Chapter 4 : Pay respects to Grandmother

The couple walked out of the room side by side.

As soon as they come out, Cui Yunzhao saw a familiar plump woman.

Huo Tan’s mother, Ms. Lin , also known as Lin Xiu Gu, had an ordinary appearance. She was somewhat overweight, with broad shoulders and a round waist.

However, her almond-shaped eyes were well shaped, bright and full of life.

Just one glance, and Lin Xiu Gu pulled Cui Yunzhao back into her memories.

In her past life, everyone said Lin Xiu Gu was lucky.

Originally a peasant girl, she had fled to Qiyang at the age of sixteen during a period of hardship. At that time, Huo Tan’s father, Huo Zhan, had just joined the army as a lowly soldier.

Life was hard back then. Lin Xiu Gu worked in an embroidery workshop. Although she didn’t know much about embroidery,but she was very strong, so she was responsible for washing and changing the water.

Later, when the city was attacked by mountain bandits, Huo Zhan saved her, and they became a family.

Huo Zhan was quite capable.

In his early years, he followed Chen Pei in military campaigns, gradually earning his way from a common soldier to a high-ranking officer through his military achievements. He eventually rose to the position of a general.

In the first year of Jingde in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he had been promoted to the governor of Qiyang, a sixth-rank military officer.

Though the position of a provincial governor was not very important, it was a prestigious military post. The sixth-rank position elevated the Huo family from ordinary military households to a military family of note, greatly improving their status.

In the sixth year of Hongzhi of the Later Chen Dynasty, the current emperor Pei Ye directly launched a rebellion, overthrew the absurd rule of the last emperor of the Later Chen Dynasty, directly changed the era name, and established the Zhou Dynasty.

In this new era, with traditional rituals collapsing and military commanders seizing power, those who could win were made emperors. Huo Zhan was fortunate to have joined Pei’s army early on, and thus, in the first year of Jingde, he was directly appointed as the governor of Qiyang and commanded the Qiyang army.

Unfortunately, as the Chen dynasty fell apart and various factions fought among themselves, Huo Zhan was killed in one of the battles, sacrificing his life for the country.

The rising Huo family was abruptly brought to an end.

At that time, Huo Zhan had only one son, Huo Tan. With no other family members in the military, the Huo family lost its only support after Huo Zhan’s death.

Huo Tan was only fifteen years old.

The fifteen-year-old boy immediately went to the camp of Guo Ziqian, the governor of Qiyang, and said that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a soldier.

The Huo family was a military household, and Huo Tan had no other option but to join the military at sixteen or seek his own path.

He was quite determined.

Cui Yunzhao recalled this and suddenly remembered the praise for Huo Tan from the ministers in her past life.

The emperor was decisive in his youth, and after the death of the holy ancestor, he actively joined the army to carve out a path for himself.

He was destined to achieve greatness.

Born with the talent for leading and governance, his brilliance shines like a golden crown, unifying the land as it is now.

As Cui Yunzhao was reminiscing, Huo Tan had already started conversing with his mother, Lin Xiu Gu.

He approached her with a somewhat playful demeanor, linking his arm with hers and grinning as he said, “Mother, it’s not the sun at five o’clock, it’s the sun at three o’clock.”

“Oh, and it’s not just being polite, it’s being respectful and courteous.”

“Who taught you these things?”

Seeing her son’s mischievous behavior, the plump woman with almond eyes immediately reached out to pinch his arm.

“You little rascal, what nonsense are you spouting? How dare you tease your old mother?”

She cast a sideways glance at her son’s quiet and virtuous bride, who looked like a beautiful fairy from a painting, and then gave her son a stern look.

“I’ve also read a few books!”

She held her head high, like a proud, waddling goose, with an indescribable mix of pride and comicality.

Cui Yunzhao almost laughed out loud.

But she knew she couldn’t lose face in front of her mother-in-law, so she held back her laughter and forced a gentle smile at Lin Xiu Gu.

