Cheng Yujin stood at the door. For a moment, she couldn't distinguish the past and present.
She clearly hadn't experienced those events personally, but at this moment, seeing the bright red decorations made her fall into a trance, as if she was returning to her previous life. At that time, it was the same hustle and bustle. Everyone laughed happily: "Eldest Miss is so beautiful today."
In an instant, the scene changed to Jingyong Marquis manor. Huo Changyuan lifted her veil, and the servants on both sides joyfully uttered countless auspicious words: "May Madam and Marquis to be blessed. May both of you give birth to a child soon and grow old together."
Cheng Yujin has never experienced these events, but at this moment, memories were coming in like a tide. Like a show of shadow puppet, frame by frame flashed by. Lively, bustling, joyful. Finally, it was frozen into a soundless black and white picture. A blood-stained old woman rushed out from the room and said: "Old Madam, young Madam's fetal position is not right. She has difficult childbirth. Mother or child, I am afraid we can only keep one."
Cheng Yujin saw Huo Xue-shi kept a straight face. Without hesitation, she said: "Keep the child."
The last picture was of the same old woman. She walked forward with a swaddling bundle and handed it to Huo Xue-shi with a smile: "Old Madam, it is a boy."
"How is Madam?"
"Madam, she...bleeds too much. I am afraid she cannot hold on."
...
Cheng Yujin stood at the door in a daze. The people in the room had already seen her. They greeted her with a smile: "Eldest Miss has arrived!"
Cheng Yujin's wandering mind immediately returned to its place, and the hustle and bustle came back into her ears. Cheng Yujin was a little surprised. What happened just now was as if her soul had gone out of her body and saw a nightmare.
The things she saw just now were probably fragments of memories from her previous life. Even so, it wasn't something she experienced herself. It was as if she was watching another person's story. The pictures flashed fast in succession, bringing a light pang into Cheng Yujin's heart.
The servant girl who guarded the door saw Cheng Yujin didn't react for a long time and looked at her strangely. Cheng Yujin quickly put away her thoughts and nodded at the people inside with her usual dignified, yet slightly distant, smile: "I come to see second sister. Is everything ready?"
"So far, it goes smoothly. Second Miss is putting on makeup."
Cheng Yujin walked in, smiling naturally. Her bearing was graceful and gentle: "Today is second sister's big event. The makeup must be meticulous. No mistakes can be tolerated."
Cheng Yumo heard that Cheng Yujin was coming and was about to stand up. But Cheng Yujin and the servant girls stopped her. "Second sister, don't move. Put on your makeup first."
Cheng Yumo nodded and sat back on the embroidered stool, letting the people putting on various makeup on her face. Through the mirror, Cheng Yumo could clearly see Cheng Yujin stood behind her. Cheng Yujin wore a white dress today. Although the pattern on the edges and hems were red, overall, it was still a very plain attire. Standing inside a room brightly decorated in red, Cheng Yujin was very eye-catching.
—Almost more eye-catching than the real protagonist, Cheng Yumo.
Cheng Yumo suddenly felt an unbearable feeling. Because the makeup might dirty the wedding gown, Cheng Yumo was wearing only an inner blouse at this moment. Many servants surrounded her, putting makeup on her face. Cheng Yumo herself couldn't speak at all. Because a bride's makeup was exaggerated, Cheng Yumo's face was painted with layer after layer of white powder, and her eyebrows were drawn high and thin. Like this, she looked like a female ghost. However, Cheng Yujin was standing behind her, smiling beautifully. Although Cheng Yujin didn't wear heavy makeup, her eyebrows and the corner of her eyes were painted exquisitely: beautiful and elegant. Her white and red attire accentuated her slim figure and fair skin. When Cheng Yumo was contrasted with Cheng Yujin, it was basically like heaven and earth, truly tragic.
Cheng Yumo felt embarrassed. For a while, she resented the cumbersome makeup, then resented the makeup master's crude craftsmanship. Finally, Cheng Yumo lamented bitterly. Why was her sister so scheming. Even on her wedding day, Cheng Yujin refused to let her go and insisted on stealing the limelight from her, the new bride.
Cheng Yumo stared at Cheng Yujin via the mirror. Her mind wandered wildly. When Cheng Yujin was married in the previous life, did she also looked like a ghost? Cheng Yumo couldn't remember clearly. Cheng Yumo was hit hard in her previous life and was severely ill. During Cheng Yujin's wedding, her mind was completely distracted. How could she remember the makeup? But when Cheng Yujin returned home after three days, Cheng Yujin's complexion was very good. Her face was rosy, her eyes were bright, and her whole body exuded a brilliance that was different from an unmarried girl.
