Listening to Cheng Yumo’s complaint made Cheng Yujin truly speechless. Even if she had a few things to say, there were too many to point to that she didn’t even know where to start. After all, she and Cheng Yumo were different. It took Cheng Yujin only a bit of listening to acutely aware that something was wrong.
Cheng Yujin stared at Cheng Yumo for a while. Cheng Yumo, who was immersed in her bitter thoughts, noticed her sister’s gaze. After a pause, she couldn’t help touching her own face and asked: “Eldest sister, why are you staring at me like this?”
Cheng Yujin felt that she had found the root of Cheng Yumo’s problem. She asked: “Second sister…how are you and Marquis Huo?”
“Me and the Marquis?” Hearing Cheng Yujin suddenly mentioned Huo Changyuan, Cheng Yumo was taken aback for a moment. She then lowered her head and pursed her lips: “Of course the Marquis treats me very well. Why does eldest sister ask me this?”
In fact, it was not as good as Cheng Yumo said. At least, their present relationship was incomparable to that of her previous life. Since getting married, Huo Changyuan always seemed to be in the wrong state. He often sat in a daze, staring at a distance. When Cheng Yumo came and interrupted his daze, he was momentarily confused and then looked at a loss, even disappointed, upon seeing her. It was as if he was immersed in an illusion, and mistaken the person he saw in reality.
Because of this matter, Cheng Yumo made a fuss with Huo Changyuan several times. However, the more fuss she made, the more estranged the husband and wife became. Maybe Huo Changyuan secretly felt guilty, but he began to treat Cheng Yumo better than ever. However, Cheng Yumo, who had a memory of a lifetime, could easily distinguish between fake and true affection. She clearly sensed the deliberateness in Huo Changyuan’s intimacy, and his lack of sincerity.
But there was no way Cheng Yumo would say that honestly to Cheng Yujin. She lowered her head and said with a soft voice: “Although my mother-in-law is harsh, the Marquis treats me very well. He knows that I have to learn the rules with my mother-in-law every day and will send someone to call me back earlier at night. Sometimes, he even comes to pick me up in person.”
Hearing this, Cheng Yujin became even more speechless. So, this was the crux of the problem. Huo Xue-shi was originally a harsh and demanding woman, but she was obviously too harsh to Cheng Yumo, far above what Cheng Yujin saw in her previous life’s memory. Sure enough, the root still lay in Huo Changyuan.
In her previous life, after Cheng Yujin noticed Huo Xue-shi’s unusual possessiveness towards her son, Cheng Yujin deliberately alienated Huo Changyuan. At least on the surface, they were simply respectful to each other, even indifferent. Later, after Cheng Yujin showed her excellent housekeeping skill and kept a distance from Huo Xue-shi’s baby son, Huo Xue-shi became more and more lenient, and Cheng Yujin’s life was improved.
In contrast, Cheng Yumo didn’t notice these things at all. Huo Xue-shi deliberately detained Cheng Yumo until late at night because of her desire not to see Cheng Yumo and Huo Changyuan lived their married life as a couple. Yet, Cheng Yumo even complained to Huo Changyuan, letting him sending people to urge Huo Xue-shi to let her go back early and sometimes even came in person. Wasn’t this precisely poking Huo Xue-shi’s sore spot? No wonder her actions became more intensified.
Cheng Yujin paused for a while before saying tactfully: “Second sister, Marquis Huo has to go to the court every day, and he also has to go to the army barrack to train the soldiers. He must be very tired. If he waits for you to come back so late at night, it will be detrimental to his health in the long run. You may as well let Marquis Huo go to bed earlier without waiting for your return.”
Cheng Yumo immediately frowned. She glared at Cheng Yujin and said vigilantly: “Eldest sister, what do you mean by this?”
Alright then. Cheng Yujin no longer said anything. Today she was rarely in a benevolent mood and was willing to offer some advice. Since Cheng Yumo didn’t appreciate it, then she wouldn’t bother to say more. Cheng Yujin’s proposed method was very subtle yet clever. If Huo Changyuan no longer waited for Cheng Yumo every night and instead went to bed in time, the news would quickly reach Huo Xue-shi’s ears. Huo Xue-shi’s glaring enmity towards Cheng Yumo, which mostly stemmed from her possessiveness towards her son, would eventually be lessened. Moreover, newly-married couples usually were not allowed to sleep separately. If Cheng Yumo returned late, Huo Changyuan would already have been sleeping. He would inevitably be awakened by Cheng Yumo getting in and out of the room, removing makeup, changing out of clothes, and taking a bath. After a few times, Huo Xue-shi would feel sorry for her baby son and would allow Cheng Yumo to return earlier.
Unfortunately, Cheng Yumo didn’t understand, and even suspected that Cheng Yujin maliciously wanted to destroy her relationship with her husband. Cheng Yujin was too lazy to care, and she simply stopped talking.
The two fell silent again. Fortunately, they soon arrived at the praying room where Old Madam Cheng was assigned. Cheng family’s servant girl who was guarding the door smiled upon seeing them and went inside to announce: “Old Madam. Eldest miss and second young lady are here.”
Cheng Yujin has put on her gentle and amiable facade again. With a ‘good wife and loving mother’ smile, she walked inside and curtsied to Old Madam Cheng: “Grandmother.”
After Cheng Yujin entered the room and saw the people inside, she raised her eyebrows indiscernibly. She had expected Old Madam Cheng to entertain some guests, but why was Old Madam Zhai also here?
Cheng Yujin had a bad hunch.
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