“Greetings to Mother. Good morning.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of freshness like the fragrance of osmanthus in autumn, which was pervasive but not warm.

It left Lin Xiu Gu, who had just been loud and boisterous, momentarily speechless.

Huo Tan looked at her in surprise.

When the marriage was first arranged, everyone said they were mismatched one was a decisive military son, and the other was a cultured young lady from a prestigious family. How could they possibly get along?

Huo Tan had also doubted their compatibility.

But since yesterday, every action of this Cui woman had been so intriguing. Although she spoke of fear, her eyes were full of eager anticipation.

Huo Tan thought about pointing out that her acting might not be perfect, but her little performance was so entertaining that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

At that moment, Cui Yunzhao was still greeting her mother-in-law in the usual manner.

“Mother, it’s getting late. Let’s go and pay our respects to Grandmother.”

Lin Xiu Gu suddenly slapped her forehead with a loud smack, leaving a bright red mark.

Huo Tan: “…”

Before Huo Tan could say anything, his mother grabbed Cui Yunzhao’s hand and quickly pulled her forward.

“Yes, yes, everyone is here. Hurry up, or the old lady will be displeased if we’re late.”

Cui Yunzhao could only lift her skirt and jog along behind her.

Huo Tan’s strides were long, so he didn’t need to run to keep up. He had expected Cui Yunzhao to be annoyed by the hustle and bustle, but when he looked over, he saw that her face was only flushed from the exercise.

That flush was like the morning glow on the horizon, adding a charming hue to her fair complexion.

Huo Tan couldn’t help but smile.

His brothers were right, newlyweds truly are in high spirits.

The Huo family wasn’t very large.

In the early years, the Huo family had always lived in Qiyang. After Huo’s father was appointed as the governor, Governor Guo Ziqian rewarded them with a grand residence, and the Huo family’s fortunes began to rise.

Unfortunately, Huo’s father died early, not having had time to enjoy the wealth and honor before he was killed in battle.

However, because of his death, the court granted a generous pension.

In those times, any man who dared to risk his life, as long as he didn’t die, could usually earn a decent livelihood for his family.

Thus, although Huo’s father had passed away, the Huo family’s wealth was still substantial enough to provide for the whole family.

After joining the army, Huo Tan accumulated military achievements and, due to his outstanding performance and bravery, gradually rose to the rank of military envoy.

However, due to his transfer from Qiyang to Bo Ling, Huo Tan decided to move his entire family to Boling.

Because Huo Tan was so heroic, Bo Ling Defense Commander Lu Mingji rewarded him with this not-so-big house in Ouhua Alley.

The Huo family’s residence was a compound with two courtyards. Entering through the main gate, one would find a plain screen wall, with the main house and east and west wings behind it.

A single moon gate led to the east courtyard.

The east courtyard had always been Huo Tan’s private residence, so Cui Yunzhao and Huo Tan’s new home was here, just separated from the main house by a door.

At this moment, the main house’s door was open. Inside, a few people were standing or sitting, and the two chairs at the head were empty, indicating that the old lady hadn’t arrived yet.

Lin Xiu Gu visibly relaxed.

She had been holding onto her daughter-in-law’s delicate wrist, and she gave an awkward smile. “Alright, let’s go inside and wait. It’s quite cold out here.”

Her loud voice drew the attention of everyone inside the house.

Cui Yunzhao wasn’t very familiar with them from her previous life, and she had been closer to Huo Tan’s younger sister, so she wasn’t particularly nervous.

Cui Yunzhao followed Lin Xiu Gu into the main hall of the house, standing obediently beside Huo Tan.

The Huo family’s household was quite simple.

Huo Zhan is an only son. His father died in the war when he was young, leaving only his widowed mother to raise him.

Later, Lin Xiu Gu married Huo Tan’s father, and together they raised five children.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go and fetch Grandmother.”

