Perfect Match – CH 063

Chapter 63

At the Teng Mansion.

Two crabapple trees stood outside the school. The warm spring sunshine caused the buds to burst into beautiful, vibrant blossoms, attracting bees and butterflies that buzzed and fluttered among the branches.

Deng Ruyun stood outside the school gate, watching little Linglang, who was trying hard to straighten her back, writing large characters with the force of a little adult, while Teng Xiao lazily lay on the desk, secretly playing with the gadget in her hand.

After a while, Linglang finally finished writing the characters. She jumped off the stool, held the completed characters, and respectfully walked to the old teacher.

The old teacher looked at the little girl’s characters, nodded, flipped through the book he was going to read to her, and said slowly, “From today onwards, this book is finished. You may go.”

As he finished speaking, he noticed his elementary school student’s eyes were slightly red. He had taught in wealthy families for many years, and there were very few students this young yet so diligent and hardworking. But for such students, the path of learning was always more difficult than for others.

He could not resist wanting to pat her little head, but fearing it might be inappropriate, he patted her shoulder instead.

“The sea of ​​learning is boundless; diligence is the boat. Even if you change schools or teachers in the future, you can continue your studies. As for partings and reunions, these are common occurrences in life; there’s no need to be sad.”

After saying this, the old teacher himself could not sit still any longer. He sighed softly, rose, gathered the books on the table, and left with them.

Linglang stood respectfully in place, bowing as she watched her teacher leave.

Only when her teacher had disappeared into the lush green woods did she sniffle slightly.

Teng Xiao finally got up from her desk, looking at Linglang and the departing teacher with a puzzled expression.

“Why did I hear you saying goodbye to the teacher?”

She scratched her head in confusion. Before Linglang could speak, Deng Ruyun walked in through the back door.

Teng Xiao stepped forward and bowed to her, then repeated his question.

Deng Ruyun could ask the old teacher to finish teaching Linglang the book before taking her away, but she could not directly tell Teng Xiao this, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble.

She could only say, “Linglang’s great-grandmother misses her dearly. Her great-grandmother is very old, and we do not know how many years she has left. For now, we can only send Linglang back to be with her great-grandmother; she will not be attending school for now.”

“Ah?” Teng Xiao frowned upon hearing this. “Linglang will not be with me anymore? Then will I not be all alone?”

Not only would she be the only one under the teacher’s watchful eye, but she had also grown accustomed to having Linglang, her little confidante, by her side. Without Linglang, she felt as if her days would return to the gloomy, suffocating past.

Teng Xiao hurriedly grabbed Linglang’s hand, not wanting her to leave, and then pulled Deng Ruyun’s hand as well.

“Will you bring Linglang back, Sister-in-law?”

Linglang looked at her with wide eyes.

Deng Ruyun felt a pang of sadness at their stares and could only say, “Of course… I will bring her back when there’s a chance.”

But that so-called opportunity might never come again.

Deng Ruyun called to Linglang, “Say goodbye to Aunt Xiao.”

Teng Xiao was somewhat comforted by Deng Ruyun’s words, but little Linglang seemed to understand the hidden meaning behind her aunt’s words.

Her little nose turned red. She first gave Teng Xiao a proper bow, then could not help but hug her.

She clutched Teng Xiao’s skirt with her little hands, burying her head in her arms. Teng Xiao exclaimed and quickly squatted down, holding the little one in her arms.

“It’s alright, it’s alright, you will be back in a few days. I will personally go to the east of the city to pick you up!”

She knew nothing, and Deng Ruyun did not know how long it would take for her lie to be exposed. She could only pat Linglang’s head. “Alright, we still need to go to Canglang Pavilion to say goodbye to the old lady.”

Teng Xiao reluctantly hugged Linglang and comforted her several times before letting her go.

She would never step into her mother’s Canglang Pavilion without a reason. She escorted Deng Ruyun and her niece to the entrance of Canglang Pavilion before reluctantly returning to her own Chengfeng Garden.

