Chapter 5 — After Rebirth, I Will Not Be a Widow Anymore

10

In his previous life, when he met Yen Chinh, he was twenty-eight years old. The yellow sand of the desert blew his skin rough. Old wounds overlap with new wounds. All year round making a living at the edge of the knife, he speaks without mincing words, opening his mouth and closing his mouth is all indecent teasing. At first, when he teased me, I often blushed embarrassedly. The first time I met Yen Chinh was at Tay Son pagoda in the suburbs. The spring rain drizzled, the road down the mountain was slippery, we had to rest in the temple. I originally worshiped Buddha. Raising his head, he saw under the moonlight a killer god leaning against the door of the heavenly palace. The killing god knelt next to my ear, breathing hot breath.

"Is the female Bodhisattva married yet? If not, please do me a favor and save me. I'm about to die of discomfort."

He held my hand and led me to a hot, painful place. Outside the window, thunder rumbled, illuminating Yen Chinh's handsome, mature face. Each sound of "Female Bodhisattva" mixed with the candlelight, accompanied by the pouring rain, disturbed my heart. That night, Yen Chinh was not a god killer. He is cruel. Later we learned that during the day the emperor led his palace to hunt in the nearby mountain. At a dinner party, someone framed Yen Chinh, drugged him, and falsely accused him of having an affair with his favored concubine. I saved Yen Chinh. The next day, bride-price gifts filled Dung palace. I withdrew my head, twisted my handkerchief, not daring to look at my mother's face. Yen Chinh bent down and tilted his head to look at me. No matter how I looked, it wasn't enough. I took a shy step back, but he pressed his toes forward and took a step forward. I have never met anyone as bold and shameless as him.

"Female Bodhisattva, in this life Yen Chinh, I only have you, from now on I will only have you. My salary is eight hundred stones. In the capital, there is a general's palace given by the saint, in Luong Chau there is a palace, there is also a horse farm. All are given to you."

“Do you want to follow me?”

I shook my head.

“Women are widows, not worthy of a great general.”

"Who says a woman can't remarry? She's so generous that she found a new lover for her mother, why is she so harsh on herself? We are born naked, so why should we set rules to bind ourselves? We should live happily as we please."

"Did you have fun last night? I don't have any experience, should I hurt you?"

My face immediately turned red. Hearing this, the mother immediately covered her young sister-in-law's ears and carried her back to her room.

“You, you have no shame!”

I waited for half a day, but finally I couldn't help but raised my hand and slapped him. I originally thought he was such a big mandarin that if he was slapped by a woman in broad daylight, he would get angry. But he laughed loudly.

"That's right, this slap is very loud! Finally, she can't hide what's in her heart anymore. From now on, when she's happy, she can hit me. If she's not happy, she can hit me, and on weekdays, she can even hit me more. After all, I have thick skin and rough flesh, and I can handle it."

"I know your previous man was no good. He didn't know how to appreciate you, so naturally there will be countless people vying to treat you like a treasure."

"Tham Thanh Uyen, don't take yourself lightly in the future, do you hear me?"

My nose is stinging, tears welling up in my eyes. Before, Dung Hinh always found fault with me. He said my personality is not as calm as my eldest sister. A female concubine is not as good as an elder sister. Even the mole at the corner of my eye, he said was not as beautiful as the mole on the bridge of my eldest sister's nose. But Yen Chinh said, I am a toxic person unique. Yen Chinh is not afraid of seeing blood, he is only afraid of me crying. Those hands that could take the enemy's head in ten steps trembled until they caught my tears.

"I was wrong, don't force her anymore. Let's take it slow, okay?"

11

When I woke up again, I was tied to a wooden rack. At our feet was a blazing fire, the smoke so thick that we couldn't open our eyes. In a blur, someone holding a red-hot iron table approached me.

"Speak! Why are you pretending to be a woman and secretly approaching the military camp?"

The red-hot iron table steamed hot and sizzling. I was immediately wide awake.

"Don't, don't get excited! I'm Yen Chinh's fiancee from the capital, your General Yen. I'm not a traitor!"

The two soldiers looked at each other, clearly not believing, and continued to use the picture. I saw the red-hot iron table just an inch away from my chest. I shouted with all my might:

"Yen Chinh, you bastard! If you don't come out now, from now on I won't pay attention to you anymore!"

The shadow of a person sitting in the dark laughed softly. The red-hot iron table gradually moved away. With tears in his eyes, the other person lifted my chin.

“You said you are my fiancee from the capital?”

When I meet Yen Chinh again, my heart is filled with resentment. Unspeakable hardships like rushing river water. I clearly stated how many people there were in his family, what position he held in the court, all that was missing was the mole on his butt.

"Yen Chinh, I have a headache, my legs hurt, everywhere hurts. I'm still hungry and have lost ten pounds."

"I traveled a very long way to come to you. I thought I would never see you again in this life."

A transparent tear fell onto Yen Chinh's palm. He was stunned, unconsciously wanting to wipe my tears, but his hand stopped in mid-air. He withdrew his hand in disgust.

"Huh, have those barbarians suddenly become enlightened? This time, using a beauty trick, they even managed to find out my preferences. But the excuse is too clumsy. Since when did I have a fiancee?"

The subordinate hesitated and asked if he needed to continue using the image. Yen Chinh waved his hand angrily.

“First, contact the capital and ask if the Rites Minister has a daughter named Tham Thanh Uyen.”

Before he left, I choked up and said:

“Yen Chinh, I miss you.”

Yen Chinh's back stopped, but did not turn around.