Chapter 103: The Marriage Papers
Yu Yeqing stared fixedly at her, a storm of complex emotions churning beneath his gaze, as if his thoughts ran far deeper than his words could convey.
Song Hemei had no other recourse, so she took his hand in hers and rested her head against his chest. "Stop spouting those twisted arguments at me. Are you deliberately picking a fight?"
The corners of Yu Yeqing's mouth twitched. He bore her weight on his chest, and in his ear came her helpless, gentle coaxing: "All right, with all this energy you have, think about what you'll say tomorrow when you see Jilang and my parents."
As she let out a soft sigh, the room fell into silence.
Yu Yeqing no longer stubbornly held her; he simply lay motionless by her side.
When the silence stretched on, Song Hemei began to feel a pang of guilt. She gently lifted her head and looked at the person beside her, whose eyes were closed, quiet and obedient, stirring a touch of pity.
After all, just two days ago she hadn't complained of heat, and now that they were approaching Changzhou, she said it was hot. His overthinking seemed somewhat understandable.
She sighed again, lifted her head, and kissed him on the lips, whispering a promise: "Forget it, this is the last time tonight. From now on, if we want to sleep like this, we'll have to wait until it cools down a bit. Then you can hold me however you like, all right?"
As expected, Yu Yeqing hadn't fallen asleep yet. Hearing her words, he suddenly opened his eyes. In his dark pupils, her reflection appeared, and something seemed to quietly melt in the depths of his gaze.
He gave a low murmur of agreement, wasted no time, and pulled her back into his arms.
Hot as it was, it wasn't entirely unbearable. They would just need to bathe again before setting out the next day.
Changzhou was where she had grown up. Once they entered the city, everything outside the carriage became painfully familiar.
They had made this trip many times before, but never with such complicated feelings churning inside her.
Yu Yeqing sat upright, his eyes turning cold and stern, as if bracing for battle. Song Hemei, on the other hand, was fairly composed. Over the years, she had argued with her parents so much that it felt like she had exhausted in one go all the arguments that should have been spread over a decade. Now, no matter what she did, she felt there was nothing to worry about.
She noticed Yu Yeqing's unease and reached out to squeeze his wrist. "Don't worry. If my parents say anything unpleasant, we'll leave immediately. Coming back this time is only to let Jilang know I'm safe. There's no need to stay long."
Yu Yeqing lowered his eyes to look at her, but even so, the awkward tension refused to dissipate.
When they stepped into the Song residence again, Song Jilang came to greet them in person.
They had sent word ahead. This time, Jilang stood at the gate, bowing respectfully. When he saw Yu Yeqing, he politely cupped his hands and said, "Lord Yu."
Then he turned to his sister beside him and choked out, "Sister."
Song Hemei looked at him with a strange expression. "Did you swallow a fishbone? Why are you talking so oddly?"
Song Jilang pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed by her remark. But he cast a wary glance at Yu Yeqing, bowed his head again, and said nothing.
Song Hemei paid no mind to his mood. She simply took Yu Yeqing's arm and strode straight into the residence.
She had no intention of bringing him to see their parents directly. Instead, she pulled him towards her own boudoir.
Entering her private quarters so openly—it was a first for him, and the feeling was entirely different from before.
Song Hemei walked with light steps, but Yu Yeqing felt every footfall land heavily. Every place they passed brought back memories of the past—those hidden feelings he could never voice, those days of struggle and hardship—now merging bit by bit with the present, making it all feel like a lifetime ago.
Once they reached the room, Song Hemei told Yu Yeqing to wait inside while she went out to find Song Jilang, who stood with an odd look at the moon gate.
She approached him and lowered her voice. "What is it? Do you dislike him that much?"
She guessed, "Is it because of elder brother's matter? That was elder brother's own doing; it has nothing to do with him. Even if you want to redirect your anger, there's no reason to take it out on him. After all, elder brother is alive today thanks to him."
"Sister, I know all that. I'm angry about something else."
He looked at her with exasperation, half-turning to lower his voice even further. "He hasn't promised you anything yet, and you're already bringing him home? Why didn't he remind you that this isn't proper? Does he even have you in his heart? Even if you truly care for him, Sister, there's no need to rush like this. The proper formalities should all be in order."
Song Hemei shot him a glance. "You're thinking quite thoroughly. You've grown up and started meddling in your sister's affairs."
Song Jilang pulled a long face. "Sister!"
"Alright, I understand. But honestly, I'm not just defending him. I'm the one who told him not to see our parents. Still, he insisted on preparing gifts. We'll just send them to our parents' courtyard later. The real reason I came back this time was to see you, because I was worried you'd be concerned about me."
She reached out and patted Jilang's shoulder. He had grown a bit taller since their last meeting.
"He'll be returning to the capital soon to report on his duties. I'll go with him. Don't worry—I'll write to you and let you know I'm safe."
Song Jilang's eyes flew wide open. "Return to the capital? Sister, have you lost your mind? Going back with him without any proper status—how can I possibly be at ease!"
