Chapter 200: Dreams are the kind of thing that can't be explained

"Why are you so absent‑minded? What nightmare did you have?"

At the dining table, the man handed the bowl of preserved‑egg and lean‑pork congee to his daughter‑in‑law, then picked up the boiled egg in the bowl, cracked the shell, and leisurely peeled it.

On a chair beside it sat Tangyuan's own little rice bowl.

But it's still hot, cooling down.

Impatient Tangyuan first grabbed some dried fish on her cat climbing frame and ate them.

"It wasn't a nightmare, just a strange dream."

Shen Man shook her head; the dream unfolded from a little princess's perspective, which she found hard to speak of.

"What kind of dream?"

The man's fingertips paused slightly, instinctively wanting to listen.

"It was..."

Shen Man organized her words, arranged the earlier dream and last night's dream in order, and told the man.

Tangyuan, who had been chewing dried fish, was drawn over, tilted her head, and listened with great interest.

The story opens with a marriage‑allied princess bound to an altar, who is also mute—a disastrous start.

Then, at the brink of death, a heroic marquis descending from the sky rescues her.

Tasked with caring for the little princess, a tongue‑tied young general falls for the marquis over time; just as their feelings are about to break through a thin veil, an imperial edict summons them...

"Da Qian Dynasty?"

"Yes, the Da Qian Dynasty. I've never heard of that dynasty, so it's just a dream, ethereal and illusory..."

The man had been unmoved while listening, until his daughter‑in‑law mentioned the Da Qian Dynasty; the egg in his hand was instantly crushed by his grip—

"Crunch."

Shen Man heard the sound, quickly grabbed the man's hand and examined his palm.

"Does it hurt? What happened? Why crush a perfectly fine egg?"

A raw egg broken is just broken; it's not a big problem.

A boiled egg's broken shell is very sharp; a slight slip can really pierce the palm.

"It's fine, it's my first time hearing of the Da Qian dynasty, I was daydreaming."

Jiang Ye concealed the shock in his heart; Da Qian, long missed.

He never imagined that one day he could hear the name of his homeland again.

And that name came from his daughter‑in‑law's mouth, which caused his lapse.

"You, you must not have slept well; anyway you don't have to go to the troops today, go take another nap."

Shen Man carefully cleared the egg shell from the man's palm, confirmed there was no wound, and then relaxed.

"Hmm, could you tell me more about this dream? It's oddly interesting."

Jiang Ye nonchalantly wiped the egg off his fingertip; it couldn't be eaten.

He peeled another; this time he relaxed his grip, sure he wouldn't crush it again...

"Of course, that Lu Xiaojiangjun in the dream is extremely tongue‑tied, just like my brother, he..."

Shen Man had been worried her fanciful dream would sound ridiculous when spoken.

She didn't expect her husband to be interested, so she added more memorable scenes.

Strangely, some scenes grew increasingly vague, while others were indelibly etched.

It was a dream, yet it didn't quite feel like one.

Dreams are the sort of thing that can't be explained.

Unbeknownst to them, the man beside her furrowed his brows; Lu Xiao, he had no recollection of.

Da Qian, ever had a general surnamed Lu?

Da Qian's forces were mighty; in the year he was born, his father the king led a hundred thousand iron cavalry to crush Da Yong.

Thus, the Da Qian and Da Yong in his daughter‑in‑law's dream, the marriage alliance, he had never seen recorded in any history.

Seems, he overthought it.

His daughter‑in‑law merely happened to have a bizarre dream.

Just a coincidence.

"In the dream, Lu Xiao said that after returning to the capital, he'll marry his fiancée, and will send an invitation to the little princess..."

"Hmm, then next time you have such a bizarre dream, see if you receive..."

Jiang Ye picked out the egg shell, and nudged the crushed egg into Tangyuan's rice bowl.

Tangyuan's pupils trembled; she ate it through tears.

King Meow Meow is not picky; he eats anything.

"Meow."

Not bad, the yolk is quite tasty.

Most of the morning passed as the couple discussed the dream.

Yesterday the old masters came, today they didn't, but I managed a nap.

After waking, Shen Man felt refreshed; she reached for the adjacent bed and found it empty.

We agreed to rest together, didn't we?

Where did he go again?

Shen Man sat up, reached for the water cup on the nightstand, and saw a note pressed under the cup.

My wife personally writes: Seeing these words is like meeting you.

The firewood at home is gone; go out to chop wood, and return promptly after finishing.

Don't worry.

The handwriting is vigorous and powerful, the brush strokes sharp and distinct.

The writing reflects the person—crisp and decisive.

Exactly, this style is still as pedantic as ever.

"Tangyuan?"

He shouted once, but there was no response.

He's probably not at home; he went out wandering somewhere.

Just as she thought that, her brother's loud shouting came from the courtyard——

"Sister, come out quickly, I bought a big watermelon, come out and eat watermelon!"

Watermelon?

Shen Man heard her brother's loud voice, her ears were assaulted.

While putting on her shoes, she replied——

"I know, I know."

It's already July, watermelons are indeed edible now.

Just a few days ago she ate watermelon at Qinghong Sister's house, it wasn't sweet at all, like a water melon.

She also didn't know where her brother got the watermelon from, whether it's sweet or not.

"Keep it down, the noise is making my ears hurt."

Pei Yan Ting rubbed her waist, the short hair by her ears had grown out a lot; she hadn't had time to go to the barbershop outside the island, so she simply left it uncut for now.

It's just a bit unfamiliar; she was used to keeping her hair short, but now it's suddenly long, and her whole persona's brisk demeanor has become softer.

Of course, her coworkers say she's pregnant, a maternal aura.

Lu Xiu Bai placed the watermelon he was holding onto the table in the main hall, smiling brightly as he nodded:

"Oh oh, I know, wife. You sit first, I'll go to the kitchen to get a knife and cut the best part for you all to eat."

Shen Man combed her hair, then opened the door and walked out of the room, "Sister-in-law, brother."

"Was it your brother who woke you up? I told him to keep his voice down, but I didn't expect it to still wake you."

Pei Yan Ting saw this, gestured for her sister-in-law to sit beside her; the aunt-in-law and sister-in-law had always gotten along well, and they soon started chatting.

First they complained about Lu Xiu Bai, then talked about their health conditions, and finally about their progress memorizing medical texts.

Although Shen Man is carrying twins, thanks to heavenly blessings she has no morning sickness at all.

Eating well, drinking well, sleeping well—being cared for by Jiang Ye in every detail, she has the time and energy to do what she likes.

Pei Yan Ting listened, her face showing envy.

She hasn't been so fortunate; since around two months pregnant, she's started vomiting, can't keep food down, and keeps dreaming when she sleeps.

"Lately I keep having a strange dream: sometimes I dream I'm wearing weird clothes, playing around with a childhood friend boy."

"Sometimes I dream I've grown up, waiting to be married in my chambers, on the wedding day the groom is seized by a group of people in ancient garb wielding blades, and on the spot he's stabbed...."