Chapter 7: Ex-Husband’s Brother is Reborn
On the way back, Su Mu bought another big bag of honey candy.
She didn’t have much money on her to begin with. After deducting the rent, daily expenses, and the 20 taels of silver spent on buying Xie Yi, there was little left.
But thinking that Xie Yi loved to eat it, she bought more for him.
In her previous life, Xie Yi suffered a lot following her, and eventually ended up committing suicide by taking poison. Su Mu felt a twinge of guilt in her heart.
Su Mu knew all too well how painful it was to die from poisoning. In her previous life, she was given a slow-acting poison. By the time it was discovered, it was already too late. The toxins had spread to her internal organs, as if they were being brutally smashed and crushed to pulp in a mortar. She couldn’t drink porridge or take life-saving medicine, just dragging on like a walking corpse, waiting for death to come.
The poison Xie Yi took was potassium cyanide, with a toxicity as fierce as burning sulfuric acid. He must have been in even more pain than her when he died.
Su Mu dared not recall the image of Xie Yi lying in her skeletal arms, blood slowly oozing from the corners of his mouth.
She just couldn’t understand, when did Xie Yi start to love her?
In her previous life, due to her status as a concubine, even though Su Mu bought Xie Yi from the slave trader, she made him an ordinary servant in charge of cleaning the garden at the Yan residence.
Later, when Xie Yi was harassed by other servants, she helped him out a few times. Perhaps out of gratitude, Xie Yi would often come to her courtyard to chat with her.
At that time, Su Mu only regarded Xie Yi as an ordinary friend and never saw any other ambiguous feelings in his eyes.
So much so that when her soul saw Xie Yi commit suicide for love, there were only four words in her mind: unbelievable.
If it weren’t for Xie Yi finally dragging his body, racked with the pain of poisoning, into her coffin, no longer concealing the deep affection spilling from his eyes, she wouldn’t have even thought in the direction of romantic love, but would have only appreciated his loyalty as a servant.
Xie Yi’s love for her was hidden too deeply.
But no matter what, Xie Yi was the only person who truly cared for her in her previous life. Whenever Su Mu recalled such a passionate feeling of dying for love, she felt as if her heart had been scalded.
Su Mu clenched the bag of honey candy in her hand and pushed open the door.
She had expected to see Xie Yi’s familiar smile, but instead she saw a familiar pair of master and servant in the courtyard.
Yan Zhujun sat high in the host’s seat, with his personal attendant and most capable henchman, Ling Hua, standing beside him.
And her Xie Yi was kneeling properly at Yan Zhujun’s feet, his slender back bent down.
“Su Mu, you’re finally back.” Yan Zhujun’s eyes carried a gentle smile, with laugh lines gathered at the corners.
Ling Hua also bowed respectfully to Su Mu.
Su Mu ignored them and directly lifted Xie Yi up from the ground in front of the two, stuffing the honey candy in her hand into his.
Xie Yi looked surprised at the round honey candies that clinked crisply as they were stuffed into his hand.
Early this morning, as soon as Su Mu left, the old man brought people in.
Without a word, he pressed Xie Yi down to kneel on the ground, under the pretext of “standing properly.”
Xie Yi was very familiar with this punishment of “standing properly.” Scholar Li’s husband often used this term to punish him.
Before Su Mu returned, he had been kneeling on the ground for an hour, until Su Mu came back.
He raised his eyes and looked at Su Mu.
Her smile carried the warmth of spring and summer river water, instantly dispelling the chill from kneeling on the cold, damp ground for an hour, and even making him feel a bit feverish.
“Go back to the room. From now on, you don’t have to kneel to anyone.” Su Mu led him into the room and let him sit on the bed to rest.
It didn’t matter if Xie Yi understood or not. The important thing was to say it for Yan Zhujun to hear.
Su Mu had already divorced Yan Jiyue, and Su Mu had nothing to do with the Yan family.
It was quite brazen of them to come to her house early in the morning and punish her people.
But Xie Yi seemed to understand her words. His deep green eyes instantly rippled as if stirred by the wind, surging with emotion.
