Chapter 7 The Ex-Husband’s Brother Has Been Reborn

On the way back, Su Mu bought another large bag of honey seeds candy.

She didn’t have much money to begin with. After deducting rent, daily expenses, and the 20 taels of silver spent on buying Xie Yi flowers, there was little left.

But thinking that Xie Yi loved to eat them, she bought more for him.

In her previous life, Xie Yi had suffered a lot following her, and ended up committing suicide by poison. Su Mu felt a hidden guilt in her heart.

Su Mu knew all too well how painful it was to die from poisoning. In her previous life, she had been given a slow-acting poison. By the time she discovered it, it was already too late for any remedy. The toxin had spread to her five viscera and six bowels, her internal organs felt like they were being pounded and crushed into pulp in a stone mortar. She couldn’t eat porridge, couldn’t swallow life-saving medicine, just dragging on like a walking corpse, waiting for death to come.

The poison Xie Yi took was □□, with a toxicity as fierce as fire and sulfuric acid burning and corroding. 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 embrace, blood slowly seeping from the corners of his mouth.

She just didn’t understand, when did Xie Yi start to like her?

In her previous life, Su Mu, constrained by her identity as a married-in husband, even after buying Xie Yi from the human trafficker, only made him an ordinary servant cleaning the garden in the Yan family.

Later, when Xie Yi was harassed by other servants, she stepped in to help a few times. Perhaps out of gratitude, Xie Yi often came to her courtyard to keep her company and chat.

At that time, Su Mu only regarded Xie Yi as an ordinary friend, never discovering any other ambiguous feelings in his eyes.

So much so that when her soul saw Xie Yi take poison to follow her in death, there were only four words in her mind: unbelievable.

If it weren’t for Xie Yi finally crawling into her coffin, enduring the severe pain of the poison, no longer concealing the deep affection leaked from his eyes, she wouldn’t have even thought in the direction of romantic love, but would only have felt grateful for his loyalty as a servant.

Xie Yi had hidden his feelings for her too deeply.

But no matter what, Xie Yi was the only person who truly cared for her in her previous life. Even now, when Su Mu recalled such intense emotions as dying for love, she felt as if her heart had been scalded.

Su Mu clutched the bag of honey seeds candy tightly and pushed open the door.

She had expected to see Xie Yi’s familiar smile, but what she saw was a familiar pair of master and servant in the courtyard.

Yan Zhujun sat high in the main seat, with his personal attendant and most capable henchman, Ling Hua, standing beside him.

And her Xie Yi was kneeling obediently at Yan Zhujun’s feet, his thin back pressed down.

“Su Mu, you’re finally back.” Yan Zhujun’s eyes held a gentle shallow smile, crow’s feet gathering at the corners.

Ling Hua also bowed respectfully to Su Mu.

Su Mu ignored them, directly pulling Xie Yi up from the ground in front of the two, and stuffed the honey seeds candy in her hand into his.

Seeing the honey seeds candy stuffed into his hand, each round and emitting clear colliding sounds, Xie Yi’s expression was surprised.

Early this morning, as soon as Su Mu left, this old man brought people in.

Without a word, he pressed him to kneel on the ground, under the pretext of ‘standing properly’.

Xie Yi was very familiar with this ‘standing properly’, as Teacher Li’s husband often used this word to punish him.

Before Su Mu returned, he had already been kneeling on the ground for an hour, until Su Mu came back.

He raised his eyes to look at Su Mu.

Her smile carried the warmth of spring and summer river water rippling and flowing, instantly dispelling the cold he had felt kneeling on the damp, chilly ground for an hour, and even feeling a bit scorching.

“Go back to the room, you don’t need to kneel to anyone in the future.” Su Mu took him into the room, letting 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 no relationship with the Yan family.

Coming to her home early in the morning and punishing her people, his face was too big.

But it seemed Xie Yi understood this sentence, his deep green eyes were suddenly stirred as if by wind, surging at the bottom.

Even after seeing Xie Yi’s green eyes for ten years, Su Mu still couldn’t help but exclaim, how beautiful.

“Rest well.” She smiled and instructed, closing the door.

The moment she closed the door, the smile in Su Mu’s eyes faded: “What business does the Lord have with me today?”

Yan Zhujun had seen everything just now. There must be an ambiguous relationship between Su Mu and that foreign man. Perhaps it was for this man that she was so determined to divorce.

Yan Zhujun was angry in his heart. A lone girl, if it weren’t for him encountering her on his way back from offering incense at the Taoist temple, she would have frozen to death long ago.

