One day, when Old Madam Bai again made sarcastic remarks to her at the lunch table, she said, "Mrs. Bai, I haven't seen you all morning. What have you been doing?"

  "Sleep,” Han Yan confessed candidly, feeling exhausted from her pregnancy.

  "Sleeping! Hmph!" Madam Bai sneered. "It's all about different backgrounds and superior constitution. In my time as a daughter-in-w, we didn't have such comfort! Who could sleep the entire morning?"

  Han Yan stared at Old Madam Bai, a surge of frustration building inside her chest. She struggled to hold it back, but her face turned pale, and her chest rose and fell violently.

  She continued to gre at her without saying a word.

  This stare provoked Old Madam Bai, who gred back at Han Yan and sternly said, "Do you have something to say? Don't make your eyes look like a dead fish!"

  Han Yan bit her lip, and without thinking, the words slipped out, "Do I have the right to speak, Old Madam?"

  Madam Bai set down her bowl, anger burning in her eyes. She stared at Han Yan, lowering her voice and asking, "What do you mean by that?"

  "What I mean is..." Han Yan said softly but firmly, her words clear, "In front of you, I never have the right to speak. You are Empress Dowager Cixi, and I am just Consort Zhen!"

  Gao Lide quickly looked at Han Yan. Her resistance surprised him but also earned his approval. He couldn't help but smile, his eyes filled with admiration and encouragement. This expression did not escape Madam Bai's notice. She gred at them, then smmed her chopsticks down, saying nothing as she turned and walked upstairs, head held high, step by step. Her movements were dignified, her expression serious, and her back straight... She looked exactly like Empress Dowager Cixi.

  Watching her walk up the stairs, Gao Lide smiled and said, "Well done, Han Yan, but be careful! She won't let you off easily! You'd better allow me to expin things clearly to Pei Wen first."

  "No! Li De!" Han Yan said urgently. "Please don′t say anything! You′ll only complicate things further!"

  So, Gao Lide remained silent. However, that afternoon, Pei Wen hurried back from the factory, clearly summoned by Mrs. Bai's phone call. He first went to his mother′s room, and then he returned to their bedroom, facing Han Yan. His face was heavy with anger.

  Han Yan looked at him, knowing that Madam Bai must have said many hurtful things about her. She waited, waiting for Pei Wen to speak, her expression troubled and passive.

  "Han Yan, what′s going on?" Pei Wen finally spoke. His voice was low, reproachful, and dissatisfied. "How could you treat Mom like that? She cares for you; she′s been good to you, and yet you... Han Yan! You should be grateful!"

  Han Yan continued to look at him, her brows slowly furrowing, her eyes gradually becoming wet, but she didn′t speak a word, not a single one.

  "Han Yan, you′ve changed!" Pei Wen continued. "You′ve become someone I don′t understand! I don′t know what′s going on with you; is there something bothering you? Are you dissatisfied with the Bai family? Haven′t I treated you well enough? Han Yan, to be honest, your recent behavior has disappointed me!"

  Han Yan still gazed at him, but tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. She didn′t wipe them away; she let them fall freely. Her eyes were wide, shimmering with tears, fshing with distrust. There was sadness, grievance, and many unspeakable pains in her gaze.

  Pei Wen furrowed his brows. Han Yan′s expression softened his heart, but he hardened his resolve and said, in a commanding tone, "Dry your tears! Han Yan, go apologize to Mom!"

  Han Yan gently shook her head.

  "Go!" Pei Wen grabbed her shoulder, standing in front of her. She was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking up at him. He shook her shoulder, saying sternly, "You have to go! Han Yan!"

  "No!" She finally spoke, her voice firm.

  "Han Yan!" He shouted angrily. "Go, now!"

  She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands, shaking her head vigorously.

  "No! No! No!" She repeated it urgently. "Don't force me, Pei Wen; don't force me!"

  "I have to force you!" Pei Wen's expression was stern. "Mother is the head of the family, and I can't let people say that Pei Wen forgot his mother once he had a wife. If you're a good woman, a good wife, you shouldn't put me in this position, making me bear the shame of being an unfilial son! So, you must go!" His voice was firm and heavy.

  "Do you hear me? Han Yan, you have no choice; you must go!"

  Han Yan lifted her head, looking up at him again. Her voice was hollow, confused, and desote, as though it came from a far, far pce.

  "Do you really want me to do this?" she asked softly, her gaze passing through him, falling somewhere unknown.

  "Yes!" Pei Wen replied, but a shiver ran through him, a sense of foreboding creeping in from the way Han Yan looked at him.

  "Then, I'll go," she said, standing up and immediately walking toward the door, speaking almost to herself, "But, Pei Wen, you will regret this."

  He grabbed her arm and stared at her.

  "What do you mean?"

  She looked at him, slowly shook her head, and did not answer. Breaking free from his grip, she walked out the door. Her body was stiff, her face pale and expressionless. She walked straight to Old Madam Bai's door, pushed it open, and stared at her. In a mechanical voice, as if reciting lines, she clearly said, "I was wrong, Madam; please forgive me. Because I come from humble origins, I don′t understand the rules and have offended you. I hope you can be generous and forgive my mistakes."

  Having said this, she did not wait for Madam Bai's response. She immediately turned around and walked back to her room. She had only reached the door when a sudden dizziness and weakness overwhelmed her. She staggered, and, in a panic, tried to hold onto the door, but missed, colpsing onto the carpet in front of the door.

