kvmb Chapter 156 Bean Cake
Chapter 156 Bean Cake
The two slept back to back for one night. The next day, Nianyao moved to the guest room in a huff, and the cold war began from then on.
Xi Zhai strengthened the guards, and none of Duan Mingzhu, Xue Yunting, or Qin Jiu could get out. The group spent their days playing chess, chatting, and playing the zither, enjoying a comfortable life.
Luo An went to the palace early in the morning and returned late every day, while Nian Yao would go out for a stroll after she had slept well, so the two of them rarely saw each other.
On the day of Consort Ning's burial, Nianyao spotted Luo An standing next to An Liangchen through the crowded throng. She hadn't noticed before, but seeing him now made her realize how much she missed him.
Nianyao stared blankly, thinking, "A day apart feels like three autumns. How many autumns have passed since we last met?"
Xue Yunting stood beside her, pulled her to a corner, and softly called out, "Sister..."
Nianyao instinctively said, "I'm fine."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Nianyao felt somewhat embarrassed. Wasn't this just like trying to hide something obvious? Just then, a servant came over and said, "Madam, the young master requests your presence."
Nianyao felt she had just lost face in front of Xue Yunting, and also felt that she and Luo An were only three zhang apart, so why didn't he come and invite her in person? Nianyao's stubbornness, which was inherently unwilling to admit defeat, rose up, and she said with a stern face, "I won't go."
The man turned and glanced at Luo An, pleading, "Madam, please don't make things difficult for me..."
Xue Yunting shared the same thought, her tone cool: "Is he missing legs or a mouth? Can't he come and invite me himself?"
The man went back to report, and Luo An remained expressionless, looking away from them.
The funeral procession was grand, with Nianyao and Xue Yunting dressed in mourning clothes and wearing white headscarves, following behind An Qile's two children.
Nianyao remained somewhat dazed the entire way. She stared at the two children in front of her. When they knelt, Nianyao and Xue Yunting knelt as well; when they stood, Nianyao and Xue Yunting stood as well...
Xue Yunting remained indifferent throughout the journey, but his expression cracked slightly when he saw the joint burial tombstone. He whispered to Nianyao, "Grandpa is buried at the foot of Phoenix Mountain in Qinzhou. Would you like to go see it with your brother-in-law?"
The sky was overcast and heavy overhead, white paper money was scattered all over the ground like snowflakes, and mournful cries and funeral music filled the air, making one want to cry out in despair.
Xue Yunting assumed she was grieving for Consort Ning and whispered, "The Consort was old and bedridden. It's not a bad thing that she's gone. Sister, you don't need to be so sad."
An Qile's eyes were red and swollen, and her voice was so hoarse that she could barely speak, while Xue Yunting remained indifferent like an outsider throughout. Nian Yao suddenly realized that the joys and sorrows of people were so vastly different.
Only through personal experience can one truly understand; genuine empathy is always a distant dream. Nianyao suddenly couldn't stop her tears; she covered her face with her sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably.
Someone tugged at her sleeve, and Nianyao thought it was Xue Yunting. She tightened her grip, her voice filled with resentment: "Mind your own business."
The man paused slightly and then released his grip. Nianyao sensed something was wrong, and realizing what was happening, she lowered her sleeve and saw Luo An's back: Was Luo An coming to comfort her?
As the funeral procession returned to the city from Jiulong Mountain, snowflakes began to fall. Nianyao was reaching out to catch the snowflakes when she caught a glimpse of someone riding up and whispering a few words in An Liangchen's ear.
An Liangchen and Luo An then bid farewell to An Qile and rode away. Nian Yao was quite certain that Luo An didn't glance at her once as he left, not even out of the corner of his eye.
Xue Yunting glanced at her every now and then, seemingly very worried. Nianyao suddenly calmed down: "Why are you looking at me? Would I cry for him?"
Xue Yunting replied sincerely, "No."