He originally didn’t want to care about Su Mu’s life or death, but the little Taoist nun at the temple said that he had been cold and calculating all his life, and needed to accumulate virtue and do good deeds to have a good end. Only then did he bring Su Mu back to the Yan family.

Although being a married-in husband was humiliating, for a lone girl like her, being able to marry into the Yan family was a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes. He didn’t expect her to be so ungrateful, divorcing after only half a month of marriage, ruining all his previous plans.

Although Yan Zhujun was angry, he knew clearly that he must stabilize Su Mu now, and must not let her spread the news of the divorce.

He smiled and said in a humble tone: “I heard you had a conflict with Jiyue before. This child, he just has a bad temper. If there’s anything between you husband and wife—”

“The Lord should know that I and Young Master Yan are no longer husband and wife, we have already signed the divorce papers.” Su Mu saw through Yan Zhujun’s intentions at a glance and said coldly.

“Look at you young people, you’re so impulsive. Marriage is not a child’s play, how can you divorce just like that?” Yan Zhujun’s face remained unchanged, but the prayer beads in his hand had been dented by his fingernails.

Su Mu laughed coldly in her heart. Yan Zhujun had a very good reputation outside, and was also a first-class good person. But a person who believes in both Taoism and Buddhism is nothing more than a tool to satisfy his own desires, not a devout believer who is truly devoted to goodness.

“How does the Lord know that my divorce from Yan Jiyue is impulsive? Only we ourselves know whether this marriage is harmonious or not. Isn’t it good to cut the mess with a sharp knife now?”

“You—” Seeing that his persuasion to reconcile was not working on Su Mu, Yan Zhujun gave Ling Hua a look.

Ling Hua received the signal and fell to his knees in front of Su Mu with a thud, pulling at her skirt: “Young Mistress, how can you be so heartless? You know how much criticism a man faces after divorce. Can you bear to see the young master being pointed at and cursed?”

Su Mu pulled her skirt back unmoved and said: “Don’t make it sound like I’m being heartless. You don’t need to persuade me. Yan Jiyue is even more eager about the divorce than I am.”

Ling Hua secretly exchanged glances with Yan Zhujun, and after confirming that Su Mu was determined, Ling Hua gritted his teeth and said: “The Young Mistress can use the excuse of marital discord to heartlessly abandon the young master, but have you forgotten the great kindness the Lord showed you when you were destitute? If it weren’t for the Lord, you—”

“Ling Hua, that’s enough, don’t say anymore.” Yan Zhujun turned his prayer beads, his eyes filled with sorrow and forbearance.

Ling Hua refused to shut up and said loudly: “In the three months of severe winter, with bone-chilling cold, if it weren’t for the Lord back then, Young Mistress, how could you be alive and kicking like this now? But you repay kindness with enmity.”

“Ling Hua.” Yan Zhujun scolded angrily.

Ling Hua’s eyes were filled with tears, resentment in his eyes: “Lord, this slave just feels aggrieved for you. Now that the words pent up in my heart have finally been said, this slave feels relieved. You can beat or punish this slave without complaint.”

Su Mu leisurely drank her tea.

In her previous life, she had too little real-life experience. How did she not see that this was all an act?

“Su Mu, ah, Ling Hua, he… don’t take it to heart.” Yan Zhujun said earnestly.

Su Mu smiled slowly: “Of course I won’t. What Ling Hua said is all true. Back then, I indeed received your kindness.”

Hearing Su Mu voluntarily admit it, a flash of joy crossed Yan Zhujun’s eyes, thinking she would compromise like before.

But unexpectedly, Su Mu changed her tone: “So when you asked me to marry in as repayment for your kindness, even though I knew I would be pointed at and ridiculed by the whole city, looked down upon by all women, I accepted it. I endured the mockery from everyone in the Yan family. Isn’t this enough to repay your kindness?”

“The principle of repaying a droplet of kindness 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 of time, and even her life had to be used to repay his kindness.

It was too tiring. She carried the kindness like a thousand-pound burden, pressing her so that she couldn’t breathe for ten years. So much so that later when she was dying from poison, what she felt was not fear of death, but relief.

But it’s good now, she has seen through it. People can’t be too soft-hearted, the bottom line that should be held must not be compromised even a step.

Yan Zhujun indeed showed her kindness, and she was willing to repay it, but she didn’t want to walk the old path of her previous life again. She could take the imperial examinations, or start a business again, or even provide financial support to Yan Zhujun when he needed it. She could accept all these, but she didn’t want to fall into the quagmire of marriage again.