The speaker was Huo Tan’s elder sister, Huo Xinzhi. At twenty-two, she was widowed after her husband died in battle.

Sister Huo was tall and slender with a long, thin face that made her appear somewhat stern.

Her voice was cold and a bit intimidating.

Lin Xiu Gu quickly responded, “Xinzhi, go ahead. Xinliu, please bring over the freshly brewed tea.”

Just as Cui Yunzhao remembered, adjusting to life in the Huo family had been challenging for her. Lin Xiu Gu rarely asked her to do anything, leaving tasks to her own children. Even today’s tea ceremony tea had been prepared in advance by Huo Xinzhi and Huo Tan’s younger sister, Huo Xin Liu.

This arrangement was quite fine with her.

Because within six months, they would be moving out of this narrow, single-entry residence.

Cui Yunzhao stood quietly beside Huo Tan, when she suddenly felt a curious gaze.

She looked up and saw a young boy on the side steps, watching her with interest.

The boy had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and while he didn’t resemble Huo Tan much, he was still quite handsome.

Cui Yunzhao recognized him immediately.

Who wouldn’t know the world-famous General Huo Chenzhang?

Though at the moment, the general was just a child.

Huo Chenzhang was only thirteen, still small for his age, and shorter than Cui Yunzhao.

He looked like a typical young child.

He seemed unsurprised when Cui Yunzhao returned his gaze and just flashed her a bright smile.

He appeared very lively.

Next to him was an even younger boy. He looked frail and sickly, appearing to be only six or seven years old.

But Cui Yunzhao knew that Huo Chengpu was already eight . With just one glance, she had seen all the family members.

Suddenly, a sharp voice broke in, “Oh my, the young lady does like to make a grand entrance. What time is it, and only now does she think of offering tea to the elders?”

No, not everyone. There was still one more person, the most troublesome elder for Cui Yunzhao, who now made a grand entrance.

The old lady, who had been a widow since her youth, had seen off her husband, son, and grandson. Her life had been full of hardships and experiences, making her quite knowledgeable.

However, she was extremely harsh, and Cui Yunzhao often didn’t know how to respond to her comments.

For example, at this moment.

Lin Xiu Gu and Huo Xinzhi helped her into the main seat, then took their own seats, with Lin Xiu Gu in the prominent position beside the old lady.

Cui Yunzhao was surprised by the support.

Before she could respond, the sharp-eyed old lady spoke up, “Oh, who doesn’t know that your family has climbed to high branches, marrying the Cui family daughter that everyone wants? Does marrying the Cui family daughter make you an emperor?”

“Should I address you as Empress Dowager now?”

Cui Yunzhao: “…”

Well, that’s not entirely incorrect.

In her previous life, although Huo Tan and she divorced, he eventually became emperor. So, in that sense, the old lady wasn’t wrong.

But discussing such things so openly, especially on a wedding day, was really pushing it.

Lin Xiu Gu was intimidated into silence by the old lady’s words, while Huo Tan’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Grandmother, you shouldn’t speak so disrespectfully about the royal family. It’s inappropriate.”

Huo Tan spoke calmly and factually, but the old lady merely glanced at him and then at the delicate and gentle young lady.

“Look at you, marrying a young lady and forgetting your own surname. Now you dare to argue with your grandmother,” the old lady said, clutching her chest, “Our family is just a regular military household, not some high branch to climb. I told you to marry your cousin, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“Such misfortune for the family, such misfortune.”

It was unusual to hear such pessimistic remarks on a wedding day. The old lady, who was used to having her way in the Huo family, was throwing a tantrum because Huo Tan hadn’t married the granddaughter she wanted. She was making a scene in front of the new bride.

Cui Yunzhao could not say anything in such a situation.

But she didn’t let it bother her.

Because someone would speak up.

As expected, Huo Xinzhi spoke sharply, “Grandmother, are you done causing a ruckus? If you’re done, let the younger brother’s wife serve tea.”

The old lady abruptly fell silent.