A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go

Perhaps because she was so busy, time flew by for Mei Wanying after Pei Yan left Jiangnan.

In the blink of an eye, Ling was almost a year old.

The little one had already sprouted four teeth and could even call out "Mama" in a mumble.

Just as before, she was still quite the troublemaker, running Ding Xiang and the others ragged every day.

Still, with Ling around, the manor was certainly much livelier.

A child’s first birthday is a big deal.

Mei Wanying started planning her daughter’s first birthday banquet early on.

Mrs. Mei thought a lively celebration would be best and suggested she invite all their friends and family to the house.

"It’s not often we have something to celebrate, so we should make it a lively affair."

Mei Wanying found socializing exhausting. "I’ll just invite Ah Yao and her family over. Just the few of us will celebrate Ling’s first birthday."

Mrs. Mei asked, "Won’t that be a bit too plain?"

Mei Wanying teased, "Then you can just give Ling more presents. We’ll see who dares call it plain then!"

Her daughter and granddaughter were the closest and most important people to Mrs. Mei. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

For her granddaughter’s first birthday, she naturally had to give fine gifts.

Mrs. Mei had already decided: she would divide the jewelry from her private collection in two, one share for her daughter and one for her granddaughter.

She was getting on in years and no longer had use for such things. It was perfectly fitting to pass them down to her daughter and granddaughter.

Ah Yin had also suffered greatly the day Ling was born, so she couldn’t show favoritism.

Mrs. Mei kept this to herself for the time being. Looking out at the bare trees, she said, "I wonder if Ling’s father will come?"

’If Pei Yan truly valued Ah Yin and Ling, he ought to come, shouldn’t he?’

This place was too far from the Capital City. News of what happened there would only reach them long after the fact.

Mei Wanying didn’t know if Pei Yan would come, either.

After Pei Yan returned to the Capital City, he wrote her a letter every single day.

Every morning upon waking, a letter would be waiting for her.

It was like clockwork; he hadn’t missed a single day.

Remembering the contents of his letters, Mei Wanying felt her ears start to burn.

She snorted. "It’s Ling’s first birthday banquet, not his. Whether he comes or not is completely unimportant."

A mother knows her daughter best. Mrs. Mei felt her daughter’s attitude had softened a little.

’Given Ah Yin’s temper, she should have said something like, "It’d be best if Pei Yan never showed his face again!"’

’Even at her age, Mrs. Mei still couldn’t make sense of the matters of the heart between men and women.’

She sighed inwardly. ’We’ll just have to take it one step at a time. Perhaps Pei Yan is different, and he can truly be devoted to Ah Yin.’

Mrs. Mei smiled. "He just better not forget to send a first-birthday gift for Ling. Otherwise, our Ling might not accept him as her daddy."

The Mei family wanted for nothing; Mrs. Mei had other things in mind.

Now that Pei Yan knew Ling existed, it was only right for him, as her father, to prepare a birthday gift for her.

If he made no gesture, it would only prove he didn’t care about the child.

In that case, there would be no need for Ling to grow close to him.

Ling could already stand up on her own and even take a few steps while holding an adult’s hand.

Hearing her grandmother and mother say her name, she steadied herself on a low stool and made her way around to face them.

She mumbled an unclear question, her big eyes full of confusion.

Mei Wanying had been so busy that, for a time, Ling had been staying in Mrs. Mei’s quarters.

After spending so much time with the child, she could naturally understand those mumbled words.

Mrs. Mei laughed. "She thinks we were calling for her and is asking what we wanted."

Mei Wanying pinched her daughter’s little cheek. "We’re preparing for your birthday. What presents do you want? Even if you want me to pluck the stars and moon from the sky, Mama will get them for you."

Ling threw herself into Mei Wanying’s embrace, giggling and hugging her while mumbling, "Mama."

Mrs. Mei couldn’t stop laughing. "In Ling’s heart, you’re much more important than the stars and the moon!"

Mei Wanying’s heart melted.

Cradling her daughter’s small body, she smoothed down the hair on her forehead. "It’s Mama’s fault. I’ll have to spend more time with our Ling."

Ling was a clever child and could understand some simple sentences.

When she heard her mama was going to stay with her, she grinned, revealing her tiny, rice-like baby teeth.

Combined with her round little face, it was unbearably cute.

She rested on Mei Wanying’s lap, calling for her mama again and again, her little feet kicking excitedly. She was bursting with energy.

Mei Wanying asked her mother, "Was I this mischievous when I was little?"

Mrs. Mei replied, "You were just as bad, if not worse!"

Ling’s lively personality was the spitting image of Ah Yin’s when she was a child.

When Mrs. Mei saw her granddaughter, she was reminded of what her daughter looked like as a child.

How could she not dote on Ling?

She thought to herself, ’If it weren’t for Ah Yin’s influence, how could that block of wood Pei Yan have produced such a lively and clever daughter?’

The man being discussed, Pei Yan, had already arranged his court affairs and was rushing to Jiangnan without a moment’s rest.

’He wasn’t there when Ling was born. He’d already missed so much—he absolutely could not miss her first birthday banquet!’

’Ah Yin is terrified of pain, and she must have suffered terribly during childbirth. He should use their daughter’s birthday as a chance to be with Ah Yin and Ling.’

Pei Yan spurred his horse onward, racing toward Jiangnan. He missed Mei Wanying so much that when he passed through post stations, he only swapped for a fresh horse, never stopping to rest.

He had spent the past few years on military campaigns, so he had a strong constitution and didn’t find the journey exhausting.

The closer he got to Jiangnan, the more urgent his desire to see Mei Wanying became.

Pei Yan just wanted to go faster, and faster still.

’Even if he did nothing but see her face, that alone would be bliss.’

...

For her daughter’s first birthday banquet, Mei Wanying didn’t plan to invite a large crowd of guests.

She just wanted to give Ling a cozy and simple birthday celebration.

Two days before her birthday, Ling suddenly developed small blisters on her body.

Ling was Mei Wanying’s only daughter, and her father was the powerful New Emperor. No one dared to neglect her.

As soon as two blisters appeared, her attendants went to summon a doctor.

The Household Doctor was well-versed and highly skilled. He proclaimed that Ling had contracted smallpox.

’Ling has always been so healthy. I never imagined that the one time she got sick, it would be such a deadly disease!’

Ling was Mei Wanying’s entire world. Unwilling to entrust her care to anyone else, she dropped all her other affairs to personally watch over her daughter.

When Mrs. Mei offered to take her place, she refused.

’Mother’s health is poor. If she caught it from Ling, the consequences would be unthinkable!’

Mei Wanying sealed off the courtyard, allowing only the doctor to come and go. She kept a tireless vigil by her child’s side, never even stopping to change her clothes.

Due to the unrelenting high fever, Ling was listless and didn’t even have the strength to cry.

Mei Wanying held her daughter, her face etched with anguish, yet she had to force herself to stay strong and give her daughter medicine.

’She’s my own flesh and blood. If anything happens to Ling, I don’t know what I’ll do.’

Ling didn’t want to drink the bitter medicine, but she had no strength to struggle, nor the strength to wail. She could only shed tears silently.

Some of the bitter medicine went down, but some came back up. Her small face was soaked with her tears.

For such a small child to endure the torment of illness... Mei Wanying could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face.

’She was so scared.’

’Scared of losing her daughter!’

"Emperor, that is smallpox! Your life is invaluable—you absolutely must not risk going inside!"

"Out of my way!"

A clamor of footsteps rushed from far to near, and the door was thrown open from the outside.

A travel-worn man appeared before Mei Wanying and took Ling from her arms.

He said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."