The Amnesiac, Sickly Beauty Is Pregnant With My Dragon Cub - Chapter 57.1

Cang Lan pulled on Yu Xuanji’s sleeve to leave, but Yu Xuanji stood blankly in place, her gaze falling upon the women dancing in the flower brothel.

Before Cang Lan could say anything, she saw Yu Xuanji lift her skirt and walk into the brothel alone.

Cang Lan followed behind, explaining, “My lady, I truly came here a few days ago to buy flowers. Who would have thought this ‘flower house’ wasn’t that kind of flower house? They insisted I have some wine with them, and then I became somewhat unconscious of worldly affairs.”

Yu Xuanji’s footsteps paused. She turned her head in a daze. “You fell asleep in a flower brothel?”

Cang Lan bit her lower lip and nodded, saying, “Yes, my tolerance for alcohol is poor. I get dizzy and dark after just one cup, and I ended up sleeping here for the night. But rest assured, my lady, I never provoked any of those girls.”

Yu Xuanji’s face turned pale. Recalling that Cang Lan had returned later than usual yesterday and had been stammering and unable to explain herself when asked, it turned out this was what had happened.

Cang Lan lowered her head, looking down at the stairs beneath her feet, and murmured, “My lady, it was my fault. I was afraid you would worry, so I didn’t dare tell you the sequence of events.”

Yu Xuanji curled the corners of her lips and smiled. “I know now. Didn’t those young ladies just invite you up for wine? You mustn’t refuse. How about I accompany you?”

Cang Lan said blankly, “My lady, I know I was wrong. Let us go down.”

Yu Xuanji smiled slightly and asked, “Where exactly were you wrong?”

The sounds of giggling grew closer. Cang Lan lowered her head and said listlessly, “I shall do whatever my lady pleases.”

Yu Xuanji ascended the brothel, with Cang Lan standing silently behind her, her gaze only daring to fixate on the back of Yu Xuanji’s head. Hearing the women’s laughter, she wished she could plug her ears.

Among the women, a songstress named Mudan stepped forward. She scrutinized Yu Xuanji’s face for a moment and smiled. “Miss Cang, is this newcomer your elder or younger sister? She is truly a top-tier beauty.”

Shaoyao smiled and said, “To meet is to have destiny. Please, little sister, sit down and have a drink with us.”

Yu Xuanji nodded and said, “Many thanks.”

Cang Lan followed behind Yu Xuanji, not daring to make a move. She stood stiffly until she heard Yu Xuanji tell her to sit, then she obediently sat in the seat beside her.

Seeing Cang Lan as well-behaved as a kitten, Mudan curled her lips and smiled. “Miss Cang, this person is—”

Yu Xuanji picked up a wine cup and introduced herself with a smile. “My surname is Yu, my name is Xuanji. I am the wife Cang Lan married through a formal match.”

As soon as these words were spoken, all the songstresses present were greatly shocked. However, Mudan quickly raised her wine cup and laughed. “So that’s how it is! No wonder when we sisters tried to keep Miss Cang for drinks, she kept declining, saying her wife was unwell and needed care, leaving hurriedly after just one cup.”

Yu Xuanji froze for a second. Seeing her expression soften slightly, Mudan continued, “None of us could stop Miss Cang, so we let her go. Before she left, I saw her steps were light and stumbling; she was likely drunk. I didn’t know if she made it home safely. We sisters looked around the capital for a while, then went home once the curfew started at dark.”

Yu Xuanji turned to look at Cang Lan. Cang Lan kept her eyes lowered and nodded. “Yes, I cannot handle my wine. I was dizzy and disoriented the whole way. I walked and walked until I reached a mass grave. After collapsing, I slept soundly. When I woke up the next morning and opened my eyes, I had actually been hugging a tombstone all night.”

At this point, Yu Xuanji’s grip on Cang Lan’s hand gradually tightened. She said nothing and drained the cup of wine before her in one gulp. “No wonder when you came home, you were covered in filth, your hands and feet were icy cold, and your face was stained with dew. I blamed you wrongly.”

Cang Lan smiled. “My lady, what are you saying? Husband and wife should always be open with one another, yet I hid things from you. It’s enough that you aren’t angry; why have you started blaming yourself instead?”

Mudan replaced the wine in front of Cang Lan with tea and smiled. “Since Miss Cang cannot handle wine, we sisters won’t force the issue. Let us use tea instead of wine; consider it a mark of our acquaintance.”

Cang Lan smiled, brought the tea cup to her lips, and held it with both hands. “Good, then I shall drink it all.”

Seeing Cang Lan drink the tea, Yu Xuanji reached down and poked the back of her hand.

Cang Lan opened her palm. Yu Xuanji’s fingertip drew something in her palm. Cang Lan understood perfectly and said with a smile, “Thank you, ladies, for your hospitality. My lady, since the drinks are finished, let us go browse elsewhere and buy some things for the house.”

