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Blurb:
On the day Rong Huai returned to Chang'an, Yun Wan still called him “Uncle.”
This young man, as lovely as a gentle breeze and bright moon, had entered the Yun family before Yun Wan was born. By the time she was five, Rong Huai was already eight.
·
The handsome young boy always liked to tug on her braids, correcting her solemnly: “Wanwan, I’m your uncle, not your brother. Don’t call me the wrong thing again.”
The little girl lifted her face and muttered indignantly, “You’re only three years older than me. Why should I call you Uncle? You’re obviously taking advantage of me.”
As a child, Yun Wan could never understand why her father had adopted Rong Huai, yet made him his younger brother instead of his adopted son.
It was not until she was in her teens that she gradually got used to calling him “Uncle.”
·
When Rong Huai was eighteen, people from the Prince’s residence came to claim him. The “Uncle” she had called him for over ten years turned out to be a member of the royal family.
On the day they parted, the fifteen-year-old girl wept like a flower in the rain. The young man stood in the brilliant golden sunlight and gently stroked her head. “Don’t cry, Wanwan. Once your uncle is settled in Chang'an, I’ll come for you.”
She nodded emphatically, engraving his words in her heart.
·
But half a month passed, and no one came for her. Three months passed, and still no one came. Spring, summer, fall, and winter all passed, and no one came for her.
Two years went by in the blink of an eye.
During those two years, Yun Wan wrote Rong Huai many letters steeped in longing.
“Uncle, spring has come again, and the willow tree we planted together has sprouted new leaves. When will you come get me and take me to Chang'an?”
·
The young girl’s feelings grew wildly like spring grass, yet she never saw the person who had promised to take her to Chang'an.
It was not until Yun Wan turned eighteen that she heard Rong Huai had returned after being secretly sent to the border for three years.
But by then, she had already given her heart to someone else, and her betrothal was to be arranged in seven days.
·
That day, misty rain veiled everything. Rong Huai stood outside the residence holding a green bamboo umbrella.
After three years apart, the once-refined young man had become Lord Rong, a dignified and extraordinary figure with great power at court. He was still so handsome that it made her feel as if she were dreaming, but the way he looked at her was no longer the way it used to be.
·
The rain grew heavier, but she did not invite him inside.
He stood in the rain for a long time, then asked softly from behind the curtain of rain, “Yun Wan, would you come with me to Chang'an?”
Chang'an.
The Chang'an she had dreamed of and longed for over two years.
·
Rain soaked the hem of her skirt. She lowered her eyes and replied, “Uncle, I’m sorry. I’m about to get engaged, so I can’t go to Chang'an with you.”
She still called him Uncle.
·
Later, on their wedding night, Rong Huai held Yun Wan tightly in his arms. Looking into her tear-filled eyes, he spoke slowly, each word low and possessive: “Wanwan, don’t call me Uncle anymore. From now on, you should call me husband.”
·
[Reading Guide]
1. Childhood sweethearts, once mutually in love from afar
2. Both virgins, sweet romance
Theme: Love blossoms through mutual affection
Springtime Silks
Golden Beauty
Returning to the Eastern Palace Five Years Later
Love Along the Immortal River
Gathering Spring
The Little White Deer Goes on a Rampage
Afraid of Him
In Search of Qingchao
Ballad of the Fallen Immortal
Where Spring Flows
When All the Peach Blossoms in Chang'an Have Fallen
Caressing You