Traveling through time and space

"Why? He's unmarried, and the woman is unmarried. Why can't my mother marry him?"

"Silly girl, I only want to marry a man I love and spend my whole life with him. I will never share a husband with another woman. But things didn't go as I wished. He is seven years older than me, and when I fell in love with him, he already had a wife and concubines."

"Yuanyuan knows that at that time, he was the crown prince, and now he should be the emperor."

"Yes, his status didn't allow him to marry me, but I wouldn't enter his backyard either. So at my insistence, I got pregnant with you. I wanted to find a place to give birth to you quietly, but when he found out, he said he would arrange a place for me to live."

"Mom, wake up! Your arrangements were so secretive, how could others know about it and send people to hunt you down, causing you harm..."

"It really wasn't him. It was Lu Man'er, a servant who followed Mother. She accidentally told this to a close friend outside the palace. Unfortunately, that friend was a relative of the then Crown Princess's family, several layers of relationship apart. They spread the story. There are wolves within and tigers outside, and Mother was framed by them."

"Mom, do you regret this relationship?"

"I don't regret it. He is the man my mother loved."

"Mom, you're so silly." Cai Yuanyuan hugged the woman who had sacrificed her life for love. "Mom, have you ever thought about your grandparents and uncles?"

"Mom knows, but at that time, I don't know what happened. I was like a demon, wanting to have a child with him, and I forgot about my family. If I had considered my family a little bit, maybe it wouldn't have ended like this. But Mom doesn't regret it. With my uncles taking care of my grandmother, Mom is very relieved. Mom is most afraid of my eldest uncle, but she also likes him the most. Do you know why?"

"My uncle is the eldest brother, he is dignified and aloof."

"Yes, he is the eldest. In order to match his status as the eldest, he rarely smiles. But every ten days or half a month, he would come to Qimeng Garden to check on mother's studies, listen to her playing the piano, and explain to her the difficulties she encountered in reading. At that time, my uncle changed his usual appearance and was always gentle and kind. Mother liked my uncle the most at this time. Every time he came, he would bring her favorite water chestnut cake. Every time my mother made a mistake, it was the four brothers who covered up for her and prevented her from being punished by her grandfather. Mother and my uncle also had a secret. When my mother was 7 years old and my uncle was 13 years old, one time, my uncle Your uncle was bringing a plate of candied green plums to mother, and accidentally broke the plate. Then your eldest uncle quickly pulled mother to hide in the next room. At this time, your third uncle happened to come over, and your grandfather also came into the room a little later. He thought it was your third uncle who broke the plate, but your third uncle said it was not him, he just came in. Your grandfather became even angrier, and that day your grandfather made your third uncle kneel in the ancestral hall for three hours. Your eldest uncle was laughing so hard in the room that he almost pulled mother down. . . . . "Mother also talked about many interesting things that happened with her uncles when she was a child.

"Mom, you guys are so naughty."

"Mother, when you encountered so many difficulties, why didn't you return home to ask for help?"

"Yes, I regret this. I should have returned home. Even though your grandmother and the others are angry, they won't ignore us, mother and daughter. But it has already happened, and regretting it is useless. This is my fate. I can't blame anyone, but I feel guilty towards my parents and family. You must take good care of my grandmother on my behalf and listen to her. All of this is Yunniang's own choice. Please take good care of yourself."

"Mom, have you ever been in his dream?"

"No, I don't want to enter his dream. I gave this only chance to my daughter."

"Mom, do you have anything to say to him?"

"If one day in the future you meet him, tell him that Yun'er doesn't regret loving him, but this life is too short. If there is an afterlife, Yun'er is willing to love him again and openly show it to others."

"Okay, mother, if there is a chance, Yuanyuan will tell him, but Yuanyuan doesn't want to recognize him now. Yuanyuan hates him in her heart. It was he who made Yuanyuan without a biological mother."

"Silly child, don't hate him, he is your father. Mom is really leaving, you take care of yourself."

"I know, mother, please rest assured. Yuanyuan will live a good life in this life. Mother, why did you name your daughter Yuanyuan?"

"This name was given by your father. He said that life should be complete. He hopes that our family of three can be complete, and he also hopes that your life will be complete. So we said that after you are born, no matter whether it is a boy or a girl, you will be named Yuanyuan. Daughter, mother wants you to be happy every day in the future. Mother wants to be twice as happy, so that it will not be in vain that you have traveled through thousands of years to come here. Go to sleep, mother will coax you to sleep," mother hummed an unknown tune.

"Okay, thank you, mother." Cai Yuanyuan hugged her mother, but suddenly she felt that the person she was holding was gone. "Mother, mother, mother, please don't leave, stay with Yuanyuan for a while longer, mother, mother, mother," Cai Yuanyuan shouted desperately. He would never see her again after this separation, but he still wanted to see her after thinking about it.

"Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, wake up soon." Yuanyuan felt his body shaking, and suddenly felt water on his face. He reached out his hand to wipe the water off his face.

"Mom, can you stay with me?" Cai Yuanyuan felt a hand on her face and grabbed it.

"Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, wake up." Someone was shaking him, and he suddenly became awake and slowly opened his eyes.

"Grandma, uncle, third uncle, brother, why are you here?" Cai Yuanyuan opened her eyes and found that her room was very lively and full of people.