After they left the brothel, Mudan watched their departing figures while leaning against the railing. She took the peony flower she hadn’t had time to toss down and tucked it behind her ear.

Shaoyao looked at their tightly interlaced hands and said in surprise, “Sister Mudan, they have a ‘mirror-rubbing’ fondness (lesbianism)!”

Mudan laughed. “What is so strange about mirror-rubbing? If people say ‘Dragon and Sun’ (gay) or ‘Mirror-Rubbing’ are deviations from the norm, those are just definitions set by ancestors. Who says one cannot seek a lover of their own heart’s desire?”

Shaoyao nodded and smiled. “Sister Mudan speaks the truth.”

The streets of Qingyang County could not compare to the prosperity of the capital, but there were still many dazzling things to see.

Yu Xuanji had never seen such trinkets before. She walked ahead while Cang Lan followed behind, her hands never empty. Her left hand-held rouge and powder, her right hand carried newly tailored clothes. Seeing Yu Xuanji’s lively, skipping form, she couldn’t help but laugh. “My lady, slow down.”

It was indeed at the foot of the Emperor’s throne; the local customs were simple and the commerce was rich. Cang Lan felt that the expenses here were much higher than in Qingyang County, but as long as Yu Xuanji liked it, Cang Lan would provide even if it meant bankruptcy.

An errand boy followed behind them, pushing a cart of candied haws with both hands. When they passed an alleyway, many disheveled children suddenly swarmed out. They stared at the cart of candied haws with watering mouths, their eyes glowing green with hunger as they stared straight at Cang Lan and the others from the wall.

The errand boy pushing the cart said, “Employers, it’s best to leave this place quickly. This group of little hooligans gathers here every day to beg. Be careful not to get caught in their mess.”

Seeing the children were pitiful, Yu Xuanji leaned toward Cang Lan’s ear and whispered, “A-Lan, they are so pitiful. I see they have no parents and beg on the streets. They are so hungry they look like they haven’t eaten for days. How about we give this cart of candied haws to them?”

Cang Lan frowned. “My lady, candied haws are hawthorns coated in sugar. Hawthorn is a medicine for whetting the appetite; eating it will only make one hungrier. It is by no means a good thing for filling the stomach.”

Yu Xuanji asked worriedly, “Then what should be done?”

Cang Lan took out an ingot of silver and handed it to the errand boy, smiling. “Help me buy some buns, mantou, and filling food. Use the cart to bring them here. Remember to buy a lot.”

Cang Lan took out some more loose silver and placed it in the boy’s hand. “This is your tip. Go quickly.”

After the boy left, Cang Lan squatted on the ground, beckoned a ragged little girl over, used a handkerchief to wipe her dirty cheeks, and asked softly, “Where are your parents?”

The little girl rubbed her eyes and cried, saying, “We have no parents. We ran here from elsewhere to beg for food.”

Not long after, the errand boy returned pushing the cart, which was now filled with steamer baskets containing buns and mantou.

The three of them distributed the food to the homeless orphans. Although these children were starving, they did not rush or fight, but instead queued up obediently.

Once the food on the cart was almost distributed, Cang Lan whispered in Yu Xuanji’s ear, “My lady, they are orphans with no father or mother. I know you are kind-hearted and cannot bear to see them lonely and helpless. Helping them now is an act of saving the suffering and accumulating merit; there will be good rewards in the future.”

Yu Xuanji nodded. Immediately after, her hand felt a warmth; her palm was carefully held by a little girl.

The little girl held a white flour mantou and slowly handed it to her, staring at her expectantly. “Sister, eat.”

Yu Xuanji squatted down to be at eye level with the little girl. She stroked her head and smiled. “Sister isn’t hungry. You eat. Eat more so you can grow tall and strong; that way you’ll have the strength to earn silver and buy food yourself.”

In the days that followed, this group of children often lingered near Cang Lan’s house. Cang Lan would also instruct the servants of the manor to prepare food for them. Over time, the group slowly settled into a routine.

On Yu Xuanji’s birthday, Cang Lan took advantage of her sleeping in the bedroom to carefully get out of bed. She went to the courtyard to stretch her limbs before finally slipping into the kitchen. She “chased out” the cook and tinkered with making a bowl of Longevity Noodles herself.

Cang Lan had previously learned how to make Yangchun Noodles at a noodle shop. she had heard from the shop waiter that on a birthday, rather than eating heavy meats, it was better to have a steaming bowl of Yangchun Noodles.

These past few days, Cang Lan had frequently gone out and returned home late at night. When Yu Xuanji asked what she was doing, Cang Lan would make excuses—sometimes saying Auntie Li next door needed her, other times saying Master Zhang on the front street was talking about land deeds—successfully fudging her way through.