Content warning: Mention of rape to a secondary character.
This name, Yu Mo, was like a book that had been abandoned for years; left to accumulate dust yet falling down from its shelf all of a sudden to open itself in front of Cui Lin.
Leaving him defenseless and unprepared.
Those memories were taboos, and more than that, they were shameful. They weren't only his shame, but also the shame of the entire Cui family.
It was a mistake he had made when he was young and wild. It was a tragedy that he would never wish to recall in the entirety of his life.
A loud, thundering ring sounded on the top of his head!
His entire body shivered as he raised his head unconsciously.
The sky outside the eaves was bright for a moment like daylight, but then it turned abruptly dark.
Black clouds suddenly floated into a pleasantly bright evening, concealing all the moonlight that sprouted like a willow branch.
Heaven and earth sank into darkness. Wind and rain emerged.
Cui Lin's brain was in chaos; it switched between blurry visions of the faces of Yu Mo and Cui Buqu. They blended and mixed inconsistently.
"…San Lang! San Lang!" The maidservant couldn't remember how many times she called, until Cui Lin finally looked back at her with a pair of hazy eyes.
The wind bellowed colder than before, pushing Cui Lin two steps backward.
"You look terrible. Should I call for a physician or the mistress?"
Bai Yu's words managed to roughly bring Cui Lin back to reality.
"Right! We need to tell Father. Tell him immediately!" Cui Lin pushed the maidservant aside before hurriedly running past her.
The continuous splattering of raindrops resumed, and the night's breeze brought a drizzling rain.
However, Cui Lin did not feel cold at all.
His footsteps kept getting quicker and quicker. In the darkness, he ran rashly with heavy sweat and a panicked expression.
...
Cui Buqu, too, did not feel cold.
At the side of his foot was a small lump of a hill not far away from Anping city.
Before him was a small forlorn grave.
Not far from the grave was a cemetery, and that place was the true burial grounds of the Cui family.
Feng Xiao read the tombstone of the grave before him.
Here lies Yu Mo.
There were no prefixes or inscriptions.
When people from the countryside passed by, the most they could try to guess was that the grave's owner was a female. As to whether she was married or not or what happened to her, or who established her grave, they could not have known. They would definitely not be able to guess that she was related to the Cui clan.
"This is surely a very long story." Feng Xiao said.
He has heard of many tales before.
Every person of Jianghu who had managed to make a name for himself would surely have his very own vicissitude, rocky or magnificent past. However, Feng Xiao was an exception. He had always sailed a smooth journey like the proud son of Heaven. He never liked to hear the tales of others, for even if he listened to a countless number of them, they were tales that belonged to someone else. Regardless of whether he felt sympathy or fury towards them, it would be pointless.
Yet now, he really wanted to hear the story of Maiden Yu.
Because this story was related to Cui Buqu.
"Perhaps thirty years ago, maybe even earlier, there was a family who taught and farmed as a living named Yu. They had no sons, only one daughter, whom everyone called Maiden Yu. From the moment I was able to think, she was already dead. Judging from paintings of her drawn by others, she must have been beautiful."
The sky was slowly turning dark.
The only source of light was the lantern placed before the grave by Feng Xiao.
That gentle light illustrated the contour of both men who stood before the grave, as it grew dimmer in the drizzle.
As if reeling back in times of the past.
Yu Mo wasn't only a beauty, she also possessed the ideal image of beauties that existed in the hearts of many people; for example, a woman of pure heart and spirit, or a man of scholarly virtue.
Father Yu was a man of literary reputation among the locals. Although he hadn't obtained the post of an officer, many poems and literature have been wrought under his pen. Many people heard of his name and came to pay him a visit, however, the only one was retained by Father Yu to become a disciple of his was a man surnamed Yuan, named Sheng. He was the childhood friend and senior apprentice-brother of Yu Mo who she grew up with.
As Father Yu watched his daughter grow up into an elegant and beautiful lady, he had the intention of uniting her with his disciple through marriage. However, Yuan Sheng desired to leave their house to see the world, and once he left, he never returned.
