The parrot Yellow suddenly called out clearly: “General! General, ugly girl approaching, please be careful!”
I coughed several times, while Jiang Yunqiao was already laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
Little Sister lunged forward, trying to catch the chatty parrot Yellow. Yellow flapped its wings and flew, landing on General Shen’s shoulder.
The two stared at each other and quickly separated, with Little Sister crossing her arms in disgust, and General Shen frowning deeply, saying in a low voice: “Throwing yourself into someone’s arms, shameless.”
“You, you—bastard!” Little Sister’s eyes widened, becoming fierce: “I’d rather throw myself at a stone than at you!”
Seeing the situation was about to escalate, I and Jiang Yunqiao quickly pulled them apart.
Yellow flew a happy circle, finally landing on my shoulder. “Princess, princess!”
Before leaving, Jiang Yunqiao gave me this parrot. Having not found the Fifth Princess in the Qi Kingdom, she looked somewhat melancholic, and finally gripped my hand meaningfully, saying: “Come visit Southern Rui when you have time.”
Chapter Forty-Seven: Escaping Marriage
With the departure of envoys from both countries, Yanfeng City finally returned to peace.
I raised the Camphor Tea Duck in my hand. Her eyes brightened for a moment, then she turned her head with a preoccupied look and waved her hand: “I can’t eat.”
“What could be more important than eating and sleeping?” I tore off a duck leg and stuffed it into her hand. “Fresh out of the oven, isn’t it fragrant?”
My younger sister swallowed her saliva on the side. “Second Sister, I want some too.”
“Go! Do you see that wall? Right there, go stand facing the wall and reflect. Let me talk to Sitang.”
My younger sister howled: “Second Sister, you’re playing favorites!”
Song Sitang, seeing us bickering, momentarily forgot her troubles and put down the porcelain pillow, laughing as she gnawed on the duck leg, smearing oil all over her mouth. “Sister Yao loves me best, that’ll make you angry!”
There was hope; it seemed she wasn’t completely disheartened. I gave my younger sister a look, and she reluctantly got up and left, leaving me and Song Sitang alone.
Song Sitang finished the duck leg, drank a large glass of cool water, and then contentedly wiped her mouth: “I haven’t eaten so much in a long time. Sister Yao, you don’t know, for the sake of looking slimmer on my wedding day, I haven’t dared to eat meat for the past two months!”
“Look at how pathetic you are!” I laughed and pinched her cheek. “Turning yourself into a resentful woman, have you forgotten what I told you?”
“No, I haven’t,” she shook her head vigorously. “There are good men everywhere, so why hang onto just one?”
“That’s not what I meant!” I darkened my face. “It’s ‘don’t make yourself suffer’!”
She realized and made a sad face: “It’s easy to say, but hard to do. Sister Yao, what should I do?”
Song Sitang’s situation wasn’t too serious; she was just stuck in a corner, unable to find a way out. All I could do was guide her a bit, and whether she could get out depended on herself.
“Let me ask you, if the person who passed away wasn’t Tang Wei’s fiancée, but his elder or sibling, would you still feel this bad?”
Song Sitang thought for a moment and then shook her head: “No.”
“So what’s the difference between a relative and a fiancée?”
“One is blood kinship, the other is romantic love,” she thought carefully. “I feel he still loves that girl from before, and marrying me is just a compromise.
With Tang Gongzi’s personality, after so many years of not getting married, it would be better to say that he still can’t let go of the guilt in his heart rather than still harboring romantic feelings for his former fiancée. This matter must have left a huge shadow in his heart; he might have even erected a monument of guilt for himself, carrying it with him every day. I said with a sigh, “Finally, he met you, developed feelings for you, and decided to step out of this shadow and let go of his guilt. Who would have thought that your words would make him fall back into the old matter, possibly even feeling panic, afraid of losing you in the same way? How could he not act abnormally?”
Song Sitian listened in a daze, her mouth wide open, unable to utter a word for a long time.
I sat down and slowly drank a cup of tea. Perhaps the facts are not entirely as I said, but they are not far off. Tang Wei is a true gentleman with a strong sense of responsibility. If he were willing to settle, he would have done so long ago. He must have genuine feelings for Song Sitian.
Since everyone has true feelings, we cannot let them fall apart.
Song Sitian sat down silently, picking up a porcelain pillow beside her, head lowered in deep thought. I patted her shoulder and concluded, “Remember, no matter how cold or powerful your husband may appear on the outside, inside he is just a small animal afraid of being hurt again. You must use the innate warmth and softness of a woman to accommodate, protect, and support him.”
“Second Sister…”
My younger sister’s voice sounded from the doorway. I turned my head and saw An Jin leaning against the door frame, smiling at me, with jade-like beauty framing her. My heart was overwhelmed with emotion.
“Brother-in-law is here,” my younger sister said from the doorway. “Also, Tang Gongzi has arrived.”
I was speechless and pinched him hard. He shrank back, with a hint of grievance, saying, “Ah Yao, as you said, men are sometimes quite fragile and really need their wife’s gentle tolerance and care.” After saying this, he looked at me with expectation and then leaned back weakly, “I suddenly feel quite weak. Why don’t we go back to the room and discuss how to care for me?”
I smiled softly at him. “Since you’re weak, I might as well tell my mother to give me that medicinal soup recipe, and I’ll brew it for you every day.”
His face turned slightly green, and he made a gesture of polite refusal.
Back at the An residence, Que’er was the first to greet me, laughing happily.
“Who won?” I quickly asked her.
She spread out her right palm: “They fought five times in total. Xiao Huang won three times, Yuan Qing won two times. In a five-game series, Xiao Huang won, and the madam lost five qian of silver.”
I leaned back and sighed, reluctantly taking out a piece of silver and giving it to her. Yuan Qing was really disappointing…
Since Xiao Huang settled in the An residence, the two had been eyeing each other unfavorably, always competing several times a day, probably fighting for territory. From the current situation, Yuan Qing was at a disadvantage.
An Jin found it amusing. “You’ve bet on Yuan Qing three times, losing each time, and you’re still betting on it?”
I gave him a painful glance. “Yuan Qing has always been proud. If I don’t stand on its side, it might run away from home.”
An Jin snorted with a laugh. “It’s that smart?”
“Sir, please don’t underestimate Yuan Qing,” Que’er interjected. “Today, Yuan Qing was pecked by Xiao Huang and lost several tufts of fur. I saw it looking at the pond all afternoon, and finally wouldn’t eat, hiding in the corner and crying sadly.”
Hearing this, I hurried into the courtyard to find it.
A white parrot flapped its wings and flew to me, landing on my shoulder and calling twice: “Madam, Madam!”
Since it came to our home, An Jin had somehow managed to change its way of speaking, from “Princess” to “Madam”. Now it held its head high, with a proud attitude of “this is my territory, I’m in charge”.
I knocked on its little head. It tilted its head to dodge, its green bean-like eyes seeming somewhat puzzled.
“Yuan Qing came earlier. Can’t you let it be and recognize it as the big brother? What’s wrong with that?” I lectured it, not caring whether it understood. “Isn’t it glorious to have such a fellow as a big brother?”
