The mornings at Ji clan's estate were usually as unassuming as could be. The beginning of this particular day should not be any different.
Hai FenChu was keeping herself busy in the kitchen, boiling the herbs Wu JianRui usually drank as an aid for her weak physical disposition.
Ji ChanFang and Ji SongLi had not returned from the Imperial Palace since the day before when the banquet should have occurred.
Such matters, were always the matters of men. And the Ji Madams were not concerned with their husband and son anyway, as both men had often been away from home for days, and sometimes even months.
Despite that, after Hai FenChu finished boiling the herbal concoction, she instructed the kitchen servants to make two extra servings for breakfast, in case her son and husband were to return that morning.
If they did not, the servants could aways finish the extra.
Meng-momo came into the kitchen, much to Hai FenChu's confusion, as Meng-momo was usually always by Wu JianRui's side.
"Meng-momo. The herbs had just been boiled and I was about to go to Rui-jie's room...," she paused, as she saw the older woman's face was flustered, evidently trying to catch her breath. Meng-momo had clearly been running to the kitchen in haste.
"What ... happened?" Hai FenChu frowned, then she widened her eyes in worry,
"Has something happened to Rui-jie ??"
"F-f-first Madam is alright!!," Meng-momo stammered, waving her hand hastily.
Hai FenChu let out a relieved breath.
She chuckled lightly at the older woman's fluster. She did not understand the reason, but as long as the First Madam was alright, there should not be anything urgent to worry about.
Hai FenChu turned her body, intending to take the bowl of steaming herbal soup from the kitchen table. However, Meng-momo quickly caught her hand and dragged her out of the kitchen,
"The herbs can wait, Second Madam! You have to follow me!!"
Hai FenChu blinked her eyes as she let herself be half-dragged by the portly woman. The route was definitely familiar, she noticed that she was being escorted to the living room area, where the Ji clan usually received their guests.
She saw Wu JianRui first, who was talking to Ji ChanFang. Both were speaking to each other in low voices that she could not quite catch on to.
But Wu JianRui definitely looked normal, and Ji ChanFang also looked like usual. He had clearly just returned from the Imperial Palace, and his state of being was the same as ever - healthy, tidy, and not lacking of anything that she could observe.
In Hai FenChu's bemused opinion, Ji ChanFang's return from an overnight stay at the Palace was hardly something to drag her immediate attention for.
She faintly thought that Ji SongLi might have also returned, but even then, the young man was always in and out as he pleased. It was also not something Meng-momo should be flustered about.
Hai FenChu shifted her attention - slightly feeling disoriented from the half-running she had done all the way from the kitchen - to the other people in the living room.
Only then did she notice the Third Prince and his WangFei. They were conversing with two other people. Hai FenChu could only see their backs as they were facing away from her.
She could definitely recognize the tall, straight back of her own son, but she did not have the time to observe the other female figure by his side who was also talking with the Prince and Ji LanBai.
Upon noticing her finally entering the living room, Prince Zhang GuoFu and Ji LanBai smiled and stepped forward, bowing gracefully in greeting.
Hai FenChu's smile blossomed.
"Perhaps, their arrival is what Meng-momo was trying to tell me about?", she thought to herself.
She walked towards them and her son.
Ji SongLi turned around to face her, and the female figure also followed suit, turning her body around.
Hai FenChu frowned a little when she finally saw the young woman in full view - even forgetting to welcome her son, as she was taken aback at the woman's familiar profile.
However, she could not quite place the woman's identity in her mind.
Then she noticed the silky blue magnolia hairpin, affixed to the young woman's hair.
The very same hairpin she had given to a young teenage girl, years ago, who she thought she would never have the chance to see again.
The young woman was wearing a light blue and white dress that complimented Ji SongLi's dark blue and grey robe. Her hair cascaded to the sides of her shoulders and back, merely adorned with the sole familiar hairpin.
The eyes were deep, with heavy lids, always rendering her expression to be downcast and soft. However, her smile was tender, polite, and full of warmth.
Hai FenChu suddenly felt dizzy.
The young woman opened her mouth and stepped forward to reach her, as Hai FenChu had stopped in her tracks in her surprise,
"Mother."
Hai FenChu blinked.
"Mother. YuLan is here. Mother, are you well?" The young woman curtsied, tilting her head slightly as her waist was bent towards her.
Her one hand daintily fell to her hip in her greeting, however her other hand... -
-was in Ji SongLi's upturned palm.
