Chapter One: Rebirth

  Bai Yunnuan felt that his own death was approaching.

  Sheng Hanguo fell ill in her childhood and had been taking medicine constantly. Later, her husband Zhang Naichun was instigated by his younger sister Zhang Siying, and after he took several concubines one after another, his attitude towards Sheng gradually cooled down, and the Zhang family also became more indifferent to her. She felt very resentful about this, and her resentment turned into illness, which kept her bedridden for five years.

  Her body's vitality had long been depleted by illness and pain, leaving her a hollow shell. If not for her concern for Han Ge, she would have given up the ghost and returned to dust long ago.

  Zhen Niang held the medicine bowl, lifted the embroidered soft curtain, and walked into the inner room. She glanced at the seriously ill master on the bed, lowered her head to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and knelt down in front of him to persuade: "Madam, it's time to take your medicine."

  Bai Yun gently shook her head, leaning against the embroidered pillow behind her, her eyes somewhat vacant. She turned to ask: "Why didn't Han Ge come over today?"

  Zhen Niang's face was slightly pale, and she forced down the sourness and sorrow in her heart, saying in a loud voice: "Someone from the outer courtyard came this afternoon and said that Master had taken Ge'er away. Don't worry, Nainai, wait until tomorrow..."

  The words had hardly left her lips when a young servant girl rushed in from outside, knelt on the bed board and said with tears: "Grandma, grandma, Young Master..."

  Zhen Niang hastily stood up, her expression stern as she rebuked: "Yu Mo, what nonsense are you spouting? Get out!"

  "Really, how can such a big thing be hidden from grandma?"

  Yu Mo looked towards the bed and saw his master's pale face poking out from under the covers, anxiously staring at him. "Hanjie, what's wrong? What happened?"

  "Master has fallen into the Bi Bo Pool on his way to pay his respects in the evening and drowned!" Yu Mo said truthfully.

  Zhen Niang couldn't stop herself, and also burst into tears, scolding: "Didn't I tell you to keep it from Nai Nai? Now that Nai Nai's body is weak, how can she bear this news? You impatient donkey, wait until Nai Nai's body recovers a bit, then come report again, it won't be too late!"

  The person who was kneeling with their eyes wide open suddenly turned around and saw Bai Yun, a mouthful of blood spurted out, and his body fell to the side, his face as pale as death.

  The real daughter panicked, hurriedly went up and shouted again, pinched the acupuncture point, busy hands and feet didn't stop, finally saw the master only murmuring "Hanjie", had to turn around and order Yu Mo: "What are you still dazed about, hurry up and invite the doctor!"

  Yu Mo looked at the bed and got up from the ground, "oh" and went out.

  。

  After a while, Bai Yun Nuan finally spoke up, "Go invite Grandfather over."

  The young lady's face was difficult, the uncle had not set foot in this house for several months, and in recent years, he had lost his deep affection and tenderness towards his grandmother since their wedding day. Every time he came over, it was either cold ridicule or thinly veiled insults about which concubine had been taken in to provoke his grandmother.

  "Grandma..." But before she could finish, Bai Yunnuan repeated again: "Go invite him over!"

  The real daughter did not dare disobey, so she had no choice but to respond and go out, calling the little maid under the corridor to report the news.

  Bai Yun closed her eyes in despair.

  About half an hour later, Zhang Nai Chun arrived.

  He wore a white shirt, tall and slender, with an expression of extreme indifference on his face.

  A eight-sided palace lamp stood on the bedside table in the corner of the wall, emitting a bright and gentle glow that floated between Baiyun Nuan and Zhang Nai Chun.

  Bai Yun Nuan gazed at the man in the lamplight, still elegant and refined, yet with a heart as cold as ice.

  She thought to herself, all the tragedies in her life, being tormented by illness, losing a loved child, were all bestowed upon her by this man in front of her. Thinking of this, she was so furious that she gritted her teeth, wishing she could flay his skin, drink his blood and devour his flesh!

  Zhang Nai Chun was stared at by her, and she broke the silence first, "Don't look at me with such resentful eyes. You reap what you sow, what did you do in the past that you can still hope for a good outcome? You had an illegitimate child with Wen Lu Ming, but I raised Han Ge for so many years. Do you think my Zhang family will let you behave recklessly? Heaven has taken him away now, it's your sin as his mother, no wonder I said that."

  He looked at his wife's emaciated face with no expression, without a hint of sympathy.

  Bai Yun's warm hands clenched into fists, and his entire body's blood was ignited at once. He laughed sarcastically, with a mocking gaze cast on Zhang Nai Chun's face. Yet, his words were calm: "After all these years of marriage, I never thought you'd think of me this way. Nai Chun, now that I'm no longer capable, can you give Anuan one last hug for old times' sake?"

