The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0654 Momo Has Arrived (2)

Looking at Momo Quan, who had just washed up, Yuxi felt deeply emotional. Momo had aged significantly since Yuxi had left the capital.

Momo Quan came in and glanced at the two maids beside Yuxi: Hongdou and Hongqi. Although she didnʼt know them personally, she could guess their identities based on what Mama Qu had said.

Seeing this, Yuxi said, ”Hongdou, Hongqi, you may leave now. Iʼll call you if I need anything.” Hongdou and Hongqi had also been running errands recently.

Upon hearing this, Hongdou and Hongqi exchanged a glance, then finally gave a curtsey and quietly withdrew.

Momo Quan waited until the two maids had left before speaking. ”Mama Qu has told me everything about you. For both mother and child to be safe is truly a special favour from Heaven.” Given the circumstances, their safety was indeed a blessing from Heaven.

Yuxi said, ”My body is still weak; the physician said it will take five years to fully recover.” As she spoke, a trace of melancholy appeared in her eyes.

How could Momo Quan not know what Yuxi was thinking? ”Youʼre still young. Even in five yearsʼ time, youʼll only be twenty-five. Thereʼs no need to get anxious about having children.”

Yuxi gave a bitter smile. It was easy to say, but hard to do. Changing the subject, she asked,  ”Momo, why didnʼt you inform me that you were coming? That way, I could have sent someone to pick you up!” Yuxi had always wanted Momo Quan to come, but knowing that Momo preferred a peaceful life, she had never mentioned it.

Momo Quan replied, ”I left the capital in the tenth month last year, and was originally planning to go to Jiangnan. But on the way, I heard that, enraged by the assassination attempt on you, Yun Qing had revolted in a fit of fury. I couldnʼt rest easy, so after settling Dahuan and the others, I came over.”

It would be a lie to say that Yuxi hadnʼt been suspicious when Momo Quan suddenly appeared. Now, hearing Momoʼs explanation, she felt deeply ashamed.

Having raised Yuxi herself, how could Momo Quan not understand her thoughts? Of course, Yuxi hadnʼt been trying to hide it either. Momo Quan wasnʼt angry but said, ”Itʼs good to cherish old bonds, but your status now is no longer the same as before. You must act with extra caution. Even with those close to you, you must be vigilant.” For Yuxi, these past few years had been step-by-step frightening, and now she was finally about to push aside the clouds and fog. If she were to be harmed at this moment, it truly wouldnʼt be worth it.

Seeing that Momo Quan wasnʼt blaming her, Yuxi felt slightly relieved. ”Momo, are your days in the capital city not going well? Otherwise, why would you think of going to Jiangnan?”

Momo Quan didnʼt hide anything from Yuxi. ”I know your temper well. After being plotted against time and again, thereʼs no way you would keep enduring it. Itʼs just that the opportunity hasnʼt arisen until now. Around the middle of last year, an old friend of mine sent me a letter inviting me to Jiangnan. I thought Jiangnan was a land of fish and rice, so even in times of war, people wouldnʼt go hungry. Thatʼs why I planned to settle there.” Yuxi would rather be the fish that died struggling until the net broke than be completely unable to fight back. Yun Qing was the Commander-in-Chief of the Northwest and held military power. Given Yuxiʼs character, it was inconceivable that she would allow people to continue harming her. However, Momo Quan hadnʼt expected Yun Qing to rebel so soon; she thought it would be another year or two.

Yuxiʼs throat felt dry. ”Momo, Iʼm sorry.”

Momo Quan smiled and comforted her. ”This isnʼt your fault, so whatʼs there to apologise for? Iʼd considered coming to Yu City to find you before, but Dahuan is shy and absolutely refused to come here.” What kind of place was Yu City? Even people with normal courage wouldnʼt be willing to come, let alone someone timid.

Yuxiʼs eyes stung as she let out, ”But Momo, you still came.”

Momo Quan looked at her with loving affection and replied, ”As long as youʼre well, it wouldnʼt matter if I didnʼt come. But after all the suffering youʼve endured, if I didnʼt come, I wouldnʼt be at peace for the rest of my life.” Living as a farmer for the past few years had made Momo Quan much gentler than before.

