Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 60

Lì's POV

(Same Night)

I jumped nimbly from one rooftop to another, under the moonlight, making my way to the Li residence. Only black flashes of my cloak could be seen as I flew through the night sky. Originally, I was a bit embarrassed to see Yǔ so soon after the kiss but after hearing from Bai Zou about what happened at the residence, I couldn't calm myself until I personally ensured that she was fine.

Finally, I reached the said residence and followed Bai Zou's directions, landing in what I assume is Yǔ's courtyard. From a single glance, I could tell how scanty the residence was—not something you'd expect from a rich minister's household. A single willow tree grew by the front wall, and a broken table and chair adorned the courtyard.

"I never noticed how beautiful the sky truly is..." came a soft whisper that made me jump and look up to see a smiling Yǔ staring down at me. She was sitting on the roof with her legs dangling off the edge and a bright smile. "What are you doing here so late, hubby?" came her nonchalant voice as a small smile played across my face. Since when did she know that I was here, even though I was hiding in the shadows?

Me (leaping to her side): What are you doing out here?

"I came out to admire my masterpiece..." she responded with a proud grin as she lazily lifted her right hand and pointed in a direction towards a burnt-down residence, from what I heard, her sister, Li Juan's. Bai Zou's description didn't do the actual destruction justice, as the whole building was burned to the ground with only black scorch marks remaining. "What about you?" she questioned, going back to staring at the sky. "What are you here for?"

"I was worried about you... You did have your furniture and belongings destroyed." I responded honestly, taking a seat beside her.

"This is nothing..." she snorts in retort. "They did much worse... If I recall, my brothers would kick and hit me countless times since I was five, leaving behind a lot of bruises. When I turned eleven, Sister Juan started whipping me ruthlessly. In anger, my father and grandmother have had me starve for a full day and such. I was never given any proper medicine and those that my mother managed to get were expired or poisoned, which only made things worse."

I just listened to her in silence, not knowing what to say. I never experienced any true pain until I was seven and sent to the battlefield. And all the scars that I have are from there but for her—for a fourteen-year-old to have suffered like this. "Though I did surprise them... by setting her place on fire, that was fun." she said after a few seconds of silence. I couldn't help but notice how detached her voice got when she spoke about her past bullying, as though it was something someone else had experienced. Only the sad look in her eyes gave away her true emotions.

"They are really breathtaking." she whispered so softly that I almost missed it as she let herself fall backward and lie on the wooden surface of the roof. "What are??" I inquired, staring at her in curiosity. She always seemed to spark my interest. She had gone from sad reminiscence to a look of fascination.

"The stars... They're beautiful... I never even realized how long it's been since I looked up at the sky and admired the stars. I was always so busy looking in front and behind (worrying about monsters) that I eventually stopped looking up. But I guess you can only see something like this here (in this timeline). I wonder if I never 'died' would I have been able to see this." She wondered softly, smiling at the stars. Looking up, I couldn't help but realize how true it was for me too. It had been a while since I had the time to just relax and take in the night stars.

"I guess some good did come from it (dying)... I would have never had the chance to relax like this back then." she muttered to herself. She turned her head towards me and grinned with her eyes shut. "Nor would I have been able to meet you, I guess."

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, I sensed a guard coming in this direction so I jumped down and hid behind the tree, glancing up to see that Yǔ had disappeared from the roof. After the guard walked past, I took one last glance towards the door to her room before turning around to leave. I felt as though I had learned more about Yǔ and yet at the same time, she seemed to be shrouded in more mysteries.

Yǔ's POV

I woke up the next day, recalling the memories of the past night and smiling. Any longer and I could have let slip that I was from the future. For some reason, I feel comfortable around Lì and let my guard down, mumbling all that nonsense.

I had just finished washing up when Quan flung the doors open and barged in, taking me by surprise since it was something she'd never done before. "Third prince... Dowry... Exchange slips! Front door!" she mumbled while gasping, trying to catch her breath. Since she couldn't get any words out, she grabbed my hand and rushed out of the courtyard, down the maze of corridors, until we finally reached the Li Residence front gate.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, confused upon seeing Bai Ze and Bai Zou standing outside along with a lot of other servants. Father and some of his consorts, Li Lien and Li Juan, were also present.

"Master ordered us to bring the betrothal gifts for his fiancée, Bai Ze shall read out the list.", he said after bowing to me (which took me by surprise, why is he suddenly so respectful?) and pulled out a red card from his sleeve before starting to read out, " 'One betrothal pancake, eight types of seafood, three male and female chickens, five jin of pork, four mud carps, three jugs of aged wine, five fruits, two canisters of tea leaves, fifteen jin of rice and three jin sugar.' "

(A/N: Jin is used to measure weight in China; 1 jin is more or less one pound or 500 grams.)

Honestly, everything he said just went over my head but the reactions from others were hard to ignore. Father was thoroughly shocked; Lien raised her sleeves to her lips, covering her smile; Juan was openly snickering at me; and Quan's eyes started to water.

Quan (sadly to me): I had thought that the third prince would treat Miss better but to go this far to ridicule you?

Me (confused): Why do you think that?

Quan (trembling in anger and sorrow): The gifts... miss... Only commoners give such betrothal gifts. By giving you this, the third prince may as well call you a lowly commoner rather than the daughter of a minister.

'What is Lì playing at?', I curiously wondered to myself.