Song Chuyi knelt in the courtyard of the old lady's house, her face cold and expressionless. The green bamboo planted beside her swayed gently in the wind, its leaves stretching out beyond the walls of the courtyard, a vibrant green that seemed to drip with dew.
So full of life.
Not at all like the courtyard of the British Consulate in her previous life, with its withered flowers and broken walls.
Madam came out of the old lady's house and happened to see Song Chuyi staring in one direction, her slightly empty eyes rarely showing an expression similar to expectation ----- that was the back view of Second Master holding Song Chunying.
The anticipation in Song Chuyi's eyes disappeared in an instant, and his empty gaze remained. His body, kneeling on the ground, was straight and tense, not relaxing for a moment.
At that moment, the madam suddenly felt a little heartache. She inexplicably squatted in front of Song Chuyi and gently stroked her head: "Why are you so stubborn? It's just a small matter, admitting your mistake will pass it by, why don't you want to admit it?"
Huang Mama walked over with small steps, first rushing to pay respects to the madam, then bending down to help Song Chuyi: "Sixth Miss, the old lady is inviting you in."
The lady didn't dare say more to Song Chuyi, held her hand and patted it: "Go, don't provoke the old lady's anger."
"In the past, I didn't know you were so sharp-tongued. Song old lady looked at Song Chuyi who was pursing her lips and not speaking, frowned and said: 'Just a few days ago, you said you understood things much better, how come today you're being so willful again?'"
Song Chuyi hung her head and didn't speak, a jade pendant hanging from her waist shining brightly under the lamp light.
The old lady waited for a moment without waiting for her to speak, and hummed, saying: "Come over and let me take a look!"
Song Chuyi stepped forward a few steps and stood in front of the old lady.
Although her hair was a bit disheveled, her face didn't look as injured as Song Jing's, so Old Lady Song let out a sigh of relief and asked sternly, "Do you know your mistake?"
Song Chuyi still didn't say a word, but her eyes dropped a big tear with a plop.
Mrs. Song was startled, but she couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and scolded her: "Cry, you still know how to cry, now you're scared? Where's the ferocity you had when you rushed up and bit someone before? After what happened with your fourth sister last time, I thought you'd learned your lesson, but it seems you're still as reckless as ever."
Those underlings were ultimately afraid of the fifth lady and didn't dare to intercept her, and the fifth lady was used to being willful and rushed straight to Song Chuyi's face.
But this time she didn't get off cheaply, because Song Chuyi opened her mouth and bit down hard on her wrist.
It bit so fiercely that Wu Furen's hand was bitten to the point of being bloody and mangled, if it wasn't for Song Chuyu rushing over in tears to pull them apart, Wu Furen's hand would probably have been bitten off.
Mrs. Song didn't know where her granddaughter's hatred came from. Logically speaking, the fifth madam was someone who would provoke dislike in others, but she had nothing to do with her.
"Grandma......" Song Chuyi let out a soft cry and fell to the ground, her voice low and her eyes dazed: "I had a dream..."
Yu Shu quickly led the little maids out, leaving only Huang Mama standing by.
"In my dream, I was annoying and had a bad temper, doing many things that made people roll their eyes. And with death staring me in the face, Father married me off to Shen Qi..."
Old Lady Song looked at Song Chuyi who was kneeling down, her expression complex.
Last time, Song sisters went to Li's maternal family as guests. Song Chuyi had a dispute with Yunxiao County Master of Zhen Nan Wang Fu because she wanted to follow Shen Qi Gongzi, and finally made Yunxiao County Master cry back home.
What Song Chuyi said now sounds like a fairy tale, but Old Lady Song knows in her heart that it's possible.
"I married into their family and you and father wouldn't even bother with me anymore. Shen Qi didn't like me, but pretended to...and later the child I gave birth to also died..."
Song Chuyi stumbled and fell into the old lady's legs, finally crying out recklessly: "Grandma, I'm so scared...I don't understand, I haven't done anything bad, why do they want to treat me like this..."
In fact, Song Chuyi wasn't unaware; she had long understood why.
An innocent man is not guilty, but if he carries a jade pendant, he will be guilty.
As a descendant of the Choi family left behind as the legitimate daughter, it is her original sin.
Mrs. Song didn't react for a long time, but her granddaughter's mournful crying made her heart anxious, an old woman who had not felt this way in many years.
"Is something also happening to your elder brother in your dream?"
It wasn't until quite some time later that Old Lady Song finally found her voice again.
Song Chuyi's sobbing gradually stopped, she raised her head and looked at Old Lady Song, with a hint of fear in her eyes that were still misty from crying: "Is...Grandmother, how did you know?"
Mrs. Song smiled, she had lived for so many years and could still tell what was true or false. Not to mention that a seven-year-old girl wouldn't have the ability to come up with such a lie, the fear and despair in Song Chuyi's eyes just now couldn't deceive anyone either.
Song Jue is so treasured by the Song family, not only because he has outstanding talent, but also because he is a highly qualified successor, with a kind and gentle heart, and a strong sense of responsibility.
If Song Chu-yi's dream had not gone wrong, Song Jue would not have ended up in that state. Moreover... now that I think about it, the way Song Chu-yi advised her to send Song Jue to Qingzhou the other day was indeed too suspicious.
"Tell me in detail what happened in your dream." Old Lady Song helped her up and personally took the handkerchief from Huang's mother to wipe her face.
Song Chuyi had just spoken intermittently and unclearly, but this time she picked up what she could say and told the old lady everything.
She stared into the old lady's eyes, sincere and frightened: "Grandma, I didn't lie...I woke up from my dream thinking everything was just a dream, but then, Third Aunt said exactly the same thing as in my dream, and she also questioned me like that in my dream...I'm really scared..."
Mrs. Song's face was gloomy, and she grasped Song Chuyi's hand tightly. She seemed to feel that it was unbelievable, yet somehow these things had a precedent.
"You just said that in your dream, not long after, your aunt... passed away?"
Mrs. Song tried her best to suppress her emotions, but she couldn't hide the tremble in her voice.
Song Chuyi nodded, her face gloomy: "In the previous life, the one who went to Qingzhou was General Manager Lin... He came back and reported that Aunt's body was not very good, after more than three months, someone from Qingzhou came to report the funeral..."
"So, that's why you proposed to me, asking your elder brother to go to Qingzhou? To help him avoid this calamity?"
Song Chuyi's hands couldn't help but tremble, she leaned against Old Lady Song and shook her head: "Grandmother, I don't know if it's okay, I also dare not take the things in my dreams out to say...I know Eldest Aunt won't believe me, nobody will believe me...Grandmother, you believe me, I didn't deceive you."