Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Ruan Wan felt very guilty and upset. Every time she looked at her grandmother's smiling face, although she was smiling, her face was completely bloodless.

My grandmother always said, "I can only go see my old friend after my Wan'er gets married, so I can tell her and put her mind at ease."

Ruan Wan was heartbroken, but she could only smile through her tears and comfort her grandmother.

Grandmother showed no fear; perhaps for her, living was a torment.

Although Su Ying took advantage of her grandmother's distrust and the estrangement between her and her maternal grandmother to kill her mother, her grandmother also atoned for her sins for a lifetime.

Her grandmother gave Ruan Wan all her savings over the years: a manor outside the city, a shop in the capital, and various heirloom jewelry.

During this period, a major event occurred in the court: the Ministry of Personnel, where Nguyen Thieng Thanh worked, investigated and clarified some old cases.

Some long-standing wrongful convictions have been overturned, including the case of Ruan Wan's maternal grandfather. All the evidence proves the innocence of the Mo family.

However, the process of overturning the verdict went too smoothly, and anyone with discerning eyes can see the tricks involved.

Everyone sees through it but doesn't say anything. In ancient times, officials valued loyalty to the emperor and love for their country above all else.

The maternal grandfather was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Protectorate, and the title will be inherited by Ruan Wan's children in the future.

The Mo family now only has one blood-related granddaughter, Ruan Wan.

Perhaps this was a promise the emperor made to Grand Tutor Mo back then.

She was married off with great honor. Before that, people were saying that Ruan Wan, a woman who had been married before, was not good enough for the second son of the General of the State.

General Lou also inherited a hereditary title, which was passed down to Lou Qianyuan.

Now that Ruan Wan has married into the family, although the title of Duke of Protectorate will not be inherited by Lou Qianyuan, it will be inherited by his descendants.

And so people started saying again that Lou Qianyuan had gotten a great deal; the first person to have two noble titles since the founding of the country was about to be born.

Since Ruan Wan returned, Ruan Zhengqing has been busy at the Ministry of Personnel, rarely at home, as he is always preoccupied with this matter.

No matter what, Ruan Zhengqing had to clear his maternal grandfather's family of their grievances before Ruan Wan got married, so that Ruan Wan could have a glorious wedding.

Next came the return of the mother's body.

Ruan Zhengqing had waited so long, and finally this day had arrived. The fifth day of the ninth lunar month was an auspicious day for moving graves.

Ruan Zhengqing led his family to bring back his mother's remains. Along the way, Ruan Zhengqing could not contain his emotions. When he arrived at his mother's grave, he could no longer hold back and knelt down in front of the grave, crying his heart out.

Su Ying claimed to be ill and wouldn't come; it's likely she'd be faking illness to avoid coming even if she wasn't sick.

After lighting incense and burning paper money, and completing all the rituals, the father personally dug out the mother's remains. Ruan Zhengqing dug with his bare hands, and Ruan Xiuzhu wanted to help but was stopped by Ruan Wan.

This would make Ruan Zhengqing feel better.

Ruan Zhengqing recalled his vibrant wife from years ago, her every smile and frown still vivid in his mind, but now she was just a pile of bones. Holding the remains, he began to weep again.

Ruan Wan couldn't help but feel sad, and Ruan Xiuzhu patted her on the shoulder from behind to comfort her.

Turning her head and seeing the apologetic expression on Ruan Xiuzhu's face, Ruan Wan shook her head at him to indicate that it was none of his business.

After a long while, when it was getting late, Ruan Zhengqing carefully placed his mother's remains in the coffin.

Ruan Wan asked Qiu Shuang to take people to transplant all the orchids from her mother's grave into flowerpots and bring them back, intending to plant them in front of the rockery in Hehuan Courtyard to comfort Ruan Zhengqing's longing.

Back at the Ruan residence, a mourning hall was set up, and Ruan Zhengqing was to hold a belated funeral for his mother.

With Ruan Wan's wedding approaching, it was inappropriate for her to wear mourning clothes, so Ruan Zhengqing took over the mourning duties in place of the filial son, and his father also kept vigil.

When his mother was buried, his grandmother, despite her illness, came to pay her respects. After much persuasion, Ruan Zhengqing finally gave in and had his mother carried to the funeral in a sedan chair.

