Jiang Yanyi was confused. So, Lu Linyuan had known Madam An for a long time
She considered and said: "You and the Lu family..."
Madam An laughed at herself and said, "I was born in a theatre troupe in Yangzhou. I was originally a toy bought by Madam Lu for Master Lu."
When Lu Linyuan broke with the Lu family because of Jiang Yanxi, Mrs. Lu thought that her son was just bewitched by a ghost. In order to put an end to his thoughts, she sent people to search everywhere and found a woman who looked somewhat like Jiang Yanxi.
Minister Jiang would not allow his daughter to be someone else's concubine, and the Lu family was unwilling to marry a concubine's daughter as the mistress, so Mrs. Lu came up with this idea.
"Master Lu refused to touch me, and later he was demoted to Xizhou. Madam Lu sent me to Xizhou to take care of everything so that I could take care of Master Lu. Who would have thought that we would encounter bandits on the way? I was almost humiliated by them, but it was the general who saved me..."
Madam An was already choking up when she said this: "I wanted to commit suicide, but the general stopped me. The general said that he would be responsible for me and was willing to marry me. How could someone like me be worthy of him... After the news was passed back to the Lu family in the capital, the young master wrote to me and asked me to marry the general. When he arrived in Xizhou, I could use the relationship in the general's mansion to help him a lot. So I concealed everything from the general."
"The general heard that my family had no one, and was afraid that I would not be able to stay in Xizhou, so he announced to the public that I had saved him. With this reason, it would be much easier for me to marry into the An family." Madam An covered her face with a handkerchief and cried bitterly: "The general is a good man. No one has ever treated me so well in my life. I know that my mother-in-law doesn't like me, but I have always felt guilty towards the An family. No matter how badly my mother-in-law treats me, I will just take it as atonement."
"After I had the general's child, I just wanted to live a good life with the general. I was afraid that the young master would come after me again, so I took the initiative to write a letter to the young master. Unexpectedly, the letter fell into the hands of my mother-in-law, who insisted that I had committed adultery. After the general read the letter, he knew that I married him only to pave the way for the young master. Although he did not expose me, he completely divorced me and refused to say a word to me. He packed up his things and went to the military camp that day."
"I thought about committing suicide, but I was pregnant with the general's child, and I wanted to give birth to the child... But my mother-in-law hated me and called the child in my belly a bastard. She also wanted to give my niece to the general as a concubine, but I didn't agree."
Mrs. An raised her eyes and tried hard to hold back the tears, but unfortunately they still fell.
She wiped her eyes, her voice full of self-mockery: "I had an argument with my mother-in-law's niece. It was snowing heavily that day, and the blue bricks under the corridor were all frosted. She pushed me and I rolled down the steps. The baby in my belly was gone. When the general came back, my mother-in-law said that I fell on purpose, and I was too guilty to give birth to the baby. It was probably not the general's child..."
Mrs. An's eyes were red, and her handkerchief was completely unusable, so Jiang Yanyi handed her his handkerchief.
Madam An Shao choked up and said, "When the general came to see me, he told me that after I finished my confinement, he would send me to a farm in the countryside to recuperate. I don't know if he was unwilling to forgive me or if he believed what my mother-in-law said, but there was really no point in me living in this world. I went to the lake to commit suicide, but was rescued by the young master. Only then did I know that the reason why the young master never looked for me after arriving in Xizhou was because he never wanted to use me to pave the way. He wrote that letter because he was afraid that I would commit suicide or wait for him foolishly. He wanted me to marry well and live my own life."
Jiang Yanyi didn't expect the truth to be like this, and for a moment he didn't know what to say to comfort Madam An Shao.
She keenly grasped one point: "Did anyone know about your jumping into the lake that day?"
Afraid that Madam An would misunderstand, she quickly explained: "I didn't mean anything else, I was just a little curious about why Mr. Lu happened to be there."
Madam An shook her head: "I didn't tell anyone, and I don't know why the young master appeared in Yanhu."
It was because Lu Linyuan happened to appear there and save her that time that An Yongyuan became more suspicious of her and Lu Linyuan.
Jiang Yanyi had already obtained the information he wanted. Madam An Shao and Lu Linyuan were old acquaintances, but she did not communicate with Lu Linyuan in advance before she jumped into the lake.
The relationship between Madam An Shao and Lu Linyuan was not mentioned in the original book, so she had previously mistakenly thought that Madam An Shao and Lu Linyuan had never known each other.
The question now is, Madam An and Lu Linyuan never exchanged letters after arriving in Xizhou. What was the reason that Lu Linyuan happened to appear in Yanhu and save Madam An
Or did Lu Linyuan know in advance that Madam An Shao would jump into the lake, and also knew the time and place, so he went there specially to rescue her
Combined with Feng Shuo's previous words, Jiang Yanyi had a vague guess in his heart, but he was not sure yet.
