When a "Sea King" is Bound to a System [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 32. 2.1

…she stood up.

Jiang Yan watched her stand before her and marveled that it was a medical miracle. The doctor had said the hope of her walking again was slim, yet she was walking after only three months.

In reality, Jiang Zhen was in agonizing pain, but to avoid being so useless again, she forced herself to stand up. She wanted to grandly receive the imperial edict and then present that beautiful, perpetually spring-like city to Yan’er.

As the weather turned cold, Jiang Yan rarely went out. She spent her days huddled in the Great General’s Residence, which had floor heating, reading storybooks by the bed and weeping for other people’s beautiful romances.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay at her own home, but she couldn’t bear to. Whenever she had free time, her mother would start nagging about marriage again, doing it every few days until her ears were calloused.

On New Year’s Eve, Jiang Zhen went to the General’s Residence for the reunion dinner. Jiang Chengsha patted her shoulder and said regretfully: “If I had gone with you, your legs wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Jiang Zhen poured him a cup of wine, a faint smile on her face: “Father, this is fate.”

Fate made me abandon the pursuit of fame and fortune and stay by the side of the person who matters. What I’m doing now is just following fate.

Yuan Feng seemed to have finally resigned herself to the situation. She awkwardly picked up a piece of braised pork for Jiang Zhen, saying stiffly: “Eat more.”

Jiang Zhen also placed a piece of meat on her plate and said: “Mother, you eat too.”

Yuan Feng’s chopsticks clattered onto the table. She gave an embarrassed smile, lowering her gaze to conceal her expression.

Jiang Zhen then picked up a piece of lean meat for Jiang Yan, her smile undiminished.

Jiang Yan felt a surge of peculiar emotion in her heart and ate the meal without truly tasting it.

She felt that Jiang Zhen had bribed everyone around her, forcing her into her trap of tenderness.

Earlier, even the Su Ning and Su Yu sisters had inexplicably spoken up for Jiang Zhen, which was baffling.

When they first met Jiang Zhen, they had been openly hostile to her. They would never have imagined such a harmonious scene today.

On the third day of the new year, the Yu Emperor officially granted Ye City to Jiang Zhen and announced to the world that the Great General was to retire and return home to enjoy her remaining years.

To demonstrate his benevolence, the Yu Emperor bestowed nearly half the treasures of the General’s Residence upon Jiang Zhen. Jiang Zhen instantly became a wealthy woman, with enough money to spend even if she lay around doing nothing for the next lifetime.

She ignored the boxes and boxes of gold and silver being moved into the residence and took the imperial edict to find Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan was currently eating pastries with her maids.

Dongxue and Qiuyue, being quite observant, wisely retreated. Jiang Yan’s lips were dusted with pastry crumbs, and her cheeks were puffed out like a little hamster, looking quite adorable.

“Didn’t you go to the palace? Why are you back so soon?”

Given the Yu Emperor’s nature, he should have kept her there, showing warmth and concern for hours.

Jiang Zhen handed the feoffment edict to Jiang Yan and said solemnly: “This is the betrothal gift I promised you. Now I give it to you. Can you give me another chance?”

Jiang Yan stopped chewing. She glanced at the golden edict in her hand and immediately refused: “I don’t want it. Take it back.”

Jiang Zhen grew anxious: “Yan’er, I’m not forcing you. I just hope you can give me a chance.”

Jiang Yan thought, Wouldn’t that be letting you trap me? I’m not willing.

She swallowed the pastry in her mouth and replied to Jiang Zhen with an equally serious expression: “I haven’t decided whether to forgive you yet, so I won’t accept your gift. It’s quite good the way things are now, where we don’t interfere with each other.”

Jiang Zhen’s hand slowly lowered. After a brief pause, she continued: “Ye City was captured for you anyway. Whether you accept it or not, it is my gift to you. I will not give up on seeking your forgiveness. I believe that as long as I am sincere enough, one day you will open your heart to me again.”

Jiang Yan: “You’re that confident? What if I fall for someone else?”

Jiang Zhen: “Then you can marry me too. I don’t mind being the junior wife.”

Jiang Yan: I am speechless.

After that day, Jiang Zhen was even kinder to Jiang Yan, fulfilling all her requests and attending to every detail.

Jiang Yan adopted the principle of not initiating, not refusing, and not taking responsibility, enjoying her goodness and slowly breaking free from the curse of “you’re disgusting.”

Five years later, at the one-year-old birthday of Yuan Zhao’s son, Yuan Zhao pulled Jiang Yan aside and whispered: “What’s going on with you and Jiang Zhen? Both of you refuse to marry, and you won’t make it public. Do you plan to just keep this up?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with this? I do my own thing, she does hers. We don’t interfere with each other.”

Yuan Zhao pouted, thinking, Cousin is too young. How can she outsmart the cunning Jiang Zhen? That one acts gentle, but she keeps a very close eye on anyone who gets near Cousin. If anyone shows interest in Cousin, she immediately asserts her ownership, forcing the other person to retreat.

Tsk, tsk, a sly old fox.

Jiang Zhen walked over, her expression gentle, and asked: “What are you two talking about?”

Yuan Zhao remembered the terror of the sand dominating her time at Jade Gate. She immediately distanced herself from Jiang Yan and went to greet other guests.

“Yan’er, let’s go to Ye City in July. It’s not hot there in the summer. It’s perfect for escaping the heat.”

Jiang Yan was tempted but maintained her composure, saying emotionlessly: “Let me think about it.”

Jiang Zhen: “Alright, let me know when you’ve decided. I’ll make the arrangements.”

