A Misty Night, With A Crystal-Clear Moon - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Coldness and Refuge
Sikong Nuo turned around and smiled at Yu Linglong and Cui Xin. “Miss, you must have been startled just now.”
Yu Linglong looked at him expressionlessly, saying nothing, only watching Cui Xin pack up the fabric. Sikong Nuo stood there awkwardly, feeling that the young woman was as cold as ice.
“Miss, he’s called Sikong Nuo, the famous Jade-Faced Divine Boxer of the Shanghai Bund, and I’m A-Yuan,” A-Yuan said, smiling cheerfully.
Cui Xin was about to speak but was caught by a quick glance from Yu Linglong. She immediately understood and, stopping herself, obediently followed Yu Linglong out of the silk shop.
“Ah, that Miss is so impolite! We saved her, but she acted so distant, as if we were the ones who bullied her,” A-Yuan fumed.
Sikong Nuo rushed out after Yu Linglong but did not chase after them, just stood there looking into the distance. A-Yuan, not understanding, waved his hand in front of his eyes. Sikong Nuo, interrupted in his thoughts, impatiently swatted A-Yuan’s hand away and said, “What are you doing?”
“That’s what I should be asking! They’ve gone far away. What’s left to look at? If you’re unhappy, you can find her another day to reason with her.”
Sikong Nuo waved him off. “Hmph, what do you know?”
Cui Xin still didn’t understand why Yu Linglong was so cold toward Sikong Nuo. When she finally saw Linglong’s expression soften a little, she asked, “Miss, that Sikong Nuo at least saved us. You not only left without a word of thanks, but you didn’t even give him a pleasant look. Cui Xin truly feels that Miss went a bit too far.”
“Hmph, you dare to blame me? If you hadn’t caused trouble, how would we have fallen into that predicament? He is just a small-time thug on the Shanghai Bund. All they do is fight evil with evil. He saved me today, but won’t he bully others tomorrow? What is there to thank a person like that for? Besides, who knows if his rescue was sincere? This is not Suzhou. Without my father’s protection, we must be careful about everything. The human heart is treacherous, especially in this complicated Great Shanghai. Cui Xin, you need to restrain your troublesome mouth, or one day even I won’t be able to save you.”
Cui Xin hadn’t realized she had caused such a big problem, nor did she realize she was already in a place where she needed to be cautious everywhere. She was an extremely simple girl whose eyes only saw the beauty in the world.
“When we get to Auntie’s house, we must also be reserved. My uncle is the Police Commissioner, a man of status. Also, he has a concubine. Since we are here seeking refuge, we must be humble and meek, though thankfully we have Auntie. I don’t remember what she looks like anymore, but she was always very good to Father and me.”
Cui Xin listened carefully to Linglong’s instructions. As they were talking, they arrived.
Yu Linglong straightened her attire, stepped forward, and knocked three times. Soon, a young man came, opening the door just a crack. He looked Yu Linglong up and down and asked, “Who are you looking for, Miss?”
“I am Yu Linglong. I am looking for your Madam, coming from Suzhou.”
“Suzhou?” The man looked at Linglong again and said, “I will go announce you. Please wait a moment.”
Linglong assented and waited quietly outside the door. A moment later, a commotion came from inside. The door suddenly swung open, and a dignified-looking woman smiled at her, calling out, “Long’er.”
This woman was Yu Tianmei, the older sister of Yu Tianqi. Old Master Yu had only these two children, both dearly loved without bias. The sister and brother had been mutually loving and respectful until Yu Tianmei married and moved to Shanghai.
“Auntie!” She immediately shed all her defenses and rushed into the Madam’s arms, unable to stop herself from sobbing quietly.
The woman gently patted her back, saying, “Poor child, it will all pass.”
