chapter 23.2

Producing clouds with a flip of the hand and rain with the other[1], ensuring that no one could trample on him, trample on his family. The silent suffering when he was a young, and treading on thin ice. To stand on top of a higher place and see the scenery far away. Twenty-one years, how many twenty-one years could he have? He could not afford to wait, their grandmother could not afford to wait and neither could Xiang’er.

After much deliberation, his gentle eyes became resolute.

The Old Madam opened her eyes and took a glance at him. Then, she shut her eyes again. The beads in her hands whirled quickly. She always knew that her grandson was a man among men, and was better than his brave grandfather. If he had made up his mind, no one could stop him.

Yu Xiang could not claim that she understood Yu Pin Yan as well as the Old Madam. She could see the ambition in the youth’s black eyes and suddenly could not help but be overcome by a feeling of setback. This man was like an eagle who wanted to spread its wings and soar into the air, and he wasn’t a parrot tied to a golden wire cage for entertainment purposes. She would only disappoint him if she tried to dissuade him.

She shut her eyes and knew that it was a foregone conclusion. She said word for word, “Elder brother, have you ever thought about how our grandmother and I would be living if you face an accident in the battlefield? Although those relatives are afraid of being taught a lesson by you, they hold a deep grudge in their hearts. At that time, like a swarm of bees, they would devour us alive. Our grandmother is old and can’t be overstimulated. I can’t move my legs and feet, and I’m unreliable. You are our backbone. Without you, we have no way to live.”

The Old Madam felt touched, and her eyes were slightly moist. When she thought that her granddaughter was going to be emotional and unreasonable to her grandson. Instead, she said resonantly, “So you must come back alive. If something happens to you, I will die with you! I’m a disabled person anyway, so it’s not interesting to live in this world.”

As she said this, she actually smiled, and the tears welled up even more.

Yu Pin Yan pulled her into his arms. After a long pause, he reassured in a hoarse voice, “You can rest assured that your elder brother will come back safely. What are you saying ‘dead or alive’?! You’re not allowed to mention that in the future!”

“Alright, I won’t say it.” Yu Xiang rubbed her tears on his lapel, then pulled back a little, gently hit his arm with the whip. She chided, “Only when you have made a decision then you inform Grandmother and me. Who asked you to act on your own initiative and be disobedient?!” She hit him twice and threw herself into his arms to wipe her tears. The intention of taking revenge was very obvious.

The whip didn’t hit his body, but on the tip of his heart, leaving traces that could not be erased. It felt a little painful and touched, and a bundle of joy. Yu Pin Yan’s sadness vanished instantly. He took his arm around his younger sister and hugged her. Without minding that it was dirty, he wiped her tears and snot with his fingertips. Then, he took away the whip in her hand and handed it to the Old Madam, “Grandmother, you can hit this grandchild. It’s unfilial for a grandson to be unable to be by your side.”

The Old Madam had long given in, but her expression didn’t show any difference from before. She took the whip and struck him. In fact, the Old Madam just hit the surface of his clothes, as if it was a tickle. When she saw her grandson’s brow furrowed and pretending to be in pain, she stopped. She said gruffly, “Alright, don’t pretend. Go back and pack up. Remember to come home safely!”

Yu Pin Yan nodded. He picked up Yu Xiang and was about to leave. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he heard the Old Madam add reluctantly, “Go and visit your mother. Although she is unreliable, her title still exists. Don’t let others speak ill of you.”

Yu Pin Yan nodded silently and walked towards the entrance. He looked at his younger sister in his arms, “Xiang’er, do you want to meet our mother?”

“She doesn’t want to see me, and I don’t want to see her either. It’s better to have nothing to do with each other. Go by yourself, Elder brother.” Yu Xiang refused without any hesitation. In her last life, she did not expect maternal love, and in this life, she would not have any thoughts. Lin Shi was just a stranger to her. Even if she found this body’s parents in the future, she may not be able to have an intimate relationship.

Saying this may seem unfilial and cold, but Yu Pin Yan seemed to find it amusing. He placed her on the wheelchair and stroked her head. Standing on the same spot, he watched her move far away. Only then, he walked towards the main courtyard. How could Yu Xiang not be his di[2] blood-related younger sister? Her temperament was clearly the same as him. She was as straightforward as him, with the same well-defined likes and dislikes, and how they disdained to recognise their closest relatives[3].

No, it wasn’t that they disdained to recognise their closest relatives, but there were too few people who could be acknowledged by her. Other than himself, it seemed that the Old Madam hadn’t been placed into her heart at all. This disposition was too cold and heartless.

Though that was what he thought, Yu Pin Yan didn’t feel it was wrong at all. Instead, he felt a subtle sense of satisfaction.

As Ma Momo had gotten rid of a lot of things by burning them, Lin Shi’s courtyard seemed spacious, but the light was still too dim. There was a smell of candle and prayer oil merged in the air, which was not unpleasant, but oppressive for some reason.

On the table in the middle of the hall, a tablet of the late Marquis Yu Jun Jie was displayed. It was very smooth because it had been rubbed all year around. The two words ‘deceased husband’ were still as red as it was in those days. It appeared to have been written over with cinnabar.

Yu Pin Yan gave it a glance then looked away, and stared at the ground.

Lin Shi was concentrating on reading a stack of flower paper. She seemed somewhat dazed as there was a smile on the corner of her mouth. She was presumably immersed in the past sweet memories where she was unable to snap out of. Yu Pin Yan had spoked for a long time. Yet, she was half-awake and lightly waved her hands, “Go ahead, take good care of yourself.”

As expected, she gave such a response. Yu Pin Yan’s eyes were slightly frigid. He thought of Xiang’er’s small face crying like a flower cat and his grandmother’s angry and anxious expression. Then, he smiled indifferently. That was fine. He would care about the people he wanted to protect. He wouldn’t bother about the irrelevant people.

He didn’t speak anymore, got up and walked away. However, he was stopped by Lin Shi, “Have you found your younger sister? How is there no news when half a year has passed? Did you diligently search for her?”

With his back to Lin Shi, Yu Pin Yan’s beautiful face was covered with a layer of frost. He said in a deep voice, “Naturally, this son was diligent, but there are a lot of people. It’s not so easy to find her in the territory of the Han Dynasty in a few months! Don’t worry about this, Mother. As long as you are alive, she would be found one day.”

Before he finished his sentence, he swung his sleeves and left.