Chapter 2 | Ink East

Edited by Kiseki

Chapter 2

“Miss! Young Miss!”

The girl’s loud and frightening voice had slowly reached my ears from far away. Opening my eyes slightly, I could see the sunlight. I yawned and rolled over. I felt that these days were more relaxing than the days when I was a cloud. Every day, I regarded sunbathing as my job and sleeping as my purpose. There were no worries, no stingy Yue Lao, no hardship of saving money to buy a fan, no red-dressed young man’s unlucky, vicious face…

Red-dressed young man…

I opened my eyes. Just thinking about that person would bring me into a bad mood. I couldn’t sleep anymore.

I sat up and heard the girl’s screaming voice, which made my eardrums ache.

“Young Miss! Don’t move, Cui Bi will save you! No, Cui Bi will call someone to save you!”

Under the tree, my personal maid was looking for a passerby. I said without care, “I can come down by myself.”

I still wasn’t used to hearing my childish voice. I rubbed my throat and said in a husky voice, “You, get out of my way. I’m jumping off.”

Cui Bi’s pale face turned green.

“Young, Young, Young…Miss, don’t, don’t, don’t scare me! Don’t bully Cui Bi just because I’m timid!”

I ignored her, grabbed a branch, and climbed down.

In the blink of an eye, I had been reincarnated as the now five year-old daughter of the prime minister. This five year-old was spoiled by everyone; she didn’t need to do the laundry, clean, or cook. Even when climbing a tree, there was a maid under the tree, trying to protect her.

I was puzzled as to how Emperor Li would arrange his favorite play, “the wife chasing the husband.”

Moreover, my so-called husband was probably still being punished in the Nether World. I secretly laughed in my heart.

Thinking about the day of the reincarnation and remembering Chu Kong’s resentful eyes, my mood instantly soared. Revenge was bliss.

I jumped off when I was near the ground. I asked Cui Bi, who was full of cold sweat, “What’s the matter?”

It took Cui Bi a while before she calmed down.

“The prime minister let this servant come search for you. He said to take young miss to the General’s mansion.”

“Oh.”

I gave an answer without much emotion and rubbed my dirty hands on Cui Bi’s skirt. Cui Bi gritted her teeth but didn’t say anything.

“Go tell my father that he can go first. I know where the General’s mansion; I can find it myself.”

The emperor, my father, and the general were childhood friends. The relationship between my father Song Qin Wen and General Lu Lian was particularly close.

The two mansions were opposite each other. The two adults would go to court together. After their official duties, they would come home together. When the two families had nothing to do, they would visit each other. I knew the general’s mansion as well as my own home. There was no need for somebody to bring me there.

After hearing what I said, Cui Bi helplessly frowned. “But today, the prime minister said that I need to go with you…”

Those politically-involved old men always had some business.

I pouted, cleaned my hands on Cui Bi’s skirt again, and helplessly said, ”Alright, alright, I’ll go now.”

I rushed into the living room. My father was sitting on the chair. He took one look at me and sighed helplessly. “I give up, might as well let her be a little wild.”

I tugged at my clothes. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Comparing to my clothes from Yue Lao temple, there was so many rules about clothing here. What wasn’t he happy about?

While walking to the General’s mansion, he talked about the past. While I was in my mother’s belly, the General’s wife was also pregnant. The two families had agreed that if we were of the same sex, we would become sisters. If we were the opposite sex, we would be husband and wife. But no one ever had ever thought that the General’s wife would fall, then have a miscarriage. She hadn't been pregnant since then.

I interrupted my father’s affectionate story-telling.

“That isn’t right. A few days ago, I saw the General’s wife. Her belly was really big.”

After saying those words, I started feeling suspicious.

Father Song looked at me affectionately and nodded. “Yes, the General’s wife gave birth to a son today. Yun Xiang, now you can go see what your future husband will look like.”

I looked up and saw the smiling face of my father, which caused my tears to nearly fell out. I asked him, “Have you ever seen a grass mud horse[1. Grass mud horses (Cǎonímǎ)is a play on the words cào nǐ mā which means f*** your mother] ?”

My father was stunned.

I lowered my head, placed my hands over my heart and whispered, “Do you know the emotion when ten thousand mud horses passed by? No … you don’t understand.”

