Chapter 49 - 49: Long Memory
Han Yu seemed to see through what Su Wenyue was thinking, and coaxed her, “Since you know you can’t fool me, just tell the truth. Why do you have to keep everything to yourself, hiding and guarding these thoughts all day long, trying to cover up? Aren’t you exhausted? Besides, your nature really isn’t suited to this kind of deceitful behavior because there are simply too many loopholes!”
“I didn’t speak up before, turning a blind eye, because I didn’t want to overburden you with thoughts and put you under pressure. But now it seems impossible to continue like this. Letting you press these worries on your heart, entertaining all sorts of chaotic thoughts all the time, will sooner or later change your temperament. If it goes sour, that would be a loss far outweighing any gain. So, today, whether you speak willingly or not, you must speak. Don’t make me use methods on you! Besides, who was it that said husband and wife should be honest with each other? Those were your words, and now I’ve done it, but you haven’t. Yueyue, is this really the principle by which you live, huh?”
With this mix of gentleness and sternness, Han Yu had made up his mind to dig out all the secrets buried in Su Wenyue’s heart. He had clearly seen many of her slip-ups before but had not pointed them out. He was curious and wanted to investigate himself. It was also out of respect and consideration for Su Wenyue, but this was under the premise that it did not affect their normal life.
“I…” Su Wenyue, feeling pressured by Han Yu, considered whether she should repeat the same explanation she had given to Old Master Su. She hadn’t planned to keep it a secret forever, just wanted to find the right moment. Now that it had come to this, it wasn’t impossible to speak. Yet, while her father had easily believed her, could Han Yu believe her?
“What’s the matter, Yueyue? Do you still have any concerns?” Han Yu saw that Su Wenyue still looked hesitant, clearly moved by his words.
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that this matter is somewhat incredible, and I’m afraid you won’t believe it.”
“You haven’t even said it yet, how do you know I won’t believe it? Or do you actually lack confidence in me from the bottom of your heart? I am your Husband, Lady Yue, can you trust me just once?” Han Yu felt an itch in his teeth and really wanted to teach this little girl who didn’t trust her Husband a lesson. But, having finally coaxed her into revealing her secrets, he must hold back, not to scare her away, for there would be plenty of opportunities for discipline later.
Encouraged by Han Yu’s supportive gaze, Su Wenyue slightly altered the story she had initially told Master Su and shared it with Han Yu.
Han Yu was actually somewhat incredulous, thinking his Daughter-in-law was attempting to deceive him again, inventing such an explanation. But considering her occasional mysteriousness and some unexplainable occurrences, he listened attentively, closely observing Su Wenyue’s reactions. As he listened more, his expression slowly turned serious, and by the end, it even became a bit severe.
It wasn’t just because Su Wenyue made some events seem so real. Han Yu even felt as though she had truly experienced these events herself. The feeling was subtle, and as the conversation progressed, he didn’t just listen to Su Wenyue’s descriptions but also asked some questions. Su Wenyue, with her limited wits, couldn’t outsmart Han Yu. Even some matters she intended to conceal inevitably slipped out as Han Yu extracted quite a bit from her.
Han Yu was initially more concerned about the future direction of the Daming Dynasty. He believed, though currently peaceful, the dynasty showed signs of chaos. The state of the Imperial Court suggested an inevitable great turmoil. With a desire to achieve great things in his heart, he most cared about this issue. Having it confirmed by Su Wenyue’s words, he felt more prepared, but he noticed that she deliberately avoided some questions about herself, shifting his concerns.
However, this time Su Wenyue was smarter, or perhaps too cautious. She hardly let any information slip to Han Yu. Actually, Su Wenyue was too sensitive to those topics, so whenever Han Yu mentioned certain matters, her heart instinctively filled with caution. These were areas she considered untouchable. Seeing no progress, Han Yu decided to let it go.
“You don’t seem to have any doubts about what I’ve said at all.”
It puzzled Su Wenyue somewhat that she herself found her circumstances unbelievable. Her Father might be excused, able to believe unconditionally in his Daughter, but why did Han Yu also believe so readily, without any sign of doubt? She didn’t realize she was being constrained by her own thinking.
While Su Wenyue found her situation absurd and impossible, neither Master Su nor Han Yu were ordinary people. Their knowledge and understanding were extraordinary, and they approached issues practically, thus deducing the possibility of events occurring. She did not give everything away, instead choosing to describe these events through the guise of dreams, which didn’t seem so implausible after all.
As for the past, even Su Wenyue felt as if it were all just a grand illusion, a mix of what’s real and unreal. Therefore, although both Master Su and Han Yu understood that Su Wenyue was concealing some matters, they were willing to believe it was true. After all, even if it wasn’t true, it didn’t affect anything, did it? What they learned from Su Wenyue was merely a reference for their future actions.
“You are My Wife, so of course I believe you. But dreams are still dreams. Even if they feel too real or foreshadow something, that is just a dream. Now you are living firmly in reality, not in a dream. Make sure you understand that! I wondered why you are so suspicious and defensive toward me. It turns out because I wasn’t good to you in the dream. You ungrateful little thing. Dreams are dreams. Can’t you feel how I treat you in real life? To doubt me over such groundless things, tell me, how should I punish you?”
Han Yu spoke of punishment and pinched a certain fleshy part of her body a bit more firmly, causing Su Wenyue to draw in a breath. Then her ear was bitten again.
“Ouch, gently, it’s not like I did it on purpose!” Su Wenyue, somewhat indignant, poked Han Yu’s chest with her finger, her tone quite assertive. But in her heart, she still felt a bit guilty. Although her experience was not a dream, Han Yu was right. Regardless of dreams or past life events, she was now living in the present and shouldn’t let the past affect her current life. Moreover, she shouldn’t be overly suspicious of Han Yu because of how he treated her in her previous life. If Han Yu had behaved that way, it was also her own fault.
Seeing his Wife’s attitude, Han Yu laughed with a hint of danger, “It’s fine because you didn’t do it on purpose? I was considering letting you off this time, but now, seeing your attitude, if I just let it go, wouldn’t that foster bad habits? It seems I must make you remember this lesson well!”