An Sheng's gaze fell on the bracelet at A Mei's wrist, his eyes flickering slightly. The word "mother" had long since blurred in An Sheng's memory. He let out a scoff, his voice indifferent. "What mother-in-law? Just treat me as an orphan with no father or mother."
"This bracelet was indeed the only thing on me when I entered the palace to be castrated. The people in the palace had seen plenty of precious items, so naturally, they looked down on this kind of inferior jewelry. Surprisingly, no one even bothered to snatch it away."
"As for what my godfather said back then, just listen to it and let it go. Don't take it too seriously."
Looking at her husband's cold expression, A Mei suddenly felt her heart fill with an overwhelming ache for him. She slowly sat up, lowered her eyes, and her gaze fell on the red jade bracelet on her wrist. It was clearly of poor quality and dull in color, but she stroked it back and forth like a treasure.
"Husband, were you sold into the palace when you were a child?" A Mei suddenly asked aloud.
A chill flashed through An Sheng's eyes. He seemed unwilling to say more, but since A Mei had asked, he still gave a faint "Mm."
"I was too young back then, I can't remember many things clearly."
At the thought of her husband suffering so many hardships when he was just a child, pity welled up in A Mei's eyes. She spoke slowly, "Husband, I don't know much, nor do I have much worldly experience, but there are some things I want to say to you."
An Sheng reached out and held A Mei's small hand, his attitude softening. "Speak, I'm listening."
A Mei looked at An Sheng earnestly, her lips parting slightly. "At first, I was also sold to you to be your wife."
Hearing A Mei say this, An Sheng inevitably felt a trace of heartache. He sighed, "What do you mean 'sold'? Since we bowed to the heavens and earth, you are married to me. You are my proper wife, wedded with a formal matchmaker and an official marriage certificate. Don't belittle yourself in the future."
These words warmed A Mei's heart. She pursed her lips, reached out, and gave An Sheng's arm a gentle push. Her face was full of playful charm, without a hint of self-pity. "Oh, you're overthinking it, Husband. I'm not belittling myself, just stating a fact."
With that, A Mei's expression turned serious, and she continued:
"Others might think that I married you for my father and my younger brother. Actually, that's not true. At that time, I wanted to find a way to survive, and even more so, it was for my mother."
"In my memory, no matter how bitter or hard things were, as long as there was a bite of food, my mother would rather go hungry herself to share it with my brother and me. Mother is gone, and my brother is so young. I really didn't want my mother to still be sad up in heaven."
An Sheng suddenly tightened his grip on A Mei's hand and spoke abruptly, his tone betraying neither joy nor anger. "You married a eunuch like me. Even if your mother is watching from heaven, she might not necessarily be happy."
A Mei glared at An Sheng. "What nonsense are you talking about, Husband? You cherish me so much, and we love each other so deeply. If my mother saw this, she would only be happy for me. Why wouldn't she be?"
"Hmph, don't interrupt me, Husband. I haven't finished yet. I said all this to tell you something. When your mother sent you into the palace, it might very well have been to carve out a way for you to survive."
A Mei carefully took off the bracelet and handed it to An Sheng. Watching him slowly tighten his palm around it, her bright, watery eyes were full of sincerity. "You say this bracelet is of poor quality, but I understand that for truly poor families, when even getting enough to eat and wear is so difficult, how could they possibly acquire such a bracelet? Anyway, I don't know how to speak of grand principles, but I know in my heart, and I want you to know too, that this bracelet is actually very precious."
An Sheng remained silent for a long time.
Just when A Mei thought An Sheng wouldn't speak, a sigh laced with relief was heard:
"I once looked through the archives from the year I entered the palace as a child. During those years, natural disasters and man-made calamities were constant, the people were displaced, and life was unbearable. Perhaps, you are right."
After all, it was a matter from so many years ago. Even the current An Sheng could no longer find any useful information.
Heh.
But so what.
The past was the past. Ever since he could truly remember, he, An Sheng, only looked at the present and the future.
...
It was late autumn, and the night air on the lake was cold. Since A Mei was no longer looking at the moon, An Sheng closed the window. An incense burner was lit inside the cabin, and the mellow scent of soothing incense wafted through the room.
A Mei nestled into An Sheng's embrace, covering her mouth as she yawned. Then, she yawned again, gradually growing drowsy.
A Mei wrinkled her nose, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as her entire face relaxed.
"Husband, this incense smells really good."
An Sheng gave an "Mm" and said softly, "It's soothing incense, it helps with sleep."
"Oh, no wonder I feel sleepy." A Mei forced herself to stay awake and exchanged a few more words with An Sheng, mumbling about returning to the manor early with her husband tomorrow. But before she could even finish her sentence, she had already fallen asleep.
An Sheng, however, did not close his eyes. With her soft and delicate body in his arms, his heart was densely packed with emotions that he could never have possessed in the past.
It was love, pity, cherishing, and tenderness.
They all piled up in An Sheng's chest, becoming vast and turbulent.
The gentle gaze resting on A Mei's innocent sleeping face also gradually grew fierce, greedy, and ultimately, frantic.
It was a possessiveness so frantic that it bordered on bloodthirsty, making him wish he could, wish he could... An Sheng restrained himself until his fingers trembled. Finally, the surging emotions were pulled back bit by bit, gradually vanishing without a trace.
Other than his still bloodshot eyes, An Sheng maintained his tender appearance. He slowly lowered his head and planted an incredibly soft kiss on A Mei's forehead:
"Be good, my precious baby."
...
