5 It Seems an Old Friend Has Returned

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“Liufang Cottage” takes its name from the character “Liu” in “Yuliuzhu,” while a crabapple tree planted in the courtyard echoes her childhood nickname, Tang’er.

This crabapple was planted the year she was born and has now stood for sixteen years. After a winter’s dormancy, the once bare branches now sprout fresh buds, like a new beginning.

As Shen Linlang entered the courtyard, her eyes immediately caught sight of a figure standing behind the elaborately carved window. She quickened her pace, lifting the curtain and stepping over the threshold.

“Tang’er, why are you being so disobedient again?” she said, coming closer and personally closing the window.

She then looked at Yuliuzhu, who wore only a light garment draped with a cloak, unadorned and simple. Shen Linlang spoke gently, “Your grandmother is waiting. Shall I help you fix your hair?”

Yuliuzhu slowly lifted her gaze, tears brimming in her eyes.

Startled, Shen Linlang asked, “Tang’er, what’s wrong?”

“Mother,” Yuliuzhu said haltingly, “I don’t want to marry Mu Lin.”

Shen Linlang was shocked.

Mu Lin was the heir of the Brave Marquis’s residence. Both the Mu and Shen families were military households and long-standing acquaintances. Even after marriage, the Shen family maintained close ties with the Mu family.

Three years ago, before Mu Lin left for the frontier to join the army, the matriarch of the Mu family arranged a verbal engagement between the two families. Now that Mu Lin had returned to the capital, the marriage should be formally settled.

“Tang’er, what has happened?” Shen Linlang asked, her usually spirited face showing both concern and a sharp gaze toward the servants inside.

Magpie, holding a freshly ironed and fragrant garment, stood respectfully to the side. Upon meeting her mistress’s questioning look, she shook her head modestly and confused.

Yuliuzhu glanced toward them and said, “You may all leave.”

Obediently, the servants withdrew, leaving only mother and daughter inside. Tears welled up and hovered in Yuliuzhu’s eyes. “Mother, I had a dream a few days ago.”

“What dream?” Shen Linlang asked anxiously.

“I dreamed that after marrying Mu Lin, my life was miserable. At first, he treated me kindly, but after some time, his warmth turned cold and unpredictable. When I had a miscarriage, he showed no sympathy—he didn’t even inquire and left the capital without a word.”

“Tang’er!” Shen Linlang was taken aback by such a dream and quickly comforted her softly, “It’s just a dream, a figment of your imagination. How could a dream be true?”

It was common for a woman to feel anxious before marriage; she herself had experienced many such worries in those days.

She took Yuliuzhu’s hand, her gaze warm and full of affection. “Listen to me, Mu Lin is young and talented, with military achievements to his name. He is the future head of the Marquis’s household. How many young men like him are there in the entire Daye Court?”

“Mother,” with a tear finally falling, Yuliuzhu called softly, “I thought so too, that it was just a dream not to be taken seriously. But dreaming that once is coincidence—how can dreaming the same dream three nights in a row also be coincidence?”

“You… you dreamed the same dream three times?” Shen Linlang was shocked, her expression growing grave.

Though people generally dismissed talk of strange forces, prophetic dreams were not unheard of.

When she was pregnant, Shen Linlang had a strange dream. The people in it wore unusual clothes, the furniture was unfamiliar, and among a group of lively children, a small girl sat quietly in the corner—thin and gentle, evoking a pang of pity.

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Curiously, even in her dream, she knew that girl was her daughter and heard someone call her Azhu.

Upon waking, she shared the dream with her husband. He believed it to be a prenatal omen and named their daughter Yuliuzhu before her birth.

Years later, as she watched her daughter grow to resemble the girl in the dream more and more, she marveled at the mysterious power of such premonitions.

“If that’s the case, there may be some deeper meaning,” Yuliuzhu nodded. “The events in that dream felt so real, as if I truly lived through them. When I woke, the pain was unbearable.”

“My Tang’er,” Shen Linlang cherished her daughter deeply. Hearing those words of anguish felt like a wound to her own heart. She embraced her tightly. “Don’t be afraid, Mother is here.”

Yuliuzhu trembled slightly in her mother’s arms.

The sharp pain of being misunderstood by her mother-in-law, unloved by her husband, scorned by servants, and mocked by others—though distant now—still haunted her deeply.

“Mother, if we want to know whether the dream’s events are true, it’s not hard to find out. I remember that today, when Mu Lin came, he wore a shimmering blue brocade robe. There was a stain about the size of a fingernail on the hem. He wore a qilin jade pendant at his waist, made of top-grade mutton fat jade with dark blue tassels.”