At that time, Cheng Yumo didn't understand, but now that she had married Huo Changyuan once and experienced the matter between man and woman, she knew why.
Cheng Yumo felt a bit sour and somewhat bitter. Before she confessed the truth to Huo Changyuan, he and her sister had a good relationship. Huo Changyuan might not notice it, but from a third person's perspective, when Huo Changyuan looked at Cheng Yujin, his expression obviously softened. Cheng Yumo even suspected that Huo Changyuan actually didn't want to know the truth. By keeping himself in the dark, he could always deceive himself and continued to be a loving couple with Cheng Yujin.
Even though the price was Cheng Yumo, his real savior.
Thinking about what happened after her marriage in her previous life, Cheng Yumo became more upset. No wonder people said that it was difficult to become a second wife. Cheng Yumo and Huo Changyuan obviously loved each other. Cheng Yujin was the third party who stole her position. But after Cheng Yumo married Huo Changyuan, she always lived under Cheng Yujin's shadow, and even her husband couldn't forget his deceased wife.
Huo Changyuan could fool others, fool Huo Xue-shi, and even fool himself. But he couldn't fool the person with whom he shared the bed with. This matter depressed Cheng Yumo endlessly. That's why the first thing she did after her reborn was to expose the truth. She would rather carry the infamy of robbing her sister's fiance and be pointed in the back for getting married during the mourning period than living under Cheng Yujin's shadow once again.
Cheng Yumo thought that with her impending marriage, she would be free from the shadow of her previous life, and everything would finally be correct. However, at this moment, looking into the reflection in the mirror, no matter how unwilling she was, Cheng Yumo had to admit that Cheng Yujin was still so beautiful, so elegant and perfect. Cheng Yujin's marriage prospect obviously had been destroyed, and she would never have the same glory as of the previous life. She should have been devastated, should have been thinned out like Cheng Yumo in the previous life. How could she still be so calm, and still attracted everyone's sight?
Cheng Yumo bit her lips subconsciously. Because she used too much force, her lips bleed. The makeup master quickly cried out: "Second Miss, you cannot! You are a bride today, don't mess your makeup!"
Cheng Yumo was startled and hurriedly loosened her teeth in panic. Her servant girls also became panic, and the room suddenly was in a mess. Cheng Yujin stepped forward, took a look at the wound on Cheng Yumo's lips, and said calmly: "It's not a problem, just a small wound. Once the bleeding stopped, it will be alright. Change the rouge to this color and applied it thicker so the wound won't be visible."
The makeup master took another rouge and applied it on Cheng Yumo's lips. After seeing that the wound was really covered nicely, she sighed in relief. "Many thanks for eldest Miss' idea. Otherwise, today's wedding would be ruined."
Cheng Yujin smiled. Without replying to the words, she stepped aside and watched silently. Hearing this, Cheng Yumo became even more upset. The makeup master saw this and said: "Ah, second Miss! You are the new bride. You cannot frown! Hurry up and smile again. I just used the rouge on your lips, but cannot use the same thing on your entire face."
Cheng Yumo was extremely embarrassed. She looked at the reflection in the mirror and became more and more frustrated. It was always like this. No matter what Cheng Yumo said, people never took her seriously, and the servants easily dismissed her with the sentence "This is eldest Miss' order." Even on her wedding day, it was the same.
Cheng Yumo's mood tightened even more. What a bunch of blinds. She wanted these people to see who was the real noble pearl between her and Cheng Yujin.
Returned home: three days after a woman married, she and her husband will return to visit the bride's natal home.
Because Cheng Yumo bit her lips to bleed, the makeup master and servant girls hurriedly redo her lips makeup. When the good fortune madam came in to comb the bride's hair, the makeup has not finished yet. People in the room scrambled in to change Cheng Yumo into her wedding gown as quickly as possible, but before she was ready, there was a loud sound of firecrackers outside.
"The bride's welcoming team is here. Marquis Jingyong is here!"
The people inside Cheng Yumo's boudoir became even more flustered. Cheng Yumo was also panicked. Her attire was still unready and messy: totally unpresentable. If others saw her like this, she would completely lose her face. Seeing the chaos, Cheng Yujin finally said: "You people quickly put on second Miss' gown. I will go outside and block the door."
When the groom came to fetch the bride with the welcoming team, the new son-in-law would be blocked by the bride's family. To pass the hurdle, the groom would have to show his intellect. However, in terms of scholarly aspects, none of the Cheng family's men were dependable, and Huo Changyuan broke in earlier than expected. Thinking about the mess in Cheng Yumo's boudoir, Cheng Yujin's head suddenly hurt. In any case, she could only go out in person to buy more time.
