Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xing Ruyi's words made Hui Niang lower her head instantly. Her eyes were slightly red, but she was desperately holding back her tears.
"It's all Hui Niang's fault for being useless; I can't blame my mother-in-law for scolding me." Hui Niang tugged at the hem of her clothes, clearly feeling aggrieved inside, yet she still had to put on a facade of indifference. "Hui Niang has been married to my husband for many years but has not been able to give him a son. As the saying goes, there are three unfilial acts, and having no descendants is the worst. My mother-in-law not having divorced me is already a blessing I have earned over several lifetimes. As for my mother-in-law's punishment, it is merely because she is feeling frustrated and sees that I am somewhat unhappy. Besides, these injuries are just superficial; they are nothing serious."
"If they are nothing serious, why would you come to my Ruyi Rouge shop seeking a prescription?" Xing Ruyi shook her head helplessly. "Forget it; since ancient times, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have been enemies. Your husband and you were married without knowing each other well; even those who knew each other before marriage might not understand their in-laws' true nature. However, there is a saying: even if a fox demon knows it is wrong, it still cannot help but advise you. As a daughter-in-law, while you should be respectful and filial, you cannot simply be timid and endure everything. After all, life is long, and if this continues, I fear your days will only become more difficult."
Hui Niang's hands instinctively clasped together. "What you say, I understand very well. But even if I know this, what can I do? I can't be an unfilial daughter-in-law who goes against my mother-in-law at every turn. Perhaps as time goes on, my mother-in-law will see my good qualities, and maybe if I can give my husband a son or daughter, she will change her opinion of me. For now, please help me see if there is any method to remove these scars. If that’s not possible, then at least help me cover them up temporarily. I don’t want to cause any discord between my husband and my mother-in-law because of these matters."
"You truly are a good-natured daughter-in-law. Since you don't mind, as an outsider, I won't say much more. Please expose the scar so that I can take a closer look to determine whether it can be treated."
Hui Niang nodded and walked over to the candlelight, revealing her neck.
The scar on Hui Niang's neck was located behind her ear and was usually hidden by her hair; unless one looked closely, it was hard to notice anything unusual. The scar was vertical in shape; although the wound had healed long ago, it still felt somewhat prickly and uneven. Xing Ruyi examined it for a while but could not figure out how the injury had occurred.
Not only could she not identify the instrument used to inflict the injury, but even the color of the scar seemed very strange to Xing Ruyi. The entire scar exhibited an eerie purplish-red hue; at first glance, one might think it was a bruise, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was not a natural color formed by the wound—it looked as if some dye had been added.
Thinking of this, Xing Ruyi took out a pouch containing silver needles and retrieved one needle, gently piercing it into the scar. On the needle's tip, she also noticed that peculiar purplish color which differed from what was visible on the skin's surface; these purple particles appeared granular in nature. Although they had mixed with blood for some time now, she could still smell the original scent belonging to these purple particles.
"This is Purple Grass!"
Purple Grass is a plant from the Purple Grass family that can be used medicinally; it has effects such as cooling blood and promoting circulation as well as clearing heat and detoxifying. In addition to its medicinal uses, Purple Grass can also be used for dyeing purposes.
"If Purple Grass is used for medicine, it does not need to be ground into such granules; while this makes it easier to dissolve and digest in the stomach, according to current extraction techniques, it would only diminish its medicinal efficacy and cause Purple Grass to lose its intended healing properties. Furthermore, even if these granules were meant for treatment, applying them directly onto your wound seems excessive since Purple Grass does not have healing or anti-inflammatory properties. Could you please explain why these Purple Grass granules ended up here?"
Xing Ruyi pointed at Hui Niang's scar.
"You misunderstand; this Purple Grass is not meant for healing but rather is dye used when Hui Niang was weaving fabric. As for these Purple Grass granules, they were pressed onto the wound by my mother-in-law when she was angry. Since they couldn't be cleaned off in time, they ended up embedded in the wound like this."
"Using Purple Grass to dye a wound? Your mother-in-law really is something else."
Xing Ruyi continued examining several other wounds on Hui Niang's body. The locations of the injuries were quite peculiar—they were all in places that common people could not see and would not affect daily work. The colors of the scars were similar to those of commonly used dyes among ordinary folk; there were various shades present.
"Although these dyes are all plant-based, medicine inherently has some toxicity. Moreover, this medicine directly permeates the bloodstream, and the potential effects on the body are uncertain, even for me, the Fox Demon. Your mother-in-law is quite malicious."
"Hui Niang is dull-witted and cannot understand the meaning behind White Maiden's words."
"Doesn't your mother-in-law dislike you?"
"She indeed has some dissatisfaction with Hui Niang."
"If she is dissatisfied, why agree to this marriage? Wouldn't it be better to find a Fox Demon girl for her son instead? In the Golden Tang Dynasty, marriage is based on parental orders and the matchmaker's words. If your mother-in-law had not agreed to this marriage, I doubt your husband would have had the courage to marry you."