"Silly girl, you've been sleeping for two days and two nights, and you scared grandma to death. What happened to you? If anything happens to you, grandma will die with you. You are grandma's sweetheart." Grandma hugged Cai Yuanyuan and cried.

"Grandma, I came to see Yuanyuan. I said I regretted not coming back to ask for help from grandpa and grandma. You can't bear to leave me. I want Yuanyuan to take good care of me, and I want you to take good care of yourself as well."

"Who are you fooling? Your mother has been dead for many years. How could she come back?" The eldest uncle scolded.

"No, uncle, mother really came back. She was lying with Yuanyuan just now, hugging Yuanyuan." Cai Yuanyuan hadn't reacted yet. What she had just experienced must have been a dream. "Uncle, mother said that there was a secret between her and uncle that no one else knew. When mother was 7 years old and uncle was 13 years old, uncle once brought mother a plate of candied green plums. He accidentally broke the plate and uncle quickly pulled mother to hide in the next room. At this time, third uncle happened to come over and grandfather also entered the room a little later. He thought the plate was broken by third uncle, but third uncle kept saying that it was not him and he had just come in. As a result, grandfather became even angrier. That day, grandfather made third uncle kneel in the ancestral hall for three hours. Uncle almost pulled mother down in laughter in the room."

"Did your mother really say that?" The eldest uncle was also surprised.

"Yes, uncle. Mother also said that uncle would come to Qimeng Garden to check on mother's studies, listen to mother play the piano, and explain to mother the difficulties she encountered in reading. At that time, uncle changed his usual demeanor and was always gentle and kind. Mother said that she liked uncle the most at this time because uncle rarely smiled. Every time he came, uncle would bring mother's favorite water chestnut cake."

"This heartless Yunniang, my second brother also loves her, why doesn't she remember my second brother?" The second uncle wiped his tears beside him.

"Second uncle, mother said that every time she got into trouble, it was the uncles who covered for her and prevented grandparents from punishing her. She also said that when second uncle was young, he took mother to climb a tree, which made grandmother so angry that she personally beat second uncle with a stick ten times. When mother was five years old, she accidentally slipped into the creek in the garden. It was third uncle who found her and pulled her out of the water. Later, grandfather had the creek filled in, saying that there were too many children in the family and it was too dangerous. Mother also said that once she and fourth uncle put a small insect in the bookcases of the three uncles, which actually scared the second and third uncles so much that they jumped up, and scared the uncles' teacher as well. That time, grandfather punished fourth uncle and mother by making them kneel in the ancestral hall for two hours. Mother also talked about many things that happened when you were little."

"Mother, Yunniang really came back." The uncle looked around.

"Uncle, mother is gone. She said she wants to leave completely. She used to be worried about Yuanyuan, but now that Yuanyuan has someone to rely on, she feels relieved. She wants to leave completely."

"Father, Yuanyuan is my aunt's only daughter. My aunt came back to see Yuanyuan. Now that Yuanyuan is back home, my aunt can leave without any worries. My aunt entered Yuanyuan's dream, and Yuanyuan regarded this as reality." The eldest brother explained.

"Grandma, Mom doesn't want Yuanyuan anymore. She said she will never enter Yuanyuan's dream again." Cai Yuanyuan hugged her grandmother and cried.

"Silly child, you were talking about a dream. Your mother passed away a long time ago, but she was still worried about you and never left. Now you are back with your grandmother and uncles. She feels relieved to have them taking care of you, so she let go without any worries. She will go to the paradise." Grandma said with some embarrassment.

"Grandma, they're all here." As they were talking, the eldest sister-in-law came in and saw Cai Yuanwu sitting up. "Is Yuanyuan awake?"

"Yes, she said she had a long dream. Grandma, grandma and they are here too. How about taking Yuanyuan's pulse to make sure she is safe?" asked the eldest brother.

"Okay, now that everyone is here, Yuanyuan is still a child and doesn't have so many taboos. Please invite them in and don't let Yuanyuan move." Grandmother said.

"Grandma, Yuanyuan can get up now."

"Be obedient," it was a simple reprimand, but Cai Yuanyuan felt very warm.

"Grandfather, Uncle Ning, thank you for your help."

"What are you talking about? Uncle Ning was worried, so he came along. We are all family."

"Madam, we are here." Three people came in, two older and one younger.

"Thank you for the trouble you've made this trip," said the grandmother politely.

"Old Madam, you're too kind. Xichun heard that someone in the mansion was unwell, so he rushed over. But Brother Ning heard that it was a matter of the mansion, so he also came to see us. He said that it has been a long time since he came to visit Old Madam."

"Ning Xiao has met the old sister-in-law,"

"Zhiyuan greets the old lady and all the uncles."

"Yuanyuan, this is the Liu family's grandfather, your eldest sister-in-law's great-grandfather. This is your second aunt's father, so you should call him grandfather. This is his grandson," Grandmother introduced. "They were all good friends of your grandfather."

"Yuanyuan meets the two grandfathers. I'm sorry that I can't get up to pay my respects to them." Cai Yuanyuan was still nestled in her grandmother's arms on the bed.

"Sister-in-law, is this Yunniang's child? The face looks a bit like Yunniang, and the look between the eyebrows seems to be familiar to me." Grandmother Ning looked at Cai Yuanyuan and asked.