"If only," sighed Ya Family with a sigh, her heart not optimistic after all these years.
The Dong Family lineage was thinning, and the mother-in-law had waited over a decade after having an elder son before she became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. But unexpectedly, the infant was stolen and sold by a servant just after her first month. Though they severely punished the servant, the little aunt vanished without a trace. Thirty years have passed, and the Dong Family has never given up the search, though hope dwindled with each passing day...
Ya Family felt guilty too; she had been married to her husband for so many years, producing only one daughter with mental disabilities. Yet, her husband had never despised her for this, nor had he taken a concubine, not even a maidservant to share his bed. She truly was the sinner of the Dong Family.
"Alright, don’t think about it anymore. You’re tired from the journey too. Rest up," Dong Wenming patted his wife’s shoulder.
"Master," but Ya Family caught Dong Wenming’s hand, "take a concubine."
"Why bring this up again?" Dong Wenming smiled, "We’re of such an age now..."
"Master," Ya Family shook her head, "you’re still young enough to father sons. You’ve been with me for over twenty years; I’m content. Even if it’s just to have a son, Master, I know you don’t care, but I can’t be the sinner of the Dong Family..."
"Alan..."
"I’ve thought it over. If you don’t agree, then when I return, I’ll request to step down from my position and spend the rest of my life in ascetic solitude..." Ya Family’s eyes showed unprecedented determination, "Or, I will prepare a cup of poisoned wine for myself..."
"You..." Dong Wenming frowned, but eventually heaved a sigh, "Let’s at least confirm whether Xiuxiu is still alive, shall we?"
Ya Family sniffed and then nodded her head.
Early on the sixth day, Dong Wenming and Ya Family were waiting at the entrance of the side courtyard because Yang Ruxin had accepted his silver, saying she would return today to treat the son-in-law.
Yang Ruxin was not late, but she was somewhat surprised to see Dong Wenming standing at the door; it seemed the Dong Family really valued that Yang Baiyue. Of course, it was a misunderstanding; she didn’t yet realize that they were actually interested in her.
As soon as Ya Family saw Yang Ruxin, she was so astonished that her eyes went wide. If the circumstances had been right, if the ages had matched, she really might have thought she’d seen her mother-in-law.
Dong Wenming took her hand, signaling her to stay calm.
Only then did Ya Family take a deep breath, understanding that this matter couldn’t be mentioned to anyone yet, but her gaze softened immediately when she looked at Yang Ruxin again.
To Dong Wenming and his wife, Yang Ruxin actually made a good impression, especially because she was related to Yang Baiyue. Thus, she felt a bit of compassion for them.
"So this is the Divine Doctor Yang? Such a good-looking girl," Dong Yushi looked lovingly at Yang Ruxin. Her mother-in-law had been known as the most beautiful woman in Jiangnan. Now, this Yang Ruxin bore an eight or nine points resemblance to her mother-in-law, and upon closer inspection, her features were even more delicate, especially the dimples that played hide-and-seek at the corners of her cheeks, identical to her mother-in-law’s back in the day.
Yang Ruxin was rather helpless about the dimples on her cheeks. Previously, Yang Dani’s body had been too weak, and she was so thin she had hardly any flesh on her bones; Ruxin thought the hollows on her cheeks were due to being underfed, and besides, there had been no mirror at home. She only glimpsed her reflection when washing her face in the basin, noticing the girl had nice facial features but never paying attention to the details. Later, when they got a mirror, she wasn’t one to look at herself, moreover, the bronze mirror wasn’t very clear. Hence, Ruxin never really cared much about it.