The group arrived at the ancestral graves in a grand procession. The grandmother wanted to get closer, but Ruan Wan held her back.

Seeing that her grandmother was so thin she was practically unrecognizable, leaning against the sedan chair, Ruan Wan knew she couldn't bear to upset her any longer, so she watched from afar.

After his mother was buried, Ruan Zhengqing spoke in front of the grave. The ancestral grave was quiet and no one dared to speak. Even from a distance, the words could be heard clearly.

Ruan Zhengqing stroked the tombstone and whispered, "Lanxin, I have wronged you in this life. Wait for me. I will come to join you after I die, and I will make it up to you in all the lifetimes to come."

Ruan Zhengqing did not cry, but smiled gently. The summer heat was blocked by a thick cloud in the sky, and Ruan Zhengqing smiled at the sky.

Ruan Zhengqing asked Ruan Wan to say a few words to Mo Lanxin, but Ruan Wan refused, saying that she had already said everything she wanted to say over the past ten years.

In this life and the next, Ruan Wan experiences a funeral for the first time, and she can feel the sadness in her heart, the sadness of being Ruan Wan and as a daughter.

Seeing this scene, Ruan Wan suddenly froze, realizing that she had truly become 'Ruan Wan' long ago, grieving for her mother and enjoying the care of her father and elder brother.

I used to think that I was still myself, just in another body.

Therefore, Ruan Wan believed that she was the only person in the world who was connected to her.

Unknowingly, she stepped into the Ruan family mansion, into the imperial city, and in the future, she will step into the Lou family mansion. Ruan Wan is no longer alone.

Ironically, Ruan Wan only just realized that her empty heart seemed to be being filled, and there was no stopping it.

Ruan Wan began to feel afraid. When you live alone, you have nothing to fear, but when you have something to worry about, you become afraid.

With the wedding date fast approaching, there shouldn't be any more unexpected events. What worries Ruan Wan the most now is her grandmother's health.

Since Ruan Wan returned, Grandmother's health has deteriorated day by day, but there's nothing she can do about it.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural cycles that no one can escape. Even if one can take life and death lightly, one cannot forget the sorrow.

On the morning of the sixth day, Ruan Wan packed medicinal porridge in a food box and went to visit her grandmother.

Granny Wenzhu looked unusual and stopped Ruan Wan, saying that her grandmother had gone to sleep.

Ruan Wan knew something was wrong and, ignoring Wen Zhu's attempts to stop her, ran to her grandmother's room.

Her father was also in the room, tears still welling in his eyes. Ruan Wan looked at her grandmother lying on the bed, her eyes already closed.

Ruan Wan's heart skipped a beat, her nose stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Ruan Wan approached and saw that her grandmother was still alive, but she was also on her last breath. She could tell from the smell that she was holding a slice of ginseng in her mouth to keep herself alive.

Ruan Wan turned to look at Ruan Zhengqing and asked, "Father, why don't you let Grandmother leave in peace?"

His eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse. "This is your grandmother's wish. This is the last thing she could do for you."

The father choked up and said, "Wan'er, let's grant your grandmother's wish, so she can leave in peace."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Wan couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Ruan Zhengqing gently hugged Ruan An into his arms. "Wan'er, rest assured and get married, okay? Tomorrow is your wedding day. Your grandmother's greatest wish is to see you become the most beautiful bride, find your ideal husband, and live a happy life. Help your grandmother fulfill this wish, okay?"

Ruan Zhengqing was the most heartbroken, as the people he loved and who loved him were leaving him one by one.

Ruan Wan could do nothing but hold back her tears and nod in his arms.

After returning home, Ruan Wan couldn't sleep at all. Her grandmother had spent most of her life in hatred, but in the end, she regretted it and only wanted to atone for her sins.

Grandmother lingered on the brink of death until Ruan Wan got married, otherwise she would have had to wait until the mourning period was over or the engagement would be called off.

My grandmother took all the blame for the deaths of my maternal grandfather's family and my mother, and these 'sins' tormented her for the rest of her life.

What Grandmother didn't know was that all of this was bound to happen. Even if she had known, she would have felt guilty for the rest of her life, because these were all important people in her life, and that's why she would never forget them.

