Chapter 356

Chapter 356: Marrying Off a Daughter Xie Yunting made a fuss all the way, but he was still thrown out. Just thinking about having been involved with Song Shulan made Cui Lingrong feel embarrassed now. Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, the day had arrived for the Luo family to come and fetch the bride. Cui Lingrong looked at her daughter before the dressing table, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions. "Your mother-in-law and I are close friends, and she is an open-minded person. She will certainly not make things difficult for you. After marriage, you must discuss matters with your husband. If anything happens, don't be afraid—be sure to tell me." She took her daughter's hand. "Also, you must be respectful to the elder Luo couple. The old folks haven't had it easy—they lost their son, and now seeing their grandson marry will surely bring them joy." "Mother, I know all of this." Song Yu's eyes brimmed with tears. "Once I return to Bianjing, why don't you move in and live with us? Aren't you close with my mother-in-law? You two can keep each other company, and I can take care of you too." "Let's talk about that when I'm old and can't move around anymore. Right now, I'm perfectly content." Having spent so many years living under others' scrutiny, Cui Lingrong simply wanted a life where she didn't have to read people's faces. Yes, she too would grow old one day. But that was a matter for the future—there would be plenty of time to discuss moving then. "Don't cry. Today is a happy occasion—you should be joyful." Cui Lingrong said the words, yet she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief. Caiyue ran in from outside, announcing that the bridal procession had arrived. Cui Lingrong took one last look at her daughter, then draped the red bridal veil over her head. Watching her daughter leave for marriage, Cui Lingrong's eyes reddened. She kept watching until the procession was out of sight. Then she heard her younger brother call out "Sister" from beside her, and she suddenly flinched. She had grown sensitive to the address "Sister" lately. "Sister, Yu-jie will be back before you know it. If you find yourself lonely, why not come stay at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for a while? Jin-ge is there too." Cui Zeyu asked from the side. Cui Lingrong didn't refuse. "In a few days, perhaps. Yu-jie has just married, and there's still much to do in the household. Once I've finished with these few busy days, I'll come visit you all." "Alright, come whenever you like. I'll keep a room prepared." Just as Cui Zeyu finished speaking, he saw Xie Yunting strolling over casually. His gaze landed on Xie Yunting's belt—it looked very familiar. Cui Zeyu had an identical one, made for him by his sister. Perhaps Cui Zeyu's stare was too obvious, because Xie Yunting looked down and asked, "Are you looking at my belt?" Before Cui Zeyu could answer, Xie Yunting leaned in and said with a grin, "Sister Cui made it for me." Cui Zeyu's heart sank heavily. A belt was not something one gave casually. In the past, his sister would more or less have a hand in his clothing, but once he grew older, she stopped making such things for him. That belt of his had been sitting in his wardrobe for a very long time. He could never bear to take it out and use it, afraid that if it wore out, his sister wouldn't make him another. And now his sister had made a belt for Xie Yunting? Cui Zeyu thought of how Xie Yunting had once said he admired his sister. What was the relationship between Xie Yunting and his sister now? Cui Zeyu stood frozen, unable to react. Xie Yunting, seemingly oblivious to Cui Zeyu's reaction, slung an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, let's go have a drink! Today's a fine day—we're not leaving until we're drunk!" Cui Zeyu was led away by Xie Yunting's arm. Cui Lingrong walked behind them. Seeing Song Shulan already dead drunk, she wrinkled her nose in disgust and ordered someone to send him back to the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. "I'm not going back!" Song Shulan shoved people away in his drunken stupor. "This is my home! My wife and my daughter are the masters of this household! Why should I—let me—sob—" Before Song Shulan could finish, Nanny Qiu grabbed a rag and stuffed it into his mouth. "Take him out through the side gate, so no one sees him." How embarrassing. Song Shulan instinctively swallowed, and the filthy water from the rag went down with it. A foul stench traveled from his throat to his stomach. "Ugh!" Song Shulan wanted to vomit, but with the rag stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't. Someone finally noticed he was choking and pulled the rag out, after which Song Shulan retched violently. By the time he was done, he was mostly sober. Back at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, he immediately went to clean his teeth—but then Old Madame Song summoned him. Old Madame Song's health had shown no signs of improvement, only growing worse. What had started as a simple cold simply refused to get better. After examining her, the physician said privately that Old Madame Song had very little time left. "Shulan, come sit by me." Old Madame Song spoke weakly. "Of my three sons, you are the one I valued most. Alas, our marquis mansion has fallen on hard times." "Mother, that won't be the case. We'll have our day of resurgence." Song Shulan said. "If the mansion is to rise again, it will depend on Xuan-ge and his brothers." Old Madame Song had, in these past few days, become clearer of mind than ever. "Stop being so stubborn. The mansion can barely sustain itself as it is—it's already at the end of its rope. You need to see yourself clearly. You don't have that kind of ability." At this point, Old Madame Song thought of Zhao Susu, and her blood rushed to her head, sending her into another fit of coughing. But Song Shulan was stunned into silence. This was the first time his mother had said he wasn't good enough. "Mother, I..." "Shulan, I know you're ambitious, but a man must accept his fate." Old Madame Song took a sip of her ginseng tea and continued, "If you keep stirring things up and squander what little estate we have left, what will Xuan-ge and his brothers rely on to rise in the world?" Old Madame Song didn't want to say these things, but she knew she didn't have much time left. "We were unlucky to have run into someone like Madam Zhao. Otherwise, Lady Cui wouldn't have sought a Mutual Divorce, and the Marquis Mansion wouldn't be where it is today. Now that Lady Cui has made up her mind not to look back, don't go provoking her again. It wouldn't matter if you angered her, but if Cui Zeyu and Zhuang Huaiming take offense, our Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion won't be able to withstand their wrath." Taking a deep breath, Old Madame Song spoke earnestly, "I know you want to restore the Marquis Mansion to its former glory and splendor, which is exactly why you need to keep a low profile now. Once Xuan-ge makes something of himself, won't you be respected just the same?" Song Shulan fell silent. He wasn't convinced. Why was it that no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't achieve his ambitions? The room grew quiet. Old Madame Song had exhausted herself saying all that, and she no longer had the strength to speak. As Song Shulan stepped out of the room, he tripped over the threshold and hit his forehead on the ground. The pain only fueled his anger and made him even more unwilling to accept his fate. Thinking about how those people today had shown him no respect at all, instead fawning over Cui Zeyu and his lot, Song Shulan felt a knot of frustration in his chest. He went out again.