Madam An Shao slowly stopped crying, looked at Jiang Yanyi and said, "In this life, a person only has the courage to die once. I know what it feels like to have lake water poured into my mouth and nose in the cold winter. Now that I have been rescued, I don't plan to die. What I have now may not be what I deserve, but now that I have it, I want to hold on to it."
"Miss Chu, I have told you everything you want to know. I have accepted everything in this life, except for An Yongyuan. I want to fight against this fate. Even though he hates me now and doesn't even want to see me..."
Jiang Yanyi asked: "Have you explained this to General Tongan?"
Madam An Shao's eyes were sad: "I have said it before, but that letter is the truth. When I married him... I did have ulterior motives. He will never forgive me."
Jiang Yanyi said firmly: "General An has you in his heart."
There are too many misunderstandings between these two people, and they need a suitable time to resolve their misunderstandings.
An Yongyuan just refuses to turn back now. In the original book, after Madam An Shao died, he lived like a walking corpse.
Madam An laughed bitterly: "He has me in his heart? Before this, I didn't know that his heart could be so cold and hard! Miss Chu, do you know what it feels like to be unwilling?"
Jiang Yanyi said: "Although I have never experienced it, I can understand it."
Madam An Shao just shook her head: "You don't understand. He and I can never be the same as before."
She stood up to leave, but Jiang Yanyi stopped her and said, "Madam An, if you are willing, you can try my method."
Madam An looked back at Jiang Yanyi, her eyes were red and swollen: "What method?"
***
When An Yongyuan learned that his mother had been injured, he immediately returned to the An Mansion from the Xizhou camp.
He first went to pay his respects to Old Mrs. An, and then went to see Mrs. An. Mrs. An's upper and lower lips and nose were swollen, and she was in so much pain after having injured her tongue that she dared not speak. When she saw her son, she just kept crying.
An Yongyuan was a true military general, with a strong build and a scar about an inch long on his face. Because he was always serious, few people in the mansion and even the soldiers in the army were not afraid of him.
"Mother, what happened to you?" An Yongyuan was still in his armor, and his face was covered in dust. He looked around, but didn't see Madam An. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Where is Yunniang?"
Madam An was speechless. The maid beside her said sarcastically, "Oh, General, who dares to say anything about the young lady! The old lady's birthday party was almost ruined, not to mention that the lady fell down like this. I urged the young lady several times to come back earlier. Not to mention guarding her all the time, she should at least come and take a look. The young lady just asked me to come back by myself!"
An Yongyuan asked: "Where is she now?"
The old woman said, "It's in Ruyi Tower! All the guests have left, and I don't know who the young lady is going to meet there."
An Yongyuan's face darkened and he said, "I'll go get Yunniang."
Ever since Madam An committed suicide by jumping into the lake, he had directly ordered that someone must always be with Madam An.
He was afraid that Mrs. An would have an accident, and he was also afraid that she would meet Lu Linyuan there.
Mrs. An was so angry that she slammed the bed, but her mouth was so swollen that she couldn't speak clearly.
The maid beside her understood what she meant and stopped An Yongyuan and said, "Just ask someone to pass on the message. There's no need for you to go and answer it in person."
An Yongyuan glanced at the maid and said, "Mother Tan, you are an elder in the mansion, just serve mother well. It is not the place for a servant to say anything about the mistress of the An family."
The old woman was frightened by An Yongyuan's eyes and dared not say a word.
The servants of the An Mansion quickly harnessed the carriage, and after An Yongyuan got on, he asked the coachman to rush to Ruyi Tower.
When they arrived at Ruyi Tower, the An family's driver explained their purpose. The waiter at Ruyi Tower said, "Mrs. An left early in the morning and is not here."
The driver asked, "Do you know when my young mistress left?"
The waiter thought for a moment and said, "It's three quarters past three in the afternoon. Oh, by the way, Madam An left a letter for you to deliver to the An Mansion, but the business in the building is busy, so I haven't had time to deliver the letter to your house. It just so happens that someone has come to your house, so I'll go get the letter now."
The waiter quickly took the letter and handed it to the driver, who passed it to An Yongyuan.
An Yongyuan took a quick glance and saw that the envelope was indeed written by Mrs. An Shao, with "Personally written by my husband" written on it.
He tore open the wax seal and read the beautiful handwriting on the letter. His eyes turned red: "Go to Yanhu!"
***
Yanhu Lake is where Madam An Shao first jumped into the lake.