I wiped my tears and looked defeated at my father. “Let’s go take a look.”

When we walked into the General’s mansion, every servant bowed and greeted us. Their happy voice overshadowed my gloomy words. “The bastard who came late.”

The news about the General receiving a son traveled fast. My father and I didn’t sit long in the living room before many officials came with gifts for the General’s son.

While father was busy greeting his colleagues, I sneaked to the backyard. Everyone in the General’s mansion knew me, so no one stopped me. I used the image of an innocent lost child to go to the General’s wife’s chambers. Outside the door, I heard the weak laugh of the General’s wife.

“Ah Liang, our son looks like you.”

The General’s rough voice turned soft like a quiet stream. I almost couldn’t hear what he said. “No, our son looks like you.”

I didn’t let the guards announce my presence and entered the chamber. I hid behind the door and stuck my head out. Beside the General’s wife, there was a tightly wrapped meatball, revealing only his face.

From my angle, I could only see the nose and eyes. I deeply felt that the General and his wife were wrong. He obviously looked like a bun or, better yet, a dumpling. How could they know whom he looked like?

Seeming to sense my presence, the General turned around, looked at me once, smiled, pinched the little bun’s face, and said, “Kid, your blessing isn’t light. You haven’t even opened your eyes yet, but your wife is hiding behind the door and already waiting for you. Why don’t you wake up and take a look?”

After hearing those words, I was embarrassed and couldn’t hide anymore. So I went out very naturally and said, “Greetings, General. Greetings, General’s wife.”

“Little girl, you’re already here, so your father and the others must be waiting. Wife, you take a good rest. I’ll go greet our guests.”

The Lady nodded weakly. The General passed by me and rubbed my head bluntly.

“Girl, go take a look at my son, your husband.”

After saying that, he left.

I ran to the bed and leaned over on the edge of the bed to take a look at this lifetime’s Chu Kong. He was very ugly. I looked up at the General’s wife. I didn’t dare to openly hurt him, so I asked sweetly, “Lady, can I touch him?”

“Of course.”

I stretched out my finger and poked him. Surprisingly, it felt very soft. It was hard to imagine that the red dressed, vicious devil who had beaten my butt possessed the same soul as this little one here.

I was a little surprised. So this was the new life; all from the past life had come to the present. It left people in awe.

Seeing the little bastard’s clenched fists, I curiously poked his fist. I didn’t know that he would open his fist and softly grab my finger in a tight grip. Then he put my finger in his mouth.

I was stunned and dumbfounded. It felt like my heart was also touched by his soft hands. A warm feeling crept in my heart. This little thing was really mystical.

“Yun Xiang, he likes you.”

The General’s wife gently touched his face and asked me gently, “Do you also like him?”

My heart shook a little. I felt that if I were to say ‘I love to bully him’ at a time like this, I would get struck by lightning. So I nodded. “Yes.”

The soft fingers grabbed my finger and put it in his mouth. He began to gently suck on it. I felt like I was not myself, as I had relaxed myself on the couch beside the bed.

I was bewitched and said, “Really like…”

This gently touch was more addictive than the warm wind from the weaver’s girl fan.

“This is really good. From now on, you two can walk hand-in-hand and grow old together.”

She continued slowly. “Although you’re a few years older than him, it’s no big deal. At the moment, you can protect him. In the future, he can protect you…”

This gentle voice floated past my ears. The word ‘husband’ brought me back to reality.

I remembered Emperor Li’s crazy laugh when he walked out of the temple. I couldn’t help but shudder and shook my head. I could clearly see the future play about ‘the wife chasing the husband’ getting nearer. And I, at this time, have let the enemy’s appearance bewitch me!

What a failure, how shameful…

That day, I didn’t know how I got back home. I only knew that my father touched my head at dinner and said, “Yun Xiang, in the future, you need to get along with Hai Kong.”

His expression was like he had already gotten me married.

I asked him, terrified, “What is Hai Kong?”

“Your uncle Lu’s son. You saw him today; do you like him?”

I absently nodded. “Like. Uncle Lu gave him a good name. It has a valiant feeling to it. He’s really the first general I look upon.”

Wasn’t that right? Lu Hai Kong. It had such a domineering feeling to it.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter