HLnovel Chapter 281 Let's Go Back to Jiangnan
Chapter 281 Let's Go Back to Jiangnan
"The Cheng family? General Cheng's mansion?"
Lu Yangyang asked.
Lan Yin nodded, "Yes, it's General Cheng's mansion."
Lu Yangyang frowned slightly, thinking of Cheng Shujin, that idiot.
Seeing that she looked unwell, Lan Yin hurriedly asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is there a problem? If you don't want to go..."
"No, I'll go." Lu Yangyang just found Cheng Shujin annoying, but she didn't intend to avoid her.
Fortunately, she was just accompanying Lan Yin to deliver a gift; it wasn't that she was looking for trouble.
Seeing that Lu Yangyang had agreed, Lan Yin's brows relaxed: "I had Granny Hui make you a new dress, how about you wear that tomorrow?"
After saying that, he hurriedly told Granny Hui to bring out the skirt.
It was a bright red dress embroidered with large lotus flowers, giving it a cool and refreshing summer feel.
Lu Yangyang put the dress away and complimented, "It's very pretty, but I've been busy going to the clinic lately, so it's not really appropriate for me to wear a dress like this. I'll put it away for now and wear it later. Thank you, Mother."
"Okay, as long as you like it." Lan Yin nodded and said.
Lu Yangyang went out carrying her dress.
Lan Yin frowned, gazing in the direction Lu Yangyang had left, and couldn't help but ask Granny Hui, "Did I do something wrong? I always felt that Yangyang didn't seem to like it..."
Granny Hui thought for a moment and comforted her, "It's not that the young lady doesn't like it. If she really didn't like it, she would have said so directly. Perhaps..."
“What is ‘perhaps’?” Lan Yin asked her.
Granny Hui said uncertainly, "I've noticed that you've been dressed very plainly lately. Perhaps it's because the Princess has been gone for a while, and you've become close to Princess Zhaohe, so you want to do your part."
Lan Yin was taken aback and murmured softly, "It's my fault. I only thought about how to make up for her, and even moved in with her. But I didn't think that she has grown up and has her own life. My constant revolving around her is just a burden."
“Then you…” Granny Hui noticed Lan Yin’s thoughts.
Lan Yin looked somewhat disappointed. "I see Yangyang is so busy every day, so I always try to find time to be nice to her, but I never think about what she's busy with, just like A Yao and the others. Hui Xin, I'm really not a good mother."
“Because Ayao is reliable, I have only thought about relying on him since he was old enough to understand. Back when I was in the Duke’s mansion, Sheng Qishen didn’t let me care about his affairs, so I didn’t care and just lived my life in a daze. Ayi felt that I didn’t care about him, and Xiao Wu was not close to me either. Because I felt guilty towards Yangyang, I only thought about how to make up for it, but I never thought about whether I had ever stood in their shoes to think over the years. I only saw how they grew up, but I didn’t know why.”
"I'm really incompetent; I'm so incompetent that I'm only thinking about these issues now."
“Madam, every family is like this. As the mistress of the house, you have many things to do…” Granny Hui tried to comfort her, but Lan Yin shook her head.
"Huixin, do you remember what I was like before I got married?" Lan Yin suddenly asked.
Granny Hui was stunned, even somewhat dazed.
What was Lan Yin like more than twenty years ago? What kind of person could become friends with someone like the late Empress?
At that time, Lan Yin was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the capital. Men pursued her like fish crossing a river, and suitors practically wore down the threshold of the Lan family home. The Lan family had been a family of scholars for generations, and Lan Yin herself was a talented and beautiful girl with a passionate personality. Her grandfather loved to travel and told her many interesting stories. What was she thinking at that time?
She wanted to marry the best man in the world, meet a man who was devoted to her, and travel all over the beautiful landscapes described in her grandfather's notes. She loved painting and had a natural talent for it. Her grandfather praised her, saying that if she could study diligently, she might become a great master of calligraphy and painting in the future.
What happened next? What became of her? After marrying Sheng Qishen, she was burdened with a mountain of trivial matters in the mansion. Her mother-in-law disliked her and caused trouble time and time again. Her husband's concubines and maids needed to be settled. One child after another was born. She was busy with this and that. From Lan Yin to Lan Shi, she became Sheng Qishen's vassal. She played one role after another, but forgot what she was originally like.
She seems to be doing everything, yet she's not doing anything well.
How long has it been since she last picked up a paintbrush? Three years? Five years? Or ten or twenty years?
These past twenty-odd years of life have felt like a long dream, which I suddenly awoke from at this moment.
She mustered up her courage and left Sheng Qishen, but she was still in a daze, not knowing what she should do.
What a ridiculous and failed half of my life.
Lan Yin took a deep breath.
Then he suddenly laughed.
"Huixin, when we get back from the Cheng family tomorrow, let's pack our things. I want to go back to my hometown in Jiangnan. I guess I'm destined to be a bad mother. Rather than staying in the capital and worrying about things, I'd rather go back and cultivate myself. Maybe I can live a few more years."
Granny Hui was taken aback, her eyes reddened, and she couldn't help but nod: "Okay, okay, let's go back to Jiangnan."
……
The next morning, Lan Yin took Lu Yangyang to General Cheng's mansion.
General Cheng and his eldest son are stationed in the north. At the General's mansion, Madam Song, the current head of the household, is celebrating the birthday of the Old Madam of the Cheng family. The celebration is very lively. When Lu Yangyang and his group arrived, many guests had already come.
Lan Yin and Lu Yangyang went to see the matriarch of the Cheng family together.
The flower hall was bustling with activity, but it quieted down a bit when Lan Yin and Lu Yangyang entered.
A few months ago, Lan Yin's request to leave the marriage caused a great stir. Everyone thought she would never show her face again, but unexpectedly she came out so openly.
The old lady of the Cheng family smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared. She hurriedly beckoned Lan Yin over, held her hand and talked for a while. Then she asked Lu Yangyang with a smile, "Lan girl, is this your daughter? Oh my, she is so lovely. I heard she also knows medicine. She can take this old woman's pulse later."
Lu Yangyang stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yangyang greets the Old Madam."
The matriarch of the Cheng family smiled and took off a large gold bracelet from her hand, putting it on Lu Yangyang's wrist and putting it on her wrist: "Good child, we are destined to meet. Come and visit with your mother more often in the future."
Lu Yangyang glanced at Lan Yin, and seeing Lan Yin nod, she said to the old lady of the Cheng family, "Thank you, old lady."
At this moment, Madam Song brought in Cheng Ruoxue and Cheng Shujin. Cheng Shujin's eyes widened when she saw her grandmother put a large gold bracelet on Lu Yangyang's wrist. After what happened at the Duke of Sheng's mansion, she was a little intimidated when she saw Lu Yangyang.
But that didn't stop her from hating Lu Yangyang! Originally, she could at least find some sense of superiority in Lu Yangyang, this wild girl, but watching Lu Yangyang grow fairer and more beautiful, she was so jealous she was practically going crazy. She even rose through the ranks, transforming from a wild girl who appeared out of nowhere into the true daughter of the Sheng family, and even becoming a princess bestowed by His Majesty—it was simply outrageous!
Cheng Shujin's anger, which had only subsided a few days ago, flared up again at the sight of the large gold bracelet. She glared fiercely at Lu Yangyang and was about to step forward to cause trouble when Cheng Ruoxue tripped her, causing her to fall flat on her face in front of Lu Yangyang.