Chapter 5, A Series of Ghost Stories

Yun Fei said softly: "My mother has a message for you, Second Madam. She holds no grudges against you; her leaving home is not directed at you, but rather because my father swore long ago that he would never take a concubine."

The reason Lin Qinghe readily agreed was precisely because of Yun Fei's words

He speaks with genuine emotion and articulates his thoughts eloquently. To those who are unaware of the situation, it may seem that he has many grievances and that marrying Lin Qinghe was truly unavoidable. Deep down, his heart is solely devoted to his first wife. Marrying a second wife and building a fortune is entirely for the purpose of ensuring that she and the children can live a good life, enjoying all the wealth and splendor.

Yun Fei whispered two sentences to A Cong, sending him to Su Qingmei's side, and then tugged at her father's sleeve, quietly saying: "Father, I have an idea. Since Second Mother is pregnant, why not send her back to her family in Suzhou to rest during her pregnancy, and first coax Mother back home? After Second Mother gives birth, you can bring her back."

Yun Dingquan was taken aback: "Isn't this furniture good? It's all made of fine mahogany"

Yun Fei seemingly glanced out the window casually and asked with a smile, "Is the Second Mistress comfortable living in this Hibiscus Pavilion?"

Yun Fei knew that after Yun Dingquan returned, he would definitely seek that dubious sum of money from her mother

In a state of self-pity, I suddenly heard a crisp voice coming from the corridor outside: "Second Mother."

Yun Dingquan personally escorted her back to Luzhou

Yun Fei finished throwing the bombs, stood up, and smiled sweetly: "Second Mother, please take a good rest, I shall take my leave now." She walked to the door, then turned back, took Lin Qinghe's hand, and said with a beaming smile: "The cooks in the kitchen were all brought from my hometown by my mother, and the dishes are all made in the style of our hometown. If Second Mother finds it unpalatable, just let Father know." After saying this, she took her leave.

When Yun Dingquan arrived at night, Lin Qinghe's displeasure was exceptionally evident, and she could not hide it even if she tried. In terms of concealing her inner thoughts, she was far less capable than Yun Fei.

Yun Dingquan, who had seen countless people, immediately noticed that she was preoccupied with her thoughts. He put his arm around her shoulder and warmly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Father, rest assured, Second Mother will certainly agree

Yu Chi noticed that Lin Qinghe's face was as pale as a wooden carving, so he opened the brocade box brought by Yun Fei to change the subject: "Madam, this ginseng is truly rare for someone of such size."

Yun Dingquan looked at his daughter, who appeared confident and composed, feeling half-convinced. He decided to return and give it a try.

Yun Dingquan thought that this woman was indeed extravagant and wasteful, insisting on replacing everything with new items when there was no need to do so, showing no consideration for saving his money. In this regard, she was leagues behind Su Qingmei. At this moment, he began to recall the merits of Su Qingmei, who had been completely open-hearted and selfless towards him, always thinking of his interests, even giving him the money from selling the old house. He believed that the silver that Su Yong'an had secretly left for her could certainly be retrieved.

Su Qingmei was unaware that Lin Qinghe was already pregnant, and she thought that her husband had sent her back "forever." Thus, after Lin Qinghe left, she finally returned to her long-lost home. However, after this incident, her state of mind changed drastically, and she became despondent and dull, spending her days locked in the house, as quiet as a piece of porcelain.

Yun Fei discerned the disbelief in her eyes, smiled charmingly, and said with a tone of pride: "Second Aunt may not know, but my grandfather is the wealthiest man in Xiangcheng, with family shops nearly covering half the county. He is known as Su Bancheng. When my mother got married, my grandfather sent her off with only the finest things. Later, we moved to Jingzhou, and my mother was reluctant to part with these items, enduring great hardships to bring them over from our hometown, which truly required a considerable amount of effort"

Yun Dingquan came from a poor background and was very frugal. When he roughly calculated the amount of silver, he felt a pang of pain in his heart. However, having just married, he did not want to argue with her, so he could only respond with an unwilling agreement.

