After the Beginning of Spring, the rains came frequently, thickening the humidity in the air. By the time Yun Wan and her son returned from Cixin Hall, the outer layers of their clothes were damp with mist and dew.
Especially since Cuiwei Garden was situated in a rather secluded part of the Lu family estate, the path was lined with dense foliage.
Yun Wan removed their damp outer garments and handed them to the maids, then took out a clean handkerchief to wipe her son’s hair. She noticed, however, that he seemed sullen.
His soft, round face was puffed up like a little bun, and his faint arched brows were furrowed tightly together, making him look like a grumpy old man.
Unable to resist, Yun Wan pinched his cheeks and teased, "What’s the matter? Who’s made our Sui so unhappy?"
The term "Ge’er" was used in families with many siblings to address the younger generation, prefixed with a character from their given name to distinguish them—a slightly formal way of speaking.
But the Lu family had few descendants in this generation, and Sui had few siblings, so Yun Wan rarely addressed him this way unless she was teasing him, as she was now.
Sui replied, "Mother, I don’t like Grandmother."
Yun Wan froze, then cupped his face in her hands and bent down to ask seriously, "Why?"
His cheeks pressed against her soft palms, Sui nuzzled into them, his expression hesitant.
Seeing this, Yun Wan dismissed her maids and closed the door, leaving only the two of them in the room.
She sat down with him and asked patiently, "There’s no one else here now. Sui, can you tell Mother honestly why you don’t like Grandmother?"
Sui pursed his lips and muttered, "Because she’s unkind to you."
Yun Wan was taken aback.
Recalling certain rumors she had heard before, she suspected someone had been whispering poisonous words in Sui’s ear. Her heart sank, and her expression darkened.
"Why would you think that? Did someone say something to you?"
She feared someone had been spreading malicious gossip in front of Sui.
But Sui shook his head and took her hand. "Grandmother smiles at everyone else, but whenever she sees you, she looks like this."
Suddenly, he scrunched his brows into a frown and drooped his eyes, perfectly mimicking Old Madam Lu’s expression when she saw Yun Wan—it was uncannily accurate.
Yun Wan nearly laughed but quickly stifled it.
Sui puffed out his cheeks and continued, "Every time Grandmother speaks to you, she’s harsh, but she never treats the other aunts that way. Even the incense you painstakingly prepare for her, or the forehead bands you make—she never uses them..."
He listed the observations he had kept hidden in his heart for a long time, his voice tinged with sadness. "I’m not a clueless three-year-old anymore. I see it all. Grandmother treats you poorly."
Children were naturally sensitive to emotions. They might not understand the reasons, but they could clearly distinguish between affection and dislike.
Old Madam Lu’s coldness toward Yun Wan was hard to conceal, and over time, Sui had noticed.
Yun Wan’s heart ached with complexity. She wrapped her arms around Sui and sighed, "My precious child..."
Looking into his clear, spring-like eyes, she softened her voice. "Since that’s the case, Mother will be honest with you. Your grandmother... does have some misunderstandings about me. But these are matters between adults—complicated things you don’t need to worry about. Don’t dwell on it, alright?"
Sui pouted. "But it makes me sad for you. Grandmother is warm and kind to all the other aunts. Why does she treat you this way? I don’t understand."
His mother was the best person in the world—so why did Grandmother single her out for such harshness?
Why?
Yun Wan knew the answer all too well.
Years ago, the Yun and Lu families had arranged a marriage alliance, stipulating that one of the Lu sons would marry a Yun daughter. However, with the early passing of the Lu family’s patriarch, the exact pairing had never been finalized.
Naturally, the Yun family wanted their daughter to marry the Lu family’s eldest son.
But as fate would have it, Lu Yuanduo, the eldest son, was already betrothed to his mentor’s daughter, with the wedding imminent.
As the Lu family rose in imperial favor and their status grew more illustrious, the Yun family, fearing the ties between the two families would weaken, had no choice but to shift the arrangement to the second son, Lu Fenglan.
Yet everyone in the capital knew that the third son of the Lu family was a sickly man. From birth, a fortune-teller had declared he wouldn’t live past twenty. No family with a shred of conscience would willingly marry their daughter to such a man, condemning her to a life of hardship.
The Yun family’s matriarch—Yun Wan’s stepmother—was no exception.