Even after looking at Xie Yi’s green eyes for ten years, Su Mu still couldn’t help but sigh, how beautiful.
“Rest well.” She reminded him with a smile and closed the door.
The moment the door closed, the smile in Su Mu’s eyes disappeared. “What brings the Patriarch here to see me today?”
Yan Zhujun had seen the earlier scene. There must be an ambiguous relationship between Su Mu and that foreign man. Maybe it was for this person that she was determined to get a divorce.
Yan Zhujun was angry in his heart. If he hadn’t encountered her on his way back from praying at the Taoist temple, she would have frozen to death long ago, as a lonely orphan girl.
Originally, he didn’t want to care whether Su Mu lived or died. But the Taoist priestess at the temple said that he had been cold and calculating his whole life, and needed to accumulate virtues and do good deeds in order to have a good end. Only then did he bring Su Mu back to the Yan family.
Being a live-in son-in-law was a loss of face, but for a lonely orphan girl, being able to marry into the Yan family was a blessing she had cultivated over several lifetimes. He never thought she would be so ungrateful. She had only been married for half a month before getting a divorce, causing all his previous calculations to come to naught.
Despite his anger, Yan Zhujun was clear in his heart that he must stabilize Su Mu now and never let her spread the news of the divorce.
He smiled and said in a conciliatory tone, “I heard that you had a conflict with Jiyue before. This child, he just has a bad temper. Between you husband and wife, if there’s anything—”
“The Patriarch should know that Young Master Yan and I are no longer husband and wife. We have already signed the divorce papers.” Su Mu saw through Yan Zhujun’s schemes at a glance and said coldly.
“Look, you young people are just impulsive. Marriage is not child’s play. How can you get a divorce just by saying so?” Yan Zhujun’s expression didn’t change, but the prayer beads in his hand were already full of nail marks from his grip.
Su Mu sneered inwardly. Yan Zhujun had an excellent reputation outside and was also a top-notch good person. But a person who believed in both Taoism and Buddhism was ultimately just using them as tools to satisfy his own desires, not a devout believer wholeheartedly seeking goodness.
“How does the Patriarch know that my divorce from Yan Jiyue is impulsive? Only we ourselves are clear on whether this marriage is harmonious or not. Now isn’t it good to cut the tangled knot cleanly?”
“You—” Seeing that his persuasion wasn’t moving Su Mu, Yan Zhujun gave Ling Hua a look.
Receiving the signal, Ling Hua knelt down with a thud in front of Su Mu, pulling at the hem of her skirt. “Young Madam, you can’t be so cruel. You know how much criticism a man will face after a divorce. Can you really bear to see the Young Master being stabbed in the back and scolded?”
Su Mu pulled back her skirt, unmoved, and said, “Don’t make it sound like I’m being cruel. You don’t need to persuade me either. Yan Jiyue was even more eager than me about this divorce matter.”
Ling Hua secretly exchanged glances with Yan Zhujun to confirm that Su Mu had hardened her heart. Then Ling Hua said through gritted teeth, “The Young Madam can harden her heart and abandon the Young Master using the excuse of marital discord. But have you forgotten the great kindness the Patriarch showed you when you were destitute? If it weren’t for the Patriarch, you—”
“Ling Hua, enough, don’t say any more.” Yan Zhujun rotated his prayer beads, his eyes filled with grief and forbearance.
Ling Hua refused to shut up and said loudly, “In the bitter cold of the third month of winter, if it weren’t for the Patriarch back then, how could the Young Madam be so lively now? But you repaid kindness with enmity.”
“Ling Hua!” Yan Zhujun scolded angrily.
Ling Hua’s eyes were filled with tears, indignant. “This servant only feels wronged on your behalf, Patriarch. The words that have been pent up in my heart have finally been spoken, and I feel relieved. I have no complaints even if you want to beat or punish me.”
Su Mu drank her tea unhurriedly.
In her previous life, she had too little real experience. How could she not have seen that this was all an act?
“Su Mu, as for Ling Hua, don’t take him seriously,” Yan Zhujun said earnestly.