Back in the city, Nianyao declined An Qile's invitation and returned to Xizhai with Xue Yunting. Standing outside the warm pavilion, gazing at the sparsely falling snowflakes and the bare plum trees in the garden, she began to drift into her thoughts.
Nianyao couldn't understand how things had suddenly turned out this way between her and Luo An. Moving to the guest room in a fit of pique was wrong, but…
Luo An first threw away her red bean cake, making her lose face in front of Xue Yunting and Duan Mingzhu, and then implied that she was stupid and should ignore her.
Okay. Nianyao admits that it was wrong of her to refuse Luo An's invitation at the Prince's residence, but when Luo An tugged at her sleeve, she assumed it was Xue Yunting and ignored him. Couldn't Luo An have tugged a few more times? Or at least said something? Wouldn't it have been enough for her to know who it was?
Nianyao thought she was easy to coax. If she couldn't be coaxed the first time, she would definitely be coaxed the second time. She wasn't a pampered young lady raised in seclusion; she wasn't that pretentious.
Nianyao had been standing outside the warm pavilion for too long when Xue Yunting came out and draped a cloak over her shoulders; it was bright red with delicate white cranes embroidered on it. Nianyao tugged at the hem of the cloak: "Where did this come from?"
Xue Yunting said, "I found it on the shelf. Judging from the color, it should be a Chinese New Year gift that your brother-in-law prepared for you in advance."
Nianyao pouted and muttered, "He has such a bad temper."
Xue Yunting said, "Recently, Crown Prince An has been busy with many things. He is helping out in the palace, and there are a lot of miscellaneous tasks. It's no wonder that he's become a bit short-tempered."
Nianyao said seriously, "No."
Xue Yunting was slightly surprised: "What is that?"
Nianyao was quite certain: "He won't get angry at me over trivial matters."
Xue Yunting thought for a moment: "So, if we stay here, will my brother-in-law be unhappy? How about Mingzhu and I go stay at an inn?"
Nianyao turned to face Xue Yunting: "Yunting, I don't have any relatives. You and Duan Mingzhu call me sister, so I treat you two as family. I sometimes pretend to be stupid because I feel there's no need to take things too seriously, not because I'm really stupid."
Xue Yunting's expression remained unchanged, and he even smiled: "Sister is the leader of a gang, how could she be really stupid?"
Nianyao said, "When I returned to Bianjing last time, I met a man named Honghua. He said he had a very good relationship with my father. He had resigned from his official post and was now living at home in a large courtyard across the Lover's River. He and his wife spent their days enjoying their grandchildren and living a very carefree life."
I went to see him these past few days to get a general idea of what happened twenty years ago. It is said that Luo An's parents met through red bean cakes, and before Luo An's father passed away, there were no red bean cakes sold in Bianjing City.
After his father passed away, some of the bolder people began selling red bean cakes on the street. After a while, people found it peaceful, so some opened shops specializing in red bean cakes on Hefang Street. Luo An never ate red beans, nor did he eat red bean cakes.
Xue Yunting said, "Mingzhu thought they were delicious, so she brought them for her sister. They cost six coins each, or ten coins for two."
Nianyao smiled and said, "Really? Where did you two go all day?"
Xue Yunting tilted his head and recalled: "I had some snacks on Hefang Street in the morning, took a boat ride on Lover's River in the morning, and went to Zuixiaolou at noon..."
Nianyao took off her cloak and placed it in his hands: "As long as you have a clear conscience, you don't need to report your whereabouts to me. Yunting, I treat you as a younger brother, and that's all. Luo An is my husband, and in my heart, no one can compare to him."
Nianyao picked up the long sword from the pillar: "You and Duan Mingzhu stay in Xizhai and don't go out, and don't have any more thoughts. Luo An cares a lot about his parents, and he cares a lot about me too. If you really consider me your sister, then don't try to sow discord between us, and don't let him have any murderous intentions towards either of you."
Nian Yao turned and left. Duan Mingzhu sat by the window of the warm pavilion, listening to every word she said.