My Dearest Sister-In-Law, I've Been Waiting For You To Get A Divorce For A Long Time - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

◎ “I love to read. How about I learn from this book first and then teach you, sister-in-law?” ◎

Perhaps because it was the third month of summer, the weather was unpredictable. Just an hour ago, the sun was out, but now, the sky had changed.

A light rain began to fall, fine as silk and mist.

Inside the room, Gu Wenyao’s bathtub was placed next to a round window. The blinds were drawn, so she could see the distant corridor and the lotus pond, while anyone looking in from the outside would only see a simple round window painted with a picture of fish playing among lotuses.

The bathtub was giving off warm, white steam. Gu Wenyao stepped into the tub, still wearing her thin, translucent outer robe.

The water soaked the fabric, moving up from her ankles to her calves, clinging to the contours of her body.

The light blue color seemed to spread in the warm water, blending with the pale, pinkish tones of her skin.

Gu Wenyao stood in the tub, getting used to the water temperature. She gently moved the water, which reached her waist, letting her long hair slide over her shoulders to get wet and then stick to her body.

Mo Shuqing had written her a letter that was supposed to be from two years ago, beginning with Ayao.

‘Ayao, to see this letter is to see me.‘

Gu Wenyao bent her knees and sat down in the tub, letting the ripples of the water wash over her chest and up to her shoulders.

The sheer silk fabric was completely soaked. It wasn’t comfortable to wear against her skin, but the color was similar to the clothes Mo Shuqing wore in the painting, and that was enough for her to love it.

Gu Wenyao sat in the tub, leaning against the side with one knee hugged to her chest. Her gaze passed through the hazy steam to the painting on the screen. The contents of the letter echoed in her mind.

‘Today is my coming-of-age ceremony. Father says even though our family’s finances are not good, we can’t let this moment pass without something to remember it by. Something to make this day special.‘

‘But memories eventually fade with time. It’s better to put them on paper so they can be viewed again and again. So I asked a painter to create a portrait for me.‘

‘The sun outside was so hot. I stood under the tree for two hours. I wasn’t happy at all. I couldn’t even force a smile. I was so tired. But today, I am sixteen, and I still want you to see what I look like from all the way in Lingnan.‘

‘As I wrote this, I thought that Ayao is fourteen this year. At this age, you must be prettier than flowers and juicier than lychees. I can’t see you, but knowing you are well in the capital gives me peace.‘

‘This short letter and a simple painting have traveled a long, long way. I don’t know when they will get to you.‘

‘I only wish that seeing this painting makes you happy.‘

It was a short letter. The words on the white paper didn’t mention longing, yet the whole letter was filled with the thought, “I wish I could see what you look like now.”

Gu Wenyao lowered her eyes, letting her eyelashes be soaked by the steam. Her heart, like her body, was submerged in the water, feeling hot and swollen.

The missing pieces and the regrettable break in their connection were being slowly mended by Mo Shuqing.

Gu Wenyao leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes, a soft smile on her lips. She put one hand on her shoulder and slowly moved it down. The fingers of her other hand hovered over the painting, tracing its lines in the air. The water on her hand flowed down her palm and forearm, eventually disappearing into the tub.

Her fingers meticulously traced the shape of the other’s body. Finally, her hand landed on the side of the face, as if she were gently caressing her face. Her eyes looked hazily out.

How could she not covet a sister-in-law as good as this?

It was a shame she couldn’t get the painting wet. Gu Wenyao felt a little wronged and pressed her wet palm against her own face.

She lifted her head, and her palm moved from her face to her neck, then slid down her shoulder to her chest. The silk fabric was like her skin, but when she squeezed and kneaded it, it would wrinkle. It felt like her heart was being held, rubbed, and squeezed by her hand. Her heartbeat became a low, steady drumbeat.

The light rain outside grew heavier, the sound of it pattering down.

In the quiet courtyard, Gu Wenyao sat in the tub and could hear the rain hitting the water of the pond. The full pond received even more water, almost to the point of overflowing.

Gu Wenyao’s eyelashes fluttered. She remembered the scene from earlier that day, when she hugged Mo Shuqing.

Her sister-in-law’s shoulders were slender, her waist narrowed below them, leaving two hollows.

Gu Wenyao hunched her shoulders and hugged her own waist. She gently rubbed her palms and then placed them on her legs.