One day when Yu Mo was out to pay some relatives a visit, on her way home, a violent rain poured down all of a sudden. The currents of the waters were fierce, Yu Mo and her maidservant wandered astray from the family and stood by the riverbank. It was there when her path crossed with a member of the Cui family who was there for a saunter. The other party had seen that she was unable to cross the river, so he came forward on his own accord, waddled two trips across the river to carry Yu Mo and her maidservant on his back to the other side. Yu Mo was extremely grateful. She asked the other party his name in hopes to ask her father to thank them personally in the future. The other party said that his name was Cui Hang and that he was from the collateral branch of the Cui clan, ranked the second among his siblings.
When the story paused here, Feng Xiao asked, "A lie?"
Cui Buqu nodded his head, "It was a lie. The other party was Cui San. Due to being mischievous when he was young, he often played truant and ran off on his own to play. He feared his father's wrath, so he falsely claimed the name of his second brother."
After that, the Yu family sent someone to thank the Cui family. At the same time, Cui Er had reached a matured age, and the Cui family was searching for a candidate to be his wife. At the same time, Maiden Yu's mannerisms and looks both fulfilled their criteria, so both of them were to be wed.
Without the incident of Maiden Yu crossing the river, this marriage would simply be one between a literary gentleman and a beautiful maiden. Yet, that tale was like adding flowers to a brocade, turning it into a fated match made in Heaven.
Feng Xiao remained silent for a moment, "So, this was actually a comedy of errors, a tragedy of woes?"
Cui Buqu smiled, "Not at all. Although it was a mistake, it was not a tragedy. After Maiden Yu married into the Cui family, she discovered that, the one who carried her across the river that day was actually Cui San, and that the rushed meeting that day wasn't quite love at first sight. Maiden Yu and Cui Er found each other to be a perfect match and fell in love. Both of them watched falling snow and talked about poems, watched flowers and chatted about spring waters. They roamed the wilderness and unexplored mountains together, very quickly everyone referred to them as the perfect couple."
...
This episode of rain looked like it wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.
Cui Lin could not even bother himself to bring an umbrella. He was running through the rain.
Lighting struck across the horizon and was cast onto his face.
The colour of his face was paler than the sky itself.
In the parlour of the Cui manor, a boisterous crowd was accompanied by the brimming light of the lanterns.
On Cui Yong's face was the joyousness it did not have when he was lecturing Cui Lin and his wife.
For the most outstanding son of the Cui family, Cui Pei, had returned.
"You finally dared to come back. Do you even remember this is your home?" Although his tone was reprimanding, everyone could tell that Cui Yong wasn't truly angry.
Cui Pei also laughed as he responded, "Originally, I was traveling south to visit an old friend, but I passed near Boling and heard that there would be a Pomegranate flower Literary Festival. So haven't I come home now?"
Cui Yong spoke through his beard as he glared at him in the eye, "If there was no literary festival, would you not have come back?"
"How could that be!" Cui Pei laughed loudly, "The father is here, as are all his children, so am I not home now?"
Towards his beloved son, Cui Yong was happy for a moment, but his smile paled all of a sudden, "Ever since Maiden Yuan passed from illness, you were unwilling to remarry, insisting on wanting to travel the five mountains and three rivers. I know that you never actually missed this home."
Cui Pei, "Father…"
Cui Yong waved his hand, "There is nothing more to say. Your return is a good thing. Stay for three months or two, why don't you?"
Cui Si watched his old father in full white beard and an aging face, for a moment, he was unable to bring himself to reject him.
Outside the door, there was a sudden sound of footsteps.
Cui Lin's shadow carelessly barged into the vision of both men.
He was drenched and panting, strands of hair plastered to his face, cornered to an indescribable tight corner.
Before Cui Yong's face could dull, Cui Lin had already exclaimed in panic, "He did not die! He's back!"