Hai FenChu looked at the graceful young woman – the same YuLan that she thought she had lost forever. She saw YuLan's hand in SongLi's own hand; the hairpin; and the blooming smile on SongLi's face.
She had never seen her own son smiling like that.
His face, as he looked softly at the bowing young woman by his side, was full of pride and endearment. His upturned palm held hers lightly but surely, to support her in her greeting.
Hai FenChu was just about to open her mouth to say something, but she almost fell as Ji SongLi suddenly bowed his body while still holding onto YuLan's hand.
"Mother," he squeezed YuLan's hand in his, the two people now looking at each other. Their eyes told a story of a thousand words as they exchanged silent tenderness,
"Please give YuLan and your son, your blessing."
YuLan's smile became wider,
"Mother... . Please give us your blessing. We wish to be together."
Hai FenChu's steps faltered as she involuntarily stumbled backwards, feeling weightlessness starting to overtake her. She then felt both of her arms being supported, to avoid her falling to the floor. She faintly glanced to her sides, and saw Wu JianRui and Ji ChanFang holding onto her hands, serving as her pillars of support.
She took a deep breath, her eyes blinking droplets of tears that she did not even notice.
"Oh..." she softly muttered, faintly noticing the smiling faces of Prince GuoFu and Ji LanBai as they stood at one side, merely observing her and everyone else's expression.
"Oh...," she mumbled again, letting herself be guided by Wu JianRui and Ji ChanFang to an empty seat.
Meng-momo beamed a wide smile at her, causing Hai FenChu to slightly feel wronged.
Wasn't everyone feeling amused at her expense?
The older, portly woman poured some warm tea into an empty cup and was about to hand it to Hai FenChu, when YuLan suddenly released her hold on SongLi's hand and softly tapped Meng-momo's hand.
Meng-momo smiled at her and tactfully handed the cup to YuLan.
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YuLan knelt in front of Hai FenChu, lifted the cup of tea, and offered it to her. She looked up at the older woman,
"Mother... . Please do not burden your body too much."
She was relieved as Hai FenChu blankly took the tea cup from her hand and drank it slowly, not breaking eye contact with her.
Ji SongLi soon came to YuLan's side, and also dropped to a kneel. The man grabbed both of her hands and softly caressed them, his doting expression was clear for everyone in the room to see.
She smiled at him before turning to look at Hai FenChu again, whose soul seemed to have flown somewhere.
"Mother... YuLan is in love with your son."
"Your son is in love with YuLan," Ji SongLi echoed, his voice tender but definite.
"Please give us your blessings," both lowered their heads together towards Hai FenChu.
Although there was no major anxiety in YuLan's heart, she still was slightly worried by Hai FenCHu's silence.
"Ah.... Mother, please give us your blessing... If not, I will probably kidnap your son, bringing him far far away.... I know he will be a very willing victim," she faintly thought.
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Hai FenChu blinked again, slightly fearing that this whole scene was just a figment of her hallucination. Her tears fell on her cheeks, and she did not bother to wipe them away.
"Oh... ," she muttered for the umpteenth time. The warm tea definitely helped to clear her mind and placate her drumming heart.
"I ..." she glanced ruefully at her son, her eyes warm and bleary,
"I ... always thought that you didn't like her, Li-er..."
"I always thought you disliked her... . I've always wanted to take her as a daughter..."
"But you never agreed."
"Oh... ," she mumbled once more,
"No wonder... ."
"No wonder... ."
She then cast an apologetic look towards SongLi, who smiled widely at her,
"If I had my way, it would have ruined everything, huh?"
Tears continue to fall on her cheeks, and she stiffened slightly as YuLan lifted her hand, softly wiping her tears with the latter's dress' sleeve.
The young woman's face was full of tenderness and slight worry, smiling guiltily at her.
The young girl in her memory had grown into a beautiful, perfect, graceful young woman.
She grabbed the younger woman's hand, squeezing it on her lap,
"My good daughter... . My good daughter... ."
She laughed amidst her tears, and she lightly put weight on her feet as she lifted herself off the chair to join her son and YuLan in kneeling.
She reached her hands to envelop both of them in her embrace, her face now wedged in between their touching shoulders.
She laughed still, especially when Ji SongLi then asked her with a clear trace of amusement in his voice,
"Then Mother... can we count this as your blessing?"
Hai FenChu let go and pulled back slightly before slapping her son's shoulder. Although she tried to exert a bit of force in her slap, her son merely lifted his eyebrows, probably feeling nothing more than a light pat. She grumbled,
"You!!! Why are you so devious! You are enjoying this on your poor mother's expense, aren't you?!"