The more cold and proper Mo Shuqing was in the painting, the more excited Gu Wenyao became. She was like a man trying to get a clam to open its shell, with great patience, gently turning the pearl inside with her fingers.

There seemed to be a wind outside.

Gu Wenyao’s hazy eyes looked out. Her eyelashes, like a butterfly’s tail, were so wet she couldn’t tell if it was from the steam or her tears. They were now clumped together in strands.

She rarely looked so healthy and vibrant. Her face was flushed like a pink lotus, and her eyes held a hint of seductive obsession. She listened to the sound of the rain hitting the lotus leaves and looked at Mo Shuqing’s painting, biting her lip and moaning softly.

The tub rippled, and the waves came and went two or three times before the water became cold and she finally calmed down.

Gu Wenyao was covered in sweat. Her long hair was wet and stuck to her shoulders and back. Stray hairs were plastered to her forehead and face.

With her white skin and dark hair, and her red lips and hazy eyes, she had melted like spring water. Every part of her seemed to be overflowing with contentment, like a deep red rose blooming in the rain, so luxurious that it made one want to bend down and kiss her.

Although her body was weak, Gu Wenyao’s smile was satisfied.

She loved both the painting and the letter.

“Yi Yun,” she said after a moment, getting out of the tub and putting on a robe. “Change the water.”

That was when she truly began to wash.

After Gu Wenyao changed back into her light blue dress and had her hair dried and put up in a simple bun, she went to see the servant who was waiting to deliver the message.

After hearing that Aunt Gu wanted to hold a lotus appreciation banquet for Jingchun, Gu Wenyao smiled. “Is this banquet for my sister Jingchun, or for me?”

“It’s naturally for the Third Lady,” the servant replied.

Gu Wenyao’s smile didn’t change. She just held her teacup and said with a hint of mockery, “I didn’t know my mother gave birth to another third sister for me. A young lady who is a cousin dares to be ranked by age with the Marquis’s direct daughters.”

The servant lowered her head with a forced smile. “I misspoke, my lady. It’s a banquet for the cousin. The Madam and the Eldest Lady have both agreed to it. The Eldest Lady also asked the Eldest Lady to help her with the preparations.”

“She asked my sister-in-law?” Gu Wenyao’s voice rose slightly. She pursed her lips in a smile. She put down her teacup and said casually, underestimating them, “Then I’ll give my sister-in-law some face. I’ll see what kind of lotus banquet she and my elder aunt can plan.”

Seeing her agree, the servant immediately went back to report.

The news that Gu Wenyao had agreed to let Aunt Gu host the banquet not only reached Aunt Gu but also Mo Shuqing.

It was raining outside. Mama Liu came in with a closed umbrella.

Mo Shuqing saw Mama Liu, who was covered in water droplets, approach her. She paused her hands from opening a letter and subtly moved to the side, to prevent the moisture on Mama Liu from damaging the letters in her hand. “Ayao agreed to let my aunt hold the banquet?”

“You already know, my lady? I came to tell you about that,” Mama Liu said, though she was a little confused. “Why did the Second Lady agree to give the banquet to the Eldest Lady? She knows that the Eldest Lady will try to make money off of it.”

“I’m not afraid of her profiting from it. I’m afraid she won’t dare to,” Mo Shuqing said calmly. “To fish, you have to be willing to give out bait. I want to see what my aunt is really doing behind our backs. She must be in desperate need of money.”

Mo Shuqing remembered something and laughed mockingly. Her voice was cold. “Someone who dares to plot murder for money won’t be afraid to take a few bribes.”

After hearing her say that, Mama Liu also started to think. “Aunt Gu is the Eldest Lady of the Marquis manor and the Marquis’s own sister. She married into an Earl’s manor. She shouldn’t have any large expenses. Why is she so intent on making money, and so urgently? The moment she saw that you were willing to give her a chance to team up with her, she immediately used her daughter’s name to hold this lotus banquet to deal with the Second Lady. It seems she’s been planning this for a while.”

“The more urgent she is, the more likely she is to make a mistake,” Mo Shuqing said, slowly unfolding a letter. She looked up at Mama Liu. “Have someone follow her closely and investigate thoroughly. There must be a big reason behind this.”

The letter in Mo Shuqing’s hand was one Gu Wenyao had written when she was eight or nine years old. In the letter, Gu Wenyao was complaining that the food at the Marquis manor was bad and she couldn’t eat what she wanted.