At this moment, in the Yan Gui Pavilion on the hillside by the lake, Jiang Yanyi, Madam An Shao, and the Chu Shubao sisters were shivering around a small stove.
While warming his hands, Jiang Yanyi said to Madam An Shao, "When General An comes, don't really jump into the lake. Just pretend to jump, but say it in a way that is as serious as parting life and death."
Then he turned around and said to Madam An Shao's maid, "Just stand not far away and cry hysterically. Cry as sad as you can."
The little maid looked confused and asked, "Do I need to say anything?"
Jiang Yanyi thought for a moment and said, "Just call me Young Madam. The important thing is to cry. Do you understand?"
The little maid nodded vigorously: "I understand."
Jiang Yanyi stood up and shouted to the distance: "Second brother, is anyone here?"
Chu Chengmao, who was forced by Jiang Yanyi to work as a laborer as soon as he arrived at Ruyi Tower, squatted on a big tree, glanced at the official road in the distance, and replied helplessly: "There is no one on the road."
A trace of desolation flashed across Madam An Shao's eyes: "He probably won't come."
Jiang Yanyi reached out to pinch the sweet potato roasting beside the stove, "Wait a little longer, he might already be on the way. Think about what you're going to say when you see him later."
The sweet potatoes were not yet finished roasting, but the chestnuts and ginkgo nuts that had been roasted by the fire with small cuts cut into them had already cracked.
Jiang Yanyi picked up a ginkgo nut, peeled off the shell to reveal the yellow-green flesh. Some of the flesh was covered with a layer of golden brown skin. The roasted ginkgo nuts had a unique grassy fragrance and were soft and delicious in the mouth.
Ginkgo nuts are often used in making soups and medicinal foods. It was the first time for Chu Shubao and her friends to try charcoal-roasted ginkgo nuts, which was quite novel.
"It's so sticky and fragrant! Roasted ginkgo nuts taste great as a snack." Chu Shubao's eyes lit up after tasting one.
Jiang Yanyi distributed the roasted ginkgo nuts to Madam An and her maid. Madam An was preoccupied and refused to take any. Her maid had been eyeing them with envy for a long time, and when she saw that Madam An had no intention of objecting, she took them, peeled them and started eating.
Ginkgo nuts are a healthy food, but they contain trace amounts of toxins and eating too much can lead to poisoning. Jiang Yanyi roasts a small amount, so each person gets only a few, so there is no need to worry about food poisoning.
She said to Chu Shubao: "You can't eat too many ginkgo nuts, but you can eat chestnuts."
The flesh of charcoal-roasted chestnuts is bright yellow, fragrant and glutinous. Its sweetness is more natural than that of sugar-roasted chestnuts and is very memorable.
After they finished eating the ginkgo nuts and chestnuts, news finally came from Chu Chengmao that An Yongyuan had arrived.
Madam An Shao took her maid and hurried to the lake. Sisters Jiang Yanyi and Chu Shubao used accumulated snow to put out the fire in the clay stove to prevent An Yongyuan from seeing the smoke and becoming suspicious.
The Yangui Pavilion is located halfway up the mountain, offering a panoramic view of Yanhu Lake.
When Chu Chengmao came back, Jiang Yanyi stuffed him with half a roasted sweet potato: "Thank you for your hard work, second brother."
Chu Chengmao looked at the three sisters who were huddled together to eat roasted sweet potatoes, staring at them intently, his expression was a bit hard to describe: "I shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess."
Chu Shubao quickly made a silent gesture to him: "Second brother, don't make a sound."
Chu Chengmao: “…”
At this time, the crying sound of Madam An's maid could be heard by the Yanhu Lake. Jiang Yanyi saw An Yongyuan getting off the carriage, but he didn't say a few words to Madam An. He just stepped forward and carried the person away on his shoulders.
When the maid who was crying heart-wrenchingly nearby saw this scene, she was so frightened that her cries stopped.
The people watching in the pavilion halfway up the mountain looked at each other in bewilderment.
Chu Shubao held the roasted sweet potato and said, "Ayi, the situation seems to be a little different from what you guessed."
Jiang Yanyi: "... I see."
The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2021-01-11 23:59:29~2021-01-12 23:59:56~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the rocket launcher: pp 1;
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: 1 grumpy kungie;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Wang Fugui's Feng Pangpang 30 bottles; Habitual Toothache 20 bottles; a:) Maple Leaf? 15 bottles; Nuan Nuan, Lu Jianv 10 bottles; Cauliflowers in the Garden I am the Yellowest, myvanillaworld 5 bottles; Ah Li Ah Li 3 bottles; Junxi, Junxi, Junxi 2 bottles; rgmau 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!