《《蛮族之花》 Flower of Wilderness》Yina_bubbles

4、第 4 章 Broth

　　Suyuan carefully carried the wooden lunch box into the main hall. The room was warmer than the courtyard, though only slightly. A small charcoal brazier burned quietly in the corner, its weak flames barely enough to drive away the evening chill. She placed the lunch box on the table and slowly opened it. A curl of steam rose into the air, the fragrance of ginger and freshly cooked fish filled the room.” Mother” Princess Shuran was sitting beside the window, Suyuan’s footsteps slowed . She had seen her mother everyday for 18 years yet somehow everytime she looked at her it felt as though another piece of her heart was breaking.

　　The woman sitting before her is no longer the graceful princess in Nanny Zhang’s stories. Her face had become frighteningly pale, her cheek had lost its fullness and her thin wrists were almost hidden beneath the sleeves of her clothing. Years of illness had slowly taken away the vitality that once made her mother shine. The flower in Nanny Zhang’s stories was withering before her eyes. Suyuan lowered her head , tears fell silently onto the back of her hand. Shuran noticed and she reached out gently and took her daughter's hand, ‘ why are you crying Yuanyuan?” Suyuan slowly shook her head “I'm not crying” but her tears betrayed her. Shuran looked at her for a moment, she didn’t expose the lie instead, her thumb gently wiped away tears from Suyuan’s eyes.

　　“Then why does my Yuanyuan look so sad?” Suyuan bit the inside of her cheek , she had held these questions for years. But tonight , seeing her mother this weak she could no longer keep them there. With a trembling voice she ask “ why mother? Why did you have to live like this?”. Shuran hands pause. “Why did you have to marry someone you didn’t love?” another tear rolled down Suyuan’s cheek… The room fell silent. For a long while, Shuran didn’t answer. Then she let out a soft sigh “perhaps…” she said quietly , "I've simply left everything to fate”.

　　She smiled.
　　It was a faint, peaceful smile. Her fingers tightened gently around Suyuan’s hand. “After all these years, I have you…You’re my greatest treasure Yuanyuan and that’s enough for me”. Suyuan’s tears fell faster “ What kind of treasure am i mother? if i had never been born, you wouldn’t have suffered this much” her voice cracked. She looked at her mother desperately.”Yuanyuan this is my decision, I am the one who chose this path “ Shuran’s voice remained gentle, she took a breath but it soon turned into a cough. Her breathing became increasingly unsteady. “ I couldn’t give you the life that other girls have… i could only make you worry about you incompetent mother” another harsh cough escaped her throat. Suyuan’s heart lurched, Shuran suddenly covered her mouth as a violent cough shook her thin body. Suyuan immediately knelt beside her ,” mother don’t talk anymore”. She poured water into a cup with a trembling hand and held it to Shuran’s lips.

　　Shuran took a small sip while Suyuan gently patted her back, panic filling her chest. She shouldn’t have asked, she shouldn’t make her mother emotional. After a while, Shuran’s breathing finally steadied. Neither of them spoke, only the faint crackling of the charcoal filled the room. Shuran’s gaze fell upon the wooden lunch box, “You brought the food?” Suyuan nodded “ I made some fish broth”. Suyuan smiled and picked up the spoon but before she could feed her mother , Shuran reached out and took it from her. “Let mother feed you first, I know you haven’t eaten either have you?” Suyuan stared at her mother , for a moment she felt like a little girl again. The same little girl who had once sat beside her mother’s bed , waiting for her to wake up.

　　A faint smile finally appeared on Suyuan’ face, she obediently opened her mouth. Shuran blew on it carefully to cool it before bringing it to her daughter's lips. “ Is it good” Shuran asked, “it’s delicious, mother made it taste better” Shuran laughed softly. It was a weak laugh but to Suyuan it was precious. She gently took the spoon from her mother’s hand, “now it’s my turn”. Shuran didn’t resist, Suyuan carefully scooped up some broth , blew on it before bringing it toward her mother’s lip. Shuran took a small sip, and they continued to eat like that. One spoon for her mother and one for herself. Most of the fish broth ended up in Suyuan’s belly, her mother could no longer eat much, especially the meat of the fish. Suyuan pretended not to notice so whenever Shuran pushed the fish towards her, she simply ate without complaint.

　　Outside , the wind brushed against the old windows. Winter was coming, but inside the small room the mother and daughter sat close to each other over the simple bowl of fish broth. For this brief moment , there’s no Khan, no war, no palace intrigue and no political struggle . There was only a mother and her daughter, and Suyuan silently prayed that this moment would last forever.