Su Mu smiled and nodded: “Yes, your kindness to me is as vast as the sky, I can never repay it in my lifetime. Lord, please rest assured, in the future I will certainly be as filial as a daughter to you.”

To sum it up in one sentence, repaying kindness is possible, remarriage is impossible.

Yan Zhujun didn’t expect that Su Mu, who had always been easy to talk to in front of him, would be so adamant today, refusing to agree to remarriage no matter what. It seemed his well-laid plans were going to fall through.

Even though he was so angry he wanted to hit someone, there was nothing he could do. Who told Yan Jiyue to sign the divorce papers?

Having no choice, Yan Zhujun had to take a step back to move forward. His tone became gentle 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 others? You know, if those collateral branches know that you and Jiyue have divorced, we orphaned father and son won’t be able to keep the Yan family’s property.”

“Not announce it?” Su Mu smiled, leaning back lazily in her chair: “If it’s not announced, what’s the difference between signing these divorce papers and not signing them?”

Outsiders would still think she was the Yan family’s married-in husband, still to be pointed at behind her back.

More importantly, she was now preparing for the imperial examinations. If she didn’t announce her divorce before the exam, and only announced it after passing the scholar exam, it would give people something to talk about.

In the eyes of the people of Juancheng, Su Mu would be a white-eyed wolf who kicked away her humble husband after becoming successful, forever bearing a bad name.

If her reputation became bad, she might not even be able to take the imperial examinations in the future, equivalent to a high school senior permanently losing the qualification for the college entrance examination. This was almost no different from ruining her own future.

So this request was absolutely unacceptable to Su Mu.

“Su Mu, ah, you’ve always been a good child. Why have you suddenly changed your attitude, not even willing to agree to this small request of mine? You, you really make one’s heart cold.” Yan Zhujun’s hand gripping the cane slammed on the ground twice. At this moment, he could no longer pretend to smile kindly, his eyes full of intense unwillingness and resentment.

Su Mu remained silent, with a ‘as long as I have no morals, you can’t morally bind me’ look.

Yan Zhujun was so angry that he was puffing and glaring, nearly fainting.

Thinking that appearing in person to handle Su Mu was a sure thing, he didn’t expect her to be so adamant and uncooperative. Even when he pulled out his trump card of ‘kindness’, it couldn’t move her an inch. He could only grit his teeth and leave to think of another way.

Although Xie Yi didn’t understand much of the Central Plains language, he could guess seven or eight tenths of the commotion outside the room. It should be that the old man and Su Mu had a conflict, Su Mu was unwilling, so the old man turned hostile.

He didn’t expect that Su Mu also had troubles. He wondered what exactly that old man did to make Su Mu unhappy.

Even though he didn’t understand the argument between the two, Xie Yi still instinctively put Su Mu on the good side.

How could such a gentle person be bad?

Xie Yi swayed the bag of honey seeds candy, the plump orange-yellow transparent candies making slight collision sounds.

He swallowed, his throat that used to dislike sweet candies the most now seemed to grow dense fuzz, making him uncomfortably itchy.

He picked up a candy and ate it. The fruit fragrance mixed with sweetness spread, and the sour itch in his throat finally stopped completely.

Suddenly there was movement at the door, and Su Mu pushed it open and entered.

Xie Yi was startled, and the hard candy rolling on his tongue was suddenly swallowed whole, choking him into constant coughing.

“Are you alright?” Su Mu gently patted his back, her tone full of unstoppable gentle laughter: “It’s just eating candy, how can you choke on it?”

Xie Yi was choked to tears, and it took a while to recover.

He pointed outside, then pointed 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 smiled softly. Even though he couldn’t understand anything, he was still willing to speak up for her.

Xie Yi saw Su Mu smile at him and felt relieved.

To gain the master’s trust, the first element is to take sides, and to take sides blindly. Only in this way will the master fully trust you, and this way he would be one step closer to returning to the great desert.

“For you.” Su Mu took out a small bottle for him: “Hong hua oil.”

Xie Yi looked strange.

Su Mu pointed at his knees: “Medicine, Hong hua oil.”

By the time Xie Yi came to his senses, Su Mu had already left.

He opened the bottle, and a pungent medicinal smell rushed in. He poured a little on his hand and applied the liquid to a bruised patch on his knee.

Kneeling on the cold and damp ground all morning, the chill was like needles with legs, drilling into the flesh and bone of his knees bit by bit, causing a cold, sharp, and astringent pain.

