Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 168 - 9: Scent Reveals the Truth (Part 2)

On the redwood bed of the green gauze cabinet was spread a red ape wool felt, a fragrant satin-edged yellow base red floral felt, and a rattan cooling mat. A colorful silk quilt with mandarin ducks and a velvet lined pillow stuffed with dried chrysanthemum and osmanthus flowers lay casually atop the bed.

Susu stood up, inhaling the fragrance, and lifted the pillow, revealing underneath a large red purse embroidered with golden threads featuring motifs of Buddha’s hand, peaches, and pomegranates. The peculiar fragrance wafted from this pouch. As the pouch rested in her hand, the scent intensified, and after inhaling deeply, Susu’s mind suddenly roared, flashing countless fragments.

"Mist Dream Fragrance, gather a bowl of dew-laden mandala petals, place them in a magnetic box, seal the box with paper, and steam continuously for three days. Discard the flowers but retain the juice, which is then infused with one ounce each of powdered Lingling Fragrance, Agastache, green cinnamon, half an ounce of sparrow head incense, Suhe Fragrance, and frankincense, and left to dry under the sun. Blend with dewdrops from poppy flowers to form pills for reserve. Those who dream..."

"Those who dream, upon smelling it in their sleep, feel as if they are in a cluster of exotic flowers, reluctant to leave, becoming lost within, slumbering eternally in the dream."

The little child, only three years old, recited repeatedly the fragrance recipe passed down orally from generation to generation, with a beautiful woman gently watching her, softly reminding her when the child forgot.

Susu was lost in recollection, where many unheard fragrance recipes surfaced in her mind, yet it was the memory of that beautiful woman—Aunt Su—that made her reluctant to awaken.

The memory fragments also included times spent with mother and siblings, Ruan Sixth Son teaching Thirteenth Lady to read, with Aunt Su beside them, occasionally glancing at the siblings while embroidering, eyes brimming with nearly overflowing maternal love.

To Yang Liu, it seemed like Susu was just dazed and motionless after picking up the pouch, alerting Yang Liu’s heart with tension, "What’s wrong with this pouch?"

Hearing Yang Liu’s anxious voice brought Susu back to reality; she thought much time had passed, but in truth, not even half a minute had elapsed.

Yet within these less than thirty seconds, the gates of memory of this body’s past flung open like a flood, with all original memories of Ruan Thirteenth Lady pouring out, almost drowning Susu.

Luckily, Yang Liu’s voice interrupted the reminiscing in time, or Susu might have been truly trapped in her memories.

Now looking at the pouch in her hands, Susu shivered, tossing it to the ground, clutching her chest, seemingly murmuring to herself, or perhaps responding to Yang Liu’s query, "Those who dream, upon smelling it in their sleep, feel as if they are in a cluster of exotic flowers, reluctant to leave, becoming lost within, slumbering eternally in the dream."

The scent clinging to the pouch was "Mist Dream," a fragrance seemingly non-toxic but capable of claiming lives.

Yang Liu, staring at Susu and listening to her murmurs, though not understanding what "Mist Dream" was, comprehended the words "cluster of exotic flowers," "reluctant to leave," "eternal slumber," and her face instantly turned ghastly pale.

Yang Liu couldn’t believe it as she looked at the pouch on the ground; she trusted no one but Susu. If Susu said there was something wrong with the pouch, then there was indeed a problem. Moreover...

"Lately, I’ve frequently had dreams: I’m lying in an endless sea of flowers, with the baby in my belly kicking here and stretching there, while my husband sits beside us, watching. The scene is so beautiful I don’t want to wake up."

But after waking, she felt utterly exhausted. Yang Liu never thought anything was wrong since everyone, from doctors to family, said that pregnant women would feel easily tired, especially during the first three months, and recommended more rest.

"Mist Dream is a harmful secret fragrance," and it traces back to the previous dynasty’s court. Now, those who still know this fragrance recipe can be counted on one hand. This last sentence Susu kept to herself, not sharing it with Yang Liu.

What made Yang Liu’s face uncommonly grim was more about the origin of the pouch itself.

"This pouch was sent by my mother-in-law, who had someone bring it back from the Childbirth Goddess Temple, asking for a Fetal Protection Talisman."

Having suddenly absorbed a vast amount of memories, Susu’s head felt a bit uncomfortable, yet the immediate priority was Yang Liu.

Susu rubbed her face vigorously and, despite Yang Liu’s attempts to stop her, picked up the red pouch from the ground.

Opening it revealed a neatly folded yellow Fetal Protection Talisman inside.

Susu examined it carefully, then sighed in relief, even feeling like jesting, "There’s good news and bad news, which would you like to hear first?"