Chapter 2 — The One Who Remembers Me Instead

When the lock closed, a very soft "click" sounded, like something had just fallen to the ground and taken root.
04
After the eldest sister married into the Lang family, the palace became half deserted. Her mother missed her every day, every three days she sent someone to bring things to the Lang family. Sometimes it's a bird's nest, sometimes it's a newly sewn outfit, and sometimes it's just a plate of cinnamon rolls made by her own hands. Every time the little monk brought things back, she would drag people back and ask for a long time. She had to ask clearly what the elder sister had eaten, how many times she laughed, and how many words she had to say to the aunt before she was willing to let him go. When his father returned from court, he often went to the Lang family to hang out. He said he would stop by on the way. But the Lang family was in the east of the citadel, and the place where he entered the court was in the west of the citadel. Going back and forth had to detour another half an hour. One time, the great-grandmother calmly asked:
"Vong Nguyen's marriage, do you two still care?"
The mother was stunned, then smiled and said:
"Of course I care. It's just that A Nguyen is not in a hurry, he is still young."
I'm almost sixteen years old. The eldest sister was scheduled to get married at the age of fifteen, and was married at the age of sixteen. At that time, her mother said she was no longer young and it was time to consider marriage. In turn, I became a child again. Grandmother didn't say anything more, just looked at me. I lowered my eyes and continued embroidering the scarf in my hand. The needle accidentally pricked the tip of his finger, and a round drop of blood leaked out. I look at that crimson color seeping into the snow-white silk, like a very small apricot blossom. On the day my elder sister came home to visit, I was copying scriptures for my grandmother. The yard suddenly became bustling. The mother's happy laughter echoed from afar, mixed with Ky Minh Chau's clear voice. I put down my pen. The tip of the pen was still soaked in ink, spreading a black streak on the page, causing the page to be damaged. I silently changed to another piece of paper and copied it from the beginning. The sound of footsteps came outside the door. I raised my head and the elder sister had entered. She was fuller than before marriage, and her face was rosy. In the middle of her forehead was a golden field flower, making her even more brilliant and dazzling. She walked over to the table and bent down to look at the sutra I was copying. Gentle breath passes through my ear.
“A Nguyen, you do these things every day, don't you get bored?”
“Not boring.”
“That's right.”
She stood up straight and laughed.
"Since I was little, I've been able to sit still. I can't. Lang Nghien said I'm like a monkey, I can't sit still all day."
When talking about Lang Nghien, her voice is natural and intimate. I dip ink and continue writing. The tip of the pen was firmly placed on the paper, the word Quan was more than half written.
"Right."
The elder sister seemed to suddenly remember something, took out a brocade bag from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
"This is Lang Nghien tea brought back from the south. He said this tea was delicious and told me to bring it back for my father and mother to taste. I thought maybe you would like to drink it too, so I gave you some."
I said thank you but didn't raise my head. She stood there for a moment. Seeing that I didn't continue, she turned around and left. Waiting for the footsteps to go away, I put down my pen and picked up the brocade bag. The tea scent is very faint, wafting out through the brocade bag. It is a premium type of Bach Hao Silver Needle. I looked for a moment and then put the tea bag in the bottom drawer. That tea package will never last is opened.
05
My marriage was scheduled for the fall of my sixteenth year. The opponent is the lieutenant Qi Yu of Qi Guo Gong's palace. The family background of the Duke's residence is half a level higher than that of the Ky family. Although Qi Yu was not the eldest son, it was said that he had good conduct and was highly praised by his students when he was studying at Quoc Tu Giam. When the news spread to the inner hospital, the mother was drinking bird's nest. She choked on her mouthful and kept asking:
"Is it true? How could the Qi family..."
Before the words were finished, she fell silent. The mother-in-law walked out of the room with a purple wooden stick, her face calm:
“I asked someone to promote this marriage.”
The mother opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. But looking at her grandmother's face, she swallowed her words back. Later I learned that in order for the Qi family to agree to this marriage, my great-grandmother used her manor house as an additional dowry for me, and also left a few precious jewelry items hidden at the bottom of the chest, asking a royal concubine in the palace to cooperate. Our ancestors never let us know those things. She just ordered someone to bring Te Du's portrait and card with his birthday, smiled and said to me:
"Your appearance is dignified and your personality is gentle. Try it out. If you don't like it, my grandmother will find someone else for you."
I held the portrait and looked at it for a long time. The person in the painting has a delicate appearance, relaxed eyebrows, and slightly pursed lips. Unlike Lang Nghien's gentle and elegant appearance, Te Du's eyebrows had a bit more heroic spirit, a decisiveness that only people who practice martial arts have. I closed the portrait and smiled at my ancestor:
“Choose this person.”
Grandmother looked intently at my face, as if she wanted to confirm something, then sighed softly:
“Vong Nguyen, you have grown up.”
I nodded and put the portrait in the jewelry box. That night, I lay in bed, remembering many things.