Su Mu smiled slowly. “Of course not. What Ling Hua said is all true. I indeed received your grace back then.”
Hearing Su Mu admit it on her own initiative, a trace of joy flashed in Yan Zhujun’s eyes, thinking she would compromise like before.
But who knew Su Mu would change the subject? “So when you asked me to marry into the family as repayment back then, even though I knew I would be mocked by the entire city, looked down upon by all women, I accepted it. Even when everyone in the Yan family ridiculed me, I endured it. Doesn’t this count as repaying your kindness?”
“The principle of repaying a drop of water with a gushing spring is something even a three-year-old child understands,” Ling Hua refuted.
So in her previous life, her marriage, her ten years, even her life had to be used to repay his kindness.
It was too tiring. She carried the burden of gratitude as if it weighed a thousand pounds, suffocating her for ten years, to the point that later, when she was on the verge of death from poisoning, what she felt was not fear of death, but relief.
But it’s alright now. She sees clearly. One can’t be too soft-hearted. The bottom line that should be upheld can’t be compromised even a single step.
Yan Zhujun indeed had grace upon her, and she was also willing to repay him. But she didn’t want to walk the old path of her previous life again. She could take the civil service exams, or restart her business, or even provide financial support when Yan Zhujun needed it. She could accept all of these, but she didn’t want to fall back into the quagmire of marriage.
Su Mu smiled and nodded. “Yes, your kindness to me is as vast as the sky. I can never repay it in my lifetime. Rest assured, Patriarch, I will definitely be filial to you like a daughter in the future.”
In summary, repayment is possible, remarriage is impossible.
Yan Zhujun never thought that Su Mu, who had always been agreeable in front of him, would have such a particularly firm attitude today, refusing to agree to remarriage no matter what. It seemed his wishful thinking was going to come to nothing.
Even though he was so angry he wanted to hit someone, he was helpless. Who let Yan Jiyue sign the divorce papers?
Having no choice, Yan Zhujun could only retreat in order to advance. His tone was tactful and even carried a hint of pleading. “If you don’t want to remarry, I won’t force you. But can you not announce this matter to the outside? You also know, if those collateral relatives find out about your divorce from Jiyue, we orphans and widowers won’t be able to protect the Yan family property.”
“Not announce it?” Su Mu smiled and leaned lazily against the back of the chair. “If the divorce isn’t announced, what’s the difference between signing the divorce papers and not signing them?”
Outsiders would still consider her the live-in son-in-law of the Yan family and would continue to mock her behind her back.
More importantly, she was now preparing for the civil service exams. If she didn’t announce her divorce before the exams and only announced it after passing the county-level exams, it would give people reason to gossip.
In the eyes of the people of Kuncheng, Su Mu would be an ungrateful wretch who kicked away her poor husband after becoming successful. From then on, she would bear a bad reputation.
If her reputation was ruined, she might not even be able to participate in the civil service exams in the future, equivalent to a high school senior permanently losing the qualification to take the college entrance exams. This was no different from self-sabotage.
So this request was something Su Mu absolutely could not accept.
“Su Mu, you’ve always been a good child. How have you suddenly changed? You won’t even agree to this tiny little request of mine? You, you really disappoint me.” Yan Zhujun gripped his cane tightly, slamming it on the ground a couple of times. In this moment, he could no longer maintain his amiable smile. His eyes were filled with deep unwillingness and resentment.
Su Mu remained silent, with an attitude of ‘as long as I have no morals, you can’t morally coerce me.’
Yan Zhujun was so angry he snorted and glared, almost having a stroke.
He originally thought that with his personal appearance, getting Su Mu to comply was a sure thing. He never imagined she would be so stubborn in her refusal to cooperate. Even when he brought out his trump card of ‘kindness,’ he couldn’t persuade her in the slightest. He could only grit his teeth and leave to think of another plan.
Although Xie Yi didn’t fully understand the Central Plains language, he could roughly guess the gist of the commotion outside the room. There must be a conflict between the old man and Su Mu. Su Mu was unwilling, so the old man turned hostile.
