The Lady Butcher and the Delicate Bride - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

After taking her medicine, Mu Dingxiang fell back into a muddled sleep. However, she continued to murmur “Mother” in a low voice, and a moment later, she would call out for “Auntie.”

Chu Yu watched the girl on the bed restlessly turning her small head, her gaze dark and unreadable.

Meanwhile, far away in the Liu residence in the county, everyone was lively celebrating the birthday of the Liu family’s eldest miss, Liu Niannian. Liu Heng was in the front hall attending to the guests, and Liu Niannian was having a wonderful time playing with her young female friends who had come to congratulate her. Ji Yunniang chatted with the wealthy ladies of the county; occasionally, she turned her head to look at Liu Niannian’s flower-like smile, her heart a tangle of a thousand complex thoughts, yet her face remained a mask of radiant smiles.

A little after dusk, the guests gradually dispersed. Ji Yunniang pulled Liu Niannian aside to say some intimate words before letting her return to her room to unwrap gifts.

The servants were busy tidying the courtyard, and Liu Zhu had also returned to his room. The husband and wife stood facing each other, momentarily speechless.

After a short silence, Ji Yunniang spoke softly: “Brother Heng, I still want to go see her.”

Liu Heng let out a sigh. “Let’s go. I’ll drive the carriage. We’ll leave from the back so Nian-er doesn’t see.”

By now, the rain had long since ceased. The night sky was a hazy gray, and only the torch tied to the front of the carriage appeared exceptionally bright in the deep darkness.

Ji Yunniang sat inside the carriage, staring at her husband’s broad back at the doorway, lost in deep contemplation.

They soon crossed the river. Familiar with the path, the two tethered the horse and ran toward the cave entrance.

To their surprise, the cave was still brightly lit. Hearing the movement outside, Chu Yu hurried out to investigate. Seeing the Liu couple arriving in haste, she instantly understood and stepped aside to let them in. “Xiang-er started running a fever this afternoon,” she said.

Hearing that Mu Dingxiang was sick, Ji Yunniang’s heart jolted. Her legs faltered, and she hurriedly grabbed her husband’s arm, taking quick steps into the cave toward the bedside.

She saw the girl in white lying on the bed, her face unnaturally flushed. A folded towel rested on her forehead, and a basin of water sat nearby; Chu Yu must have been sitting there earlier changing her towel.

Ji Yunniang walked over quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out to feel the girl’s forehead and then her hand; both were burning hot. Her heart constricted with pain. The emotions she had gathered throughout the journey suddenly erupted, and two lines of hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

“…Xiang-er, Mother’s good child. Mother should have come earlier today… Today is my sweet Xiang-er’s birthday…”

Thinking of how their own home had been decorated with lanterns and festoons for a grand feast just over an hour ago, while her biological daughter was in this cold cave, burning with fever and suffering the torment of illness, a massive sense of guilt nearly suffocated her. She wanted to slap herself several times.

Ji Yunniang grasped her hand. Feeling the rough texture beneath her fingertips, her nose grew sharp again, and she spoke with a sob.

“Mother knows you suffered too much when you were little. It’s all Mother’s fault for not watching you closely, letting that wicked woman switch you… making it so mother and daughter did not recognize each other upon meeting. It is all Mother’s fault…”

“Mother thinks of bringing you home every single moment, but Mother doesn’t dare. Once Mother takes you back, Niannian would be sold off by her, just like you sisters were—”

“…Wait just a little longer, it won’t be much longer now… When the time comes, Mother will bring you home with great honor.”

“Mother couldn’t bear to let you go either… Mother knows you are a good child, and Mother pities you… That wicked woman even used to beat you right in front of Mother. Now, whenever Mother thinks of it, it feels like a heart-piercing, lung-gouging pain—”

The emotions accumulated over a long period finally exploded at this moment. Ji Yunniang cried uncontrollably. Liu Heng’s eyes also reddened; he stepped forward to touch Mu Dingxiang’s cheek to test her temperature, then sat on the nearby stool to change the towel on her forehead.

After sobbing over Mu Dingxiang for a while, Ji Yunniang turned to Liu Heng. “Brother Heng, there’s no telling when Xiang-er’s fever will subside. I want to take her to the county to see a doctor.”

Liu Heng hurried to catch her hand. “Don’t worry. Xiao Yu said she gave her medicine this afternoon; she should be breaking the fever now. Moving her back and forth in the middle of the night—the clinics won’t be open, and it might make her condition worse. It’s better to stay here and let her have a good sleep. Perhaps the fever will be gone by midnight.”

Ji Yunniang was “concerned to the point of confusion.” She looked back at Chu Yu, and seeing her nod, her heart finally settled slightly.

However, seeing Mu Dingxiang lying there now—such a tiny thing with a small face and a pointed chin—and this was after improvement. Recalling the Mu Dingxiang she saw over half a year ago, she had been skin and bones, as if she had never eaten a full meal.

And indeed, she hadn’t. That wicked woman barely gave her anything to eat. Every time Ji Yunniang returned to her natal home, bringing fine meat and dishes to show filial piety to her own mother, the old lady never forgot to set aside a small portion, wrap it up, and take it secretly to the girl.

But she, as a biological mother, had not only failed to recognize her daughter, but even her internal intuition couldn’t match that of the old mother at home. What exactly had blinded her eyes, making her unable to see such a hardworking, capable, and beautiful girl?

