Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“Since you won’t ask, I’ll tell you myself,” Wei Yinxia began, slowly recounting her background to An Jing.

“Before Wei Zhengqing became rich, he knew my mother. Mother loved him and gave him all the money she earned from singing to start his business. The rest of the story is old-fashioned: once the man achieved some success, he married a rich and powerful daughter to climb higher. However, the first wife only bore one daughter for many years, so the man went back to the courtesan, sweet-talking and deceiving her into having a child for him. Unfortunately, the courtesan also gave birth to a daughter. The man wanted a son to carry on the family name, so he abandoned the courtesan and the child again. After ignoring us for over ten years, he accidentally discovered that his younger daughter had grown into a beauty, perfect for using her looks to gain favor. He then made a bargain with the courtesan based on lies. The man promised that his younger daughter could return to the family and live the so-called life of a wealthy young lady, on the condition that the courtesan must become mute and never leave the Old Town. Otherwise, he would make his younger daughter wish she were dead…”

Hearing this, An Jing’s heart ached. She desperately wanted to hug Wei Yinxia, yet she was afraid the girl would mistake her gesture for pity or sympathy…

She couldn’t truly empathize with Wei Yinxia’s tragic past. Although she was the adopted daughter of the An family, her adoptive parents treated her as their own while they were alive, never mistreating or criticizing her.

An Xi had no interest in business, so An’s father chose another talented person, cultivating the bright and capable An Jing to become the head of the An enterprise.

Compared to Wei Yinxia, who had to rely on others and endure scrutiny, An Jing considered herself extremely lucky.

“What is your mother’s name?”

“If Boss Jing doesn’t mind, you can call her Aunt Hong, like I do.”

It turned out that the woman was Wei Yinxia’s mother. An Jing felt a wave of heartache but couldn’t find the right words to comfort her.

“Knock, knock.”

Aunt Hong knocked on the door, signaling the hot water was ready. Wei Yinxia grabbed the cotton clothes and trousers and pulled An Jing out.

They walked into an even dimmer, narrower space. A wooden tub, just large enough for one person, was filled with steaming warm water.

Wei Yinxia tested the temperature: “The temperature is just right, Boss Jing. You can wash yourself. I’ve placed the clothes on the rack. Call me when you’re done.”

An Jing was touched by her gentleness and consideration. She clutched her injured left shoulder with her right arm, feigning weakness, and leaned against the tub, speaking weakly: “With an injury like this, do you think I have the strength to wash myself?”

Just thinking about An Jing undressing made Wei Yinxia’s ears turn bright red.

“You, I, I…”

“I’m just teasing you.” An Jing began unbuttoning her shirt with one hand. “You’re a young lady with a maid serving you. How can I let you do things a maid should do…”

“An Jing!” Wei Yinxia cut her off angrily, taking quick steps toward her and unbuttoning her shirt herself. “If I wasn’t doing this because you’re a woman, I wouldn’t care if you were dirty, stinky, or unwashed!”

“…” An Jing was surprised by Wei Yinxia’s sharp tone again. “I never expected the usually frail Second Miss Wei, who looks like she’d fall over if you touched her, to have such a fierce side.”

“Don’t call me that.” Wei Yinxia looked down, her tone cold, focusing on unbuttoning the clothes.

“Oh? Then what should I call you? Little sister Yinxia?” An Jing raised an eyebrow and deliberately leaned closer to Wei Yinxia’s ear: “Or, how about I call you Yinyin?”

Wei Yinxia buried her head lower, blushing as she complained: “An Xi was right. You really don’t have a shred of femininity. You truly think of yourself as a master!”

An Jing’s expression suddenly hardened: “If I don’t treat myself as a master first, those people will respect me even less. The An family is my second chance at life. I will use all my strength to protect the An enterprise.”

In this dog-eat-dog era, only when one is strong can they earn the respect and trust of others.

Although her journey had been difficult, the emotional rewards of family and the acquisition of fame and fortune far exceeded her initial expectations.

She was a woman who appeared to be very ambitious but was, in fact, not driven by selfish ambition.

As Wei Yinxia helped her with her trousers, she felt a hard object.

“This is…”

It was a handgun.

An Jing took it out: “It’s essential for self-defense and survival. Please keep it safe for me. There are still bullets inside. Be careful not to accidentally fire it.”

Handing the gun to Wei Yinxia was an act of absolute trust—a deliberate exposure of her weakness.

Wei Zhengqing also owned a handgun, which Wei Yinxia had seen.

She had survived the thrilling and bloody gun battle tonight and had witnessed An Jing’s gunshot wound.

Thanks to An Jing, nothing in the world would likely scare her easily again.

She placed the handgun inside the cotton clothes: “I won’t touch dangerous or useless items. I value my life.”

“If you can live, don’t court death.”

An Jing said this for herself, but also for Wei Yinxia.

