Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 189
Chapter 189 - An Outlandish Thought
Yun Chu lingered at the Yun residence for a long time before setting off toward the Prince of Pingxi's estate.
Her carriage had just pulled up in front of the estate's gates when she saw the father and two children walking out from the main entrance. Just like the day before, the two children bolted toward her one after the other.
Yun Chu embraced the children and raised her gaze to look at the man standing before her. "Did the estate's chef recover from his illness today?"
Chengxu: "..."
The head chef was in prime health, sturdier than a seasoned ox.
With a completely straight face, Chu Yi stated, "I might have to trouble Miss Yun for the next month."
Yun Chu desperately wanted to ask him where he had eaten lunch.
She also wanted to ask if the Prince's estate had only a single chef, and if that chef falling ill meant everyone in the household had to survive on thin air.
But in the end, she didn't voice the questions.
She took the two children by the hand and boarded the carriage.
Chu Yi's horse trotted right alongside the carriage, and together they arrived at Yulin Lane.
The moment they stepped down from the carriage, Chu Hongyu grabbed his younger sister, eager to go see the cats and rabbits. The instant he took a step forward, however, the top of his head felt the chilling glare of his father's cold gaze.
He suddenly remembered what his father had told him in the carriage the previous day.
If not for the fact that he was still far too young and would have to wait at least a dozen years before he could marry, he certainly wouldn't be helping his father win over a wife.
Ah, well—who could blame him for still being a child?
"Auntie Yun, my tummy is so hungry," the little fellow rubbed his belly. "Is there fish to eat today?"
Yun Chu gave the tip of his little nose a light pinch. "You mentioned wanting to eat fish yesterday, so I had someone catch the freshest fish to steam for you. I'll pick out the bones for you later."
"Picking out bones is too much work. You should leave that chore to my father," the little fellow immediately chimed in. "Father, you'll be dining with us later, right? You're in charge of picking out the fish bones for Changsheng and me, okay?"
A look of "this child is finally teachable" crossed Chu Yi's face as he nodded. "Very well."
At that moment, Tingxue came to report that dinner was prepared, and the group of four walked toward the flower parlor, where the servants began serving the dishes one by one.
Changsheng pulled Yun Chu down to sit with her, tucking herself cozily into Yun Chu's embrace.
Gazing at Chu Yi, Chu Hongyu asked, "Father, why are you just standing there? Sit down. Surely you aren't going to go back on your word and refuse to pick out fish bones for Changsheng and me?"
Chu Yi spoke up, "I must trouble Miss Yun to arrange for another table to be brought over."
Yun Chu took a look around. The flower parlor was not particularly large; a single table fit it just right, and any more would leave them cramped for space.
She raised her eyes. "If Your Highness doesn't mind, please join us at the same table."
These words hit precisely what Chu Yi was hoping for.
If there were outsiders present, he would have to be mindful of Yun Chu's reputation.
Right now, however, everyone inside the flower parlor were her loyal servants, while those outside were his own personal guards—all of them utterly faithful people who naturally would not spread word of this unconventional arrangement.
Chu Yi walked over and seated himself at the spot farthest away from Yun Chu.
Lowering his head, he began meticulously picking out the fish bones.
Although he didn't utter a single word, Yun Chu couldn't help feeling somewhat ill at ease.
This man's presence was simply too overwhelming, making it impossible for her to ignore his existence.
She tried her absolute best to focus all her attention on the two children. "Changsheng, you are not allowed to be a picky eater, okay? Pumpkin is delicious. Eat a bit more so your body can build up its strength."
The little girl wore a bitter expression, her lips puckered as she stubbornly refused to eat.
On other matters, Yun Chu might lack firm boundaries—such as holding her to feed her meals, or unconditionally coaxing and pampering her—but when it came to picky eating, she remained quite firm.
The child was simply far too thin. She was clearly over four years old, yet how was she any different from a three-year-old toddler?
At the Prince's estate, she was constantly surrounded by rich delicacies, yet she ate very little and frequently suffered from indigestion. This had left Changsheng with a very weak stomach and spleen, which required careful nursing and nourishment over time to slowly recover...
"Be a good girl, Changsheng. If you finish this bowl of pumpkin porridge, I'll give you a little present."
Chu Changsheng still didn't want to eat it.