As the medicine slowly spread, it was as if a comfortable flame was burning on it, driving out all the hidden cold from the bone crevices. The originally cold and 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 dark green eyes looked out through the small door crack. Su Mu had her back to him, dressed simply and plainly, standing tall and straight, her long ink-black hair falling down her back, the ends tied with a hair ribbon.

The next moment, she changed her posture, picked up a book from the table and sat on the edge of the bed. Her side profile was soft and beautiful, her pale and delicate fingertips turning the pages of the book.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in, lifting Xie Yi’s long hair hanging on his chest. For a moment, he seemed to smell the ink fragrance from her books.

Xie Yi’s heart pounded, and with a bang, he shut the door tightly.

“Lord, the young mistress absolutely refuses to remarry, and is unwilling to cooperate with you to continue concealing. What should we do?” As soon as they left, Ling Hua became anxious.

If Su Mu doesn’t cooperate, it means that Yan Zhujun’s current property is in danger and could be seized by the collateral branches at any time. Those are all a bunch of wolves and tigers, they might not even give the lord a place to live.

If it really comes to that… Ling Hua dared not think further.

Yan Zhujun’s mind was buzzing in chaos. At this point, he didn’t know what to do.

He had lived a privileged life for a lifetime, and he absolutely could not 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 sunk halfway. What could they do by going back? The master before him was about to become even worse off than a servant like himself.

He’d better find a way out for himself early.

“There’s still one way.” Yan Zhujun sat in the carriage, his expression more serious than ever before.

“What way?”

“When Su Mu and Jiyue signed the divorce papers, they didn’t invite the clan elders to witness. It was just the two of them discussing privately in the room.”

“…You mean, let the young master change his mind?” Ling Hua felt this matter was a bit strange: “The young master was so determined to divorce, how could he change his mind?”

“He has no choice.” Yan Zhujun roared angrily: “If he doesn’t agree, beat him until he agrees. If he doesn’t open his mouth, pry it open. Make him testify that Su Mu changed her mind and forced him to sign the divorce papers. The divorce can’t be valid no matter what.”

His eyes were red and fierce, as if he had already seen the future days of poverty and bullying by everyone beckoning to him.

Ling Hua was startled by his appearance, and timidly added a sentence: “What if even then, the young master still doesn’t agree?”

“Doesn’t agree? Then make him marry again,” Yan Zhujun trembled with anger: “I absolutely cannot let those beasts snatch away Ting’er’s family property.”

Ling Hua swallowed in fear, not daring to ask further. He thought to himself that even tigers don’t eat their cubs, but the lord has really been blinded by wealth and power, twice sacrificing the young master’s happiness.

This young master’s life is not as free as a servant’s.

But thinking about it, ever since Young Lady Yan Ting accidentally passed away, Yan Zhujun’s mind has not been quite right.

Although Yan Zhujun doted on the young master, it was more like neglect than doting. Because the lord put all his energy and care on Young Lady Yan Ting, that was what you’d call treating someone like his life. After the young lady passed away, the lord aged a dozen years all at once.

The carriage sped towards the Yan mansion. Before the horse woman could even put down the stool, Yan Zhujun rushed straight towards the Handan Courtyard.

Yan Zhujun pushed open the door fiercely, but before he could speak, he heard Xiao Ping crying out: “Lord, it’s terrible, the young master has a high fever and is unconscious.”

“Where’s the doctor? Has a doctor seen him?” Ling Hua hurriedly asked.

Xiao Ping nodded: “The doctor has already seen him. Hua Lu is currently brewing medicine for the young master, but the young master is still unconscious and talking nonsense, and can’t be woken up no matter how we call him.”

“What nonsense is he talking?”

Xiao Ping choked for a moment, then said: “The young master keeps calling the young mistress’s name.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse “Su Mu” reached Yan Zhujun’s ears.

Yan Zhujun walked over with his cane and saw Yan Jiyue’s face was pale white, as if all the blood had been drained from his body. There was not a hint of color, his eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and his fingers were anxiously clutching the bedsheet.

“Su Mu, don’t go, I was wrong.”

“Su Mu, I’ve come to accompany you.”

“Su Mu-”

The intermittent voice was weak and haggard.

Yan Zhujun smiled coldly: “When they weren’t divorced, they were like enemies every day, no matter how much persuasion. Now that they’re divorced, he puts on this deeply affectionate appearance.”

Ling Hua’s heart was also clenched. Wasn’t that right? If he had been like this earlier, wouldn’t it have been better? What’s the use of regretting now? The young mistress has already left and won’t come back.

