Chapter 382: Chapter 389: There’s More to It
 

Han Yu did not only miss his daughter-in-law but also longed for his three children. Over a year had passed, the children should have learned to speak by now. Thinking of his offspring babbling their first words, Han Yu couldn’t help himself; he wished to see them immediately.

“I didn’t know what the situation was here, so I was afraid it was unsafe, and came over first by myself, leaving the children at the Zhuangzi,” Su Wenyue said, glancing at Han Yu’s reaction, her heart surged with a stifled resentment as if on a whim, “Coming or not doesn’t really matter; after all, no one bothers about us, the mother and children. If I hadn’t returned by myself, we would have probably been forgotten and cast aside to the ends of the cloud-blanketed skies.”

Initially, Su Wenyue was more worried than angry. Now back home, seeing Han Yu with her own eyes, and learning from the doctor that his injuries were no longer serious, the concerns and grievances she had suppressed beforehand naturally flared up. She did not lose her temper at Han Yu, but what she said was incongruent with her true feelings. As Han Yu listened, feeling guilty and blaming himself, his heart softened. The events of these past days had happened out of necessity and he hadn’t had the opportunity to explain them properly to his daughter-in-law. He was indebted to her for her trust and her understanding of the bigger picture, which led to the current favorable situation. It was time to clear the air to prevent resentment from growing in her heart.

“Daughter-in-law, are you angry with me? Let me have a look, your little mouth is so pouted you could hang an oil bottle on it,” Han Yu pulled her over to his side, holding Su Wenyue’s hand while teasing her with a smile. If it weren’t for his injuries, Han Yu would have wanted to wrap her in his embrace and tenderly kiss her. After more than a year of countless solitary nights, during restless sleepless nights, his heart ached for the tiny person who had become a part of him. Now that she was close at hand, he felt an overwhelming urge to hold her tight to feel at ease.

Yet Su Wenyue lowered her head in silence, toying with her fingers, the delicate tips morphing into different shapes, showing a trace of childishness that was irksome to Han Yu.

“Daughter-in-law, are you really mad at me? This past year has brought about too many upheavals. I’ve been busy non-stop, without time to care for home, leaving you to shoulder the burden of the house and our three children, and continually worried about me. I know it hasn’t been easy for you, you’ve worked hard,” Han Yu softly murmured, coaxing Su Wenyue, explaining to her, and being more patient than before towards his tender daughter-in-law.

At first, Su Wenyue felt somewhat okay, but as Han Yu continued to sweet-talk and cherish her, she felt increasingly wronged. Call it being melodramatic if you must, but in the year-plus that Han Yu was absent, Su Wenyue had to hold the fort at home without a man’s backbone, taking care of everything herself, and raising her children well. Not to mention the unspoken worries from before and the various incidents that succeeded, Su Wenyue had always kept them bottled up within her. Adding to that her concern for Han Yu’s safety, enduring up until now wasn’t easy. It was alright without a man by her side; Su Wenyue had to stay strong. However, once by Han Yu’s side, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“What’s the matter, why the sudden shower of golden beans? Such a delicate creature you are. Luckily, the children didn’t see this, otherwise, they might have laughed at you,” Han Yu saw that despite his soft and soothing coaxing, his daughter-in-law had still burst into tears. It seemed that she indeed had suffered these past days, or else she wouldn’t be acting so aggrieved now. Being a woman raising children alone is never easy, especially when there are three of them.

“Let them laugh, I’m not afraid of that. Anyway, I’ve already been cast aside, so what does it matter if I’m laughed at by the children? If you’re annoyed and don’t want to deal with me, then just ignore me,” Su Wenyue continued to speak in a huff, but her demeanor had noticeably softened, clearly touched by Han Yu’s coaxing.

“What are you saying, daughter-in-law? How could I bear to ignore you? I’ve missed you terribly these many days. Finally seeing you, I don’t even have time to feel spoiled,” Han Yu freely spoke a string of sweet words once he let himself go.

What woman wouldn’t love to hear such words? Despite Su Wenyue maintaining an outward pretense of anger, her heart had already forgiven him, seven or eight parts anyway. There were simply some things she had to insist on clarifying, to assert her stance, which was why she continued playing hard to get.

“You just keep sweet-talking me. If you really missed me so much, wouldn’t you at least have made sure we, your wife and child, weren’t just left abandoned all year, so neglectful en not even to send an extra message? Made me sit there frightened and apprehensive. Then after conquering Yiyang Prefecture, no one was sent to fetch us. If I hadn’t come back on my own, you probably would have forgotten about your mother and child somewhere beyond the clouds,” Su Wenyue said, pinching Han Yu’s waist. But considering his injuries, she didn’t dare to apply too much force, though she would have given him a piece of her mind under normal circumstances!

Su Wenyue felt an uncontrollable fury and panic when mentioning Chen Li. Though she had sized up the presently young ‘Noble Consort Li,’ who was rather naïve with somewhat unimpressive schemes, she must have grown quite a bit to reach her later stature, not to mention even her luck seemed impeccable. Nevertheless, Noble Consort Li was clearly Emperor Wu’s woman in her previous life. This life, however, perhaps due to her own rebirth, seemed to have shifted her interests toward Han Yu, which was utterly bewildering.

When Han Yu heard Su Wenyue bring this up, both knew what Chi Feifei was there for. As for Chen Li, mentioning her gave Han Yu a headache. Seeing his daughter-in-law’s displeased expressions, he feared that she had already met Chen Li, seen through her disguise, and hadn’t gotten along well.

“You’re right, daughter-in-law—if Chi Feifei displeases you, I’ll send her away as soon as I have a free day. After all, she’s just a pretty fixture. But that Chen Li is a bit more troublesome,” Han Yu said with a troubled look on his face when it came to Chen Li, implying that the matter was not as simple as it appeared and had its complications.