She loathed pumpkin above all else and would rather go without any present.
"Auntie Yun, I'll eat it! Let me eat it!" Chu Hongyu snatched the small bowl away. "Changsheng, Big Brother is eating it then. Don't go crying to me later asking for the present."
Yun Chu smiled warmly. "It's a clay figurine I sculpted with my own hands, Changsheng. Do you really not want it?"
She retrieved the clay figurine from Tingxue's hands. It depicted a little girl wearing a pink dress, sculpted with exquisite beauty.
Changsheng glanced at it, and fell in love with it instantly.
She hurriedly lunged to snatch the bowl of pumpkin porridge back from Chu Hongyu. "I—I'll eat it..."
"I'm not giving it to you anymore," Chu Hongyu teased her deliberately. "This clay figurine is mine now."
With that, he pretended as though he were about to start eating it himself.
The little girl panicked instantly and rushed forward to grab it.
Pretending he couldn't win the tug-of-war, Chu Hongyu gracefully conceded defeat and set the bowl of pumpkin porridge back down in front of his sister.
Fearing her brother might snatch it away again, the little girl didn't even wait for Yun Chu to feed her; she picked up the small spoon and shoveled the food into her mouth herself. Before long, she had finished every last bite, and then she held out her small hand to demand the present from Yun Chu.
Yun Chu placed the clay figurine directly into her palm.
Seeing this, Chu Yi noticed that his daughter's face was brimming with smiles, her eyes shining so brightly they outshone the stars in the night sky.
This was the very first time he had ever seen Changsheng looking so full of vitality.
What had Changsheng been like in the past? In the beginning, she couldn't even drink milk properly, and even after she learned how, she always wore a dazed, vacant expression.
Later on, when Yu'er learned to speak, she still kept her mouth shut. Before meeting Yun Chu, he had never known that his daughter's voice could sound so lovely.
He realized that Changsheng and Yun Chu truly looked remarkably alike.
Wait a moment—
He recalled when Chengxu had gone to investigate the affairs of the Xie family, reporting back that Yun Chu had once given birth to a set of twins, only for them to be stillborn shortly after birth.
That pair of twins had been hastily disposed of by the Xie family, and later when the Yun family reburied the two children, it had caused a tremendous commotion.
Yun Chu's children had been born on that snowy night over four years ago...
And Yu'er and Changsheng had also appeared on that very same snowy night along the road when he was returning to the capital...
Could it be?
The moment this thought flashed through Chu Yi's mind, he felt as though he had gone mad.
In order to make Yun Chu willing to marry him righteously and properly, he had actually conjured up such an absurd notion.
Such an unthinkable, bizarre thing was simply impossible.
He shook his head, forcefully banishing this outlandish thought from his mind.
Dinner concluded quickly, bringing the happiest part of the day to an end as well. Yun Chu watched as the two children boarded the carriage and departed from Yulin Lane.
After confirming the menu for the following day with the chef, Yun Chu finally set off to return to the Xie residence.
This courtyard was situated quite close to both the Yun residence and the Prince of Pingxi's estate, but it had some distance between it and the Xie residence, requiring her to travel through the busiest, most bustling streets of the capital.
Tingxue suddenly spoke up, "Madam, I see the Eldest Young Master."
Yun Chu's gaze pierced through the carriage curtains to look out at the avenue where dusk was just beginning to fall. Xie Shi'an was standing right in the middle of the street, surrounded by a large crowd of people.
She recognized a few faces among that group: the young heir of the Marquis of Boyuan's estate, the grandson of a Grand Academician... In short, all of them were privileged scions of noble families who frequented the Imperial Academy.
"Well, well, isn't this our esteemed Eldest Young Master Xie?"
"Eldest Young Master Xie is the offspring of a convicted criminal, guilty of treason and regicide, and even of killing his own mother. To think he managed to crawl out of death row alive—tsk tsk, he certainly has some tricks up his sleeve."
"Hahaha, Eldest Young Master Xie has been reduced to a one-eyed dragon! Come on, let me take a close look and see if that eye is actually still there!"
Several of the young aristocrats reached out, directly ripping away the gauze covering his right eye to expose the hollow, dark socket beneath.
Seeing Xie Shi'an looking so wretched and humiliated, the group burst into even louder, merrier laughter.