”Mom, Mom…” Zaozaoʼs loud voice echoed from outside.

Hearing the resounding voice, Momo Quan smiled and said, ”I havenʼt seen the two little girls yet. Bring them in and let me have a look.”

When Zaozao entered and saw a stranger in the room, she was extremely surprised, her eyes darting around nonstop.

Momo Quan smiled. ”This child is much livelier than you were.” Momo Quan recalled that, when she first met Yuxi, she hadnʼt seemed like a child at all, but more like a little adult.

A smile appeared on Yuxiʼs face as she remarked, ”Sheʼs just too mischievous, like a little boy. Iʼm really worried about what to do with her when she grows up.”

Momo Quan didnʼt mind at all and took Zaozao from Zeng Shiʼs arms. Once she held her, she realised how heavy Zaozao was. ”Whatʼs there to worry about? Once she learns proper manners, sheʼll be fine.”

Yuxi waved her hand to dismiss Zeng Shi, leaving only the two of them alone in the room again. Then she said, ”Iʼve already agreed to let Huo Changqing train Zaozao in martial arts once she turns three.”

Momo Quan noticed that Yuxiʼs face showed no trace of joy and immediately sensed that there was more to the story. ”Why did he make you agree to let Zaozao train in martial arts?”

Yuxi didnʼt go into detail and simply replied, ”Huo Changqing said that, since I donʼt have a son, he wants to train Zaozao so she can take over from Yun Qing.”

Hearing this reply, Momo Quan asked, ”Is it because of this matter that you feel uneasy?”

Yuxi neither nodded nor shook her head.

Instead of scolding Yuxi, Momo Quan merely said, ”Heʼs Yun Qingʼs elder, which makes him your elder too. Even if he was wrong about this, you shouldnʼt address him by his first name. Or did I teach you so poorly that youʼve completely forgotten all the manners you learned?”

Yuxiʼs face instantly flushed red.

Momo Quan continued calmly, ”Yuxi, Iʼve told you that no matter when or where, you must always be true to your heart. Think carefully about your actions—have you actually done so?” Seeing Yuxi looking at her, Momo Quan continued, ”You should think this through yourself.”

Zaozao climbed down from Momo Quanʼs lap and crawled onto the soft couch into Yuxiʼs arms. Hugging Yuxi, she softly called, ”Mom…”

Seeing such a young child already knowing how to protect her mother filled Momo Quan with satisfaction. From the small, one can infer the big; this child would surely grow up to be a filial daughter.

After a while, seeing that Yuxi was still lost in thought, Momo Quan asked, ”Have you heard of Zhang Shi, the wife of the Duke of Dingguoʼs Shizi, when you were in the capital?”

Yuxiʼs mind was in a whirl, and she was unable to sort out her thoughts. After hearing Momo Quanʼs question, she took a moment to respond. ”Iʼve heard of her. Zhang Shi is the eldest di daughter of the former Minister of Personnel.” When Yuxi left the capital, Zhang Shi was still the principal eldest daughter-in-law at the Dukeʼs residence, with three mothers-in-law above her.

Momo Quan said, ”Yes, the Duke of Dingguoʼs Shizi and Zhang Shi used to be a deeply affectionate couple. The only flaw in their otherwise perfect marriage was that after five years of marriage, they only had one daughter. The Lady of Dingguo wanted to arrange a concubine for her son, the Shizi. Zhang Shi refused and caused quite a scene over it. Unfortunately, the concubine was still brought into the household in the end. After which, Zhang Shi divorced the Shizi.”

Upon hearing this, Yuxi remarked, ”In the end, itʼs just that the man wasnʼt firm enough.” All that talk of marital affection was nothing but a facade.

Momo Quan shook her head helplessly. ”Yuxi, youʼve fallen into a mental trap.” Marital affection was the easiest way to cloud oneʼs mind.

Yuxi didnʼt quite understand, so she asked, ”Momo, what are you talking about?”