Xing Ruyi implied that Hui Niang's mother-in-law was formidable. Such a powerful mother-in-law naturally held a different status in the household; if she hadn't nodded in agreement, her son likely wouldn't have had the courage to bring someone home. In other words, Hui Niang was probably chosen by her personally.
If a mother-in-law looks down on her own chosen daughter-in-law, it suggests that she either has issues or was forced into agreeing to this marriage. For example, the conditions of the in-laws might not be as good as those of the maternal family. Alternatively, Hui Niang's husband might need support from Hui Niang's maternal family. Of course, there is also the possibility that no one else wanted to marry into that family or marry that son.
Hearing Xing Ruyi talk about her marriage made Hui Niang feel a tinge of bitterness.
"The marriage between Hui Niang and her husband was indeed arranged by her mother-in-law; back then, it was her mother-in-law who personally brought her husband to propose. The first six months after marriage went relatively well between Hui Niang and her mother-in-law."
"What happened after those six months? Was there an unpleasant incident?"
"Many things happened during those six months—so many that Hui Niang couldn't figure out which specific event caused her mother-in-law's attitude to change." Hui Niang glanced at the Fox Demon: "If you don't mind my rambling, I would be willing to share these thoughts with you."
"Since you trust me, I am naturally willing to be that listener."
"Thank you!" Hui Niang bowed: "To be honest, over the years, I have harbored many questions in my heart; I just didn't know who to share them with or who would listen. It just so happens that I met you today, and I finally found someone to express these pent-up feelings."
With that, Hui Niang took something from her body and tightly clenched it in her palm.
"I just mentioned to you that my asthma has always been present. This condition is not fatal but is quite bothersome and requires constant care. Over the years, it has cost my family a considerable amount of money. Therefore, since I can remember, my father has never treated me kindly.
Because of my illness, no families from nearby villages were willing to propose. Year after year passed until I turned seventeen when my mother-in-law and husband finally came."
The situation of Husband is quite similar to that of Hui Niang, except that Husband's circumstances are not due to his own actions, but rather because of Father-in-law. Father-in-law is deaf and has been unable to work for a long time. Even though Mother-in-law is strong-willed, life at home is exceptionally difficult. It was not easy to raise Husband. He himself is quite capable; by the age of eleven, he became an apprentice at Cloth Shop. He is obedient, skilled, and hardworking, quickly earning the trust of Shopkeeper and starting to run errands for the business. After a few years, he has achieved some success, but unfortunately, his marriage has been delayed.
The Shopkeeper of Cloth Shop had some connections with Hui Niang's grandfather. Seeing that Husband is diligent and still unmarried, he intended to play matchmaker. Since it was the Shopkeeper himself who acted as the intermediary, the In-laws naturally agreed. My father was eager to marry me off as soon as possible, so he also consented to this marriage.
Hui Niang and Husband can be considered a case of love at first sight. Although Mother-in-law can be somewhat domineering, Husband is truly wonderful. Over the years, he has been considerate and caring towards Hui Niang, never once blaming her or even giving her a cold shoulder. Because of this, no matter how harshly Mother-in-law treats Hui Niang, she cannot bear to let Husband be caught in the middle of their conflicts. After all, it was not easy for Mother-in-law to raise Husband on her own.
"Given this, your marriage seems like a good match. But why has your mother-in-law suddenly changed her attitude?"
"Perhaps it is because of that incident," Hui Niang sighed. "Half a year after our marriage, I discovered that I was pregnant. Husband was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell Mother. When my mother learned about it, she felt both happy and worried, so she secretly brought some Silver to visit us without telling my father. However, Husband refused to accept those Silver. Little did we know that it was precisely because of those Silver that my mother encountered misfortune."
"Madam's Mother—"
"Not long after leaving the In-laws' house, she ran into Bandits who robbed her of everything except for the clothes she was wearing. Not only that, but those Bandits also set fire to my mother's body, leaving her without even a complete corpse. My father blamed Hui Niang for this incident; he blamed Husband even more and held Hui Niang's In-laws responsible as well, showing considerable displeasure towards Mother-in-law. As a result of this incident, Mother-in-law began to distance herself from Hui Niang and even harbored resentment towards her. Hui Niang clearly remembers that the first time Mother-in-law punished her was on the night after my father caused a scene and left."
"Did your mother-in-law use those Dye materials when she hit you for the first time?"
"The first time was not intentional," Hui Niang explained. "At that moment, she was angry and threw something in my direction without thinking. It was midsummer and I was wearing thin clothing; what she threw happened to be dyeing tools which struck me directly. Not only did it leave a wound but also some dye stains."
Hui Niang lifted her clothing slightly so Xing Ruyi could see a scar near her navel on her abdomen.
Comment 0 Comment Count