"San Lang!" Cui Yong bellowed at him, "What is this madness! Didn't you see that your fourth brother has returned?!"
Cui Lin had not yet calmed down, his voice rose, "Him! That Feng Xiao is him! Did you know what name he just gave Bai Yu? It was Yu Mo! Maiden Yu! Do you still remember her?"
The colour on the face of both sitting men changed.
It was a rare sight for Cui Yong to lose his composure. He pressed onto the table, wanting to get up, but his knees wobbled, and he sat back down.
"Have you mistaken?!" He exclaimed questioningly at Cui Lin.
Cui Lin shook his head with all his might, "No. I have asked Bai Yu a few times. She said that Feng guy even taught her from which two words it came from: Yu from 'superfluous', and Mo from 'Jasmine'."
Cui Yong remained silent for a while, then he suddenly turned to Cui Pei, "That year, you came back and said he was dead."
Cui Pei laughed bitterly, "During that year, I brought him to Doctor's Sun with the intention for the doctor to save him with all his abilities. However, by the time I arrived, Doctor Sun said that the child was beyond saving. He died. Before the child passed, he begged for a casual burial, since the Cui family never considered him their own, so it was impossible for the child to be buried with the ancestors; so why not just bury him anywhere to be free? Doctor Sun's heart had a moment of weakness, so he agreed to his request. I even saw the child's grave with my own two eyes. I even made him his tombstone later on."
Cui Lin interrupted him in panic, "Other than him, who would have known Yu Mo! The Yu family only had single sons through three generations, and a single daughter when it came to Maiden Yu. 'Feng Xiao' is definitely an alias!"
"What nonsense are you babbling about?!" Cui Yong bellowed furiously, "Even if he is still alive, he is your biological son! Are you afraid he's back for revenge?"
Cui Lin's face grew very pale for a moment. He stood there in a daze, no longer able to speak another word.
Cui Yong inhaled a breath and forcibly regained his composure.
"His surname is Feng. The Yu family does not have any relatives by the name of Feng. There are no families of Feng in Boling either. However, Maiden Yu had a senior apprentice-brother. Could it be him instead?"
He looked at Cui Pei as if waiting for an answer.
Cui Pei stared at his usually firm and resolute father. It was the first time his heart generated a feeling that his father had truly aged, so he could not help but sigh, and said the words that Cui Yong loathed to hear the most.
"I have never seen that young man, but if he is truly that child, then he shouldn't he look like San Lang, or perhaps Maiden Yu?"
Cui Yong pressed his lips and did not speak for a long time.
Cui Lin's face grew paler.
Cui Pei suddenly understood, "In that case, he really is…? Names can be falsely claimed, so it cannot be taken for the truth. No matter if he was alive or not, since he knew who Yu Mo was and leaked information to third brother on purpose, then he must have known what happened during that year. Father, please invite him over."
He sighed, "Regardless of whether he's here to apologize, or own up for crimes, these words need to be spoken clearly in the end."
"Father…" Cui Lin said weakly, "I do not want to see him, I do not want to see him!"
After the beard swayed for a long time, Cui Yong finally spoke, "Si Lang, call your eldest brother back immediately, and send someone out to ask for those two men. Bringing them back is a must!"
...
Light drizzling rain splattered atop the tombstone, drenching the simple and crude grave wet, like all the tears the grave's owner never had the chance to shed when she was alive.
It was unknown since when the lantern's flame was extinguished by the rain.
In the starless and moonless night, although the year had reached Summer, the chill remained.
They did not bring any umbrellas when they came out. Cui Buqu never intended to bring one either, allowing his shoulders and hair to be damped in droplets of rain.
Since the tale had begun, he would have to finish it.
A story that was sweet in the beginning, but ended in tragedy.