At her youthful age, a girl in love would naturally be excited upon hearing that her future husband was coming to see her. Her heart fluttered like a startled deer, scrutinizing the handsome youth, missing no detail.

Even after many years, the memory remained vivid—and yet it only deepened her hatred.

Hearing her recount every detail so clearly, Shen Linlang’s heart clenched painfully, torn between worry and suspicion. “You should rest today and stay out of sight. I will investigate, and if what you say is true, I will stand up for you.”

***

Purple clouds come from the east, a sign of auspicious peace.

The Xie family residence was located in the eastern compound, named Rui’an House.

The courtyard featured a picturesque landscape with a rockery, small pond, pine trees, stones, and verdant grass that blended naturally. In the continuously flowing water swam several bright koi fish.

Passing by this scenery, Shen Linlang’s heavy expression eased somewhat before she entered the house.

Madam Xie, seeing her alone and not Yuliuzhu, asked, “Why isn’t Tang’er here?”

Shen Linlang frowned slightly. “Tang’er caught a chill yesterday and doesn’t look well. I was worried, so I decided to let her rest.”

Madam Xie valued her granddaughter as well and said, “Tang’er’s health has always been delicate; she must be well cared for.”

Then she spoke of Mu Lin.

“It’s been three years already. The children have grown. I remember when he came to our home three years ago, Er Lang refused to let him go, and they ate and lived together like brothers. Now they work side by side again—it’s truly wonderful.”

Madam Xie smiled, but Shen Linlang, weighed down by her worries, could not.

At that moment, the exquisite embroidered curtain at the door was lifted, revealing a striking young face. Her eyes were glossy black, lips like cherry blossoms, skin as pure as snow—a vivid blossom bursting forth in spring.

“Grandmother!”

Madam Xie was momentarily stunned, staring fixedly at the approaching girl. For a moment, it was as if time rewound to when her own daughter first came of age.

Shen Linlang was also shocked. The girl looked different today—could she really be better?

“Ali, why have you come?”

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Shen Qinglu looked at her silently, but her dark eyes shone with a shifting brilliance, almost as if they could speak.

For a moment, Shen Linlang felt an odd sensation—as if those eyes held a thousand words, yet no way to express them. It left her inexplicably uneasy.

This unease was hard to describe, like a heavy blow to the heart or a massive stone pressing down, making it hard to breathe.

Xia Chan soon entered, visibly out of breath. “Madam, the young lady missed you too much and insisted on coming to see you no matter what.”

“Grandmother,” Shen Qinglu had come close to Madam Xie. “I missed you. You were busy, so I came to find you.”

Madam Xie’s heart felt soaked in a complex brew of emotions—sweet, sour, bitter—all flooding out at once.

Since this child awakened, she had become so dependent on her, and yet...

“Good child, come closer to Grandmother,” she said, touching Shen Qinglu’s face and hands as if she could never get enough.

Shen Qinglu allowed it, obedient and gentle.

Just then, a servant reported that Mu Lin had arrived at the residence, accompanied by the Second Young Master, and would be there in about fifteen minutes.

For Shen Linlang, regardless of whether her daughter’s dream was true or not, some things could not be left to chance.

She glanced at Shen Qinglu, who leaned against Madam Xie. Her stunning beauty was impossible to look away from, evoking both admiration and a hint of caution.

“Mother, Mu Lin will arrive soon. Tang’er isn’t here, but Ali is. If he misunderstands something, it might not be good.”

Madam Xie agreed.

Looking down at the expectant Shen Qinglu, she steeled herself. “Ali, a guest will arrive soon. Grandmother has something to say to him. You wait quietly behind that screen, alright?”

She meant behind the folding screen.

Shen Qinglu nodded seriously, and Xia Chan led her obediently toward the screen.

The folding screen had four panels, together forming a landscape painting on silk with fine, dense texture. Its base was a warm beige and could not be seen through from either side.

Soon, a notification came from outside.

Two men entered together.

“Grandson pays respects to Grandmother.”

“The junior pays respects to the Old Madam.”

One voice was higher, clear and spirited like a young man’s. The other was lower, steadier, and to Shen Qinglu’s ears, carried a faint yet thrilling familiarity.

She instinctively peeked outside.

In that instant, her breath seemed to halt, her gaze fixed firmly on the youth in the blue splendid robe.

Those brows, those features—how did they resemble…

The one person she cared about most!