She thought for a moment and called the housekeeper, Yun Qi, to come over

Lin Qinghe gritted her teeth and said, "The good marriage that my elder brother arranged for me, if only my father were here, he would never allow me to be treated this way." As she spoke, she leaned on the table and began to weep softly.

Yun Fei smiled charmingly, "Rest assured, I will take care of everything. My father will not be angry, nor will he kill anyone"

Yun Fei smiled and said: "If Second Mother is lacking anything, just say so. Please do not be like my mother, who is so stingy with money that she refuses to take care of herself. After giving birth to A Cong, she became a yellow-faced woman, her waist thickened by three inches, and even my father is too lazy to look at her."

The steward, upon hearing her words, nearly had his eyes drop to the floor tiles: "Heavens, the general is back, he will, he will kill!"

Lin Qinghe's eyes revealed a look of shock, "Is it true?"

Lin Qinghe endured and endured, but finally could not hold back any longer and said: "Husband, I would like to change the furniture"

"Miss is here." Yu Chi quickly twisted a hot towel to wipe Lin Qinghe's face

The thought that the furniture was Su Qingmei's dowry, and that the courtyard was also where Su Qingmei had lived, made her feel an indescribable discomfort in her heart, yet she could not directly express this to Yun Dingquan

Yun Fei gently parted the beaded curtain and stepped inside, her face adorned with a sweet smile as she approached to pay her respects: "Second Mother, I apologize on behalf of A Cong. He is young and does not understand, so please do not hold it against him."

It turned out to be Su Qingmei's dowry, and Lin Qinghe was at a loss for words, awkwardly twisting the handkerchief in her hands, wishing to leave the room immediately

Lin Qinghe was so angry that smoke seemed to be coming out of her seven orifices. She originally quite liked the furniture in the Hibiscus Pavilion, but now everything looked glaring to her. In Yun Dingquan's heart, what exactly did she mean to him

Although Yun Dingquan was handsome and skilled in martial arts, he was a full twenty years older than her and still had a legal wife at home. While she appeared to be deeply in love with Yun Dingquan, in her heart she harbored much dissatisfaction, always feeling that as a young and beautiful woman of noble birth, she should not be reduced to being his second wife, and now she even had to endure the anger of his son

Su Qingmei saw him come to pick her up in person, and all the past memories surged back, stirring her heart that had felt like dead ashes. After all, they had been married for sixteen years; she had admired him for half her life, viewing him as a heroic savior.

The carriage and horses arrived at the foot of Lianhua Mountain, where Yun Dingquan, accompanied by his two children, made their way along the mountain path to Jingtu Temple

This statement sounds quite affectionate at first glance, but upon further reflection, Lin Qinghe feels somewhat uncomfortable. Does that woman not have a wide waist after giving birth? Does that woman not grow old? If Yun Dingquan truly treats his first wife, who bore him children, in such a manner, it would indeed be rather heartless

Yun Dingquan was a bit impatient, turning his head to give Yun Fei a glance, implying that she should go and persuade her

But what if your second mother is unwilling to return

In the presence of Yun Dingquan, Lin Qinghe feigned a magnanimous demeanor towards Yun Cong's hostility and dismissed it with a smile. However, upon returning to Furong Pavilion, she began to wipe away her tears.

Lin Qinghe smiled politely and said, "Ah Fei, you have worked hard."

I do not like mahogany. I also want to renovate the yard.

"Of course it is true," Yun Fei whispered in her ear, "Over the years, my mother has spent a considerable amount of money to recruit soldiers for my father, but my father remains untrustworthy. Therefore, my mother has asked Second Mother to keep a close watch on her money, and to always remember that men are unreliable"

Lin Qinghe wiped the tears from her face, tidied her hair, and then said: "Come in."

This is a good plan; first, coax Su Qingmei back, and then we will talk about getting that sum of money.

The next day, he took the initiative to bring Yun Fei and A Cong along to pick up Su Qingmei.

Lin Qinghe was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to utter even a single syllable. Her heart was filled with both bitterness and anger, and she could no longer muster even a perfunctory dry laugh.

