TPGA - 53

Chapter 53: Du Ruhui

Yunyi couldn’t figure out his identity and cautiously replied, “They’re just minor matters. I can handle them.”

“That’s good,” he sighed in relief, then whispered, “You’ve been in the mansion for over a month, and I’ve been worried about you all this time. Luckily, you’re back today; otherwise, I wouldn’t know when we’d get to see each other again.”

Yunyi didn’t know how to respond and could only smile faintly in reply. After a moment of silence, the young man suddenly took a pure silver butterfly hairpin from his sleeve, his cheeks slightly flushed, and said, “I saw this at the market the other day and thought you would like it. Now… it’s the perfect chance to give it to you.”

For an ordinary family, such a pure silver hairpin was quite expensive. Yunyi declined, saying, “Such a valuable item—I can’t accept it. Please take it back.”

Hearing this, the young man immediately grew anxious and said, “Meixue, are you still angry with my mother?”

Yunyi really didn’t know how to respond, as she knew nothing about this matter. After pondering for a while, she tried to sidestep the issue lightly, saying, “It’s not about being angry or not. Anyway, please take the hairpin back.”

“Meixue!” In his urgency, the young man couldn’t help but grab Meixue’s hand, startling her. She quickly pulled her hand back and frowned coldly, asking, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Realizing his inappropriate action, the young man hastily withdrew his hand and said, “Meixue, I know what my mother did last time was very wrong, but you should clearly understand my feelings for you. I…” He took a deep breath and solemnly declared, “Tomorrow, I will go to Luoyang to take the imperial examination. Once I pass and become a jinshi, I will definitely come back to marry you!”

This time, Yunyi was truly shocked. Marry… her? No, it should be marrying Meixue. Who exactly was this person? And did Meixue have an engagement with someone? Why had she never heard Meixue mention anything about it?

Seeing that Yunyi hadn’t responded, the young man assumed she doubted his words and repeated, “Believe me, I will definitely come back to marry you—I promise!”

Just then, Wu Laosan returned, carrying some items. Seeing the young man, he said indifferently, “Ruhui, your mother is looking for you. You should go home.”

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui’s face turned pale. Biting his lip, he forcefully shoved the pure silver butterfly hairpin into Yunyi’s hand and whispered, “The day I pass the jinshi exam will be the day we marry!”

Watching Du Ruhui’s retreating figure, Wu Laosan shook his head and said, “If it weren’t for his overbearing mother, you and Ruhui would make a perfect match. By the way, what did he say to you?”

Ruhui… Hearing this name, Yunyi finally understood that this young man who had spoken to her at length was Du Ruhui, whom Wu Laosan had mentioned earlier. Composing herself, she handed the silver hairpin to Wu Laosan and said, “He gave me this hairpin and said… tomorrow he’s going to Luoyang to take the imperial examination. Once he passes and becomes a jinshi, he’ll… he’ll marry me.” The last two words made Yunyi feel deeply uncomfortable.

Wu Laosan forced a bitter smile and said, “If it really came to marriage, his mother would flip out. Forget it, forget it. Don’t think about him anymore. Father will definitely find you a better husband. As for Ruhui… you and him were meant to be together, but fate has other plans.”

After several careful probes, Yunyi finally pieced together the whole story. Du Ruhui and Meixue had grown up together since childhood, innocent and carefree. As they grew older, mutual affection blossomed between them. The Du family had long been involved in commerce, and their household was prosperous—far better off than Meixue’s family. Six months ago, Du Ruhui mustered the courage to inform his father of his intentions to marry Meixue.

His father didn’t object, but his mother strongly opposed it, calling Meixue a wild girl picked up from a tiger’s den, unfit to be the Du family’s daughter-in-law. She demanded that Du Ruhui abandon this idea.

Du Ruhui naturally refused and argued fiercely, but his mother was a fiery character. She resorted to crying, throwing tantrums, and even threatening suicide on the spot. His father also urged him to prioritize his studies and the imperial examination. Left with no choice, Du Ruhui had to temporarily set aside the matter.

However, Du’s mother didn’t stop there. The next day, she went to the Wu family’s doorstep and unleashed a torrent of abuse. The honest Wu father and daughter were no match for her sharp tongue and were left utterly humiliated. Meixue cried her eyes out, yet Du’s mother showed no mercy, continuing to hurl insults and veiled accusations. Finally, Wu Laosan, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed a nearby stick and threatened to strike her, forcing her to leave.

From that point on, a deep grudge formed between the Du and Wu families. Du’s mother continued to slander Meixue outside, tarnishing her reputation. Du Ruhui was also confined to the house and forbidden from seeing Meixue.

That period was the hardest time for Meixue. She dared not step outside, for whenever she did, she would hear countless vile words hurled at her, which she found unbearable. It wasn’t until much later that the matter gradually faded away. However, during that time, prey in the mountains inexplicably became scarce, and the few acres of farmland also yielded poor harvests. Wu Laosan had no choice but to take on odd jobs wherever he could find them, and life became extremely difficult. Just then, the governor’s mansion began recruiting, and Meixue decided to work there, hoping to avoid the lingering gossip in the village.

Wu Laosan let out a heavy sigh and said, “Child, I know Ruhui is a good lad, but his mother… alas, let’s just forget about it.”

“I understand, Father.” With that, she handed the hairpin to Wu Laosan and said, “When you have a chance, please return this hairpin to him for me. Tell him that I am not blessed enough to be his wife, and I hope he finds a better woman.”

“Alright,” Wu Laosan nodded with relief, reaching out to take the hairpin. But just as he was about to take it, Yunyi pulled it back. He looked at her in surprise, and she explained, “I should return it myself. That way, they won’t trouble you.”

Wu Laosan smiled, his weathered face cracking into a grin. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

Yunyi smiled faintly but still refused to hand over the hairpin. Wu Laosan understood that she was worried about him and sighed, “Alright then. I’ll go with you later.” Then he added, “Enough of this talk. Let me cook you a delicious meal.”

Just as Yunyi was about to speak, an idea suddenly struck her, and she cautiously asked, “Father, when you found me, was there anything else besides my birth chart?”

Wu Laosan thought for a moment and replied, “Ah yes, there was also a swaddling cloth. But it was later chewed up by rats, so I threw it away. I vaguely remember it being embroidered with many beautiful patterns—auspicious clouds, cranes, and… something like a four-legged snake.”

“A four-legged snake?” Yunyi repeated in astonishment. Generally, embroidery on clothing carried auspicious meanings. A four-legged snake had no symbolic significance and was rarely depicted. It was hard to imagine why it would be embroidered on a swaddling cloth.