He never thought Su Mu would also have troubles. He wondered what the old man did to make Su Mu unhappy.
Even though he didn’t fully understand the argument between the two, Xie Yi still subconsciously placed Su Mu on the side of good.
How could such a gentle person possibly be bad?
Xie Yi swung the bag of honey candies. The plump, bright, clear orange candies made a slight clinking sound as they collided.
He swallowed. His throat, which used to dislike sweet and cloying candies the most, now felt like it wanted to grow dense fluff, itching him unbearably.
He picked up a candy and ate another one. The fruity aroma mixed with sweetness spread, and the sour itch in his throat finally completely subsided.
Suddenly, there was movement at the door. Su Mu pushed the door open and entered.
Xie Yi was startled. The hard candy rolling on the tip of his tongue was swallowed whole, making him cough incessantly.
“Are you alright?” Su Mu gently patted his back, her tone filled with irrepressible gentle amusement. “It’s just eating candy. How can you choke on it?”
Xie Yi choked until tears streamed down his face, finally catching his breath.
He pointed outside the room, then at Su Mu. “He, Su Mu, not good to you.”
Su Mu smiled. “You mean that man is not good to me?”
Xie Yi nodded.
“Thank you.” Su Mu said with a faint smile. Even though he couldn’t understand anything, he was still willing to speak up for her.
Seeing Su Mu smile at him, Xie Yi felt at ease.
To gain the master’s trust, the first element was to take sides, and to take sides blindly. Only then would the master completely trust you, bringing him one step closer to returning to the Great Desert.
“This is for you.” Su Mu took out a small bottle and gave it to him. “Safflower oil.”
Xie Yi’s expression was strange.
Su Mu pointed at his knees. “Medicine, safflower oil.”
By the time Xie Yi came back to his senses, Su Mu had already left.
He opened the bottle. A pungent medicinal smell wafted in. He poured a little on his hand and rubbed the liquid on his bruised knees.
After kneeling on the cold, damp ground for a whole morning, the chill was like needles with legs, burrowing into his knee bones and flesh, causing a cold, sharp, astringent pain.
The medicinal liquid gradually spread, as if a comfortable flame was burning on it, expelling all the hidden cold from the gaps in his bones. The originally cold, sharp pain was instantly relieved, and his body also warmed up.
Xie Yi tightly clutched the small medicine bottle and quietly pushed open a crack in the door.
His deep green eyes looked out through the small door crack. Su Mu had her back to him, dressed in simple and plain attire, standing tall and graceful, her ink-like long hair draped behind her, the ends tied with a hair ribbon.
In the next second, she changed her posture, picked up the book on the table, and sat on the edge of the bed, her side profile gentle and beautiful, her pale, delicate fingertips flipping through the pages.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in, lifting Xie Yi’s long hair hanging on his chest. In a daze, it seemed as if he could smell the ink fragrance from her book.
Xie Yi’s heart pounded, and he slammed the door shut with a bang.
“Patriarch, the Young Madam firmly refuses to remarry and is unwilling to cooperate with you to continue concealing it. What should we do?” As soon as he stepped out the door, Ling Hua became anxious.
If Su Mu didn’t cooperate, it meant that Yan Zhujun’s current assets were in imminent danger and could be seized by the collateral relatives at any time. Those were all a bunch of ruthless and vicious people. They might not even give the Patriarch a place to settle down.
If things really deteriorated to that point… Ling Hua didn’t dare to think further.
Yan Zhujun’s mind buzzed in a chaotic mess. At this point, he didn’t know what to do either.
He had lived a privileged life all his life and couldn’t let himself fall into a miserable end.
Yan Zhujun gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the cane. “Let’s go back.”
“Yes.” Ling Hua agreed verbally, but his heart had already turned half-cold. What good would it do to go back? The master in front of him would soon become worse off than him, a lowly servant.
He should find a way out for himself early on.
“There’s still one way.” Yan Zhujun sat in the carriage, his expression more serious than ever.
“What way?”
“When Su Mu and Jiyue signed the divorce papers, they didn’t ask the clan elders to witness it. They only discussed it privately in the room, just the two of them.”
“…You mean, let the Young Master go back on his word?” Ling Hua felt this matter was a bit tricky. “The Young Master is so determined to divorce. How could he possibly change his mind?”
“He has no say in it.” Yan Zhujun roared in anger. “If he doesn’t agree, beat him until he agrees. If he doesn’t open his mouth, pry it open. Make him testify that it was Su Mu who changed her mind and forced him to sign the divorce papers. The divorce can’t be valid no matter what.”
His eyes reddened with viciousness, as if he already saw the future days of poverty and humiliation when anyone could bully him beckoning to him.
Ling Hua was frightened by his appearance, timidly adding, “What if the Young Master still doesn’t agree even so?”
“Doesn’t agree? Then make him remarry.” Yan Zhujun trembled with rage. “I absolutely can’t let Ting’er’s family fortune be snatched away by those beasts.”
Ling Hua swallowed nervously, not daring to ask further. He thought, even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, but the Patriarch was really blinded by wealth and power, twice abandoning the Young Master’s happiness.
The Young Master’s life was even less comfortable than a servant’s.
But come to think of it, ever since Lady Yan Ting’s unexpected passing, the Patriarch’s mind had always been a bit abnormal.
Although the Patriarch doted on the Young Master, it was more like indulgence than doting. Because the Patriarch put all his energy and care into Lady Yan Ting, treating her as his very life. After the Lady passed away, the Patriarch aged more than a decade all at once.
The carriage sped towards the Yan residence. Without even waiting for the carriage driver to put down the stool, Yan Zhujun directly rushed towards the Handan Courtyard.
Yan Zhujun pushed the door open aggressively. Before he could say a word, he heard Xiao Ping crying and shouting, “Patriarch, something’s wrong. The Young Master has a high fever and is unconscious.”
“Where’s the doctor? Has a doctor seen him?” Ling Hua asked hurriedly.
Xiao Ping nodded. “The doctor has already examined him. Hua Lu is brewing medicine for the Young Master, but the Young Master remains unconscious and keeps talking nonsense. He can’t be woken up no matter how much we call him.”
“What nonsense is he saying?”
Xiao Ping choked up for a moment before saying, “The Young Master keeps calling the Young Madam’s name.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse voice calling “Su Mu” reached Yan Zhujun’s ears.
Yan Zhujun walked over, leaning on his cane. He saw Yan Jiyue’s face pale as a sheet, as if all the blood had been drained from his body, without a hint of color. His eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and his fingers restlessly tugged at the bedsheet.
“Su Mu, don’t go. I was wrong.”
“Su Mu, I’ve come to accompany you.”
“Su Mu…”
His voice was intermittent and weak.
Yan Zhujun laughed coldly. “When they weren’t divorced, they were like mortal enemies every day, refusing to listen no matter how much persuasion. Now that they’re divorced, he puts on this deeply affectionate act.”
Ling Hua’s heart also ached. Wasn’t that right? If he had been like this earlier, it would have been fine. What’s the use of regretting now? The Young Madam has already left and won’t come back.
After watching the doctor pour the medicine down Yan Jiyue’s throat, Yan Zhujun left with Ling Hua, leaving Xiao Ping alone to attend to him.
Just as he took the medicine bowl out and turned back, he suddenly saw Yan Jiyue, who had been unconscious, sit up.
“Young Master, you’re awake?” Xiao Ping said softly.
Yan Jiyue, who had just woken up from unconsciousness, heard the voice and looked at him in shock. “…Xiao Ping? Why are you here? Aren’t you already…?”
“What about me?” Xiao Ping asked in confusion. “Young Master, I’ve been here all along. You’ve been unconscious with a high fever for a whole morning. You’ve finally woken up.”
“What time is it now?” Yan Jiyue grabbed Xiao Ping’s wrist and questioned him.
“Today is the seventh day of the sixth month.”
“I’m not asking you that. I’m asking you what year it is.” Yan Jiyue’s tone was stern.