Momo Quan replied, ”Huo Changqing wants Zaozao to learn martial arts and inherit Yun Qingʼs legacy, which is a good thing in itself. But why are you so resistant, even harbouring resentment?”

Yuxiʼs face showed anger. ”What do they mean I canʼt bear a son? Itʼs just that I canʼt for now, it doesnʼt mean I wonʼt be able to in the future.”

Momo Quan explained, ”Zhang Shi, the Lady Shizi of Dingguo, is also an exceptionally clever woman. Given her abilities, she could easily have discarded the mother and kept the child as her own while ignoring the concubine, yet she insisted on divorce. People in the capital say sheʼs jealous and foolish. What do you think?”

Yuxi finally understood what Momo Quan had meant. ”Because Zhang Shi didnʼt want to share her husband with other women.” Without affection, the number of concubines a husband took wouldnʼt matter. However, once feelings were involved and her heart was at stake, she could no longer tolerate her husband having other women. Otherwise, sheʼd rather be shattered jade than an intact tile.

Momo Quan sighed. ”Once one becomes entangled in marital affection, even the smartest person becomes foolish.” The person before her was a clear example of this. She continued, ”Rather than saying you resent Huo Changqing, itʼs more accurate to say youʼre afraid Yun Qing will take a concubine to continue his family line.” This clearly showed how deeply Yuxi felt about Yun Qing.

Yuxiʼs heart trembled. After a moment, she smiled bitterly. ”Momo, youʼre right. I am afraid.” She was afraid that Yun Qing would become like Fu Tianlei and that their marital affection would one day disappear.

Momo Quan said, ”This kind of thing mainly depends on Yun Qing. If he wants to take concubines, you wonʼt be able to stop him, so worrying about it is pointless.” Seeing Yuxiʼs expression had darkened and become uncertain, Momo Quan added, ”If you canʼt bear the thought of him hugging women from the left and right, you could follow Zhang Shiʼs example and divorce him. With your abilities, you can live well wherever you go. But for now, just live your days properly. Donʼt fill your mind with wild imaginations and end up with your household in turmoil.” Of course, this was only meant to comfort Yuxi. Given Yun Qingʼs current status, it wouldnʼt be easy to divorce him even if she wanted to.

After a while, Yuxi smiled and said, ”Momo, youʼre right. Iʼve fallen into a mental trap.” Worrying over things that hadnʼt even happened yet was entirely self-inflicted suffering. If she allowed suspicion and distrust to create rifts between herself and Yun Qing before he even took a concubine, someone would surely exploit this loophole. By then, it would be too late to cry over it.

If Yun Qing really did take concubines in the future, they would simply part ways. Had she not married Yun Qing, she would not have been targeted for assassination time and again, nor would she have lived in constant fear these past years. Once divorced from Yun Qing, she could finally enjoy a few peaceful days.

Momo Quan was very pleased. ”Itʼs good that youʼve figured it out. No matter the situation, trust is always the most important thing, especially between husband and wife.” As before, despite her doubts, Yuxi still trusted Momo Quan and talked to her privately in her bedroom. This made Momo Quan feel very gratified.

Yuxi nodded. ”Thank you, Momo. If it werenʼt for you, I really would have gotten stuck in an ox horn tip.”

Momo Quan smiled and said, ”I only gave you a small nudge. Ultimately, itʼs up to you to figure things out for yourself.” Some women get stuck in this way of thinking and never recover, but fortunately, Yuxi wasnʼt one of them.

Though it was just a small nudge, Yuxi had no one else around her who could offer this kind of guidance. Thinking of this, Yuxi looked at Momo Quan expectantly and requested, ”Momo, will you stay by my side this time, please?” If Momo Quan agreed, she would have someone to discuss things with in the future.

Momo Quan nodded. ”All right.”

When Yuxi saw that Momo Quan was willing to stay, her face blossomed into a radiant smile. ”Good, as long as Momo is willing to stay, thatʼs all that matters.”

Little Zaozao, who had been quiet all along, couldnʼt help but giggle cheerfully when she saw Yuxi smiling. In response, Yuxi hugged her and gave her two affectionate kisses.