How could someone be unhappy living in a matriarchal society?

Chapter 73 Happy Birthday

After lunch, He Bao and Chu Ci went to the study together.

Upon entering the study, He Baobao quickly took out a piece of paper from his pocket and solemnly handed it to Chu Ci.

"This is all the plot of the novel that I can remember. I hope it will be helpful to you."

Chu Ci took the paper and carefully read its contents.

He Baobao described in detail the power struggles and intrigues in the imperial court, mainly revolving around the power struggle between the Crown Princess and the Sixth Princess.

The Eighth Princess, who kept a low profile, chose to bide her time and deliberately created the illusion that she was indulging in debauchery and had no knowledge.

However, in reality, she had already secretly colluded with General Yuchi, meticulously planning a scene where the Crown Princess and the Sixth Princess would kill each other.

Ultimately, even though the Crown Princess ascended the throne, the immense strain it took made the position a crippled one for her.

The Eighth Princess knocked him down with a single kick.

Chu Ci pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: Since the Eighth Princess is destined to be the ultimate winner, why not just join her side?

This might help avoid getting involved in unnecessary disputes, and could even turn misfortune into good fortune.

She murmured to herself, "General Yuchi..."

He Baobao sensed Chu Ci's intention and said softly, "General Yuchi is a general known for his strict military discipline and iron-fisted methods. It is not easy to become her subordinate. Only by gaining her approval can one have the opportunity to join the army. Otherwise, no matter how outstanding a person is, it will be difficult to win her heart."

"Is that so..." Chu Ci murmured softly, his face expressionless.

She threw the paper into the charcoal brazier and watched it slowly burn.

The fire gradually spread, the paper curled up, and eventually turned to ashes.

Chu Ci sighed and said softly, "Let nature take its course. The best choice is Yuchi."

“Mm.” He Baobao nodded in agreement.

After discussing a few more things, He Baobao had to go back to work.

She stood up, straightened her clothes, and then left with Song He.

As Song He reached the door, she tripped and nearly fell.

Seeing this, Chu Ci quickly reached out to help, but He Baobao was a step ahead and quickly hugged Song He tightly.

"Can't you be more careful? You're always so absent-minded, you even trip and fall while walking," He Baobao said reproachfully, frowning.

Song He pouted and replied somewhat aggrievedly, "I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't want to."

He Baobao continued nagging, "If you looked around more..."

Chu Ci watched the two walk further and further away, listening to their incessant arguing all the way, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"My lady," Shi An called softly from the side.

Chu Ci snapped out of her daze and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Shi An stared wide-eyed, pouted, and asked with dissatisfaction, "Who are you looking at? Song He?"

"No, no," Chu Ci quickly explained, "I just noticed that the relationship between He Bao and Song He seems to have gotten better."

Hearing this, Shi An felt a little better and said softly, "They both work at the clinic and see each other every day, so it's normal for their relationship to improve."

Chu Ci nodded thoughtfully, indicating his agreement.

After a while, Chu Ci seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Shi An, "Shi An, He Baobao said before that our current situation is that of marriage before love."

"Marriage first, love later?" Shi An thought for a moment, "Does it mean getting married first and then slowly developing feelings for each other?"

“Yes,” Chu Ci looked at Shi An with eyes full of love, gently stroked his hair, and said tenderly, “My Shi An is so smart.”

Upon hearing this, Shi An revealed a hint of smugness on her face, "I've also been to school, haven't I?"

Looking at Shi An's adorable appearance, Chu Ci couldn't help but hug him tightly, then carried him in a princess carry into the bedroom and carefully placed him on the bed.

Both of them took off their shoes and lay quietly in the soft quilt.

Chu Ci closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to smell the scent of happiness at that moment.

Time flies, and it's already early January.

At this moment, heavy snow was falling, and the whole world was covered in white snow.

After a day of studying, Chu Ci returned home from the school.

Throughout the journey, she kept her head down, lost in her own thoughts.

Of course, Chu Ci wasn't thinking about schoolwork; rather, Shi An's birthday was approaching, and she was considering what gift to give her.

As they walked, they ran into Aunt Zhu.

Aunt Zhu greeted her warmly, "Little Chu, you're back from school."

