Chapter 13: She Must Have Been Blind Before

Yuan Shen was tall and imposing, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes that commanded respect even without anger. Years of military training and leading troops had given him a formidable presence—one that immediately conveyed he was not to be trifled with.

But Yan Chaonian was not afraid of him. The formidable aura was only outside the tent; inside, he was much more approachable.

At that moment, the otherwise intimidating Yuan Shen sat inside the tent, studying a square silk handkerchief in his hands. It was silver-white brocade embroidered with two chubby cats—one playing with a ball of yarn, the other beside a golden sword. Both looked adorably plump and lifelike.

Unfortunately, the cat playing with the yarn had a stain, which caused Yuan Shen to frown slightly.

Beside him, Deputy General Xie Benxing, flipping through the accounts book, craned his neck for a closer look. “Can’t get it clean?”

“Hmm,” Yuan Shen replied.

The stain was blood, stubborn and unremovable. Folding the handkerchief away, Yuan Shen ordered, “Give the men three more days to rest.”

Raising an eyebrow, Xie teased, “Are you worried your wife will see it and cry?”

Every general gets wounded in battle; Yuan Shen was no exception. He had been ambushed while facing an enemy commander and nearly seriously injured. Thankfully, the deputy general’s timely rescue saved him, but the wound refused to heal.

Thinking of the woman at home—strong and decisive in public, but one who cried behind closed doors—Yuan Shen’s expression softened. When upset, she would rub red-rimmed eyes against his waist and say, “I’ve been wronged. You have to make them pay.”

Poor thing.

It had been nearly a year since they last met. He wondered how she had managed her frustrations. Did she cry holding her quilt in the middle of the night?

The thought made him long to hurry back on horseback, but then he hesitated—if she saw his wound, would she cry uncontrollably and faint?

Better to endure a little longer.

Yan Chaonian’s ears burned as Li Chun’s constant nagging forced her to cover them. “Second uncle, can you stop talking?”

With the eldest uncle away, who else could stop the second uncle’s endless chatter? Why was he so talkative?

Li Chun ignored her protest, rattling on about knowing what mattered most, understanding closeness and distance, and so on and so forth.

“Just be careful yourself. Tomorrow, go and make things clear, get the person sent away. If you can avoid seeing them, do so.”

Finally done speaking, Li Xia turned, waving her hand. “No need to keep dinner. I’m leaving.”

Yan Chaonian breathed a heavy sigh of relief. At last, it was over. Li Chun took a few steps, then stopped and looked back. “You really won’t keep dinner if I say no?”

Mother and daughter were so alike. Suddenly, Yan Chaonian felt a little unwelcome.

She forced a chuckle. “You ask every time I leave, and every time I try to keep you, but you won’t stay. So should I keep dinner or not?”

Li Chun smiled. “You ask every time you leave, and I don’t stay every time. Even if I don’t stay, you should.”

Yan Chaonian laughed. “So... I keep dinner?”

“No need... I won’t stay.”

Li Chun left with a smile. Sometimes her niece’s words were amusing. He always thought she put on airs—her composed demeanor was just a facade. She had been quite mischievous as a child.

Yan Chaonian smiled watching her go, but then rolled her eyes thinking about the nonsense those two men would say tomorrow. Just then, her mother entered and caught her expression, assuming she had argued with Li Xia. “Didn’t get along with your second uncle?”

Worried that Li Xia’s loose tongue might upset Yan Chaonian, her mother sighed and tried to comfort her. “Your second uncle just talks too much. He worries because you’ve been wronged before and is angry he couldn’t defend you. As for your grandfather...”

“Don’t mind him. He’s old and confused.”

The patriarch of the Li family held some resentment toward Yan Chaonian. The family’s merchants had long suffered under government oppression and hoped to produce a powerful protector. That was why her mother was married off to Yan’s father, who fulfilled expectations by passing the imperial exams and becoming an official, lifting the Li family’s fortunes.

Later, when Yan Chaonian married into the Bo family, the Li patriarch was overjoyed. Encouraged by the good times, he expanded the Li brocade workshop and even bought a mountain estate. But misfortune struck soon after Yan Chaonian was divorced from the Bo family, and her father lost his position. The Li family’s protector collapsed overnight, and they were once again vulnerable to bullying.

Having once had prosperity and then lost it, the old man struggled to accept the change. He blamed Yan Chaonian for being useless, for losing the Bo family’s favor and dragging her father—and the Li family—down with her.

Yan’s father refused to see his daughter suffer. When the old man complained again about Yan Chaonian’s perceived immaturity, Yan’s father confronted him angrily. The old man’s pride was bruised, and he has since ceased contact with them.

Yan Chaonian forced a smile. “Why bring up grandfather again? I actually had a good talk with my second uncle.”

“Really not because of your second uncle?”

Her mother looked caught in the middle, and Yan Chaonian linked arms with her. “No, second uncle’s good to me. Actually, grandfather’s not so bad either. When the Li Brocade Workshop was renamed the Morning Brocade Workshop, he verbally opposed it but didn’t stop it. I think he’s protecting me in his own way, really.”

“I have a strong feeling about it.”

Her mother was surprised. “You think your grandfather did it on purpose?”

“Very likely.”

Though Yan Chaonian hadn’t yet figured out all the twists and turns, if he truly disliked her, how could he have tolerated her taking control of the Morning Brocade Workshop?

Her mother relaxed, a smile rising on her lips. “I always said that old man isn’t so heartless. He used to adore you.”

Seeing her mother’s happiness, Yan Chaonian felt lighter. Even if her grandfather disliked her, she would find a way to let go of his grudges—not to prove her worth, but simply to make her mother happy.

Her mother patted her hand. “Tomorrow, just go, say what needs to be said, and come home. Before they leave, stay in as much as possible. You have a husband and son now. Don’t get tangled with old ties and betray the trust your son’s father has in you.”

“Got it.”

Yan Chaonian took a deep breath, knowing the Jiang father and son wouldn’t be easy to handle.

Though prepared mentally, she still hugged her fragrant little son tightly before leaving, trying to lift her spirits. But the moment she faced Jiang Wencheng and his son, her good mood vanished instantly.

“When did you learn brocade weaving? Where are you living now?” Jiang Wencheng’s first words made the air almost stink.

His glance swept over her lightly. Without silks and finery, Jiang Wencheng looked plain and unimpressive—far less than Yuan Shen. His eyes were unattractive, his nose average, and his thin lips harsh. How had she once thought he looked decent?

She must have been blind back then!