“You’re so grown up, yet still so noisy,” Tao Yu looked at her helplessly. This child had been indulged by her and Yue Linze, still calling them with the childhood reduplicated terms, sounding quite childish.
Nian Nian was discontented: “I’m only sixteen or seventeen, still a child, of course I’ll be noisy.”
“Other families’ daughters get married and have children at sixteen or seventeen, yet you’re still clinging to home,” the previously ignored Yue Linze said faintly.
Nian Nian glared at him: “I’m still young, I don’t want to get married! Didn’t you only meet Mother when you were twenty?!”
“That’s right, if you don’t meet someone you like, naturally you’ll get married when you do,” Tao Yu also chimed in.
Yue Linze saw neither of them was on his side and said angrily, “I don’t care about you two!” Then he walked ahead with a stern face.
Nian Nian and Tao Yu exchanged a glance, quickly released Tao Yu’s hand and ran to catch up, pulling Yue Linze’s sleeve and acting coquettishly: “Okay, Daddy, we were just talking, why are you angry? Look how quickly you’ve aged these past two years, it must be from being angry too much.”
“Nonsense! I’m not old!” Yue Linze said angrily.
“Yes, yes, my daddy is young, not old at all…”
Tao Yu watched them with a smile as they walked away, meeting several official wives along the way, who either sincerely or flattering, all praised her for looking young. If it were usual, Tao Yu would have been happy hearing such words, but today, she felt somewhat uncomfortable.
The city lord’s handover ceremony wasn’t too complicated. Tao Yu waited less than an hour before hearing that Yue Linze was no longer the city lord. She walked to his side with a smile, seeing his lost expression and asked: “What’s wrong? Reluctant?”
“Not really. I’ve wanted to give this position to Nian Nian for many years, it’s just…” Yue Linze hesitated, finding himself somewhat ridiculous, “Suddenly having nothing to do feels a bit strange.”
Tao Yu squeezed his hand: “What’s there to feel strange about? From tomorrow, you’ll follow me, check our consultation room occasionally, or do other activities. I guarantee you’ll be busy every day.”
“No way, I want to accompany you every day, not be distracted by other things,” Yue Linze complained.
Tao Yu smiled: “Then we’ll travel together. We only finished touring the North a few years ago, how about going South this time? The scenery and climate are good there, most suitable for living.”
“Great, but this time we can’t bring Nian Nian, hope she doesn’t cry,” Yue Linze laughed.
Tao Yu thought for a moment: “She won’t. We’ll sneak away.”
She raised her eyebrows at Yue Linze, and they both couldn’t help but laugh together.
After a long while, Tao Yu spoke up, “I think… I can’t grow old with you.”
Yue Linze’s smile froze. “What do you mean?”
“I… I only just remembered today. I won’t age,” Tao Yu said, finding the words easier to say once she started. “You might not understand, but I’m not bound by time. I won’t age; I won’t grow white hair like normal people. So, I can’t grow old with you…”
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, staring at Yue Linze in a daze. After a long silence, Yue Linze suddenly laughed. “So, my wife will always be young and beautiful, always vibrant by my side?”
“Something like that,” Tao Yu said, feeling a bit anxious, unsure if he could accept this.
Yue Linze, hearing this, couldn’t help but hug her waist and pull her into his embrace. “That’s great, really great. You won’t age; you won’t have to endure the feeling of decline. I’m truly grateful… But will you despise me? If one day I grow old and ugly, will you leave me?”
“Of course not,” Tao Yu struggled out of his embrace and said firmly, “I love you, and I’m willing to love you for a lifetime. Whether you’re ugly or old, that’s still you, and I’ll love you all the same.”
Yue Linze listened to her with a smile, not feeling sad but thinking that if she could be free from illness, it was a good thing.
Tao Yu said a lot of sweet words, and when she had nothing more to say, she suddenly remembered a conversation they had many years ago. Her eyes lit up. “You once said you wanted two things: one was to grow old with me. Although I won’t grow old, I’ll be with you until you do. This wish will definitely come true. What was the other thing? I’ll get it for you, okay?”
“The other thing? I don’t want it yet. When I do, I’ll tell you, okay?” Yue Linze held her hand and walked towards the city lord’s mansion, listening to Tao Yu’s chatter all the way, finding her more and more adorable.
After telling Yue Linze, Tao Yu felt much lighter, and the two of them never worried about it again.
Time passed, and they began to travel once a year. A few more years went by, and Niannian finally found her beloved, a teacher from the academy, a very cute and scholarly man. When the parents met, Tao Yu realized that the teacher’s parents were the scholars she had helped many years ago.
She didn’t tell the scholar that she was the “big sister” he always mentioned, although later, when the engagement was official, Yue Linze couldn’t help but tell the scholar, who then realized the misunderstanding and personally came to thank her.
“But, you look so young. If not for my in-laws telling me, I wouldn’t believe you’re already forty,” the scholar marveled.
Tao Yu smiled and brushed it off, never mentioning it again.
After Niannian’s wedding, Tao Yu and Yue Linze went traveling again, but they soon received news that the steward was unwell and hurried back.
The steward was in his twilight years, his eyes cloudy and unable to see clearly. He spent most of his days sitting in the courtyard of the city lord’s mansion, basking in the sun, occasionally chatting with Niannian and Yue Linze.
Knowing the steward didn’t have many years left, Yue Linze and Tao Yu stayed by his side, accompanying him for several years, until Niannian became pregnant.
Hearing that Niannian was pregnant, the steward seemed to regain some vitality, always saying, “I want to see my great-grandchild before I die.” And he did hold on until then.
Niannian was delicate and had been trying to conceive for years. She had taken too many supplements, making the birth difficult. She cried out in the room all night. Yue Linze and Tao Yu stayed outside, anxious. The steward, hearing the commotion, insisted on coming over. The maid had no choice but to push him in a wheelchair.
At first, Niannian was screaming, but then she fell silent. Yue Linze was anxious outside, unable to go in. He turned to see the steward staring intently at the window. His heart ached. “Steward, please go back and rest. I’ll bring the baby to you when it’s born.”
“No, I want to see my great-grandchild before I die,” the steward insisted.
Yue Linze had no choice but to stay with him.
As the first light of dawn broke, a baby’s cry echoed from the room, followed by the midwife shouting, “Mother and daughter are safe!” The son-in-law collapsed to the ground, the usually scholarly man crying without any composure. Yue Linze sat exhausted by the steward’s wheelchair.
Soon, Tao Yu emerged with the baby. The son-in-law rushed into the room without even glancing at the baby. Tao Yu smiled and held the swaddled baby tighter, showing the still-crying infant to the steward. “Look, this child is so beautiful.”
“My great-grandchild is naturally beautiful,” the steward said, his spirits high. Seeing the baby, he even laughed, his usually cloudy eyes clear. He reached out a trembling hand to touch the baby’s face, the contrast between his withered hand and the baby’s soft, red cheeks stark.