Standing naked in front of Wei Yinxia for the first time, An Jing felt no shyness. The person who was truly embarrassed didn’t even dare to look at her.

An Jing sat in the wooden tub, revealing her shoulders and head, with both arms resting on the rim of the tub, the hot water reaching her chest.

At home, Mama Zhang or Wanyun would occasionally attend to her bath, only to help with massage, scrubbing her back, and handing her clothes. Furthermore, Wei Yinxia was just a little sister in her eyes, so she felt no sense of shame.

Wei Yinxia envied An Jing’s courage as a woman and spoke emotionally: “For the An family, you gave up the happiness a woman should have. At least the An family is worth your effort and sacrifice. But in the Wei family, I am nothing; I deserve nothing.”

“You used the money you saved in the Wei family and the money you earned at Xianle Gate to help Aunt Hong with expenses. This filial devotion is clear to heaven and earth. You came to my aid in a time of danger, showing great loyalty and righteousness.”

An Jing caught the hand that was wiping the back of her neck, turned to look at Wei Yinxia, and said softly: “Yinyin, no one deserves happiness more than you do. It might be a little late, but your happiness will surely come. Believe me.”

Wei Yinxia’s nose stung. Even though the room was dim, she could clearly see An Jing’s bright eyes.

In them was her reflection, and in them was a tenderness she had never seen before.

She placed the wet cloth on An Jing’s head to hide her vulnerability: “Your hair is dirty and smells. You need to wash it, too.”

“Smells where? I wash it every day, you know.”

“Don’t move!” Wei Yinxia held her shoulder: “Be careful of your wound.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t move.”

Yet, strangely, as Wei Yinxia moved the cloth up, down, left, and right, An Jing gradually felt increasingly awkward and uncomfortable.

Especially when Wei Yinxia’s fingers inevitably brushed her back, the indescribable tingly sensation felt as if ants were crawling over her body, and her heart began to itch.

Eventually, she had to ask Wei Yinxia to step out first and endure the pain of wiping her front with a single hand.

The two finished washing and returned to the room one after the other. Wei Yinxia dried An Jing’s hair and tucked the blanket around her: “I’ll be next door. Just call me if you need anything. I’ll hear you.”

An Jing grabbed her wrist: “I need something. I’m hungry.”

Hungry?

An Jing hadn’t eaten for a long time. Wei Yinxia asked her: “Noodles, do you want some?”

An Jing nodded: “Yes, please.”

Seeing her “obedient” look, Wei Yinxia chuckled softly. This “cute” side of Boss Jing was likely not seen by just anyone.

Ten minutes later, Wei Yinxia brought in a large bowl of noodles: “There aren’t many good ingredients here, and no meat. I made a thick tomato soup and added two eggs. See if it suits your taste.”

An Jing quickly sat up. She reached out, but winced—”Tsk!” She had forgotten her injured shoulder.

“You sit still. Don’t move your wound. I’ll feed you.”

Wei Yinxia fed An Jing the noodles bite by bite: “How does it taste? Is it too sour? Too salty?”

An Jing praised: “The sourness and saltiness are just right.”

Wei Yinxia smiled knowingly, coaxing her like a child: “If it tastes good, finish it. Don’t waste it.”

An Jing ate the simple bowl of noodles with the satisfaction of a feast of delicacies. As she ate, she kept blinking her big eyes and staring at Wei Yinxia, making Wei Yinxia afraid to even look at her.

After the bowl was finished, Wei Yinxia used a cloth to wipe the soup from the corner of An Jing’s mouth: “What are you looking at?”

“Looking at you… a beautiful and kind-hearted girl.”

“Sweet talk.”

Wei Yinxia playfully pushed An Jing, who cried out “Aiyoh” and fell backward, clutching her arm. This made Wei Yinxia fear she had been too rough and hurt An Jing’s wound.

She quickly asked: “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. My injury is too severe, and I’m in a strange place. What if I want water or need to use the toilet at night, or if the wound gets infected and I get a fever?”

Wei Yinxia was genuinely worried about An Jing’s injury. She thought for a moment and tentatively asked, playing along: “Can I sleep with you?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm. Then you lie down first, on the inside. I’ll tidy up a bit and come over soon.”

Heart-stopping was Wei Yinxia’s greatest feeling that night. Destiny’s favor was An Jing’s feeling of surviving the ordeal.

They lay side by side on the small bed, both with their eyes closed, yet neither could sleep.

“Does Wei Zhengqing know about you singing at the Xianle Dance Hall?”

“Yes, he does. Didn’t I tell you? He only recognized me to have one more tool to use. What use do young girls have besides their beauty and body? My singing at the dance hall satisfies him more than anything I might have learned at a so-called girls’ academy, so he never interfered with it from the beginning.”

“An Xi was the first target he designated for you?” She couldn’t imagine whether Wei Yinxia had been forced to “use her beauty to gain favor” in the past few years.