Deng Ruyun wiped Linglang’s eyes to make her look more normal before taking her to see the old lady Lin.

Linglang had been studying at the Teng family for half a year, and now that she was leaving, Deng Ruyun instructed her to give the old lady Lin a proper bow.

“Thank you for letting her study at the residence for half a year. She has been a great disturbance. I will send her back today.”

The old lady Lin repeatedly told the young girl not to stand on ceremony, beckoning her to her side. Seeing that the young girl was so well-behaved and polite at such a young age and had never caused any trouble since studying at the Teng family, she was so endearing. Not only did Teng Yue and Teng Xiao like her, but even she found the child utterly adorable.

But being too close to someone so adorable would inevitably lead to joy and sorrow.

Old Madam Lin could not keep her any longer. She took a New Year’s gift pouch from her sleeve and placed it in Linglang’s arms.

Deng Ruyun quickly stepped forward to refuse, “Absolutely not, please do not spend any more money.”

Old Madam Lin waved her hand. “It’s nothing, just a little money for the child’s education.”

Deng Ruyun declined repeatedly but could not refuse. She could only thank Old Madam Lin personally and accept the pouch.

She had actually prepared a farewell gift for Teng Xiao, but unfortunately, she could not take it out directly before she left.

It was a silver jewelry set, made by the largest silversmith in Xi’an Prefecture, based on a design Teng Xiao had shown her before. It contained hidden mechanisms, and within the small, empty compartment, Deng Ruyun had also hidden poison, imitating the bandit leader’s.

In Xiuniang’s words, a set of custom-made jewelry had cost a considerable sum.

But Deng Ruyun was no longer the Deng Ruyun of a year ago, burdened with a family and struggling financially. With Yuyun Hall’s current operations, this amount of money was nothing. She and Teng Xiao were, in a sense, “sisters-in-law”; it was fate, and it was what she should give.

However, after Linglang thanked Old Madam Lin, Deng Ruyun had a maid from Canglang Pavilion escort her back. Once everyone had left, she took a letter from her sleeve and placed it on the table in front of Old Madam Lin.

“This… divorce agreement, I’ve finished writing it. Please take a look and see if it’s acceptable. If not, I will rewrite it.”

Old Madam Lin saw that the divorce agreement was already written, without any hesitation or lingering. She knew that this girl’s mind was truly as clear as a mirror.

What was rightfully hers, she would accept; what was not, she would not take a single penny of. Having chosen Fourth Young Lady Zhang as Teng Yue’s wife, she would not linger a single day longer, relinquishing her position as his betrothed.

No wonder Teng Yue was so attentive to her; it was ultimately a mistake…

Old Madam Lin opened the divorce letter. She saw that Deng Ruyun’s handwriting was delicate and clear. The letter contained no sorrowful words, nor was it lengthy; it was clean and concise.

In this letter, she only told Teng Yue that the Teng family was noble, and all their in-laws were from high-ranking families, while she was just an ordinary girl from the countryside.

The ancients often said that a marriage between equals was a good match. Her social standing was far inferior to Teng Yue’s, and they should not have been a good match. Even if they were forced into marriage for some reason, they were ultimately not suitable.

The matter of the Teng family being forced into marriage by the Prince Enhua’s Mansion was over, and her grudges in her hometown of Jinzhou had been settled. In fact, she should have divorced half a year ago, but it had been delayed until now.

Husband and wife were not a good match; they could not grow old together. Since this was so, it was better to separate sooner rather than later, with dignity, and each to seek a better future.

Old Madam Lin read the entire divorce agreement. Deng Ruyun’s words of divorce were clear and concise, like a sharp dagger, severing all marital ties with Teng Yue over the past year.

Old Madam Lin silently glanced at the girl sitting below.

She sat as usual, her face expressionless, but when her eyelids flickered, she seemed to show the redness under her eyes.

