Chapter 4 — A Life Without Return

07

Life in the monastery is extremely leisurely. Every morning, the uncle carries Ky Thanh up to practice. At first, he was still dazed and dazed. Seeing me hiding behind the pillar, he purposely grimaced and made a devilish face. The uncle got angry and tied two more weights to his wrists.

"If you don't practice diligently, you deserve to be punished."

Ky Thanh immediately trembled like a leaf, just like a blade of grass swaying in the wind, making me laugh endlessly. When the sun rises higher, our mother will softly call us.

"It's time for breakfast. Brother, Thanh Nhi is still young, don't be too strict."

I rolled my eyes and softened my voice to follow suit.

"That's right, that's right. Uncle, Thanh Nhi is still young, you have to be a little gentler."

Ky Thanh said "love da", threw the heavy object on the ground and ran to pinch my chubby cheeks.

"I don't know how big or small. Who told you to call me Thanh Nhi? You should call me Thanh brother."

I was not convinced, immediately reached out and pulled his soft earlobe. The two of us rebelled as a group, no one willing to give in to the other. At noon, mother will bring out many medicinal herbs and teach us to recognize each type. Over the years, she went everywhere to seek medical advice and gradually became proficient in medical theory. The wind blew gently, the leaves rustled. We read after her:

“Injuries, dispels cold, strengthens the spleen…”

Ky Thanh sat next to her, drawing the initial shape of the medicinal herb on paper. On a tree branch, a sparrow tilts its chubby neck to look at us, chirping loudly. Such days pass so quickly. In the capital, a new bustling story spread. Middle School Emperor Qin Thoi Thua was in a coma on a hospital bed for three years, but now he can wake up, it is said that it was all thanks to his uncle's devoted care for many years. To repay that life-saving grace, the Qin government not only prepared the wedding but also sought out the widowed lady Lieu as her successor. Knowing that she loved flowers, they even specially relied on her relationship to get a flower invitation from the Princess. The private affairs of a noble family were deliberately shown off like that, suddenly becoming a topic of discussion during after-party drinks. Even the servants in the villa went out shopping, but when they returned, they couldn't help but discuss in low voices.

"Priceless treasures are easy to find, but a loving husband is hard to find. Miss Lieu is truly blessed. Master Qin is already a fifth-rank official at a young age."

"That's what she deserves. If it weren't for her many years of hard work taking care of her, how could Lord Tan wake up? It is said that even the young master of the Qin family admires this future stepmother very much."

"It's just strange to say, why has no one ever heard of Lord Qin's former wife?"

"There's nothing strange. She must have seen her husband seriously ill that year, so she immediately left. I just don't know if that short-sighted woman now regrets until she's green."

I couldn't hold it in anymore and rushed out from behind the corner.

“You talk nonsense!”

My mother has no regrets. Mother is also not short-sighted. They don't know anything, why do they say that to her? As for father and Tan Man, they clearly knew... My eyes were stinging, still trying to explain:

“My mother is not that kind of person.”

The servants did not expect that their private words would be heard by their master, and they were all frightened. Especially when I saw Ky Thanh standing behind me. This is Hue's private hospital Vuong. They don't know my identity or my mother's identity, but they understand Ky Thanh's temperament very well. Everyone quickly knelt down in horror and confessed their guilt.

"Please forgive me, my lady, I am a talkative slave. I pray that the prince and the lady will spare their lives."

Ky Thanh's eyes darkened. Even though he was young, he already had a majestic aura.

"Where are you, pull me down, slap my mouth twenty times..."

Seeing the fear of the servants, I pulled Ky Thanh's hand.

“Forget it.”

They don't know the truth, and we can't blame them. The one who is truly at fault is not them. The servants, as if granted amnesty, hastily admitted their mistakes again and hurriedly left, fearing that I would change my mind. Only Ky Thanh looked at my red eyes, confused and not knowing what to do. He wiped my tears for a while. Seeing that I was still sobbing non-stop, he sighed.

"Don't cry anymore. I'll take you outside to relieve your sadness."

08

I didn't expect Ky Thanh to take me to Princess Truong's flower banquet. In the garden, flowers bloom everywhere, butterflies flutter. Ky Thanh pulled me into a corner and put his finger to his lips to signal silence.

"The peonies here belong to the great-grandmother, the most beautiful. Especially the beautiful flower, almost as big as a washbasin."

"Let's pick it up and bring it home to give to our mother, so that everyone will be happy."

"Sat Sat, wait here. I'll come back after picking."

After speaking, without waiting for me to stop him, he crawled into the flower bush. The flowers were so tall that they almost obscured Ky Thanh's entire body. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving me alone standing there dumbfounded. The wind rustled, the flower clusters swayed with the wind. On the ground, a group of ants was carrying some flower petals across. I found it interesting, so I decided to squat down and observe. While watching in fascination, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind.

“Tan Sat Sat, why are you here?”

I turned around. Tan Man wore a brocade, standing between his father and Lieu Van Ha, looking at me with strange eyes. He observed me from top to bottom, finally stopping at my muddy sleeve, then suddenly showed understanding.

“You... could it be that you followed her here to become a flower grower?”

My dear mother loves flowers, and is even better at taking care of them than ordinary gardeners. In the past, Qin Palace's backyard was filled with all kinds of strange flowers and herbs. Later, it was turned into valuable medicinal herbs. Tan Man actually thought that after leaving the Qin palace, her mother had to work as a flower grower to make a living. He was both pitiful and gloating.

"In the past, you didn't listen to me. Now, Miss Qin family is in peace and does not work, but has become a servant. What a promising future."