Chapter 421: My Wife's Letter

and is easy to get along with. If it were someone else, with her such willful and capricious behavior, running back to her parents' house at every turn demanding a divorce, people wouldn't even bother...Meng Jinyáo received the letter. Seeing the four characters "My Dearest Wife" on the envelope, the corner of her mouth unconsciously curled upwards. She opened the envelope and took out the letter paper—it was just a thin sheet.

Though paper is short, love is long. Though the letter is thin, love is deep.

Only the following was written on top:

My wife, a beautiful sight.

A few fallen leaves rustle, at first a tinge of yellow. Feeling the gentle chill of the water and the slight coolness of the west wind, they seem about to flutter away. When the sun sees this scene, it awakens thoughts of parting, and the cool moon in the sky cannot replace a dream's fulfillment. What more can be said when laughter from homes across the shore reaches my ears, and by the riverside tavern, they still play "Yangguan" Unable to sleep all night, I get up and sit by the window. The mountains loom with clouds, and the distant road is shrouded in mist. My old homeland is nowhere in sight.

> Yet fearing that within the sleeve of emerald silk, there would be a longing for another, leaning long against the bamboo, gazing at the smoke-filled boat drifting away, one would feel an even deeper chill, and her temples damp with mist.

Thus, holding the candle and turning my skirt, I send it with a wild goose. I don't think it will arrive soon. All I hope for is to see your handwriting in this letter, as if you were right here, so that I might find some solace for my longing!

Autumn Peace.

Handwriting of Yao Ling.

Meng Jinyao looked at the letter, a smile gradually spreading across her face, a sweetness blooming in her heart. This was the first time she had received a letter from home in all her years, and what's more, it was such a heartfelt and touching one.

She muttered softly, "Gu Jingxi, I never expected you to have this side."

If she thinks of him, that's fine. Not only is it written in a pretentious way, but it's also strangely sickening. If it weren't for the familiar handwriting, she would almost think it was written by someone else.

She also said that because she was afraid she would miss her husband, she leaned against a bamboo pole and watched him leave, hoping for his return. She was worried about catching a cold, so she wrote a letter back to her, telling her to read the letter like she was looking at her husband so that she wouldn't worry too much.

Nonsense!

She wouldn't foolishly go to the docks waiting for him just because she missed him.

Suddenly, she recalled what Anning had told her earlier about the difference between ordinary people and scholars.

If an ordinary person likes a girl and wants to confess their feelings, they would simply say, "I have a crush on you." But scholars are different. Scholars will write poems and songs for you, using allusions and classical references to subtly express their admiration.

Her husband was the latter, even his letters were pompous.

Qing Qiu saw a slight blush on her cheeks, her smile as sweet as honey, and amusement twinkling in her eyes. She inquired curiously, "Madam, what did the Marquis write"

Meng Jinyao smiled and shook her head, folded the letter back into the envelope, and said to Qingqiu: "You go to the study and prepare ink, paper, and brushes. I want to write a reply to the Marquis."

Qing Qiu responded, "Aye, I shall prepare right away."

Meng Jinyáo put the letter away and went to the study to reply. Some things were inconvenient for her maidservant to see, so she asked Qingqiu to stand farther away before taking up her pen to write a reply.

After a long while, a heartfelt reply was carefully penned. Once the ink had dried, the letter was folded and placed in an envelope, which was then sealed with wax.

Meng Jiny Yao handed the letter to Qing Qiu and instructed, "Tomorrow, you should inquire whether Madam would like to reply to the Marquis. If Madam also wants to reply, then send both Madam's letter and mine to the Marquis together. If Madam does not wish to reply, just find a courier to send this letter."

Qing Qiu took the letter: "This servant understands."

Meng Jinyáo said again, "I want to eat fish tonight, you tell the kitchen later."

Qing Qiu once again responded, "Yes, Madam."