His voice had risen considerably, startling Song Hemei. She instinctively looked towards Yu Yeqing.
In summer, doors and windows were left open, and sure enough, he had heard. He immediately stood up and walked towards them.
Song Hemei's temples throbbed. She tried to explain: "I know you're only saying this because you care about me, but you're too loud. Anyone hearing us would think you and I are deliberately hinting for him to give me a title."
Song Jilang's expression darkened. "If he truly has you in his heart, does he need hints for a title?"
He turned his head and stared at Yu Yeqing, who was approaching unhurriedly, and said fiercely, "So what if he's an official? I'm not afraid of him! Before, when he stayed at our house, I never treated him poorly. I respected him as a teacher and a brother. And yet he dared to have improper designs on you, leading you around by the nose. You may be blind, but I'm not. Sister, I absolutely cannot let you act on impulse and regret it later."
Song Hemei felt a headache coming on.
She really didn't care about these things. After going through the Shao family ordeal, no matter how she lived from now on, it would never be worse than it was in the Shao household.
When feelings ran deep, gambling once was no big deal. What mattered was following her heart at the moment. Besides, from what she had observed, Yu Yeqing did seem to care about her quite a bit.
But she couldn't explain this feeling to Jilang, or he would only be more convinced she had lost her mind.
Yu Yeqing had already reached them. His gaze met Jilang's without flinching. "It's been a long time, Third Young Master. Does your tutor still make you hold out your palm for punishment?"
Jilang pressed his lips together. The days they had once studied together flashed before his eyes. In the end, the harsh words he had intended to say never left his mouth; he simply turned his head away.
"You flatter me, Lord Yu. I stopped studying long ago. Now I'm just taking over the family business."
Yu Yeqing paused for a moment, then nodded. "That's fine. Actually, the path of officialdom never suited you anyway."
Song Jilang whipped his head back to look at him, unable to stop the corner of his mouth from twitching.
Song Hemei drew in a sharp breath and immediately gave his arm a light smack. "What nonsense are you talking!"
If he wasn't going to say something nice, at least he could avoid provoking the boy.
But Yu Yeqing continued bluntly: "Third Young Master's temperament is too straightforward. The official road isn't for everyone. If you truly entered it, it might bring you more pain."
That reason was barely passable. Song Jilang pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Yu Yeqing paused, seeming to gather his courage as he glanced at Song Hemei.
Then, as if laying it all on the line, he said, "I have never intended for her to stay by my side without a proper title. The reason I came back to Changzhou this time is to submit the marriage certificate directly to the yamen. From that day forward, we will be husband and wife in name and truth."
Song Hemei looked at him in astonishment. Why hadn't he mentioned this to her beforehand?
Song Jilang was even more taken aback. He raised his head slightly to meet the other man's eyes, scrutinizing him for a long moment before slowly exhaling. "Young Master Yu, that's more like it."
Now he had even dropped the title "Lord."
Song Jilang glanced at his sister, who still looked stunned, and figured she must have questions to ask. So he decided not to linger. But before leaving, he leaned in to her ear and said, "Mother and Father know you're back today. They might want to see you. From what I saw, they're angry, but probably not enough to start another fight with you. It's Sister-in-law you need to be careful of. She knows about you and Young Master Yu, and she might hold a grudge because of Eldest Brother's matter."
He glanced back the way they had come. "Just yesterday, Sister-in-law was saying she wanted to have a serious talk with you about Eldest Brother's situation. I was worried she might insist on waiting for you at the gate, but it seems she hasn't shown up even now."
Song Hemei understood in her heart. Jilang simply didn't know Sister-in-law well enough.
If she brought Yu Yeqing back, her sister-in-law would naturally feel resentful. But that resentment would never dare to vent itself in front of Yu Yeqing.
Calling her a bully who fears the strong might be too degrading, but calling her someone who knows when to bend with the wind was also a bit generous.
Song Hemei sighed softly. "Sister-in-law is just worried about Eldest Brother. If she curses me behind my back, just let her be."
Everyone needed something to hold onto to keep living. With her husband's fate unknown, she had to vent her bitterness somewhere. Hating and longing like that was the only way she could get through each day.
Song Jilang acknowledged her words with a nod. He shot one more glance at Yu Yeqing, and when he left, his parting bow was noticeably more sincere.
Once he was far away, Song Hemei crossed her arms over her chest and stared steadily at the man before her. "Did you really mean that, or were you just placating Jilang?"
Afraid he wouldn't know what she was referring to, she added, "I'm talking about the marriage certificate you just mentioned."
Yu Yeqing's hands tightened inside his sleeves. The anxiety stirred up inside him again, an uncontrollable fear that she might refuse him.
He took a deep breath and said stubbornly, "I didn't know if I told you beforehand, whether you would still come back to Changzhou with me."
He took a step closer to her. "I want to marry you. I've wanted to for a long time. But wedding ceremonies are troublesome; we need to settle on a date. I can't wait that long, and I dare not. Whether you agree or not, I am determined to register the marriage certificate within these two days."
Post a Comment