“Madam, I truly don’t know who could be so heartless, abandoning a little baby in the freezing snow.”
As An’an opened her eyes, she met a pair of gentle, loving eyes.
Huh? How did she end up in the mortal world?
An’an was originally a Celestial Herb growing by the Jade Pool in the immortal realm. She had gained sentience but hadn’t yet taken human form, spending her days chatting with Little Koi in the Jade Pool.
The name An’an was even given to her by Little Koi.
!!!
She remembered now!
It was just because she secretly cursed Little Koi a few times—why did Little Koi have to hold such a grudge? Her leaves had been slapped swollen by Little Koi’s tail, turning into a huge, unsightly mess.
Just as she was about to slap back, she was knocked unconscious by a copper coin thrown by some random God of Wealth.
Those Gods of Wealth—when they were happy, they’d scatter copper coins everywhere, and when they were unhappy, they’d still scatter copper coins everywhere. Many immortals had complained to the Jade Emperor about it.
Who would have thought she’d actually become human!
An’an grinned: Hehehe, this was her first time being human—so novel.
Gu Yi watched as the little baby smiled, and Xihua happily said, “Madam, look, this child likes you!”
Gu Yi gently stroked An’an’s little face, then pulled the blanket up a bit higher, her expression tender. “This child is fated with me. Let her be my child. We’ll call her An’an, hoping she’ll have a lifetime of peace and smooth sailing.”
Great, great, just call me An’an!
Seeing the little baby cooing and babbling as if she liked the name, Gu Yi affectionately nuzzled An’an’s cheek.
Watching the madam’s doting affection for the child, Xihua’s eyes filled with heartache.
The madam was originally the legitimate daughter of the General’s Manor. Her husband was Yang Yan, a Vice Minister of Personnel. Although he had married into her family, the two were deeply in love. To care for her husband’s feelings, the madam had specially moved out of the General’s Manor to live separately.
She had even brought her husband’s mother from the countryside to live with them and care for her.
However, in the seven years since their marriage, they had not had a child, which had become a deep sorrow for the madam.
“Madam, you and the master will surely have a child,” Xihua comforted from the side.
A child? What child?
Warm and comfortable in the carriage, An’an was drowsy when she suddenly heard this.
Struggling to lift her eyelids, she looked at the woman who had saved her: healthy, no signs of illness?
As a Celestial Herb, she was immune to all poisons, let alone capable of curing all mortal ailments.
Just as she was about to ponder this, she couldn’t resist the limitations of her infant body and fell into a deep sleep.
An’an was awakened by a burst of shouting.
“You can’t even bear a child yourself, yet you cling to Yan’er. A high-ranking official without a child—what kind of image is that? And now, you’ve picked up a child from who knows where, some little bastard!”
Before she was even fully awake, she heard someone calling her a little bastard!!
As a Celestial Herb, when had she ever endured such insult?!
Even the fairy sisters by the Jade Pool usually doted on her!
Aside from Little Koi, she was the only one with sentience. The fairy sisters loved stroking her leaves, saying it could beautify their skin, enhance their divine power, and such.
Who would have thought that even fairies had appearance anxiety?
An’an found this quite exasperating.
But now, being called a little bastard made her furious.
She was furious, and the consequences would be severe.
Lifting her eyelids, she saw an old woman dressed like a peacock sitting in the seat of honor. Tsk tsk tsk, she was already filled with the aura of death, yet she still wouldn’t watch her words.
A continuous stream of dark aura poured from her mouth, though she herself remained completely unaware.
“Wah wah wah!” How dare you curse me!!
An’an cried out in anger, prompting Gu Yi to quickly check if she had wet herself.
Old Lady Yang had originally come from the countryside, yet she possessed not a trace of rustic simplicity. With a successful son to rely on, she became even more arrogant and domineering. On ordinary days, the slightest displeasure would lead her to scold or beat others.
“Truly a little bastard, not a single…” Before she could finish her sentence, Old Lady Yang’s expression twisted in pain, her mouth contorting.
“Mother, what’s wrong, Mother?” Gu Yi had initially not wanted to approach upon hearing the old lady curse the child, so she feigned concern with a few words.
The old lady was seething with rage inwardly: You wretched thing, can’t you see I can’t speak?! Why aren’t you fetching a physician?!