Unwilling to sacrifice her own daughter’s future, yet unable to send a mere concubine-born daughter without risking offense, the duty of this marriage fell squarely on Yun Wan.
Her birth mother had died young, her father showed her little affection, and with no one to shield her, she became the one bound to the Lu family’s ailing third son.
While her husband, Lu Fenglan, was still alive, Old Madam Lu had treated Yun Wan with a semblance of kindness.
But after his death, the old woman’s attitude soured completely. She believed Yun Wan’s striking beauty had ensnared her youngest son like a fox spirit, draining his vitality and hastening his demise.
Worse, she listened to slanderous whispers that Yun Wan was cursed—that she brought misfortune to husbands and mothers alike.
Half a month after her son’s death, she had even attempted to...
The memory sent a shudder through Yun Wan. Instinctively, she tightened her embrace around Sui, drawing warmth from his small body until the icy dread receded.
Thank the heavens this child had come when he did.
Sensing his mother’s distress, Sui looked up. "Mother?"
Yun Wan blinked away her emotions and stroked his soft cheek, her expression tender. "My dear child, your concern touches Mother’s heart. You’ve grown into such a thoughtful boy."
"But this is a matter between me and your grandmother. You’re still too young to handle it—leave it to the adults, alright?"
Sui neither nodded nor shook his head, his face still clouded with confusion.
So Yun Wan asked him, "It’s good that you can sense others’ feelings. But tell me, does your grandmother treat you well?"
After a moment’s thought, Sui nodded obediently. "Grandmother is very kind to me—kinder than she is to Cousin Changze."
Yun Wan smiled gently. "There, you see? How she treats me is one thing, and how she treats you is another. They shouldn’t be mixed together. No matter what, she is your grandmother, your elder, and she cares for you—that’s the truth, isn’t it?"
Sui nodded again.
Yun Wan continued, "As the saying goes, even a drop of kindness should be repaid with a flood of gratitude. We must never take kindness for granted, lest we chill the hearts of those who care for us."
"As for the troubles between me and your grandmother, that’s for us to resolve. Do you understand?"
Despite the grievances between her and Old Madam Lu, Yun Wan didn’t want Sui, at such a tender age, to grow resentful or confused. At the very least, the old woman genuinely doted on him.
Sui nodded, though his understanding seemed partial. "I understand."
Yun Wan was relieved—until he added brightly, "But I still don’t like Grandmother."
She couldn’t help but ask, "Why?"
Sui answered simply, "Because she’s unkind to you."
Yun Wan: ...
She massaged her temples, letting out an exasperated laugh.
Meeting her mother’s resigned gaze, Sui tucked his hands into his sleeves, his expression a mix of innocence and stubbornness.
There was another reason he hadn’t mentioned: he disliked how his grandmother always said he took after his father.
Whether Sui mastered a character, recited a poem, read an essay, or told a story, his grandmother would praise him for being just as clever as his father, inheriting his father’s brilliance.
Every time he heard such words, Sui felt uneasy, as if everything he’d learned was credited solely to his father.
As if his intelligence came only from his father, as if his achievements were merely echoes of his father’s.
But the truth was, every character, every line of poetry Sui had mastered was the result of his mother’s patient teaching and his own diligent effort.
He had never slacked off or shirked his studies.
If anything, shouldn’t he have inherited his mother’s wisdom?
Earlier, at his grandmother’s place, it was his mother’s advice from the night before that had guided him to mention his father—prompting the old woman’s tears and her eventual agreement to send him to school.
Yun Wan sighed deeply, ruffling his twin topknots with playful roughness. "Then let’s keep this a secret between us, alright? Don’t let others know what you truly think."
Sui was still young, and if his words were twisted, it could harm his reputation.
Yun Wan didn’t want her son labeled as unfilial or scorned by others.
Sui nodded solemnly, swaying his head like a little scholar. "This child understands. A gentleman should conceal his emotions."
Amused, Yun Wan tapped his nose. "Such a little pedant."
Sui flushed slightly, then nestled into her embrace like a fledgling swallow, breathing in her warm, sunlit scent. A deep fondness welled in his heart.
He had lied to his grandmother. His ambition to excel in the imperial exams wasn’t for his father’s sake—it was so he could grow up to be his mother’s protector.