She then looked around the room at the faces of everyone still present.
Third Prince Zhang GuoFu and Ji LanBai – their hands interlinking together, Ji LanBai's other hand was resting softly on her belly. They were practically grinning ear-to-ear, unbefitting of their royal status.
Meng-momo, who was dabbing her own wet eyes with handkerchief.
Wu JianRui, who was smiling at her tenderly – like an older sister would; Ji ChanFang – the man she called her husband, as he tried to neutralize his expression as much as possible, standing rigidly by his First Madam's side. But no one could have missed the slight curl of his lips and his bright amused eyes.
"You... every one of you...," Hai FenChu suddenly felt aggrieved and utterly happy at the same time, "You are all laughing at me, aren't you?!"
"No, Chu-mei," Wu JianRui chuckled,
"We are just very happy ... happy for you... happy with you... ."
Shifting to see her son and YuLan again - the couple now looking at each other, exchanging warmth and unspoken yearning - Hai FenChu laughed.
For her, everything had turned out truly well. Truly beautiful.
Everything, was perfect.
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The family dinner that the Ji clan had that night was more lively than usual.
Familiar faces and not-so-familiar faces turned up at the estate around midday, and the masters were more than happy to accommodate everyone for a not-so-intimate dinner gathering.
Everyone from the Northern Plains had come, turning the Ji estate into a rowdy place full of loud voices and songs sung in different languages.
HeShan and SunChen also arrived, happily playing a few instruments before dinner time and singing with the Jing warriors.
JingHan, JingMo, and Xiao Hui chatted with the Masters of the house, as well as Jing YuLan, whose identity had already been disclosed and explained to everyone.
Little JingXiang ran around the expansive estate, with his two eagles in tow.
BaiMei and Niu retreated to Ji SongLi's private backyard, spending quiet time together.
When it was dinnertime, a couple of tables had to be set up to accommodate everyone.
JingHan's band of warrior brothers and YuLan's handmaidens politely congregated at different tables, separating themselves from the Ji family members and their King and Princess.
JingHan, SunChen, HeShan, JingMo, Xiao Hui, and JingXiang sat along with YuLan, SongLi, the Madams of the house, and Ji ChanFang.
The Third Prince and Ji LanBai did not join them for dinner as they preferred to return to their estate so Ji LanBai could rest. No one protested at their reasonable decision, considering her current pregnancy.
YuLan had been enjoying herself all day, even getting busy in the kitchen to display her cooking skill. Although she was by no means a chef, her years of experience creating simple cuisines and cakes for her tea-house would surely satisfy her new family's appetite.
Not to mention, the number of servants that the Ji clan had, made her tasks so much easier as she did not have to prepare all the ingredients by herself.
HeShan even joined her for a while, busying himself with the final look of the dishes to be fit for presentation.
At the dinner table, she happily passed some of her cooked dishes to everyone.
When Hai FenChu tasted the translucent skinned mushroom dumpling YuLan had just put in her porcelain bowl, she widened her eyes, relinquishing in the mellow but delicious taste of the morsel.
She then turned to her son, who was sitting by her side. She noticed his bowl already contained piled up aesthetically pleasant-looking morsels that YuLan had made earlier. In fact, the young woman had just put another dumpling into his bowl, giving him a smile and a soft whisper,
"Happy Birthday. Again," she leaned forward and lightly pecked him on his cheek, not in the slightest bit intending to hide her affection towards him.
The small act of endearment solicited light cough from Ji ChanFang, whistles from HeShan and SunChen, and barking laughs from the warriors and YuLan's handmaidens sitting at the other tables.
He could only grin sheepishly in return to YuLan, before lightly frowning at his very full porcelain bowl,
"I have not even finished the last one... ."
Hai FenChu suddenly slapped his shoulder again.
Ji SongLi frowned and turned to look at his mother,
"Mother, why have you been hitting me all day?"
Every time Hai FenChu had the chance to; every time they crossed paths since the morning, his shoulders had become her punching bag.
Hai FenChu snorted,
"I am still feeling wronged," she took another bite of the dumpling and pursed her lips,
"How can my son be so fortunate? YuLan is too good for you!"
The not-good-enough Ji SongLi could only take a deep breath and let his mother express her grievance by continuing to hit him until dinner was over.
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runexi's notes:
partly edited by book_lover4670 <3 <3
<3 <3