Chapter 602: A Story
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The village had only two to three dogs, and their barking was non-aggressive. It was to notify the villagers that it had visitors.
Moreover, looking closely, the dogs were happy when they sensed Su Binglan and Luo Jin’an’s aura. The dogs’ tails wagged non-stop.
Then a dim yellow light appeared in a house at the village entrance. Soon after, the door opened from the inside. An older woman opened the door a little and popped her head out. She held an oil lamp and saw two people outside.
Su Binglan initially planned to go up and knock on the door, but when she saw the older woman, she politely said, “We were just pa.s.sing by and considered staying here for a night.”
The older woman seemed hesitant. At that moment, a clear female voice sounded from inside, “Grandma, what’s going on out there?”
The girl was worried about her grandmother, so she covered her face and walked toward the door to look outside. The older woman looked at her granddaughter and explained, “These are pa.s.sers-by.”
The girl raised her brows as if she had thought of something. Still, she said, “Let them in, Grandma.’
“B-But…t!
The girl said, ‘Grandma, I already look like this, so I don’t care what others say. We should do what’s right and not worry about what others think.”
Su Binglan explained, “Madam, Miss, we’re not bad people. We came from
Dingzhou and are heading toward Teng County. We pa.s.sed by and considered staying the night. That’s my husband, and he’s from the army. You don’t have to worry.”
The older woman’s att.i.tude immediately improved upon hearing that. “I’m sorry, Young Master and Madam. Please, come in quickly.”
The older woman walked shakily and limped into the house to entertain her guests. Meanwhile, the girl kept her face covered with a cloth from beginning to end.
The girl was about to cook for the young couple when Su Binglan said, “Please, there’s no need to trouble yourself. We already had dinner. We just need a place to stay for the night.”
When Su Binglan entered, she noticed it was small and old. However, it was clean and tidy. Only the older woman and the girl lived there.
Although the older woman knew the young couple had already eaten, she still took two eggs from the kitchen and boiled them for the two to eat.
“The weather is cold, so it’s best to eat an egg or two to warm yourselves up.”
Su Binglan felt terrible when she noticed the older woman’s hunched back and limp—the former thought of her life in the modern world and her grandmother from that era.
Su Binglan knew the family could not afford to feed her and her husband their eggs. When she first entered the house, she noticed the family only had one hen in their courtyard.
Moreover, Su Binglan could see that the family lived in impoverished conditions by looking at the tables, chairs, and pots. However, the family was simple and kind.
The girl quickly took some bedding and prepared a place for the couple to sleep. Then she went to the courtyard to get firewood and warmed up the brick bed.
The older woman said, “You should eat before the eggs get cold.”
“Are you and your granddaughter the only ones living here?” Su Binglan looked at the older woman.
The older woman sighed. “Xiaoxun’s father joined the army and never returned. He sacrificed himself on the battlefield a few years ago. Xiaoxun’s mother wasn’t healthy and pa.s.sed away when Xiaoshun was younger. I pity my granddaughter.”
She could not help but tear up as she spoke, “I’m sorry.”
“No, that’s okay.” Su Binglan shook her head.
She felt Yang Xiaoxun had a good figure and walked gracefully. However, the latter covered her face with a cloth, which was a little strange.
Yang Xiaoxun noticed Su Binglan looking at her and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you with my face, so I covered it.”
Old Madam Yang explained, “Xiaoxun’s face got burned in a fire. That’s why she covers it. She’s afraid of scaring others.”
“How did the fire happen?” Su Binglan frowned. She felt a story was behind it, and judging from Old Madam Yang and Yang Xiaoxun’s reactions, it was complicated.
Old Madam Yang sighed. “The incident happened four years ago, and Xiaoxun was only fifteen. She went up the mountain one day to cut firewood when she saved a young man.
“The boy was severely injured. However, the villagers live in poor conditions and can’t take in strangers with such injuries. Since my granddaughter is kind-hearted, she couldn’t leave the boy in the lurch.
“We had no choice but to take him in and care for him, but the villagers started to gossip. My granddaughter had just reached adulthood then, and it was about time to matchmake her with someone.
“Still, saving the boy affected Xiaoxun’s reputation, and most knew she had no parents and had to care for an older woman like me. The boy saved Xiaoxun’s reputation because she cared for him.
“The boy was grateful to my granddaughter for caring for him, and the two developed feelings for each other after some time. The boy even said he would marry Xiaoxun. ”
The older woman spoke slowly, and Yang Xiaoxun continued the rest of the story. After listening to the two, Su Binglan and Luo Jin’an understood what had happened.
The boy’s feelings for Yang Xiaoxun were real. The latter was beautiful back then, and the boy fell in love with her. However, people changed, especially when the family learned that the boy came from one of the six great families, the Han family.
The boy was only the son of a concubine from the Han family’s side branch. Still, they lived in the Han family’s vast courtyard. Additionally, the struggle between wealthy families was very fierce.
The boy’s name was Han Mobei, and his mother was resourceful. She wanted her son to marry a woman from a wealthy family, the kind that could help her son.
She never expected her son to want to marry an ordinary villager, so she refused. However, Han Mobei was insistent and even went on a hunger strike.
Later, Han Mobei’s mother compromised and allowed Yang Xiaoxun to enter the Han Residence. Although Han Mobei’s mother was only a concubine, she made things difficult for Yang Xiaoshun.
Still, Yang Xiaoxun endured it all for Han Mobei, even though his mother always resorted to getting him to meet other women.
Then Han Mobei developed trust issues toward Yang Xiaoxun. The former thought Yang Xiaoxun had harmed his mother and that she was a vicious girl because of everything that had happened.
Han Mobei thought Yang Xiaoxun would do anything to get closer to him. For some reason, he suspected she had known his ident.i.ty from the start and harbored ill intentions.
Yang Xiaoxun became so thin that she was all skin and bones. Then someone set her house on fire. That was when her face burned, and she lost her chance to stay in the Han Residence.
Afterward, Han Mobei divorced Yang Xioaxun, and the family chased her out on a snowy night. Yang Xiaosun was in despair and had nowhere to go. She even wanted to commit suicide.
However, she thought of her grandmother and knew she had to continue living. Yang Xiaoxun realized how stupid she was to leave her grandmother in the first place..