Chu Ci smiled and asked, "Big sister, where are you going?"

Aunt Zhu pointed casually and said, "I'm going to the east entrance to take care of some business. It's getting cold, do you have enough charcoal?"

Chu Ci did the math, “It’s not quite enough.”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhu clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh dear, you'd better hurry up and buy it, or the price will go up!"

"Thank you, sister. I'll go this afternoon."

The two chatted about everyday things for a while before going their separate ways.

The weather is getting colder and colder, as if even the air itself has been frozen.

The wind picked up and howled, stinging people's faces.

Chu Ci wrapped his cotton-padded coat tighter and quickened his pace to get home.

When she got home, she found Shi An curled up in bed, reading a book by the charcoal fire.

He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't notice Chu Ci had returned.

"Shi'an," Chu Ci walked over and hugged him. "What book are you reading?"

Shi An leaned against Chu Ci and showed her the pages of the book, saying, "Just some miscellaneous books."

Chu Ci snatched the book from his hand and hugged and kissed him for a long time.

"Shi'an, how are you feeling now? Are you any better?"

Shi An had her period today and was having severe stomach pains, so she didn't accompany Chu Ci to school and stayed home to rest instead.

He forced a smile, his face a little pale: "It's alright, just a bit of a stomachache. But it's okay, I'll be fine after reading for a while."

After hearing this, Chu Ci turned around and went to the kitchen, brought out a cup of hot ginger tea, and handed it to Shi An.

Shi An took the teacup, feeling the warmth of the tea and Chu Ci's care, and felt a warm feeling in his heart.

"Thank you, my wife. It's so good to have you by my side."

Chu Ci smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed to chat with Shi An.

She recounted amusing anecdotes from the martial arts world and the little things in life, making Shi An forget the discomfort of her stomachache.

After a while, she glanced at the sky, stood up, and said, "Alright, I'll go buy some charcoal."

Shi An got up and said, "Then I'll go cook."

Chu Ci pressed the person back into the blankets, "No, you're staying in bed today. I'll take care of the meals."

"But....."

"No buts, or I'll get angry."

Seeing that Chu Ci insisted, Shi An smiled and nodded.

He felt that his wife was so considerate, and he liked her very much.

***

Chu Ci walked briskly to a charcoal shop and found that there were already many people queuing up to buy charcoal.

She silently walked to the back of the line and waited patiently.

The weather was a bit chilly, and the wind blew from time to time. Chu Ci adjusted her scarf slightly to prevent the cold wind from getting into her neck.

The scarf was a great help, making her feel extra warm.

She couldn't help but think of Shi An, and a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

A snow-white scarf paired with a moon-white long shirt, along with a tall figure and a neat high ponytail.

This makes the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) stand out in the crowd.

Han Qi spotted her at a glance, and it took him a while to force himself to look away.

He came with his mother to buy charcoal today, but he never expected to run into Chu Ci here.

Looking at her slender and upright figure, Han Qi couldn't help but feel a sense of amazement: this woman seemed to have become even more beautiful.

He and his mother-in-law slowly walked to the end of the line. As they passed Chu Ci, he secretly glanced at her.

I heard that she is now living in Kongtong Alley, studying policy essays under Master Li, and preparing to take the military examination.

Even the town mayor personally wrote a letter of recommendation for her, which shows that her talent and hard work have been recognized.

Such an outstanding woman is truly admirable.

However, she is already someone else's wife, so he can't think about her anymore.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, Chu Ci finally managed to buy the charcoal.

The price was more than double what it used to be, and Chu Ci, fearing that the price would rise further, bought four whole baskets.

When he carried it back with a shoulder pole, everyone on the street was astonished.

"Whose daughter is this? She's so strong!" An old woman exclaimed in surprise as she watched Chu Ci carrying the load with incredible speed.

“Her name is Chu Ci. She used to be a hunter in Sanyuan Village and was good friends with Doctor He,” another person chimed in, his tone tinged with envy and admiration.

"Really? You're very beautiful. Are you married yet?" the old woman continued to ask, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"She's married, and her husband is quite handsome," the man replied with a smile, seemingly very interested in the topic.