She knew how much Teng Yue liked her, and perhaps, unintentionally, she had felt a flutter of attraction herself—after all, she was just a teenage girl. But if she had such feelings, how could she suppress them to write this divorce letter, like a sharp dagger severing everything?

In the moment of putting pen to paper, did she feel any heartache?

A sudden, sharp, hesitant pain gripped Old Madam Lin’s heart.

She only looked at the girl below.

If she simply left with the divorce letter, then her time at the Shen family’s house would be the last time she saw Teng Yue.

In that last meeting, before being urged to leave, Teng Yue held her hand, asking if she was unwell and telling her to go home and rest…

Old Madam Lin felt a tightness in her heart.

If this girl were her own child, could she bear to cruelly drive her away when they were gradually falling in love?

Old Madam Lin knew she had hesitated far too much.

The outcome was already predetermined the moment she found Deng Ruyun and signed the contract; it was just that this day had come too soon, or perhaps too late.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

She could not hesitate any longer.

She spoke to Deng Ruyun, “That’s fine; write it like this.”

How could she let the young lady go back and rewrite every single word of the divorce agreement?

She told Deng Ruyun, “Go back and pack your things.”

After saying this, she saw the young lady stand up. She lowered her eyes to hide the redness, just like that day in the carriage, without saying anything more, only calmly saying,

“Alright.”

*

In Liumingxuan courtyard.

Deng Ruyun first sent Linglang back, then called Xiuniang to pack up all the medicine and medicinal materials she used for making medicine in the courtyard.

As for the things in the room, she did not let anyone in again. She closed the door and looked at the room, which was now crammed with her personal belongings. She recalled how she had initially tried to keep things organized and separate from him, but as the days went by, too much of their lives had become intertwined and inseparable.

Liumingxuan courtyard was quiet; not a breath of wind could be heard in the courtyard. Only the sounds of craftsmen working on landscaping in the main courtyard of the Teng family in the distance could be heard.

They were planting bamboo. A few days ago, she had heard Xiuniang say that the mansion had bought all sorts of precious bamboo and planted them inside and outside the main courtyard.

She had heard that the fourth young lady of the Zhang family liked bamboo. Were these bamboo plants planted for her?

As for the main courtyard, Teng Yue had previously wanted to take her there, but how could she, a contract wife, live in the main courtyard of his legal wife?

After she left Liumingxuan, this place was destined to fall into disrepair. A new mistress would take over the mansion, and this place, which should not be remembered, should be locked away behind heavy doors.

It would not be until everyone was gone, until weeds grew rampant, until many, many years later, when no one remembered who had ever lived here, before it was cleaned, repaired, and reopened.

Deng Ruyun walked slowly through the room, picking up her scattered belongings one by one. The sheer number was astounding.

But when she looked up at the bookshelves, she saw that they were already overflowing with medical books and pharmacopoeias. Even the paintings in the porcelain vases had been replaced with herbal identification charts.

She could not take these books and paintings with her, but leaving them on the shelves seemed inappropriate.

Deng Ruyun tiptoed, carefully moving the books down the shelf one by one and stuffing them into a dark, shadowy box. But even on tiptoe, with her hands outstretched, she could not reach the top two shelves.

In the dim, empty room, a familiar voice seemed to echo in her ears—

“Come on, you cannot reach them? Could you not just ask me to help you?” He took two steps forward, standing behind her, his tall frame enveloping her in his arms. With a slight reach, he took down the top book.

“Which one do you want to read? Never mind, I will get them all for you. Next time you cannot reach them, remember to speak up and call for help…”

The candlelight crackled in the dim room.

Still standing in front of the bookshelf, Deng Ruyun hesitated for a moment, then turned around.

There was no one behind her, only the faint candlelight flickering weakly.

Deng Ruyun took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She did not force herself; she moved a stool, stepped onto it, and took down the medical books and pharmacopoeias one by one.