Mo Shuqing thought about it. At that time, Gu Wenyao had a chronic illness from falling into the water and should have been taking medicine and watching what she ate. But in the letter, she didn’t mention that she had almost drowned. She only complained like a spoiled child that the food wasn’t to her liking.

The handwriting on the letter was still very immature. Through this letter, Mo Shuqing felt as if she could see the Ayao of the past.

Mo Shuqing unfolded a piece of paper and picked up her brush. She called Qinglu to grind the ink and prepared to write a reply.

Mama Liu could read a few characters. She looked at the date on the letter and laughed. “My lady, this letter is from seven years ago. What’s the point of replying to it now?”

“For time, it’s meaningless, since it has already passed,” Mo Shuqing said, rolling up her sleeves. “But for a person, it’s very meaningful, because that person is here now, and it’s not too late to make up for my regrets.”

Mama Liu said “This…” and didn’t quite understand.

Mo Shuqing saw her still standing there and stopped writing. “Do you have anything else to tell me, Mama?”

“Oh, right, I almost forgot,” Mama Liu said suddenly. “When we came back today, the Madam told me that you shouldn’t just sit in your own courtyard. Now that you’re married, you should go see the Young Marquis.”

Mo Shuqing was silent for a moment, regretting asking that question.

She lowered her eyes and continued to write, letting Mama Liu’s nagging wash over her like a chant.

Mama Liu continued, “You don’t know this, my lady, but when the legal wife enters the household, the concubines are allowed to have children. If that b1tch takes this opportunity to sow discord between you and the Young Marquis and has a child first, she’ll be made a side wife sooner or later. What will you do then?”

“If you ask me, my lady, you should be at the Young Marquis’s side. The moment he gets better, you should consummate your marriage,” Mama Liu mumbled. “Why didn’t the Madam get a few more people to look at the Young Marquis? How much longer will he have to be bedridden?”

“There’s no love between Gu Shufeng and me. There’s no need for others to sow discord,” Mo Shuqing said helplessly. “I’ll remember what you said, Mama. After I finish this letter, I’ll go see him.”

Mo Shuqing agreed, saying she would go immediately, but by the time she finished writing and was about to leave, the rain had stopped. The sky was dark and hazy, and the lanterns had been hung in the courtyard.

She had already walked out of her courtyard gate when Mo Shuqing remembered something. She turned and told Qinglu to go back to her room and get something for her.

She sat at a stone table, waiting. “Mother said to have me look at it. It’s probably a book about how to be a good couple, to teach Gu Shufeng and me how to be a mutually respectful husband and wife.”

Mo Shuqing had no good feelings toward Gu Shufeng. She planned to read the book to calm her mind before going to visit her husband, to whom she was married in name only and had not even bowed.

Qinglu returned quickly, holding a flat wooden box. “Here you go, my lady.”

Mo Shuqing took it and opened it. Inside was a book. Under the faint light of the sky and the lantern in Mama Liu’s hand, Mo Shuqing opened the dark blue book that had no name.

With just one glance, Mo Shuqing’s face went blank. She closed the book.

She threw the book into the small wooden box and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe her fingers, as if they were dirty.

Mama Liu saw her throw the book and found it amusing. “Don’t be shy, my lady. All young women have to go through this. Just read it more and you’ll understand.”

“I don’t think I need to understand this,” Mo Shuqing said, ignoring her completely. She was about to get up and go see Gu Shufeng when she heard Gu Wenyao’s confused voice from behind her.

The courtyards were so close that when the lanterns were lit in one, the other could see.

Gu Wenyao walked over. “Hmm, what book has my sister-in-law so unhappy?”

When she saw the book’s cover from the corner of her eye, Gu Wenyao’s breathing hitched for a moment, and then a smile spread across her face.

She stood next to Qinglu, and, on purpose, put her fingers on the small wooden box Qinglu was holding. The corner of her eye lifted, like a snake’s tail, softly wrapping itself around Mo Shuqing.

Mo Shuqing’s face was wooden as she looked at her. She saw that “妖精” (fairy), like a long, slender creature, wrap itself around her and secretly hook her fingers from under her sleeve.

Gu Wenyao held Mo Shuqing’s index and middle fingers. Her voice was a soft chant. “I love to read. How about I learn from this book first and then teach you, sister-in-law?”