Chapter 21 : Is she really feeling wronged?

Cui Yunzhao’s mood suddenly brightened.

She glanced back at Huo Tan. Regardless of the truth about her death in the previous life, Cui Yunzhao knew that, at this moment, Huo Tan was genuinely sincere towards her.

By the time she had said those few words, the group had already arrived at Lianxing Pavilion.

Cui Yunzhao asked Mother Xia to go about her duties while she led Huo Tan into Lianxing Pavilion.

Compared to the earlier Canyang Pavilion, Lianxing Pavilion was not ideally located. Although it was adjacent to a pond, the summer mosquitoes were likely to be a problem.

Moreover, there was a large artificial hill in front of Lianxing Pavilion, which blocked the sunlight on the first floor. Even on bright sunny days, the main room on the first floor appeared somewhat dim.

As Cui Yunzhao pushed open the door, she looked up and saw Mother Xia standing at the entrance to the main room, looking at her eagerly.

Mother Xia was her wet nurse who had accompanied her since childhood.

Actually, Mother Xia was not originally from the Cui family.

Twenty years ago, there were four prominent families in Fulu, including the Bo Ling Cui family, which was known for upholding the national legacy and was highly respected.

The Su family from Fulu was adept in extensive scholarship and produced many talents in the Ministry of Works and Water Conservancy, with several generations held in high esteem by the emperor.

The Yin family from Tonglu was known for their expertise in poetry, books, and ceremonies. Their proficiency in composing ceremonial texts made them the wealthiest among the four families, with a single ceremonial text being worth its weight in gold.

The Yin family members were skilled in management, and although they were not as renowned as the other three families, they were the wealthiest.

Cui Yunzhao’s mother came from the Tonglu Yin family.

She was the treasured eldest daughter of the Yin family’s then-head and married the young master of the Cui family. The dowry at that time was substantial.

Mother Xia was part of the dowry that accompanied Cui Yunzhao’s mother.

After Cui Yunzhao’s mother married into the Su family, Mother Xia married a steward who had also come with the dowry. Unfortunately, her son passed away when he was just three months old.

Later, when the Yin family gave birth, seeing Mother Xia’s longing for her own child, they allowed her to become her daughter’s wet nurse.

She had cared for Cui Yunzhao for eighteen years.

Mother Xia’s own husband also died young, and she devoted herself entirely to Cui Yunzhao, treating her as if she were her own child.

Cui Yunzhao was not adept at managing household affairs, so Mother Xia devoted herself entirely to planning for her, managing her shops and making them prosper.

Mother Xia, being from the Yin family, knew how to handle domestic matters from a young age and would not let the shops fail.

After many years, when Cui Yunzhao saw Mother Xia, who was like a mother to her, her eyes immediately filled with tears.

Mother Xia had passed away two years after her marriage.

Cui Yunzhao hadn’t seen her for many years.

She really missed her.

As soon as she saw those eager eyes of Mother Xia, Cui Yunzhao couldn’t hold back anymore. She rushed over and threw herself into Mother Xia’s arms.

“Mom, I’ve missed you so much.”

Cui Yunzhao’s voice was choked with tears.

To put things in perspective, it had only been three days since she last saw Mother Xia in this life.

On her wedding day, Mother Xia had personally helped her get ready and sent her step by step to the bridal sedan. But for the current Cui Yunzhao, it felt as though a long-lost loved one had returned after many years.

She had already tried her best not to cry, showing considerable restraint. But Mother Xia was already crying tears of joy. She patted the slender back of her young lady, tears streaming down her cheeks: “Miss, Mother is here. It’s alright, Mother is here.”

Hearing these words, Cui Yunzhao could no longer hold back and began to cry.

She missed her so much.

Huo Tan, who had intended to meet Mother Xia as well, now found himself frozen at the door, seeing the two of them clinging to each other and crying.

Should he go in or stay out?

Moreover, Cui Yunzhao had been calm before, so why was she crying so uncontrollably now? Was she truly that distressed?

Huo Tan lowered his gaze, choosing not to watch any longer.

Cui Yunzhao was now quite emotional, but she knew that today wasn’t a day for such tears, so she forced herself to pull away from Mother Xia’s warm embrace and used a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

After wiping her own tears, she went to wipe Mother Xia’s face, looking as obedient as ever.

“Mother, don’t cry. Today is a joyful day.”

As she said this, she suddenly turned around.

Huo Tan was leaning against the doorframe, his gaze lowered, looking somewhat indifferent.

Cui Yunzhao understood that he didn’t seem to be a meticulous person, but when it came to intentions and motives, he might even surpass Lu Fangyu in his discernment.

She wondered if Huo Tan might think that she was unhappy with the marriage and was crying in front of her family.

But… at this moment, she didn’t have time to explain.

Because she had just noticed her younger brother and sister.

At that time, Cui Yunlang was thirteen, still a shy and gentle young girl, while Cui Yunting was twelve, with clear, innocent eyes that betrayed no signs of future ambition, making him look somewhat endearing.

The two children were of similar height and were now standing inside the door, looking at her with longing eyes.