Yun Fei secretly breathed a sigh of relief

The maidservant Yu Chi advised, "Madam, now that you are with child, please do not get upset."

Lin Qinghe busily put on a magnanimous demeanor and smiled as she said, "Acon is just a child, of course I won't hold it against him"

Therefore, she must come up with a considerable sum of money before he returns; otherwise, both she and her mother will not have a good life

Lin Qinghe forced a smile, feeling somewhat uncomfortable inside, as it turned out that Su Qingmei had also lived here

Yun Dingquan, considering the value of the silver, patiently said: "Qingmei, you also know that King Wu has long been eyeing the land of Chu. If he were to raise an army and come over, it would be one thing for my years of hard work to go to waste, but my father-in-law has spent his entire life’s savings on this. How can I simply hand over Jingzhou..."

Lin Qinghe was taken aback, finding it hard to believe that these mahogany furniture pieces were quite valuable. Coming from a humble background, could Su Qingmei's family really afford such items?

Lin Qinghe tossed and turned, contemplating the words spoken by Yun Fei. What seemed like casual remarks contained an abundance of information. Yun Dingquan was far too unreliable; she could not afford to be foolish like Su Qingmei. In the future, she must remain more vigilant.

Lin Qinghe nodded: "I really like the lotus pond in the courtyard"

Yu Chi nodded in response, but inwardly thought, Miss A Fei has such good intentions, how can the second madam find so many faults? Where can one find such a large ginseng? It is truly a pity to let it be neglected.

Yun Fei smiled in surprise: "How clever! My mother also likes it very much. When we first moved here, the lotus flowers in the pond were blooming beautifully and fragrant. My mother took a liking to this courtyard at first sight. Later, when Ah Cong was born, my mother was afraid he would fall into the lotus pond, which is why we moved to the Osmanthus Garden"

Upon returning home, Yun Dingquan subtly suggested to Lin Qinghe that she should go back to her family to rest during her pregnancy. He initially thought she would refuse, but to his surprise, she readily agreed.

Lin Qinghe said: "Take it. I dare not use the things she sent, who knows what intentions she has. The kitchen is full of Su Qingmei's people, and now that I am pregnant, I must be extremely cautious. Tea, snacks, and meals, you need to keep a close eye on them all"

The two individuals, each with their own thoughts, did not embrace closely as they used to when they went to bed.

"Second Mother truly possesses remarkable grace." Yun Fei placed a brocade box on the table and smiled charmingly, "Second Mother is currently expecting a younger brother and needs to take good care of her health. This ginseng has been kept by my mother for many years, and she has been reluctant to use it. It is just what Second Mother needs at this moment"

She does not want to stay in the Furong Pavilion for even a moment longer, and renovating the courtyard and arranging furniture will take time, which she does not wish to exert herself over. Moreover, she is alone and unsupported in Jingzhou, and the Yun residence is filled with Su Qingmei's people; who knows if they might harm her and cause her to miscarry? It would be safer to return to her maternal home to nurture her pregnancy. After giving birth to her son, she can return, and by then, the Furong Pavilion will be well organized, making it a win-win situation.

Su Qingmei said coldly: "I do not care about your reasons. You swore back then that you would never take another wife or concubine, and that I would be the only one by your side for a lifetime. Unless you send that woman away, I will not return."

Yun Fei listened while admiring his extraordinary eloquence; no wonder her astute grandfather was also deceived by him, handing over his vast fortune as a wedding gift.

Yun Fei surveyed the furnishings in the room and said with a smile, "The furniture in this house is all part of my mother's dowry. My second mother looked at that item and was not satisfied, insisting that my father replace it with a new one, so do not let my father save money."

The scenery of the Furong Pavilion perfectly matches its name, featuring a crescent-shaped lotus pond made of glazed bricks in the courtyard. One can imagine that in summer, with lush green leaves and blooming lotus flowers, the fragrance of lotus fills the air. She felt that Yun Dingquan had shown thoughtfulness by allowing her to reside here.