Xiao Ping replied tremblingly, “Young Master, what’s wrong with you? It’s the ninth year of Tianhe.”
“The ninth year of Tianhe?” Yan Jiyue slowly released Xiao Ping’s hand, his lips mumbling, “The ninth year of Tianhe, the year I married Su Mu. Su Mu, Su Mu…”
Yan Jiyue’s expression gradually filled with an indescribable joy. He got out of bed, his bare feet stepping on the cold floor. “Where is Su Mu? Where is she? Right, Luofeng Courtyard. I have to go to Luofeng Courtyard to find her.”
Xiao Ping was bewildered by his sudden change. “Young Master, have you forgotten? You and the Young Madam are already divorced.”
“What did you say?” The foot that had stepped out the door suddenly withdrew. Yan Jiyue turned around, his eyes that were previously filled with joy instantly turning gloomy.
Xiao Ping suddenly became afraid. “You…”
“Say it again.” Yan Jiyue tightly gripped his collar, his eyes glinting frighteningly.
Xiao Ping was terrified and stammered, “You divorced the Young Madam last night.”
“Impossible.” Yan Jiyue slapped Xiao Ping, like a ghostly spirit. “You’re lying to me. Su Mu and I have been married for ten years. We’ve only been married for less than half a month now. How could we possibly be divorced?”
Su Mu hadn’t been able to divorce him even on the day she died. He and Su Mu shared the same bed in life and the same grave in death.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Yan Jiyue strangled his neck, his icy fingers like a chilling wind. “You, this vile person, have always coveted Su Mu, trying every means to get into Su Mu’s bed. It was you who instigated this, wasn’t it?”
He’s gone mad, gone mad.
Has the Young Master become muddled from the fever? What does he mean by saying he and the Young Madam have been married for ten years? What does he mean by saying he covets the Young Madam?
Su Mu is indeed extremely good-looking, but how could he disregard a man’s dignity and climb into Su Mu’s bed? Is he crazy?
Xiao Ping was so frightened that his hair stood on end and his blood ran cold. “Young Master, how would I dare to do something so vulgar that only a lowly male courtesan would do? Have you forgotten everything? Last night in Luofeng Courtyard, it was you and the Young Madam who bit your fingers and signed the divorce papers together.”
“Nonsense!” Yan Jiyue frowned angrily, still unwilling to believe it, thinking Xiao Ping was lying to him. “Where is Su Mu? I want to see her.”
Xiao Ping could only tell the truth. “After divorcing you last night, Su Mu left the Yan residence. She should have returned to her original residence.”
“Original residence?” Yan Jiyue didn’t remember where Su Mu lived before marrying into the family at all. His prejudice against Su Mu was too great back then.
“It’s at the end of Luoyan Alley.” Xiao Ping said.
Yan Jiyue released Xiao Ping and, disregarding his ongoing fever, rushed out like a madman.
Xiao Ping hurriedly chased after Yan Jiyue. Hua Lu, who was guarding the courtyard gate, saw this and quickly ran to inform Yan Zhujun.
Sitting in the carriage, Yan Jiyue kept recalling the scenes from his previous life. Not long after Su Mu’s death, he had followed her.
Fortunately, the heavens had mercy. Yan Jiyue had never been as grateful to the heavens as he was today.
Because of his arrogance in his previous life, although he and Su Mu were husband and wife, they missed out on ten years of marital affection, to the point of allowing that vile person Xie Yi to gain a position and come between them as a couple.
Now that he was reborn, he would absolutely not give that little wretch another chance.
He would firmly grasp Su Mu in the palm of his hand, cherish her, and offer his entire heart to her. He would never make things difficult for her or give her the cold shoulder like before. They would become the most loving couple under the heavens and have a pair of adorable children.
Thinking that the happiness he had always longed for was about to be within reach, a smile appeared on Yan Jiyue’s lips as he sat in the carriage.
He lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery constantly passing by outside the window, praying in his heart, faster, go faster.
__________
*Spotlight on Finished Novel Translations*
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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Camilla Helena
Yan Jiyue meu coração dói por vc, tipo muito