Perfect Match – CH 108

Chapter 108 [Extra WHAT IF Chapter] The Young Man (8)

Little Yunniang, who used to practice archery with him on the mountain every morning, now waited at the city gate as soon as it opened. Even the soldiers guarding the city recognized her. It was cold and windy, so they told her to go to a sheltered spot.

“Waiting for Commander Teng again today? I heard he’s been transferred to the Shen family’s army, and will not be back anytime soon, will he?”

Deng Ruyun knew this, but she had been waiting at the city gate since the day after he left, watching the official road leading west, gazing at the long and short pavilions, and counting down the days until his return.

Today was the sixty-third day since he left, and even her thick cotton coat could not ward off the biting wind outside the city gate.

Deng Ruyun waited all morning, but as usual, no one came. She bid farewell to the young soldier guarding the gate and returned home with her head down. Just as she arrived home, she heard a commotion in the backyard.

Deng Ruyun frowned upon hearing the noise. It was her sister-in-law Zhu Yushuang’s stepmother and younger sister.

When her sister-in-law was pregnant and struggling to give birth to Linglang, the two of them did not even offer to help. Instead, seeing her weakened state after childbirth, they frequently came to her door.

Usually, her mother and Aunt Juan would intervene and send the two women away for her sister-in-law. These past two days, her mother and Aunt Juan had gone out of town to collect medicine, and today her father had also gone out of town on business. Only her sister-in-law and Linglang were left at home, and the two of them started shouting in the Deng family courtyard.

Deng Ruyun hurried into the courtyard and overheard her sister-in-law’s stepmother, her aunt, speaking.

“You really are a heartless girl! When your mother passed away, if I had not married your father, and if he had married someone else, it’s hard to say whether you’d have the good life you have today or even have survived.”

These words made her sister-in-law chuckle softly. Little Linglang seemed to be sleeping in the room behind her. She stood under the eaves, her voice soft and carried on the wind.

“When Aunt first married into the Zhu family, she did take care of me. No matter what, I really did grow up under Aunt’s watchful eye…”

But before she could finish, her aunt interrupted her.

“So you still do not know what’s good for you? Your bleeding illness has lasted for half a year and has not healed. You will most likely end up like your mother, never recovering. Once you die, our son-in-law is so young that he will naturally remarry, leaving only a little girl like Linglang. What good life do you think she will have? It would be better to let your younger sister marry into the family and take care of Linglang the way I took care of you. Would that not be better?”

Deng Ruyun was stunned by Madam Zhu’s words, her steps halting at the threshold of the courtyard.

She saw her sister-in-law’s younger sister lower her head upon hearing this, her eyelids rolling upwards as her gaze swept across the spacious courtyard of the Deng family, finally settling on her sister’s face, a blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Sister, do not always disobey Mother. What Mother says is not without reason. I will take good care of Linglang.”

Deng Ruyun felt a chill run down her spine. She could not help but recall what Aunt Juan had mentioned: that her brother and sister-in-law’s wedding had almost caused a major misunderstanding. It was said that the Zhu family wanted this woman, her sister-in-law’s younger sister, to marry in place of her brother and into the Deng family.

At the time, this plan had not worked out, and she had thought Aunt Juan was exaggerating. Now, hearing this, cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

But her sister-in-law smiled. She spoke with a smile.

“My aunt willingly remarried and took care of me back then, and now she’s having my sister remarry and take care of my Linglang? My aunt and sister have been so good to me… But no one knows better than me what kind of life I’ve lived in your presence all these years! You want to take this step again, replacing me and making Linglang suffer the same fate I did? Do not even think about it!”

Deng Ruyun had never heard her sister-in-law speak so harshly before. She was always gentle and kind, her words touching everyone’s hearts, but she always silently endured any hardship, quietly bearing whatever she could. Her mother and brother both felt sorry for her and often reminded Yunniang to treat her sister-in-law even better.

This was the first time Deng Ruyun had heard her sister-in-law speak so angrily, and her eyes inexplicably welled up with tears.

Just then, the wailing of little Linglang from her swaddling clothes came from inside the room.

Seeing that her sister-in-law had lost patience and pointed directly outside, Deng Ruyun said, “You should leave. I am not dead, and I will not die. To prevent Linglang from suffering the same fate as me, I must live. When Heng-ge returns, he will make the best medicine to cure me. Do not worry about me.”

After saying this, she did not bother to look at her aunt and sister again and turned to leave, but her aunt called out to her.

“You really think this bleeding condition can be cured? You think you can live now, but what about next year, the year after…?”

She was about to say more, but Deng Ruyun could not bear it any longer and stormed into the courtyard.

“My sister-in-law has been ill for a long time, but how do you know my brother cannot cure her? Once he returns from beyond the Great Wall, she will be completely healed. And Linglang, no matter what, she still has me as her aunt. I will not let her suffer. You do not need to worry about her!”

Her words stunned the mother and daughter from the Zhu family, and her sister-in-law’s eyes reddened as she looked at her. There was no one else present, and her parents were not there either. Deng Ruyun did not care about family ties and spoke directly.

“The Deng family does not welcome guests today. You should leave!”

These words made the mother and daughter turn deathly pale, while the other’s face turned ashen.

The pale-faced Madam Zhu looked at Deng Ruyun, then at Zhu Yushuang, and finally swept her gaze across the Deng family’s courtyard.

“Very well, very well, your Deng family is impressive. But if you are so impressive, why has Deng Ruheng not returned after so long? Could it be that he’s not coming back?”