Jiang Yan nodded proudly and walked past Jiang Zhen. Jiang Zhen followed behind her, her steps slightly uneven.

The after-effects of her leg injury were severe. The pain intensified each passing year. Now, her limp was quite obvious. As she got older, she would likely need a wheelchair again.

Jiang Yan noticed this and slowed her pace. Jiang Zhen quickly caught up, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turning up.

Later, Jiang Yan never made it to Ye City. She stayed in the capital.

Jiang Zhen’s leg condition was very serious. She experienced pain every morning and evening when the humidity was high.

She would bite her lip until it bled, yet she still smiled and reassured Jiang Yan.

“It’s alright. The pain will only last a little while. It will be gone soon. Go find something to eat.”

Jiang Yan hesitated, then took her hand: “If it hurts, scream it out. You’re a girl; you can be a little fragile.”

Jiang Zhen paused, her eyes glistening. She held Jiang Yan’s hand back: “Then I’ll tell you the truth: it hurts a lot. Every time it hurts, I want to give up, but when I remember you haven’t forgiven me, I want to keep holding on.”

Jiang Yan was speechless and didn’t respond.

This life continued for ten full years. Jiang Zhen later learned to be smarter. Every time the pain struck, she would lock herself in the study, waiting until the episode passed before coming out.

Jiang Yan knew, but lacked the courage to push open that door. She was afraid that if she saw it, she would soften and be unable to resist agreeing to her request.

When Jiang Yan was thirty-five, the two finally embarked on the journey to Ye City.

This was Jiang Zhen’s request. Recently, she had felt her health worsening. She wanted to complete her unfinished business while still lucid, so her life would have no regrets.

The temperature in Ye City was neither too cold nor too hot, perfect for retirement. Jiang Yan loved it and didn’t want to leave once she arrived.

Jiang Zhen was content that she liked it. She took her to eat delicious food and visit interesting places every day.

They spent eight very happy years here.

During this time, Yuan Feng frequently sent letters. Jiang Yan replied to every one, informing her of her and Jiang Zhen’s current situation and the interesting events happening there. The rift between mother and daughter slowly mended.

Before Jiang Zhen’s forty-sixth birthday, she suddenly fell ill. In just a month, she became emaciated, showing the pallor of someone near death.

She pressed a jade pendant into Jiang Yan’s hand, pulling out a smile: “Yan’er, this was the token of love between my father and mother. I originally planned to give it to you on the morning I moved out of the General’s Residence, responding to your feelings, but…”

“I was too conceited and overly suspicious, which caused us to miss out on so many years. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely love you first, confess my feelings to you, and be as good to you as you were to me. I don’t want to leave you alone, but I won’t make it to old age with you.”

“This jade pendant is just a keepsake for you. It carries no special significance. After I die, if you find someone you love, you should be with her. That way, I can rest in peace in the afterlife.”

Jiang Yan took the jade pendant from her hand and held her hand along with it in her palm, saying softly: “Don’t worry, I will definitely take good care of myself.”

Though it was only forty-something years, this was Jiang Zhen’s life. Once she died, this world would also cease to exist.

“Yan’er, I spent my life making amends for the mistakes I made back then. Now I am on my deathbed. Can you… can you forgive me?”

Jiang Zhen asked cautiously, very humbly.

Jiang Yan hesitated, opening her mouth, but said nothing.

Jiang Zhen slowly closed her eyes and smiled: “It’s alright. Next life, I will definitely find you first and work hard to be good to you, to earn your forgiveness.”

Her hand slipped from Jiang Yan’s grasp. Jiang Yan’s tears fell onto her hand. The jade pendant in her palm slowly began to disappear, and everything around them blurred.

[Congratulations, Host, Mission Complete!]

[The current plane is about to collapse. The new plane will open in five seconds.]

[Five, four, three…]

Author’s Note:

I saw the recent comments and felt a little lost, so I’ll explain today:

First, regarding the issue that the emotions weren’t deep enough and developed too quickly.

In a quick transmigration story, there isn’t as much space to write about one party’s feelings for the other, so the progress might seem a bit fast. A large part of the reason is that my writing skill isn’t adequate, and I didn’t handle it well. My sincerest apologies to all the lovely readers; I will pay attention to this in the future.

The second issue is that the “Cremation Site” (regret arc) wasn’t painful enough.

Actually, as the author, both female leads are like my daughters, so I don’t favor either side when writing. I felt the torment was sufficient, but since you are reading from Yan’er’s perspective, you feel that Jiejie (Jiang Zhen) was a jerk. This is also something I didn’t consider, and I apologize again.

I even cried myself when Jiejie died at the end of this chapter. Maybe after reading it, you might feel: That’s it? Internally, I feel nothing, and I even want to laugh.

Finally, this is my first time writing, so I hope all you lovely readers will be understanding. I will continue to work hard and hope not to disappoint your support for me.

P.S.: My original outline for the first plane was actually a Happy Ending (HE), but after reading the comments from you lovely readers, I changed it to the ending you see. Yan’er never said the word “forgive” until Jiang Zhen died, which should be the heaviest punishment for Jiang Zhen.

To be honest, if I wrote this plane in detail, I could have written tens of thousands more words, but I was afraid you’d say I was padding it and that a single plane was too long, so I could only end it today.

The comments a few days ago made me temporarily unsure how to continue writing, and I even considered giving up. But many lovely readers encouraged me, and I felt your passion, so I will persevere!

Finally, I wish all you lovely readers happiness and joy. Love, Jiu~