  Listening to his wife's gentle request, Zhang Nai Chun's heart tightened.

  Anu, this was his nickname for her back then

  He used to love her so much that if his elder sister hadn't told him about her affair with Wen Lu Ming, he might have lived happily in ignorance for the rest of his life.

  All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others.

  Zhang Nai Chun thought of the days when they were newlyweds, his heart was gently pulled by tender feelings, he slowly walked to the bedside and sat down, bent over and hugged his wife's thin and frail body, and his heart ached again.

  After five years of marriage, he finally drove her to a desperate situation.

  Suddenly, Zhang Nai Chun only felt that the thread of pain in his heart was getting heavier and heavier, a hard sharp object was repeatedly stirring up the painful spot.

  He reached out and touched something, and it turned out to be a pair of scissors with his own warm blood on them.

  Bai Yun Nuan actually used scissors to stab him!

  Zhang Nai Chun looked at the person in front of her with a shocked expression, Bai Yun's warm eyes were bloodshot, his face was pale, and there was still dried blood on the corner of his lips, but his expression was very happy.

  It's that kind of refreshing and liberating emotion, unusually complex.

  She coldly sneered, using the last bit of strength in her life to say: "I've repeatedly told you that Han Ge is your own flesh and blood, why don't you believe me? You'd rather believe your sister who consorts with bandits than believe me. Together with your good sister, you killed your own son, haha. Zhang Nai Chun, you deserve to be childless!"

  She looked up at the sky and burst out laughing, releasing the scissors that were stuck in Zhang Nai Chun's chest.

  Can Han's death and a lifetime of injustice and suffering be repaid with just this pair of sharp scissors?

  Zhang Nai Chun's expression gradually became blurry in her line of sight, unable to hear any sound, her body slowly leaned back, and finally fell onto the bed.

  Bai Yun's eyes remained open until her death, but a strange smile lingered on her lips, as if mocking the absurdity of her life...

  The morning glow of a winter day spills in through the crimson carved window, falls on the carpet with honeysuckle vines, and casts a seven-colored halo, warm and cozy.

  Inside the Xiang screen is a simple and elegant girl's boudoir, with a bead curtain made of crystal beads dividing the space into two.

  On the left is a small study, on the desk there is a pot of delicate Pearl Orchid, a light yellow plain silk, an inkstone, and in the pen holder with the design of "Three Friends of Winter" are inserted several brushes.

  。

  On the right is the bedroom. On the dresser inlaid with mother-of-pearl and colored shells, a set of diamond-shaped copper mirrors wrapped in brocade and a large red lacquer carved plum blossom jewelry box are placed. On both sides of the wall hang embroidered silk gauze, one peony and one lotus flower, with bright and beautiful colors. The sandalwood bed frame is hung with light purple mosquito nets.

  In the mosquito net, a lovely girl was sleeping sweetly.

  A slender and delicate woman lifted the curtain and walked in. She placed the silver hand warmer on the red wooden stool beside the bed, then opened the light purple gauze curtains.

  "Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan..."

  The woman sat on the edge of the bed, her hand gently stroking her daughter's pale and tender cheeks, her eyes softening to the point of tears.

  Bai Yun's eyes fluttered open, and when she saw the woman in front of her, she couldn't help but laugh foolishly. She was really dead, otherwise how could she see her mother who had passed away many years ago?

  Mother is still as beautiful as before, likes to wear simple and elegant clothes, with a gentle smile on her face, rosy cheeks and lips that curve upwards like the goddess of flowers.

  Looking at her mother's gentle face, listening to her soft calls of "Anuan", Baiyun Nuan's eyes trembled, and with a blink, tears welled up.

  "It's the first day of the new year, why are you crying as soon as you open your eyes?" Bai Jiang's words carried a hint of reproach, but her smile was even more doting. "After the New Year, you'll be thirteen, and at the age of bean sprouts, it's time to settle down and get engaged. It's not good to still have such a childish temper, be careful your brother finds out and teases you. Get up quickly, your father and brother are waiting for us in the outer courtyard!"

  Bai Yun warmed up listening to her mother's chatter, and the confusion in her heart deepened.

  Bai Jiang saw her daughter just opening a pair of beautiful eyes staring at herself, thinking she was lazy in bed, so she stretched out her hand to pull her, "Get up quickly, it's the first day of the year, your father wants to take the whole family to Lingyun Temple to burn incense, if you sleep late again, be careful he scolds you!"

  Bai Yun felt the warmth of her mother's palm, and the sound of her mother's voice and smile were so real that they didn't seem like a dream at all. A fleeting thought flashed through her mind: Had she been reborn?

  This life, she will no longer repeat the same mistakes.