Cui Buqu, "The good times did not last. A fever claimed Cui Er, and he never woke up from it. Soon, he departed from this life and left Maiden Yu widowed without any children. The Cui family did not request for her to remain widowed to Cui Er, and the Yu family was also heartbroken for their daughter, they wished to take her back to remarry again. However, Maiden Yu herself had been unwilling. Cui Er and her shared a deep, profound love. She would rather remain widowed for life, as she would never find someone as wonderful as him. However, when Cui Er and his wife lived in blissfulness with each other, while everybody praised them, there was one person who was secretly soused in jealousy."
What level of intelligence was Feng Xiao at? In the blink of an eye, he'd guessed the answer, "Cui San Lang, Cui Lin."
Cui Buqu, "That is correct."
Ever since that fated day, Cui Lin was drawn to Maiden Yu's beauty. He hated himself for falsely using his second brother's name, otherwise, all the blissfulness that came afterward along with Maiden Yu would have belonged to him. He married his own wife afterwards, but the couple was not loving with one another. He accumulated all of this resentment in his heart and that made it even more difficult to behave normally in front of his loving second brother and his wife.
Yet the past belonged to the past, even if it was difficult to accept it, Maiden Yu never belonged to him.
Who could have guessed that the second brother died young, leaving Maiden Yu alone in this world? Maiden Yu herself was willing to remain widowed, and most of the times of the year, she remained in the room she used to share with her husband, writing poems and painting in reminiscence of him.
The fire in Cui San's heart burned more and more vigorously. Finally, a day came, he slipped into the villa drunk, ordered people to distract those around Maiden Yu away from her, and then raped her.
His reasoned with himself. Since Maiden Yu refused to remarry and was relocated into the villa, the possibility of them meeting each other again was rare. Additionally, the one who met Maiden Yu first was him, and it was Cui Er who stole his woman away from him.
Feng Xiao raised a brow, "Since Cui San liked Maiden Yu so much, why did he not object to the marriage when it was arranged?"
The corner of Cui Buqu's lips raised, "That is because during that time, the Cui family had already arranged a better marriage for him. The other party was the youngest daughter of the collateral branch from the Fanyang Lu clan. This pedigree was even higher than the Yu family's. To Cui San, this pedigree was his pride, but it was a wrong thought in passing which later became the regret of his life."
Feng Xiao snickered, "As expected."
Maiden Yu had always been soft, yet she struggled with all her life that night. Even after the incident was through, she refused to be Cui San's mistress. She even strongly objected to it, and immediately spilled out everything to Cui Yong.
Cui Yong was taken aback, so he immediately questioned Cui San and practically beat him to death. If not for his wife's pitiful begging of mercy, he would have disowned Cui San.
However, this was still a gravely shameful matter. If it spread, then the Cui family's hundred-year fame would be lost, and even Maiden Yu would be discriminated against by society. If that time came, even if Maiden Yu was unwilling, she would have to leave the Cui family, and she could no longer be Cui Er's widow.
In order to remain a couple with Cui Er in the afterlife, Maiden Yu told Cui Yong that she was willing to tolerate it and pretend that it never happened, on the condition that she never wanted to see Cui San in her life ever again.
Cui Yong agreed. He let Maiden Yu live in another villa after that and posed strong guards to be her defense, forbidding anyone from getting near her again. Cui San was under house arrest in the Cui manor, not allowed to take a single step out.
However, after that night, Maiden Yu discovered that she was pregnant.
As to whose child it was, that was a given.
Feng Xiao, "That child… was you?"
Cui Buqu replied, "Yes, it was me."
His manner of speech was very calm, as if he was recalling the story of someone else.
Droplets of rain splattered on his head and shoulders. Everything was cold, even his heart.
Between Heaven and Earth, everything became a blur.
But the sigh next to him was clearer than anything.
Yet how would Feng Xiao, who had always been unrestrained, wayward, and never took someone else's matters to heart, sigh like that?
Cui Buqu smiled. He had definitely misheard it.
"I still have a lot of questions to ask." Feng Xiao refrained from waving his fan. To wave a fan in the mist of wind and rain, after all, was very stupid.
Cui Buqu said plainly, "I know. That is because this story has not yet ended."