"Can anyone be as good-looking as my grandson?" the old woman asked indignantly, believing that her grandson was the most handsome.

“He’s much better looking than your grandson. You haven’t seen him. He looks like a little immortal.” The man retorted mercilessly.

"Sigh, all the good girls are married off so early, not giving others a chance," the old woman sighed helplessly, secretly regretting it.

After returning home, Chu Ci put the charcoal in the woodshed and then turned to leave.

Suddenly, she noticed a piece of ebony she had casually bought earlier in the corner.

Chu Ci walked over, picked up the ebony and examined it carefully. He found that the ebony was hard, with fine texture and a deep, restrained color, making it a superior piece of wood.

A thought struck her: she remembered Shi An's long, flowing hair and wondered how wonderful it would be if she could carve a hairpin for Shi An herself.

So, Chu Ci decided to try it out in the evening.

After dinner, Chu Ci went to his study as usual and read by lamplight.

Shi An leaned against the bed and embroidered. After a while, he felt a little sleepy, so he lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Seeing that Shi An was already asleep, Chu Ci quietly walked to the bedside and covered him with the blanket.

Then, she returned to her desk, took out her carving tools from the drawer, and began to work silently.

She was completely absorbed in carving the wood, the small knife in her hand moving across the wood, making a soft sound.

As Chu Ci carved, she imagined what Shi An would look like wearing the hairpin, and a gentle smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

As time went by, the shape of the hairpin gradually emerged and became clearer.

Chu Ci meticulously refined every detail, striving to make the hairpin even more exquisite and perfect.

Three nights later, when the final cut was made, the hairpin was finally finished.

Chu Ci gently placed it on the table, gazed at it, and was fairly satisfied.

"Looks like your skills haven't gotten rusty yet."

January 14th is Shi An's birthday.

That evening, the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas as Chu Ci busily cooked.

She carefully prepared four dishes and a soup, and even cooked a bowl of longevity noodles.

When everything was ready, she carefully placed the food on the table and waited for Shi An to arrive.

Shi An looked at the longevity noodles on the table, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

He didn't know how long it had been since he celebrated his birthday; the day felt as unfamiliar to him as if it were something from a past life.

The ordinary bowl of noodles in front of him now seemed to weigh a ton. Shi An stretched out his hands and carefully lifted it up, his hands trembling slightly.

"Thank you, my wife. This is the happiest birthday I've ever had in my life." Shi An was moved to tears, and her voice was choked with emotion.

Chu Ci looked at Shi An with heartache, gently wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, and comforted him tenderly, "Don't cry. I will spend every birthday with you from now on."

“Yes.” Shi An held Chu Ci’s hand tightly, her eyes shining with determination. “We made a promise that we will be together every year on our birthdays.”

Chu Ci smiled and nodded, then placed a gentle kiss on Shi An's forehead, like a warm and gentle spring breeze.

"It's a promise, and I will never break it," she said softly, her voice full of commitment and love.

Today's meal consisted entirely of dishes that Shi An loves to eat, and each dish was exquisitely prepared and delicious.

Shi An ate with great satisfaction, and only reluctantly put down his chopsticks when he could no longer swallow.

"My lady, look, I haven't finished these dishes yet, what a pity." Shi An looked at the remaining food on the table with some annoyance, her heart filled with regret.

Chu Ci couldn't help but laugh at Shi An's adorable appearance. She gently stroked his hair and comforted him, "It's okay. If you want to eat it, just tell me anytime, and I'll make it for you again."

Shi An pouted and shook her head, "It's different!"

Chu Ci smiled helplessly, reached out and picked her up from the chair next to him, placing her on his lap, and then gently comforted her, "I still have a gift for you."

Shi An's eyes lit up instantly, like two twinkling stars, and she asked expectantly, "Really?"

He originally thought the birthday banquet was a gift prepared by Chu Ci for him, but he didn't expect there to be another surprise waiting for him.

"What kind of gift is that?" Shi An couldn't wait to find out the answer.

Chu Ci carefully took out an exquisite wooden hairpin from her bosom, handed it to him, and explained, "I carved this myself."

Unlike common designs such as auspicious clouds and plum blossoms, this wooden hairpin is unique in that it is carved with a chubby and very cute rabbit.