Chapter 634 - 233: Double Happiness
Chapter 634: Chapter 233: Double Happiness
The old lady naturally agreed, adding, "We really should go. I once made a vow before Buddha that if you could be found and brought back, I would have a golden statue cast in his honor."
"All right, we’ll use my personal savings. Whichever Bodhisattva you want to cast a golden statue for, we’ll cast it for that Bodhisattva. We can even cast statues for all of them."
Xu Su Ying comforted her softly as she helped her lie down on the bed.
However, the old lady kept her eyes wide open, absolutely refusing to close them.
Seeing this, Xu Su Ying chuckled. "Look at you, are you still afraid this is all a dream? Touch me—I’m warm. I’m a real, living person. Just go to sleep with peace of mind. As soon as you wake up tomorrow morning, you’ll see me right here."
Only then did the old lady admit the truth. "I don’t dare to sleep. I’m terrified that if I do, I’ll wake up tomorrow and find out this was nothing but a dream."
"It’s not a dream! Tell you what, I’ll sleep here with you tonight. Even though I’ve lost my memories, I know I must have shared your bed plenty of times in the past. Given how bossy I am, I bet I kicked my dad out of the room quite a few times, huh? Hehe, I wonder if he ever spanked me for that..."
As mother and daughter chatted, the elderly woman’s age and the day’s overwhelming emotional highs and lows finally caught up with her. Shortly after lying down, she fell fast asleep.
Watching her mother’s sleeping face and the distinct age spots on her cheeks, Xu Su Ying felt a deep pang of guilt.
She had heard from the maids that her mother had been a rare beauty in her youth. Even in the year Xu Su Ying went missing, her mother had still been a famously elegant and attractive noblewoman in Capital City, despite being middle-aged.
But looking at her now, her mother was frail and old, resembling a woman with one foot in the grave.
A sudden wave of intense sorrow washed over her.
Unable to fall asleep, Xu Su Ying lay awake with her eyes open until dawn.
In the adjacent courtyard, Chen Wanqing waited and waited, but seeing no sign of her mother returning, she draped a coat over her shoulders and got out of bed.
Hearing the rustle of clothing, Zhao Jing immediately sat up. His voice heavy with sleep, he asked, "What are you doing, Wanqing? Do you need to get up?"
"No, I’m just going outside to take a look. Mother left the courtyard a while ago and hasn’t come back yet. I’m a little worried."
Zhao Jing frowned at the news. "Mother went out?"
"Yes, she probably went to look for Grandmother."
Nodding, Zhao Jing said, "Then she’ll probably rest in the main courtyard tonight. Don’t go out, Wanqing. It’s chilly outside, and if you catch a cold, you won’t be able to safely take any medicine."
Eventually, Zhao Jing gently pushed Chen Wanqing back down into bed, but by now, any trace of sleepiness had entirely left her.
Pulling her into his arms, Zhao Jing asked, "What are you thinking about, Wanqing?"
"Our future."
"Tell me more."
And so, Chen Wanqing laid out her thoughts in detail.
"Now that we’ve just reunited with the family, of course everyone wants to be as close as possible. But my mother is married, and I’ve already married out as well. Staying at the Xu family’s home for a short time is fine, but living here long-term would likely be very inconvenient."
Zhao Jing chuckled. "If the old lady knew you were already planning to move out on your very first day here, it would probably break her heart."
"But it’s the reality we have to face."
"True. But it’s way too early to bring it up now. We should at least wait until the old lady has had enough time to bond with you all before we mention leaving."
Zhao Jing then brought up two other necessary considerations. "First, the Imperial Examination is coming up next February. Before then, I’ll be so busy studying that I won’t have much time to look after you. Second, you’re pregnant. The family definitely wouldn’t feel at ease letting you move out with me just like that. If you really want to move, how about we wait until I finish the Palace Examination?"
Chen Wanqing thought about it and nodded. "That works. If you successfully receive an official post by then, the timing will be perfect to bring up moving out."
After a bit more idle chatter, the couple finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, they woke up to the bustling sounds outside and went to pay their respects to the old lady—the old man had already left for the palace.
It was a habit the old man had cultivated over many years. If there was a grand morning court assembly, he would inevitably wake up shortly after midnight; if there was no assembly, he would generally head to his cabinet office at the crack of dawn.
This routine had lasted for twenty years and had almost never been broken.
After everyone accompanied the old lady for breakfast, they discussed heading to the temple to fulfill her vows.
Chen Wanqing wanted to go along too, but the others quickly stopped her.
Since she was in the early stages of her pregnancy, it was crucial for her to get proper rest. She would stay home today, and if she got bored, she could simply stroll around the courtyard.
And so, the matter was settled.
After the meal, Xu Su Ying and Mrs. Guo supported the old lady. Along with Chen Song, De’an, Xu Yanlin, Xu Yanhe, and a few of the female cousins from the Xu family, the group headed out the door together.
The news of Xu Su Ying’s triumphant return had spread overnight, reaching the ears of even more people.
When they stepped out early that morning, they noticed quite a few more street vendors lining both sides of the road outside the estate.
Countless commoners also paced back and forth along the street in front of their gates, their eyes practically glued to the Xu family’s entrance...
Whatever. Let them look if they wanted to; it wasn’t as if the family would lose a piece of flesh over it.