“What answer do you want to hear?” Wei Yinxia opened her eyes and turned toward An Jing.

“I won’t ask. Sleep.”

The moment she asked, An Jing regretted it. She was afraid of Wei Yinxia answering “no,” and she was also afraid of her answering “yes.”

If the answer was “no,” the implication might be that Wei Yinxia had been “intimate” with other men. If the answer was “yes,” then what should she do that would be harmless to both An Xi and Wei Yinxia?

She was the one who personally promised An Xi he could find someone he liked to marry. She was also the one who personally broke off the engagement with Wei Yinxia and insulted her repeatedly.

Yet, when she saw at the tea house that Wei Yinxia might be married off by the Wei family to an awful person like Sixth Master Ma as his concubine, she truly couldn’t tolerate Wei Yinxia being defiled by a man named Ma. That’s why she relented and allowed An Xi to visit her, permitting them to “court” again.

Wei Yinxia was Wei Yinxia; Wei Zhengqing was Wei Zhengqing. The innocent Wei Yinxia should not have to pay her father’s debts.

If An Xi truly developed feelings for Wei Yinxia, and Wei Yinxia was also interested in An Xi, and Wei Yinxia married into the An family and was loyal to them, and she secretly settled Aunt Hong safely… would everyone be happy then?

Wei Yinxia continued: “Before An Xi returned home, he wouldn’t allow me to go out, except for school and seeing my mother. Before this birthday banquet, he never let me meet guests. I attended a girls’ academy under a fake identity, so not many people know me. In the early years, he only allowed me to stay with my mother here for two days each month. In the past two years, after learning I was singing on stage, he’s become less strict about the time I spend out here. Perhaps he secretly hopes I’ll learn more seductive ways to serve men at the dance hall, becoming a woman who can hook a man, so he can use me.”

“It sounds like his only reason for letting you see your mother is to create a bond, so he can use both of you as leverage when your affection for your mother runs deep.”

An Jing’s heart softened. She wanted to help Wei Yinxia escape her misery: “Yinyin, if you truly want to marry An Xi, escape Wei Zhengqing’s control, and start a new life, why don’t you… try spending more time with him?”

What if An Xi and Wei Yinxia genuinely developed feelings over time and became a perfect match?

If that were the case, she would finally accept her as a sister-in-law.

“Is that something I can simply want?”

Wei Yinxia denied An Jing’s suggestion with a sense of hopelessness, turning over to face away from her: “Forget it, Boss Jing. The An family is too high a branch for me to climb. I don’t want to be broken off a second time. That day at the banquet, Young Master Xi and Miss Qi got along very well, and they even went to see a movie afterward. I don’t believe he hasn’t told you.”

“…” Not only had he told her, but she had seen it herself.

“An arranged marriage doesn’t seem like something Boss Jing would do. Boss Jing, you and my father have been at odds for a long time. Just leave my matters to fate. Don’t worry about me.”

“Leave it to fate? Leaving it to fate means following Wei Zhengqing’s fate and willingly sinking to marry a vulgar person like Sixth Master Ma as his concubine?”

“What else?” Wei Yinxia laughed mockingly: “Marrying Sixth Master Ma isn’t all bad. At least he’s willing to divorce his first wife for me, is willing to offer fifty thousand silver dollars to marry me as his main wife, and is even willing to set up a private courtyard just for me…”

“Yinyin, don’t say things you don’t mean.”

An Jing raised her right hand in the dark, finding Wei Yinxia’s forearm, then gently covering her hand. “If I had known it was you, I wouldn’t have stopped it.”

Wei Yinxia was moved by An Jing’s unprecedented gentle tone. Her nose burned, and tears instantly flowed out.

She gripped An Jing’s hand, turned back, and sobbed into An Jing’s shoulder.

“I didn’t dare let you know. I was afraid that if you knew, you would despise even Hongying…”

“Silly girl.” An Jing endured the pain and lifted her left hand, gently patting Wei Yinxia’s back. “My words and actions are directed only at Wei Zhengqing, not at you. My other reason for stopping your engagement with An Xi was that his feelings for you right now are not genuine.”

“Mmm. I understand.”

“Don’t give up so soon. Even if it’s not An Xi, there will definitely be a better person.”

“Perhaps.” Wei Yinxia dared not imagine a better person. She stopped her tears: “Boss Jing, I want to ask you a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you like listening to me play the piece ‘Yì Jiāngnán’ (Recalling Jiangnan) so much?”

“When I was a child, my birth mother loved to hum that tune to lull me to sleep. I’ve heard others play it at different dance halls, but none of them play it as well as you. Yinyin, only your rendition of ‘Yì Jiāngnán’ reminds me of my mother, and the few happy times of my childhood.”

“She must have loved you very much. Having those moments of happiness is the most beautiful memory.”

“Mmm.” After a moment, An Jing added softly, “I’m sorry. For all the humiliating words I said to you.”

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