The groom's team easily broke through Cheng family's men, making a lot of noise along the way. They were so proud and didn't put the womenfolk into their eyes. There was no way those inner courtyard servants could stop these young men. They were about to rush over when a voice suddenly stopped them: "Wait."
Cheng Yujin walked out from behind a screen. As soon as the crowd saw her, the scene instantly turned silent. There was a clear boundary between the inner and outer courtyard, and between male and female. It was rare for a male beside the relatives to see a girl still in the boudoir. Cheng Yujin was famous, but only a few Cheng family's cousins had seen her in person. Now that she had come out, the group of young men invited by Huo family to be the bride's welcoming team couldn't help but whisper: "Who is she?"
Huo Changyuan was in an utter daze. Riding on the horse, dressed as a groom, he always felt a sense of confusion. He couldn't even tell whom he was going to marry today. But now, when he saw the girl came out from behind the screen, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he almost blurted out: "She is my wife."
Unfortunately, before Huo Changyuan opened his mouth, Cheng Yujin already replied with a smile: "I am Cheng family's eldest daughter, the new bride's elder sister. It's not easy for our family to raise my second sister until today's age. There is no reason for us to give her to Marquis Huo so easily. Marquis Huo, don't you agree?"
Huo Changyuan's mind finally returned to his body. He vaguely heard Cheng Yujin's words and thought: Ah, she isn't his wife anymore.
Their marriage contract had been broken.
Huo Changyuan looked at Cheng Yujin without a word. This scene made him confused. He clearly felt that Cheng Yujin wasn't supposed to stand here. She wasn't supposed to wear a plain dress. She obviously should be inside the room, wearing a phoenix headdress, a bright red gown, exquisite makeup, and sat on the bed, waiting for him. By no means was she standing outside the door, in the plain view of so many men, smiling and saying: "I am the new bride's elder sister."
Seeing Huo Changyuan didn't reply, Cheng Yujin hatefully cursed "Scum bastard" inside her heart. Put aside the matter of him canceling their engagement, now that she spoke to him in front of so many people, and this bastard actually ignored her?
Good, very good. The angrier Cheng Yujin was, the brighter the smile on her face. She no longer waited for Huo Changyuan's reply and directly said: "It's not easy to marry our Cheng family's daughter. Since I am the eldest sister, I have a few questions to test the groom. I wonder if Jingyong Marquis manor will accept?"
The welcoming team immediately answered vigorously: "Of course."
With Cheng Yujin standing here, none of the men dared to step forward and rush into the room. They could only play by the rules, answering Cheng Yujin's question one by one and passing her test before taking the bride. However, Cheng Yujin's questions were tricky and unfamiliar. The group of young men couldn't answer immediately. They gathered around for a lively discussion. One of them nudged Xu Zhixian and said: "Didn't you make a lot of noise just now? Why do you suddenly become silent?"
Xu Zhixian waved his hand quickly: "How can I. That is my...biao younger sister. I cannot destroy her stage."
"The second Miss is also your biao sister. Why didn't you say the same thing before?"
Xu Zhixian glanced at Cheng Yujin and blushed inadvertently. He tried to argue: "How can they be the same. Second biao younger sister is already Marquis Huo's family. She is different than elder sister Jin."
Xu Zhixian accidentally changed back the address to 'elder sister Jin.'
The men laughed. Lin Qingyuan, who was dragged to watch the excitement, also couldn't help but laugh.
A few young scholars looked inside with interest. They stood outside and couldn't see clearly, but even so, what happened inside still could be heard. One of them patted Lin Qingyuan's shoulder and said: "Lin Zhuangyuan, these questions shouldn't be hard for you. Why don't you go inside and help?"
Lin Qingyuan smiled and waved his hand politely. When he was about to reply, Cheng Yujin seemed to hear their conversation and raised her head. Her gaze accurately fell on Lin Qingyuan. For a split moment, she looked surprised, but soon she smiled. It was a beautiful smile, like a spring on the land that brought flowers into full blossom: "Lin Zhuangyuan is a great talent. This little girl is uneducated. Ask Master Zhuangyuan to be merciful."
At first, Lin Qingyuan wasn't interested in the wedding's hustle and bustle. But at this moment, when he saw Cheng Yujin's smile, it was as if all the noise around suddenly silenced. There was only a plain-clothed young girl in front of him, who nodded and smiled at himself: "Ask Master Zhuangyuan to be merciful."
There was a sudden throb in Lin Qingyuan's heart, as if being hit by an unfamiliar thing.