  Pei Wen shouted loudly. He rushed over, held her head, and shouted loudly, "Han Yan! Han Yan! Han Yan!"

  She y there, unaware, her head weakly resting on his wrist. Her lips were colorless, and her breath was faint. Pei Wen's heart tightened and ached, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His face pale, he picked her up, continuing to call her name urgently, "Han Yan! Han Yan! Han Yan!"

  Everyone in the house was startled. Gao Lide rushed from his room, and upon seeing the situation, he immediately took the most rational steps. He rushed downstairs to the living room and dialed Han Yan′s doctor. Meanwhile, Pei Wen id her on the bed, anxiously shaking her, pinching her philtrum, applying a cold towel to her forehead, and continuously calling out, "Han Yan! Wake up! Han Yan! Wake up! Han Yan, my beloved, wake up! Han Yan! Han Yan!" He kissed her cheek, her forehead, and her cold lips.

  But she showed no response. Her small face was paler than paper, and her long, dark shes hung weakly, casting two crescent-shaped shadows beneath her eyelids.

  The doctor arrived, and after a flurry of injections, bed rest, and a diagnosis, the doctor gravely said, "It′s best not to stimute her. She needs more rest; otherwise, the fetus won't be able to survive."

  After the doctor left, Pei Wen stayed by Han Yan′s side. Madam Bai gnced at her once and then left, thinking that Han Yan′s fainting was nothing more than an act, a pretense. Therefore, her dislike for her grew even more. What a woman who always knew how to use tactics! It was obvious that she had once again made Pei Wen lose his senses.

  After a long time, Han Yan finally woke up. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling somewhat dazed, as if she couldn′t remember what had happened. Pei Wen gazed at her deeply, tenderly brushing her cheek, her hair, and her thin little hand. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he softly called out her name.

  "Han Yan!"

  She looked at him, recalling what had happened. Turning over, she faced away from him, burying her head in the pillow without saying a word. Her silent protest pierced him.

  He gazed at her back and her frail shoulders.

  She had always been so gentle; why had she become so cold now? He thought, heartbroken. Then, he reached out and gently stroked her hair, whispering, "Don't be angry with me, Han Yan. I had no other choice! I know that the retionship between a daughter-in-w and a mother-in-w isn′t easy, but who taught us that we are the younger generation?"

  She remained silent, lying there without moving. The pain in Pei Wen′s heart grew, and he faintly sensed that Han Yan was drifting away from him, distancing herself from him. He couldn′t understand her thoughts; he couldn′t enter her world.

  The distance between them was growing further. Why? He thought deeply. Could it be... could it really be because of Gao Lide? He remembered how, when she fainted, Gao Lide had rushed with a pale face to the living room to call the doctor, and how, afterward, he had anxiously paced by the door… His heart grew cold, and his fingers stiffened as they remained in her hair.

  He sat there for a long time, and then, without a word, he stood up and left the room. Han Yan watched him go, her tears soaking the pillow. She remained still, but deep inside her heart, a crack was slowly bleeding. Pei Wen went downstairs, and Gao Lide, who was sitting in the living room reading the evening newspaper, noticed him.

  Upon seeing him, Gao Lide put down the paper and asked with concern, "How is she? Has she woken up?"

  Pei Wen stared at him. You seem very concerned, he thought. He walked over to pour a cup of tea, holding the cup as he slowly looked at Gao Lide and said, "Yes, she′s awake."

  Gao Lide watched him and then couldn't help but say, "Pei Wen, take better care of her. You′re often not at home, and her life isn′t easy."

  Pei Wen's gaze locked onto his face.

  "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice low.

  "I think..." Gao Lide hesitated, then continued, "Your mother doesn′t really like her."

  "Oh, you know that?" Pei Wen fixed his stare on him. So you′ve been stirring trouble? He thought. What role do you think you're pying in our family?

  He set down the tea cup, and slowly, one word at a time, he said, "I have something to say to you too, Li De! From now on, please focus on the tea pntation and stay out of my family matters!"

  Gao Lide jumped up, gring at Pei Wen in anger. Pei Wen, however, ignored him and walked upstairs. Gao Lide stood there, stunned with fury, for a long time, his eyes fixed on the stairs.

  For several days after that, Han Yan stayed in bed without getting up.

  The wall of separation between her and Pei Wen had been erected, and they observed each other from afar, both remaining silent, unwilling to speak more.

  Han Yan became even more haggard and pale. Standing in front of the mirror, she often muttered to herself, "You're dying! You have no energy left; you're going to die!"

  Sighing, she felt unwilling to die like this—to die in such silence, to die in such grievance! She went downstairs, where there was a study prepared for Pei Wen. But Pei Wen was always too busy to make use of the study. She entered, took out a stack of rose-patterned stationery, and resolved to write something to express her sorrow, her love, and her innermost feelings. On the first page, she wrote a short poem:

  "Remember the day we met under the flowers,I asked you what your heart desired.You whispered to me softly, 'I want you! I want you! I want you!'

  Remember that night under the enchanting moonlight?You asked me what secrets my heart held.I whispered back to you, 'I love you! I love you! I love you!'

  But what night is it tonight?Why are we not exchanging a single word?I don′t know what you desire,and you don′t ask about the secrets of my heart,

  Only the cuckoo bird in the forest sighs:"Better to leave! Better to leave!"