TFWYH – Chapter 405 No Longer Him

The sky in ancient times was beautiful — free from all kinds of pollution, pure and flawless, stretching endlessly without a single cloud.

Only the locusts that occasionally flew past were somewhat unpleasant to look at.

Tang Wan went to find Madam Jiang. She was sitting blankly at the bedside, looking absent-minded.

“Mother!” Tang Wan called from outside the door, poking her head in.

Madam Jiang snapped back to her senses and forced a smile. “Why are you here? Have you eaten?”

“Mhm!” Tang Wan nodded, stepping inside and sitting beside her. “Mother, are you unhappy?”

“Not exactly…” Madam Jiang sighed and looked at Tang Wan with affection. “Has Yu’er still not consummated the marriage with you?”

“…”
So this was what she was worried about?

Tang Wan organized her thoughts before answering seriously, “Mother, my husband will consummate the marriage with me. If he doesn’t want to now, it must mean I’m still not doing well enough somewhere.”

“Silly child…”

Madam Jiang looked helpless. Holding Tang Wan’s hand, she said softly, “Wan’er, if one day Yu’er is no longer the Yu’er you know, promise Mother you won’t blame him… and don’t leave him. That child carries too much in his heart. He has many unwilling compromises and helpless struggles.”

Honestly—

Tang Wan felt those words were far beyond her comprehension.

She recognized every single word individually, yet when they were put together, she couldn’t understand them at all.

What did it mean for her beautiful husband to no longer be her beautiful husband?

Tang Wan thought of herself, then of her handsome husband’s face — so similar to the Doctor’s — and suddenly sprang to her feet.

Her heart pounded violently, thump… thump…

Her feet felt glued to the ground, her whole body going numb.

“Wan’er, what’s wrong?” Madam Jiang asked with a frown.

Tang Wan opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain.

“N-Nothing, Mother. I still have something to do. I’ll go back first!” Tang Wan said before rushing out.

Leaving Madam Jiang completely confused.

At that moment, Tang Hongba was still drinking elsewhere, but Ling Yu was nowhere to be seen.

After asking around, Tang Wan learned that someone from the yamen had come looking for Ling Yu, and he had just left.

Tang Wan returned to her room feeling dejected, her mind restless and unsettled.

After calming herself a little, she went to the medical clinic to help out.

But throughout the entire day, she remained distracted and uneasy. She worked absent-mindedly and almost prescribed the wrong medicine to a patient…

Physician Li couldn’t stand watching anymore and told her to go home early and rest.

Tang Wan knew she couldn’t focus and would only cause trouble if she stayed, so she left the clinic.

She had intended to go home, yet somehow found herself standing in front of the county yamen instead.

The stone lions on both sides looked imposing and majestic. Black-armored cavalry and yamen runners went in and out from time to time. Occasionally, people who recognized her greeted her or asked if she had come to see Young Master Yu, urging her to go inside.

Normally, she would have gone in immediately.

But now… she didn’t quite dare.

Just then, a group of young women walked over together.

Most of them wore long robes. Though somewhat worn, they were clean. Each girl’s eyes carried a hint of springlike anticipation as they gazed toward the yamen gate.

Tang Wan was even squeezed to the side by them.

She glanced at the girls, then at the county yamen. After a moment of thought, she decided it would be better to go back first.

However, before she could walk far, their conversation drifted into her ears.

“Is that handsome assistant magistrate coming out soon? Look at my hairpin — is it crooked?”

“If your shabby wooden hairpin is crooked, let it be crooked. Look at mine! This is my sister-in-law’s silver hairpin. I borrowed it specially to wear today. Doesn’t it look nice?”

“When is the handsome assistant magistrate coming out?”

“I heard he’s already married — to the butcher’s daughter from East Street. Isn’t it a bit improper for us to be doing this…?”