But now, unable to utter a word, with her mouth askew, eyes slanted, and features twisted, her appearance was truly frightening.
“Xihua, go fetch a physician,” Yang Yan said lightly.
Xihua obeyed and went, but deliberately dawdled outside the estate for half an hour.
This old lady had no self-awareness at all. Because the young master had pleaded, fearing that the matter of him marrying into the family would be too much for the old lady to accept, the entire household had kept it a secret. Who would have thought the old lady would actually take herself so seriously?
Putting on the airs of a mother-in-law, she tormented her own daughter-in-law, yet the young mistress, out of consideration for her husband’s feelings, silently endured it all.
Old Lady Yang felt as if she were about to faint from the pain, but she couldn’t make a sound, which only intensified her suffering.
The “mastermind” behind it all secretly giggled in Yang Yan’s arms: Hehehe, serves you right for cursing me! Did your tongue get twisted? Now you won’t be able to speak for a good while.
By the time the physician arrived, Old Lady Yang had already passed out from the pain.
When examining her, the physician found it strange: How does it look as if her tongue has been twisted? Could she have offended something?
The physician showed no expression on his face, prescribed a few doses of medicine, and left.
Gu Yi instructed the servants to take good care of the old lady and then returned to her own courtyard.
Unable to resist drowsiness, An’an fell asleep again.
Gazing at the little infant in her arms, Yang Yan’s heart softened: From now on, I will be your mother, little An’an.
Infants sleep a lot, and An’an didn’t manage to wait for her so-called cheap father to return.
When Yang Yan returned from his duties, he heard from the servants that his mother seemed to have twisted her tongue. After paying her a visit, he still went to Gu Yi’s courtyard.
“Husband, you’re back?” Gu Yi looked at her husband, whose charm remained undiminished, her eyes sparkling brightly.
Back then, Yang Yan had been named the Tanhua (Third Place Scholar) precisely because of his outstanding appearance. During the procession, she had fallen in love with him at first sight.
Yang Yan embraced his wife and, noticing her cheerful mood today, smiled and asked, “Did my wife encounter some happy event today?”
Gu Yi took Yang Yan’s hand and led him into the inner chamber. Pointing at the baby sound asleep on the bed, she whispered, “It could be considered a happy event.”
Yang Yan stared at the infant on the bed, his mouth agape in shock.
Rarely seeing her husband so emotionally expressive, Gu Yi covered her mouth and laughed softly. Afraid of waking little An’an, the couple stepped outside to talk.
After hearing the whole story from beginning to end, Yang Yan pulled his wife into his arms. “My wife’s kindness and virtue are a blessing to me, Yang.”
A blush spread across Gu Yi’s cheeks. “What blessing? I can’t even bear a child…”
As she spoke, her eyes reddened.
Naturally, Yang Yan comforted her for a good while.
Sniffing the faint scent of bamboo on Yang Yan, Gu Yi felt at peace: How wonderful, her husband remained as steadfast as ever.
“Father wrote a letter some days ago, saying he will return to the capital soon.” Gu Yi’s expression visibly relaxed as she shared this casual family news.
Yang Yan gently stroked his wife’s temple hair. “That’s truly wonderful. We’ll go visit the Old General together when he returns.”
Gu Yi gazed into her husband’s eyes, filled with deep remorse. “I’m sorry, Yanlang. If it weren’t for Father’s demands back then, you wouldn’t have had to bear the label of marrying into my family.”
Back in those days, Old General Gu Mingshan was thoroughly dissatisfied with Yang Yan in every aspect. Yet, unable to withstand his daughter’s determination to marry him, he finally compromised: if Yang Yan agreed to enter the Gu family as an uxorilocal husband, he would consent and allow their union.
Just as Gu Yi was utterly disappointed and ready to give up, Yang Yan, upon hearing the condition, knelt outside the general’s mansion gate and declared his agreement to the arrangement.
Gu Yi always felt she had wronged Yang Yan.
“It’s no hardship,” Yang Yan embraced Gu Yi, his voice tender and affectionate. “Being able to be with you, my lady, is already my greatest blessing. I accept it willingly and gladly. This child shall bear your surname, Gu, alongside you.”
The couple naturally shared tender affections, whispering intimately close to each other.