The bookshelf was now eight or nine-tenths empty, as if a smooth floor had been hollowed out with a shovel.

A sense of emptiness and unease filled Deng Ruyun’s heart, but she quickly turned away, pushing the box full of books to a corner next to the bookshelf. But then she noticed a bright red silk flower on the cabinet beside the bookshelf.

“The red silk flower that everyone is scrambling to grab,” he said.

“I asked the Commander for two, and I saved one for you.”

“I did not have time to attend the opening of Yuyun Hall, so this is my apology. Is that alright?”

The red silk flower felt soft and smooth in her hand; even with the closed windows and doors of the room, its brilliance was not diminished in the slightest.

Perhaps thanks to the luck brought by this flower, Deng Ruyun’s Yuyun Hall business was indeed booming day by day. But this was his triumphant flower; how could she secretly hide it in her luggage and take it away?

She glanced down again and saw the palm-sized box beside her, containing a Tatar-style bracelet.

This was also one he had brought back that time.

Back then, he had stubbornly refused to admit that he had snatched it from the Tatar’s wrist.

He only said, “I did not snatch it; Wang Fuxiang gave it to me. The Tatars came all this way; they had to leave something behind, did they not?”

She did not believe him, secretly laughing to herself, but he suddenly pulled her into his arms, pressing his forehead against hers and asking,

“Are you disgusted by this? Or are you laughing at me?”

“I am not disgusted by it.”

He paused. “So you are making fun of me?”

She could not help herself and burst out laughing.

He placed his warm lips on her smiling eyes.

“Yunniang, did you miss me?”

… …

The tears she had been desperately holding back finally fell like raindrops.

Deng Ruyun tried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed, an endless stream.

Seeing it was futile, she lowered her head and sat down on a stool, trying to calm herself, but eventually she buried her face in her curled-up knees.

The room was silent, broken only by her weak sobs.

She was different from Teng Yue.

Teng Yue knew nothing, but she was the opposite; she knew everything, and everything was crystal clear.

She told herself she should not cry, but then she suddenly thought of Teng Yue.

She could not wait for him in Liumingxuan anymore; all that awaited him was her divorce letter, barely containing a few words.

What would he do when he returned home and saw this letter?

Would he even acknowledge it? Would he…?

She dared not think further; she quickly stopped herself.

Perhaps, perhaps nothing would happen. Perhaps she was not that important to him anyway; once she was gone, she was gone…

She repeated this to herself in her heart. She stood up again, leaving behind the books, the red silk flower, and the Tatar bracelet—these were all too precious; she should not have accepted them. The only thing she picked up was the clay figurine of a girl carrying a medicine basket.

Making a clay figurine did not cost much, and she had her own selfish motives; she wanted to secretly keep this figurine.

This clay figurine was her likeness; no one would like it here. She might as well take it.

Deng Ruyun tidied up the entire room, packing all her belongings into several trunks. She should leave.

But just then, a commotion arose from the outer courtyard.

Deng Ruyun stiffened. Had Teng Yue returned ahead of schedule?

He had sent word earlier that things were quite troublesome and he might be away for more than half a month. Had he returned after only a few days?

She looked at the few boxes she had just packed at her feet, unsure whether to unpack them and disguise them for her own return or hastily pack her bedding and leave.

However, someone from the outer courtyard came to deliver a message, saying it was not the general who had returned home.

“It’s the medicine the general brought for Madam from Ningxia; it has finally arrived.”

Deng Ruyun was slightly taken aback. She then remembered that Teng Yue had mentioned buying two cartloads of medicine for her in Ningxia as a congratulatory gift for the opening of Yuyun Hall, but the purchase and delivery of this batch of medicine had been delayed due to the Tartar invasion. She had not expected it to arrive at this time.

Deng Ruyun paused slightly upon hearing this and followed the people to the front courtyard. She thought that two cartloads of medicine could be easily moved by five or six people.

