her hand, steadied her emotions, and was about to speak when she heard a burst of hurried footsteps. A servant rushed over.
Her heart tightened; it was another scene from the dream.
—Lu Ziyan was back.
Sure enough, the servant came before them, knelt hurriedly and reported: “Old Madam Lu, the Young Lord is back!”
“Yan’er is back?” Old Madam Lu stood up excitedly: “Quick, quick, where is he now?”
Before the servant could reply, a slender figure appeared at the courtyard entrance.
Dressed in ink-black riding attire, with a waist seal tightly outlining his lean and powerful waist, his entire aura was imposing, like sword light unleashed, noble and coldly arrogant, making people dare not look directly.
Clearly only eighteen years old, yet he had already established considerable merit for the dynasty. Because of her engagement to him, noble ladies throughout the Capital City envied Xie Wanning’s good fortune.
Born into such a blessed family and able to marry such an excellent husband, moreover childhood sweethearts who grew up together, with genuine and deep affection.
Lu Ziyan tossed the horsewhip in his hand to the attendant behind him, strode a few steps to Old Madam Lu, lifted his robe hem and was about to kneel in greeting when Old Madam Lu quickly supported him. The old lady’s voice trembled, her tone concerned: “You’re finally back. Did the task go smoothly? Did you enter the palace to report to His Majesty?”
“Grandmother, rest assured. The bandits in Bianzhou have been suppressed, and I returned to the estate only after reporting to His Majesty,” Lu Ziyan helped his grandmother sit down. His gaze swept over Xie Wanning without fluctuation as he said: “Is your health still good, Grandmother?”
Xie Wanning’s heart turned cold from that one glance from him.
—Even his gaze was similar to in the dream.
She stood there stunned, her soul wandering.
Until First Madam Lu called her several times, pulled her hand, and chided: “What’s wrong with Wanwan? You’ve been absent-minded all day. You’ve waited so long for Yan’er, and now that he’s back, you don’t speak.”
“…” Xie Wanning didn’t want to dwell on the other layer of meaning in those words. She took a breath, raised her eyes to look at the man gazing at her.
From his attire and bearing, the cold attitude emanating from his entire body, to the earlier conversation, this scene identical to the dream made her hand inside her sleeve tremble slightly.
Xie Wanning pinched her palm hard, telling herself to calm down and not lose composure.
But she still couldn’t let go. Following the memory from the dream, she forced a smile on her face and asked: “Elder Brother Yan, bandit suppression is dangerous. Were you injured?”
Perhaps her smile was too ugly. Unlike the calm expression in the dream, Lu Ziyan’s brows furrowed slightly: “Everything went smoothly. No injuries.”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning’s heart sank. She paused, then picked up a package of pastries nearby: “Have you had breakfast then? Here are your favorite peanut crisps, still warm. Would you like to try some?”
Lu Ziyan glanced at her, said nothing, but still reached into the plate and took a piece of pastry, putting it in his mouth and biting.
Xie Wanning breathed a huge sigh of relief. That dream must be fake, right?
—In the dream, he seemed not to eat the pastries.
They exchanged a few rounds of conversation. The several elders nearby watched the entire scene, all showing satisfaction in their eyes.
Old Madam Lu lovingly patted Xie Wanning’s hand and smiled: “Yan’er is back today, so Wanwan, stay and join us for a family banquet.”
“It’s settled then,” Before Xie Wanning could speak, First Madam Lu beside her said: “It’s been so long since you’ve seen each other. You two as an engaged couple must have plenty of private words to say. No need to stay here; go take a walk in the back garden and come back when the meal starts.”
Lu Ziyan walked out first. Xie Wanning hesitated for a moment, then followed behind him.
The two walked one after the other, neither bringing attendants.
Normally, she would have happily chattered around him, telling him all the interesting things that happened around her during the months they were apart.
But now, influenced by the tragic events in the dream, she had no mood to speak.
The spring scenery of the Wuyuan Marquis’s Estate was unparalleled, with roses blooming full against the walls. Xie Wanning looked for a while when she suddenly heard the person beside her say: “Have you encountered some difficulty?”
Hearing this, she subconsciously touched her face.
…Was her expression that bad, enough to make someone who had never cared much about her notice something wrong?
Xie Wanning took a breath, barely calming her mood, turned her head to look at the person beside her, and was about to say something when her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure in the distance that was etched in her bones.
She paused slightly, her eyes slowly widening.
Liu Manrou?
The equal wife who gave birth to Lu Ziyan’s eldest illegitimate son in the dream was actually appearing before her eyes!
The last shred of hope was ruthlessly shattered. The dream was real after all.
The girl’s expression changed obviously. Lu Ziyan followed her line of sight, his gaze pausing slightly.
Xie Wanning said tremulously: “Who is that young lady?”
Her reaction was somewhat off. Lu Ziyan furrowed his brows slightly: “What’s wrong with you?”
“Lu Ziyan, I ask you, who is she?” Xie Wanning raised her hand pointing at the woman in plain skirt in the distance and said seriously: “You’ve never liked having maidservants serving you closely. Where did this woman come from? What’s her name? How do you plan to settle her? Tell me everything.”
Young and accomplished, no one had ever dared speak to him in such a questioning tone, let alone his fiancée who had always been gentle and considerate toward him. Lu Ziyan’s brows furrowed deeper: “Are you interrogating me?”
Interrogating?
Xie Wanning took a deep breath, withdrew her trembling finger, and raised her eyes to look at this youth who was now much taller than her.
…Perhaps it should be called a man.
He had a tall and slender figure, a back straight as a pine, and an extremely handsome face that anyone would look at more than once. But the youth who in her memory would smile and coax her, from when did he start showing only coldness and impatience in his eyebrows and eyes when facing her?