The reason for not being able to forgive is because it is important, whether it is to others or to oneself.

Ruan Wan hadn't had a good rest for several days, and on the seventh day of the new year, she had to do her bridal makeup with dark circles under her eyes.

Qiu Shuang took two hard-boiled eggs, peeled them, and applied them to her eyes, then added more powder to cover them up.

Su Ying continued to feign illness, leaving all matters, big and small, to Aunt Hua, with Aunt Liu assisting her from the sidelines.

Although Aunt Liu is older, judging from Ruan Zhengqing's expression, she seems to intend to support Aunt Hua.

That's true. Aunt Hua has a son, but Aunt Liu has long since come to terms with it, as long as both of her daughters can marry into good families.

Moreover, Aunt Hua is a kind and easy-going person, and we already got along well, but now it's even better.

The eldest and second eldest sisters have returned. The eldest sister exchanged a few polite words, then put on more makeup and went to the East Garden.

When I saw Ruan Chenjun again, she was heavily pregnant and came in to do her makeup with the help of her brother-in-law.

Ruan Chenjun kicked her husband out, saying, "This is no place for men like you!"

Aunt Liu rushed forward to help him up, beaming with joy as she looked at her unborn grandson.

Ruan Wan quickly got up, had Qiu Shuang bring a stool, and helped her second sister to the stool. "What are you doing here looking like this? If anything happens to my little nephew, I won't let you off the hook."

"It's only been seven months, and your due date is still far away. I will definitely come to your wedding."

Seeing the undisguised smile on Ruan Chenjun's face, Ruan Wan knew she was doing well. She took Ruan Chenjun's hand and asked, "How is your brother-in-law treating you?"

Before Ruan Chenjun could answer, Aunt Hua interjected, "Third Miss, you saw it just now. This young master seems to want to have his eyes glued to Chenjun."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Ruan Chenjun blushed. "Today is my third sister's wedding, and you all are making fun of me."

Ruan Wan stood up and said, "Alright, alright, it's so hot today, it's not good to stay here. Aunt Liu, quickly take Second Sister to a shady place."

After giving a few more instructions, Ruan Chenjun followed Aunt Liu out of the South Garden and back to the North Garden.

Seeing how well she was doing now, Ruan Wan was very happy for her. She was a reasonable person and had never had any ill intentions towards him.

Only Aunt Hua and Ruan Wan remained in the room. Aunt Hua suddenly sighed, "Chen Jun is doing well now, married to such a good husband. We can finally rest easy as we wait for Mu Jun to marry into a good family."

Ruan Wan didn't say anything, just waited for her to continue. Aunt Hua seemed to be trying to get the others away, as if she wanted to say something to Ruan Wan alone.

Aunt Hua continued, "When Chen Jun was pregnant, she arranged for her husband to take a concubine, but he refused to stay with her. For a woman, meeting a man like that in her lifetime is truly worthwhile."

Ruan Wan chimed in, "Why are you so sad, Aunt Hua? Does Aunt Liu envy you for having a son like Yulang?"

Aunt Hua suddenly knelt down in front of her, which really startled Ruan Wan. Ruan Wan quickly helped her up, saying, "Aunt, what are you doing? Aren't you making me feel terrible?"

Aunt Hua said, "The Third Miss has seen the situation of the Ruan family. I'm begging the Third Miss to help Yulang in the future. Yulang comes from a humble background, and with a mother like me, I can't do anything for him and only drag him down."

Aunt Hua's tears fell, clearly from the bottom of her heart, even though she had been a bit snobbish before, not letting Ruan Yulang get close to Ruan Wan.

However, Ruan Wan could still sense a mother's true feelings.

Ruan Wan quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Aunt Hua, saying, "Aunt, please don't belittle yourself. You've raised Yulang so well, I'll naturally help you if I can. Although I've married out of the Ruan family, I'm still a daughter of the Ruan family."

Hearing Ruan Wan make a promise, Aunt Hua finally stopped crying. Seeing Aunt Hua smile through her tears, I thought that most mothers in the world are like this.

When the auspicious hour arrived, with the help of the matchmaker, Ruan Wan bid farewell to her father, Ruan Zhengqing, who smiled but had tears in his eyes.