Chapter 43: As Long as You’re Safe

The night deepened.

Perhaps the day’s shock still lingered, for Yu Tingwan’s sleep was restless. Haunted by nightmares, her forehead was drenched in sweat, her breathing grew rapid, and she suddenly woke up.

Hugging her bedding, she curled up, fear flickering in her eyes.

Fragments of images flashed before her.

Paper money fluttering in the wind. Wails piercing the air. A blizzard raging, its icy wind cutting like blades.

She saw herself in wedding robes, stumbling onto the street, pleading for help from the Wei family soldiers carrying a coffin.

A deputy general unsheathed his sword, cold steel gleaming as it pointed directly at her.

“Disturbing the general’s funeral procession means death!”

Yet Yu Tingwan did not retreat in fear. The true beasts were the Dong family servants behind her. But they hesitated, wary of the Wei army, not daring to advance.

The men before her—weren’t they her last hope?

Tears welled in her eyes, her voice trembling as she knelt before the coffin, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“My aunt has forced me into marriage, selling me to the old master of the Dong family. I should not disturb the general’s peace, but I have no other way out.”

“The general’s passing has left His Majesty sleepless and grief-stricken. Ignoring all counsel, he granted an exceptional burial with princely honors. I heard that the people of the capital hung mourning banners of their own accord—the whole nation weeps together.”

“Yet here in Ze County, just a street away, the Dong family celebrates with gongs and drums, holding a grand wedding feast. When all should be in mourning, they show no respect for the general. If this isn’t provocation, what is?”

The Wei soldiers’ expressions darkened.

The audacity of the Dong family! Not just the soldiers—even the court officials sent to escort the coffin looked increasingly grim.

The county magistrate was sweating profusely, too flustered to care about appearances.

“Guards! Drag this unknown woman away!”

Yu Tingwan’s gaze turned icy.

“Magistrate, are you shielding the Dong family, or are you afraid that if word reaches His Majesty, you’ll lose your position?”

She didn’t need to say more. The deputy general’s fury could no longer be contained.

His sword slashed down onto the magistrate’s shoulder.

“This blade was bestowed by the general himself—it does not leave its sheath without drawing blood!”

“Ze County is but a tiny place. How could you not know of this?”

“Why did you do nothing?”

“Did they bribe you, or did you assume we wouldn’t linger, that the dead are gone like extinguished lanterns, so you need not honor the general?”

“The Dong family deserves death, and so do you!”

The Dong family’s servants recoiled in terror.

Yu Tingwan knew then—she had won her gamble.

Then, she heard a voice calling behind her.

“Wan’er!”

Her eyes brightened. She turned sharply to see Hu Dazhu running toward her.

His eyes were bloodshot, his face haggard, as if he hadn’t slept since she had gone missing.

His fingers trembled as he pulled her up from the ground.

“As long as you’re safe, as long as you’re safe.”

“They said you were taken by wild beasts, but I refused to believe it. You’ve always been strong—you wouldn’t meet the same fate as your mother.”

Behind him, Hu Yaozhu had also caught up, his concerned gaze fixed on Yu Tingwan. He seemed about to speak several times but said nothing in the end.

After all she had endured, Yu Tingwan’s defenses finally crumbled. She threw herself into Hu Dazhu’s arms, weeping uncontrollably.

Hu Dazhu patted her back.

“Cry if you need to. Your uncle is here. No one will bully you again. Once you’ve cried enough, we’ll go home.”

Yu Tingwan stiffened. Slowly, she withdrew from his embrace.

“Uncle, how did you know I was in the county?”

Hu Dazhu averted his reddened eyes. “Your aunt told me.”

He left out the details—how he had sensed something was amiss, how he had forced the truth from Madam Wang.

Seeing this, Hu Yaozhu quickly added, “Sister Wan, my mother was wrong this time. Father has already beaten and scolded her. She knows her mistake.”

Yu Tingwan acted as if she hadn’t heard him. She simply looked at Hu Dazhu.

She knew he had always treated her like his own daughter. But she also knew how much he valued Hu Yaozhu.

No matter how angry he was at Madam Wang, he would never divorce her—not when Hu Yaozhu’s reputation was at stake.

How could she ever compare to Hu Yaozhu’s prospects and standing? Yu Tingwan wasn’t disappointed—just found it laughable.

She heard her own voice, soft and distant: “After all this, Uncle, do you really think I can return with you as if nothing happened?”

The scene ended abruptly, but that feeling of desolation and helplessness continued to spread through her heart.

Yu Tingwan exhaled deeply.

*

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was the wedding day.

Yu Tingwan rose early, planning to visit the Wei household to put up wedding decorations. On this joyous day, happiness radiated from her every feature.

Hui Niang had to prepare the wedding feast and couldn’t manage everything alone, so Yu Tingwan planned to help in the kitchen after finishing with the decorations.

Not wanting to stain her wedding robes, she decided to change into them only at sundown, just before the ceremony.

But as soon as she stepped out, she bumped into Aunt Wu, who had been looking for her.

Aunt Wu had noticed the red couplets on the Wei family’s doors and was about to inquire about them, but seeing Yu Tingwan emerge, she set that thought aside.

Pulling her into a corner, Aunt Wu whispered mysteriously, “Wan’er, can you really tell fortunes?”

Yu Tingwan: …

She had no such ability.

The last time she warned Aunt Wu’s daughter-in-law about an ill omen, it had only been because of memories from her past life.

But even those memories were incomplete.

Meeting Aunt Wu’s eager gaze, Yu Tingwan hesitated before replying, “It’s hard to say.”

“I’m asking for someone else,” Aunt Wu said. “If you get it right, they’re willing to pay fifty copper coins!”

Hearing this, Yu Tingwan responded without hesitation, “I’m very skilled!”

Aunt Wu beamed. Looking around cautiously, she pulled Yu Tingwan into an old house. Only then did she lower her voice to explain.

“The girl calls me Aunt. She was married off young by her stepmother and rarely visits her maiden home. But with her birth mother’s death anniversary approaching, she came back to stay for a night. During this stay, she noticed something wasn’t right with her stepmother, who seemed to have symptoms of pregnancy. At first, she thought she was imagining things. After all, her father had been dead for years. How could her stepmother be with child?”

Covering her mouth, she continued, “But her stepmother sneaked off to Sanshun Village to see a midwife who specializes in deliveries, and came back with some medicine. The girl, suspicious, secretly took a sample to Old Qian—it turned out to be abortion medicine!”

“Wan’er, you predicted that the Xu family’s son would harm my Xiufen, so you must have real ability. This kind of scandal isn’t easy to prove—quickly help her divine whose child it is!”

Yu Tingwan: …

Did they really think fortune-telling worked like magic?

Wait—

She suddenly realized she knew who this stepmother was.

Matchmaker Liu.

The person Aunt Wu spoke of was Zhou Qin, Matchmaker Liu’s stepdaughter.

She knew the truth! The child was Zhou Qin’s grandfather’s!

After birth, who knew whether the child would call Zhou Qin “sister” or if Zhou Qin would have to call them “uncle” or “aunt.”

Either way, it was all within the Zhou family!

Seeing Yu Tingwan’s strange expression, Aunt Wu urged, “What’s wrong? Hurry and tell us!”

“I dare to divine it,” Yu Tingwan replied, “but you might not dare to hear it”

“How disgusting!”