Thereafter, Meng Jinyao dismissed her, and she remained alone in the study reading books to pass the time.

Shouantang.

When Old Mrs. Gu received the letter from her son, she was rather puzzled. According to the time it took to travel, her son had only just arrived in Hangzhou Prefecture. Even if he wrote a letter home to report his safety, it would take another half a month for it to arrive.

Unless something happened along the way, I would write and send this letter back halfway through.

She received the letter and, pinching the thickness of the envelope, was instantly overwhelmed with surprise. Had her son ever written her such a long letter before

In the past, letters were thin sheets of paper inside envelopes, with only a few words on them.

My esteemed mother,

As we meet, our faces light up.

Mother, I hope you are well. I have arrived safely and everything is fine. Please do not worry.

Be well.

Zodiac Spirit Handwriting.

Every letter sent back was similar, but this time the thickness of the letter promised more than just a few words.

"Grandmother Gu looked strange and said, "Normally, Yao Ling's letters home are always concise, like he doesn't have enough ink to write more than a few words. But this letter is at least three sheets of paper long! Could it be that he's changed his personality"

"Perhaps Lord Hou has something important to tell you, that's why he wrote a little more,"

Madam Gu lightly nodded her head: "Let me take a look first."

She said, and then she tore open the envelope, taking out the letter paper inside. She found that there were really three sheets of letter paper, all of them filled to the brim.

After reading the letter, I found that this time's family letter was quite lengthy. The words were spoken to her, but not for her. Only the opening greetings were about her, and everything else was related to her daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Gu passed the letter to Feng Ma Ma, chuckling helplessly: "Look at this, he's only been gone a few days and is already worried that his wife isn't being well-fed and clothed! With so many maidservants attending to her, he still doesn't trust them and even instructs me on how to take care of his wife. He tells me what she likes and asks me to prepare it for her."

Feng Mama took the letter and glanced at it. They were all about Madam's preferences, such as which family's clothes she liked, which family's jewelry she liked, and which family's pastries she liked. The Marquis truly loved his wife in every way. Throughout the capital city, it is estimated that it would be difficult to find a man who loved his wife as much as the Marquis.

"Lady Fong will deliver the letter back and say: “Since Lord Hou married Lady Hou, he has never been away from her for so long. Besides, Lady Hou is pregnant now. Lord Hou naturally feels anxious about his wife and child. There's no one but you who can take good care of them for him."

Old Madam Gu laughed and scolded, “You’ve forgotten your own mother now that you have a wife. You never used to worry this much when you left home, nor did you ever write a letter begging someone to take care of me.”

"Grandmother Feng softly replied, "Madam, the Marquis is also very filial to you. He just doesn't express it with words. But everything he should do, he does extremely well. Every time he goes out of town, he brings you gifts."

Madam Gu laughed, "I'm just saying this, when it comes to filial piety, this child is indeed very filial."

A moment later, she instructed Feng Mama: "Tomorrow, you go to Jinxiu Fang and invite the shopkeeper to the house. Have him measure Ayao for clothes. Jinxiu Fang accepts orders in advance. Autumn clothes should be ordered early as well. At that time, just make the waist area slightly larger. The clothes from Jinxiu Fang aren't cheap, so take the silver from me. There's no need for Zhong Gong to contribute."

Feng Mama responded, “Yes, Madam.”

After some thought, Madam Gu said again, “You should go and invite her in Yao Ling's name. This way, the first and second wives won't be jealous. Ayao will surely be delighted to know that Yao Ling cares for her so much. A happy pregnant woman is more conducive to a safe pregnancy.”

Grandmother Feng nodded and said, "Old Madam is still the most thoughtful. Then from now on, everything will be in the name of the Marquis"

Mrs. Gu nodded in agreement: "Well, everything will be done in his name."re of the people in the courtyard for me so that when we are away, they don't cause any trouble. Besides, this trip back home is just to pay respects to our ancestors. It's not like we won't be coming...