Ji Yunniang’s self-reproach was beyond measure. The more she thought, the more she felt she owed Mu Dingxiang too much. This child had only had one day of breast milk after being born before being switched away. Back then, just after giving birth, the men had all gone to fight the flood. There weren’t enough people, so the women went to help as well, leaving the old, weak, and children in the ancestral hall.

That gave the wicked woman her chance. She had just caught one glimpse of her child after giving birth before falling into a coma. When she woke, she felt the child looked a bit different, but she wasn’t certain…

The most piteous of all was her Xiang-er. If it weren’t for the fact that her appearance followed her own, and that Liu Niannian grew up looking more and more like the two Mu daughters, she would still be in the dark. It was only after verifying through multiple sources that she confirmed the tiny person before her was the little treasure she had carried for ten months.

To think of what her Xiang-er had endured all these years that wicked woman surely didn’t let her have enough milk, ordered her to work at a tiny age, and when she grew up, plotted to trade her for money. Such malice was truly revolting.

Chu Yu pulled up a stool and sat to the side. Remembering the situation from the afternoon, she finally spoke: “Xiangxiang… she knows…”

Ji Yunniang’s heart skipped a beat. Her throat felt dry and tight as she asked with a trembling voice, “Knows what?”

Liu Heng also wore a look of disbelief.

Chu Yu sighed. “I didn’t tell her. She is clever and quick-witted. Having been mistreated by the Mu family since childhood, she is more sensitive than others. It’s only natural she could deduce it.”

Hearing Chu Yu say this, the tears Ji Yunniang had just stopped burst forth again, soaking into the quilt.

Just then, the sleeping girl seemed to move, attempting to turn her body but lacking the strength. Ji Yunniang hurried to lean over and support her shoulder to help her lie in a better position. But after turning, Mu Dingxiang still felt uncomfortable and struggled to sit up. Just as Chu Yu was about to step forward, Ji Yunniang had already kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, pulling Mu Dingxiang into her arms so the girl could lean against her.

In her muddled state, Mu Dingxiang felt someone holding her. Thinking it was Chu Yu, she leaned her body against her, murmuring nonsense unconsciously—calling for “Auntie,” then “Mother,” then “Chu Yu.”

Hearing that “Mother” come from Mu Dingxiang’s mouth, Ji Yunniang felt a pang of heartache mixed with profound emotion. She knew the “Mother” her daughter was calling for at this moment was her. Even after hearing Liu Niannian and Liu Zhu call her mother for so many years, hearing this unconscious call still made her bury her head in the girl’s neck and cry as if the world were ending.

Liu Heng sat nearby, also feeling miserable. He sniffed and shed tears for a while before standing up and patting his wife. “If you keep crying, your tears are going to drown Xiang-er.”

Chu Yu hurriedly added a few words of persuasion. Only then did Ji Yunniang stop her tears, though she was unwilling to let go. She held Mu Dingxiang against the headboard, seemingly wanting to fill in all the missing maternal love right then and there.

As the night grew deeper, Chu Yu thought of her need to slaughter pigs the next day. No matter how much Ji Yunniang was reluctant to leave her daughter, she had to struggle out of bed to make room for her to sleep.

Seeing her movement, Chu Yu knew she was about to get up. However, it was very late, and looking at Ji Yunniang, she probably wouldn’t be willing to leave all night.

She said to her: “Auntie, you stay in bed with Xiangxiang. I won’t go to slaughter pigs tomorrow. I’ll just find a place to doze off for a bit.”

The courtyard below was built, but unfortunately, there were no quilts or bedding there yet; otherwise, she could have slept inside.

Ji Yunniang truly couldn’t bear to leave her daughter. She felt the girl’s forehead and found it wasn’t as hot as before; the medicine was clearly working, and her mood finally felt less heavy.

She hurriedly replied: “No, you sleep in the bed. You should still busy yourself with the slaughtering tomorrow; don’t break your appointment. I’ll just make a makeshift bed on the floor. I’ll wake up early tomorrow to look after Xiang-er. She’s much better now; it’ll be fine with me here.”

Chu Yu could see that Ji Yunniang was loath to leave Mu Dingxiang. She stepped forward to check the girl’s condition; she was indeed much better. After thinking it over, she said, “Then I’ll just line up some chairs to use as a bed and sleep for a while. Auntie, you sleep in the bed with Xiangxiang. I’m afraid if she needs to get up in the night, I might not wake up.”

Saying she might not wake up was just an excuse to give Ji Yunniang the chance to care for her daughter. Chu Yu had spent many years in the military; even after being back for five years, she still possessed that level of alertness. It was merely to fulfill this mother’s wish to look after her child.

Ji Yunniang hesitated. “Can you sleep on chairs?”

“I can. Back when I was a soldier, when the Great Wall was covered in white snow, we could just lay a bear skin on the snow and sleep. I’m not that particular. This is much better than those times,” Chu Yu comforted her with a smile. “But Uncle probably won’t have a place to settle in.”

Liu Heng hurriedly said, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll lie in the carriage. The carriage is wide and comfortable.”

With the arrangements made, Liu Heng went to sleep in the carriage. Ji Yunniang lay in bed with Mu Dingxiang, while Chu Yu lined up several stools to make a small cot, covered herself with a blanket, and lay down.

Ji Yunniang watched her actions. Any trace of reservation she had held due to Chu Yu’s gender vanished at that moment. She no longer demurred and lay down, pulling Mu Dingxiang into her arms.

Support