The woman led her to her room, pulled her close, and made her sit beside her, examining her from head to toe. “Tianqi was truly blessed to raise such a beautiful daughter like you. The last time I saw you, you were just a six-year-old girl, yet you could already recite three hundred Tang poems. Back then, I told Tianqi that this daughter of his would marry no ordinary man. Who knew he would say, ‘I don’t think any man under heaven is worthy of my daughter, nor do I want her to rely on men. She will be the most unique woman in the world.’ At the time, I thought your father was greatly exaggerating, but he truly meant it, sending you to the best girls’ school in England when you were just ten. Now that I see you, you are indeed vastly different.”
Linglong’s face flushed slightly. “Auntie, Linglong has missed you very much. You won’t blame me for only coming to see you now, will you?”
“Of course not. It’s just that this happened so suddenly, it truly catches one off guard.”
“Auntie, do you know the full story of what happened?”
The woman’s expression suddenly changed. She forced a smile and said, “You don’t need to worry about that. Just settle down here and let me know anything you need. From now on, this is your home.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a sharp voice drifted in: “Hmph, she truly thinks highly of herself. This place is surnamed Lang, not Yu. Can the First Madam really make that decision?”
“You! She is my niece, and this is my home! Why can’t I decide?” the woman retorted angrily.
“You know this is your home? I thought you had forgotten your own surname! Don’t forget, your surname is Lang now, not Yu.”
“Alright, alright, stop bickering in the middle of the day.”
As soon as the woman saw him, she quickly retracted her sharp tone and cooed, “Oh, the Master is home.” She gave Yu Tianmei a triumphant side-eye and ushered a man into the room.
The man was still in his police uniform. He was slightly overweight, not quite fitting the image of a policeman who catches bad guys all day, yet he was indeed Lang Qiyou, the Police Commissioner of Shanghai. Linglong quickly stood up and greeted him, “Hello, Uncle.”
Lang Qiyou looked at her with his head tilted. “Hmm, so you’re Tianqi’s child. You’ve grown so big now.”
Linglong smiled. “It was disloyal of Linglong not to visit you and Auntie sooner. I came in a hurry and didn’t bring many good things. I hope Uncle and Auntie won’t despise them.”
With that, she instructed Cui Xin to bring out the two boxes of gifts. Lang Qiyou merely glanced at them and nodded. Yu Tianmei said with concern, “This child, running all the way here alone, with things happening back home, why bring so many gifts?”
“First Madam, you are wrong. Miss Yu is a guest from your family. It’s about giving and receiving courtesies; how can one visit someone’s house without bringing gifts? Uncle Zhang, please put these away properly. I see some of the silks are quite nice. My Xiao Bei needs clothes; I’ll have a few made for her tomorrow.”
Uncle Zhang, the Lang residence’s butler, acknowledged her and left, much to Linglong’s surprise. Linglong secretly looked at Yu Tianmei, whose expression was dark and deeply unpleasant.
The atmosphere was rather awkward. Just then, two similar-looking children, a boy and a girl, rushed in, calling “Daddy” and clinging to Lang Qiyou. Lang Qiyou finally cracked a smile, holding one child in each arm.
The other woman laughed. “These two just love hanging onto you; there’s nothing to be done.” As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Yu Tianmei. Yu Tianmei’s face grew even darker. Yu Linglong saw that her aunt, despite being the legal wife, was receiving such cold treatment, and she felt quite upset. However, constrained by her status, she dared not speak out and could only tolerate it.
“Who is she?” the little boy asked, pointing at Yu Linglong.
“Oh, she is your cousin. Quick, say hello to your cousin,” Yu Tianmei replied.
“Hmph, yes, a destitute, trouble-plagued cousin with nowhere else to go,” the other woman commented.
Cui Xin could no longer hold back and was about to scold the woman, but remembering Yu Linglong’s instructions, she had to swallow her words.
“How can you speak like that?” Yu Tianmei chastised.
“Then how should I speak? When something happens and they fall into misfortune, they suddenly remember this place. This isn’t a homeless shelter.”
“You!”
“Enough, enough, Lü Qiao. After all, we have a guest.” He turned to Yu Linglong. “Since you are here, stay for now. Tianmei, arrange a room for her, and she can rest before anything else.”
“Yes,” Lü Qiao replied unwillingly.