Especially the sentimental Cui Yunlang, who was also starting to tear up.

Seeing her younger siblings, Cui Yunzhao immediately regained her composure and addressed Huo Tan politely: “My lord, let’s go inside and talk.”

Huo Tan lifted his gaze, seeing that her earlier tearful appearance had disappeared. He smiled in relief.

“Let’s go in then.”

Once everyone was settled inside, Cui Yunzhao introduced her younger siblings to Huo Tan.

A few days ago, during the wedding, Huo Tan had come to pick her up and had met her younger brother and sister, but the occasion had been so lively that they hadn’t had a chance to speak.

Today, they had the opportunity to properly greet each other.

Although Cui Yunting was the legitimate son of the Cui family and had received education from the family’s scholars, he did not have the typical scholarly demeanor. Instead, he was quite lively and sharp.

He looked at the tall and upright Huo Tan and stepped forward to bow “Greetings, brother-in-law. My name is Cui Yunting. I am the third in the family, so you can call me Tingtang or Sanlang.”

Huo Tan nodded and extended his hand to Ping Shu, who handed over a box.

Huo Tan gave the box to Cui Yunting “I didn’t know what you liked, but I assumed you might enjoy reading. I’ve found a few rare books for you. Please take them and read.”

Cui Yunzhao had heard from Li Qing in the morning that Huo Tan had prepared gifts for her younger siblings, and she had expected them to be food or treats for the children. She hadn’t anticipated such thoughtful gifts.

Cui Yunting was clearly surprised as well.

He quickly accepted the box, his voice a bit louder than before “Thank you, brother-in-law.”

Huo Tan nodded and then saw the young girl behind Cui Yunting step forward, shyly looking at him.

“Greetings, brother-in-law. I am Cui Yunlan, the fifth in the family.”

Huo Tan waved his hand, and Ping Shu brought out another box.

“This one contains a set of painting and calligraphy supplies. I wasn’t sure what kind of figures you like, so I bought a variety.”

Cui Yunlan’s eyes lit up, but she hesitated to take the box and first glanced at her elder sister.

Cui Yunzhao, remembering the grief of her previous life, felt a pang of sadness. Seeing her sister now still in her youthful state stirred a sense of nostalgia.

With their parents gone, Cui Yunzhao had raised her younger siblings as a mother figure, trying to teach them while she was still just a young girl herself. She didn’t always know what was right or wrong, but she advised her siblings to avoid trouble whenever possible, often enduring hardships herself.

Looking back, she knew she might have made mistakes in her past life.

Cui Yunzhao sighed inwardly but smiled warmly, treating Cui Yunlan with much gentleness compared to Cui Yunting.

“Please accept it and enjoy it.”

Once everyone had been introduced and received their gifts, Cui Yunzhao then took her leave.

Cui Yunzhao, turning to Huo Tan, said, “My lord, as I mentioned before, I wanted Mother Xia to come live with us. What do you think?”

Huo Tan had already agreed to this at home, but now Cui Yunzhao was asking again in front of him, clearly to reassure Mother Xia.

As expected, Mother Xia’s face lit up with joy when Huo Tan nodded in agreement.

“I don’t have many belongings, so I’ll be able to pack up quickly. I won’t delay our return home today. I’ll go back with the young lady today.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled and said, “Mother, go ahead and pack now. It’s alright if some things are left behind. After all, we’re still in Bo Ling City. We can come back to get them later.”

She added jokingly, “Even though I’m married now, my family wouldn’t just refuse me entry.”

Mother Xia was so overjoyed that she didn’t notice the deeper meaning behind Cui Yunzhao’s words. Cui Yunlan, on the other hand, glanced at her sister and blinked.

Cui Yunlan’s personality was somewhat similar to that of Huo Xinliu, though there were many differences.

Cui Yunlan was raised by her mother and Cui Yunzhao, and was typically gentle and polite, embodying the qualities of a noble young lady.

However, due to her mother’s early death, her life wasn’t as comfortable, which made her somewhat timid and indecisive, often just enduring and yielding in difficult situations.

Huo Xinliu, on the other hand, was somewhat dull and often failed to understand others’ intentions due to a childhood illness that affected her brain.

Because of this dullness, Huo Xinliu had disappeared completely when the incident occurred years ago.

Thinking about those past events made Cui Yunzhao feel heavy-hearted again.

But she quickly pulled herself together and directly asked Cui Yunting, “I heard you were punished and cannot attend the family academy for three months?”

Cui Yunting’s expression froze, and Cui Yunlan, wanting to defend her brother, quickly spoke up, “Elder sister, A-Ting didn’t mean to. It was really just an accident.”

Cui Yunzhao shook her head in response.

She continued to look at Cui Yunting, “What do you have to say?”

Cui Yunting lowered his head, his face turning red in front of his brother-in-law.

He fiddled with the edge of his clothes and finally said, “They did it on purpose. They bullied me deliberately, so I won’t be able to properly participate in the county exam next year.”

The child was quite aware of the situation.

Cui Yunzhao suddenly felt relieved.