Deng Ruyun’s face twitched as she looked at the woman who continued. “Could it be that he died beyond the border?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Yushuang’s expression changed drastically, and Deng Ruyun’s eyes widened. “What did you say?!”

The two women’s strong reactions only emboldened Madam Zhu. Since there were no legitimate elders from the Deng family present, she became even more unrestrained.

“It’s been almost half a year since he left. The border is far, but after so long without him returning, have you, Deng family members, not become restless, searching everywhere for him?”

As she spoke, she narrowed her eyes.

“The Deng family is only slightly better off than we are, but they do not recognize your reputation beyond the Great Wall. If you offend someone, you could be killed in a flash. Who cares about things beyond the Great Wall anyway?”

“Stop talking! Go! Leave now!” Zhu Yushuang’s voice trembled, and Linglang’s cries from inside the room grew louder.

But her aunt laughed instead.

“The Deng family does not want us, and I do not care about the Deng family either! The Deng family only has one son. If Deng Ruheng does not come back…” She pointed at Zhu Yushuang, then at Deng Ruyun, then her fingertip swept over the wailing little Linglang in the room, and finally pointed to the entire Deng family courtyard.

“You will be a widow, and you will have no elder brother. She was born without a father. Your Deng family will be without its pillar of support. I’d like to see how long your Deng family can survive!”

“Haha,” she laughed, seemingly satisfied with her revenge. “Do not blame me for coming to your Deng family’s doorstep and laughing three times!”

As she laughed, her sister-in-law swayed precariously. Deng Ruyun rushed to support her, but the smell of blood on her made her even more uneasy. Hearing these words, her lips turned deathly pale.

Her heart was filled with fear. Her brother had an accident outside the pass, and the two of them were discussing with their parents about personally going out to find him. They barely had a day left…

Deng Ruyun held her sister-in-law tightly, gritting her teeth. If it were not for the fear of her sister-in-law falling, she would have loved to beat that Madam Zhu out the door with a large stick.

But just then, someone stepped in from outside.

His voice, though somewhat weary, resonated deeply in everyone’s ears.

“Who said I would not be coming back?”

The moment the words left his lips, everyone turned to look at the doorway.

The man had lost a lot of weight and seemed to walk with difficulty. He stood leaning against the wooden door, yet he was undeniably there before them.

Deng Ruyun could not help but cry out, “Brother!”

Deng Ruheng nodded and smiled at his sister, but looked towards his wife.

To be honest, before, while he was outside the Great Wall, clearly on his way back, he had inexplicably felt a sense of never returning.

Never to return, never to be with his parents, never to see his sister’s and daughter’s faces again, never to see his Yushuang again…

But now, he had crossed the endless yellow sands, returned to Jinzhou, returned home, and she was right before him.

“Yushuang, I am back.”

He called out, but she remained standing there, frozen, tears streaming down her face.

Deng Ruheng’s heart trembled, and he reached out to her.

“Yushuang.”

The next moment, she suddenly leaped from under the eaves, throwing herself into his arms without a word.

Deng Ruheng leaned against the door, holding his wife tightly.

He gripped her shoulders tightly. “While I was away, were you feeling any better? Did Linglang bother you? I brought all the medicine back; even for the most difficult illness, I can make a cure for you!”

But Zhu Yushuang remained silent, only burying herself deeply in his arms, smelling his familiar scent, feeling the beating of his chest, and sobbing softly.

Little Linglang in the room also cried loudly but quickly stopped.

Deng Ruyun was so excited she almost jumped up. Looking at Madam Zhu, who had just uttered such harsh words, she realized this time it was Deng Ruyun who felt the most vindicated.

“Yes! Who said my brother would not come back? Open your eyes and see for yourselves! My brother is back! He’s back with the medicine! He’s back safe and sound!”

The Deng family would not be without their eldest son, her sister-in-law would not be without her husband, Linglang would not be without her father, and she still had her brother.

Everything was well, and it would only get better!

Madam Zhu’s face could not have been more grim. She stammered, unable to speak, and pulled her daughter away.

After the mother and daughter left, Deng Ruyun loudly called for the servants to sweep the floor, making sure the spot where the mother and daughter had stood was spotless.

But then she suddenly remembered something. She kept looking outside but saw nothing. She could only quickly ask her brother.

“Brother, did you see anyone when you came back from beyond the Great Wall?!”

She was extremely anxious, her eyes wide like saucers. Deng Ruheng looked at his younger sister’s adorable appearance, recalling how he thought he would not see them again, and could not help but glance at her a few more times.

“Who does Yunniang want me to see?”

She panicked, “For example, for example…”

“Your little general?”

Deng Ruyun froze, blinking. She heard her brother speak slowly.

“If it were not for Teng Yue, I might not have come back.”

“Then…where is he?” The little girl was so nervous she could barely speak.

Zhu Yushuang urged Deng Ruheng to stop being so mysterious. “Tell your sister quickly! She’s been waiting forever at the city gates.”

Deng Ruheng raised his hand and patted his sister’s head.

“Your little general is back today, too. He’s at the garrison headquarters.”

Before he finished speaking, Deng Ruheng and Zhu Yushuang saw a gust of wind sweep past them, and Yunniang was nowhere to be seen.

The two exchanged a surprised yet amused look, but then their gazes locked again.

Deng Ruheng gripped his wife’s hand tightly, and Yushuang returned the grip. Suddenly, their daughter Linglang’s indignant babbling filled the room again.

Deng Ruheng embraced his wife and laughed.

“Why does Linglang sound like she can call me ‘Papa’?”