However, upon reaching the outer courtyard, she immediately saw over twenty people, along with two groups of horses and carts, all blocking the entrance. The two carts Teng Yue had mentioned were not two carts at all; there were two entire convoys.

No wonder they had been moving so slowly; no wonder the medicine had only appeared before her now.

Was he afraid she would not accept it? So he deliberately gave her only two cartloads.

Deng Ruyun looked at the cartloads of rare medicine that had traveled from beyond the Great Wall to the interior—enough for nearly half a year’s supply for Yuyun Hall.

She stood there, stunned, looking at the vast crowd of people and medicine, unsure what to do.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Lin, drawn by the commotion, also came over to take a look.

She was taken aback by the sheer quantity of medicinal herbs, and upon learning that Teng Yue had bought them for Deng Ruyun in Ningxia, she fell into a silent reverie.

Deng Ruyun, seeing this, stepped forward.

“Madam, I only asked the General to transport two cartloads of medicine for me, but I did not expect him to send two convoys… I will have someone come and count them and take them away right away. I will have Shopkeeper Qin deliver the money for these herbs at market price as soon as possible.”

Two cartloads of herbs and two convoys of herbs were not the same thing.

Deng Ruyun did not know if Shopkeeper Qin could help her raise the money. But she was about to leave; what would it mean to still owe the Teng family money?

Or perhaps, she could simply forgo the remaining money from the contract that Old Madam Lin wanted to give her…

But before she could say this, Old Madam Lin waved her hand.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Since he gave it to you, just keep it.”

Deng Ruyun shook her head repeatedly, saying that if she took these to the medicinal herb market, they could buy herself a small house.

“The General has gone to too much trouble. I really cannot accept it.”

But Old Madam Lin did not really listen to Deng Ruyun’s words.

She only watched her son fighting in Ningxia, yet he did not forget to buy medicinal herbs for the girl. Two cartloads of herbs filled the outer courtyard, their aroma making her uneasy.

He bought so many herbs; just how much did he love this girl?

But she just let Deng Ruyun go, leaving him only a divorce agreement.

How could he give up? How could he accept it?

Old Madam Lin felt her heart in turmoil.

She knew her son’s character well.

Despite Teng Xiao’s unconventional ways, the most decisive person was not her, nor her deceased eldest son Teng Qi, but rather Teng Yue!

Otherwise, why had she not dared mention the contract to him at all?

Deng Ruyun noticed that Old Madam Lin’s expression was unpleasant, and she was even more reluctant to accept the gifts.

“I will have Shopkeeper Qin deliver the money the General spent.”

How could she accept the medicinal herbs he had paid for and then leave behind the divorce papers and walk away?

That was too unfair to him; it was tantamount to marriage fraud.

But Old Madam Lin shook her head and told Deng Ruyun to go to a secluded place.

“Yunniang, the contract I signed with you was not exactly fair or just. Accepting these herbs is compensation you deserve. However, I have other ideas regarding the divorce.”

She gazed at the medicinal herbs in the distance and sighed softly.

“I think if you just leave like this, even leaving behind the divorce papers, Teng Yue probably will not accept them.”

If he could not accept this divorce from Yunniang, he could not marry the Zhang family girl again, so what’s the point of the divorce?

Old Madam Lin pondered for a moment and said.

“Stay a few more days. I think rather than just giving him the divorce papers, you should speak to him in person to put an end to his hopes.”

Even if he could not put an end to his hopes, if Deng Ruyun then leaves again, it would be traceable to him, and he would not find it too hard to accept. Constantly harassing Yunniang and making her life difficult would only make things harder for her.

Even if he’s unwilling at first, he would eventually accept it over time.

Old Madam Lin looked at Deng Ruyun.

“Yunniang, do you think this will work?”

A cricket chirped in the corner, its sharp sound piercing the ear.

Deng Ruyun’s heart tightened suddenly.