After watching the doctor give the medicine to Yan Jiyue, Yan Zhujun left with Ling Hua, leaving Xiao Ping alone to attend to him.

Just as he was taking the medicine bowl out and coming 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 his coma, was shocked to hear the voice and looked at him: “…Xiao Ping? Why are you here? Aren’t you already…?”

“What happened to me?” Xiao Ping asked, confused: “Young master, I’ve been here all along. You’ve been in a feverish coma all morning, you’ve finally woken up.”

“What time is it now?” Yan Jiyue grabbed Xiao Ping’s wrist and demanded.

“Today is the seventh day of the sixth month.”

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked you what year is it?” Yan Jiyue’s tone was stern.

Xiao Ping tremblingly replied: “Young master, what’s wrong with you? It’s the ninth year of Tian He.”

“The ninth year of Tian He?” Yan Jiyue slowly released Xiao Ping’s hand, his lips murmuring: “The ninth year of Tian He, the year Su Mu and I got married. Su Mu, Su Mu-”

Yan Jiyue’s expression gradually filled with joy that was difficult to describe in words. He got out of bed, his bare feet stepping on the cold floor: “Where’s Su Mu? Where is she? Right, Luofeng Courtyard, I need to go to Luofeng Courtyard to find her.”

Xiao Ping was at a loss due to his sudden change: “Young master, have you forgotten? You and the young mistress have already divorced.”

“What did you say?” The foot that was about to step out of the door suddenly retreated. Yan Jiyue turned back, the eyes full of joy instantly became gloomy.

Xiao Ping suddenly felt afraid: “You…”

“Say it again.” Yan Jiyue tightly gripped his collar, the light in his eyes intimidating.

Xiao Ping was terribly afraid and said tremblingly: “You divorced the young mistress last night.”

“Impossible.” Yan Jiyue slapped Xiao Ping, like a vengeful ghost: “You’re lying to me. Su Mu and I were husband and wife for ten years. How could we possibly divorce when we’ve been married for less than half a month?”

Until the day Su Mu died, she never divorced him. He and Su Mu, living together and buried together.

“It was you, wasn’t it.” Yan Jiyue choked him, his cold fingers like a chilly wind strangling: “You vile creature have always coveted Su Mu, trying every way to climb into Su Mu’s bed. It was you who instigated this, wasn’t it?”

He’s gone mad, gone mad.

Has the young master gone delirious from the fever? What does he mean by he and the young mistress being married for ten years? What does he mean by coveting the young mistress?

Su Mu’s appearance is extremely good-looking, but how could he disregard a man’s face and climb into Su Mu’s bed? Has he gone mad?

Xiao Ping was so scared that his hair stood on end, his whole body’s blood turning cold: “Young master, how would I dare to do such a thing that only lowly male prostitutes would do? Have you forgotten everything? Last night in Luofeng Courtyard, it was you and the young mistress who bit your fingers together and signed the divorce papers!”

“Nonsense!” Yan Jiyue frowned angrily, still unwilling to believe, thinking Xiao Ping was lying to him: “Where is Su Mu? I want to see her.”

Xiao Ping could only tell the truth: “Su Mu left the Yan mansion after divorcing you last night. She should have returned to her original residence.”

“Original residence?” Yan Jiyue couldn’t remember where Su Mu lived before marrying into the family. His prejudice against Su Mu was too great at that time.

“It’s at the end of Luoyan Lane,” Xiao Ping said.

Yan Jiyue released Xiao Ping and, despite still having a 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 report to Yan Zhujun.

Sitting in the carriage, Yan Jiyue kept recalling the scenes from his previous life. Not long after Su Mu died, he followed her.

Fortunately, heaven took pity on him. Yan Jiyue had never been as grateful to the heavens as he was today.

Because of his arrogance in his previous life, even though he and Su Mu were husband and wife, they missed out on ten years of marriage, allowing that vile Xie Yi to take advantage and come between them as a couple.

Now that he has been reborn, he absolutely won’t give that little vile man another chance.

He will hold Su Mu tightly in the palm of his hand, cherish her, and dedicate his whole heart to her. He will never again treat her badly or give her the cold shoulder like before. They will become the most loving couple under heaven and have a pair of adorable children.

Just thinking about the happiness he had always longed for being within reach, a smile appeared on Yan Jiyue’s face as he sat in the carriage.

He lifted the curtain, looking at the scenery rapidly passing by outside the window, praying in his heart, hurry, hurry faster.