A heavy ,deep-red box laid in Yu Yan's hands before she even knew what happened.
She watched as butler Meng entered the mansion and then she looked at the red heavy box in her hands. The box was approximately 25 cm long and 20 cm wide. It looked old but seemed very well maintained. The box was made of a wood that Yu Yan had never seen before. The surface was smooth and adorn with shiny little red gems, on a closer look it seemed to be rubies. All the stones were carved into the wood to make intricate flower designs . Simple looking yet not so simple on a closer look. On the corner left side of the box was carved in pink diamonds - Meng Hua.
While Yu Yan made her appraisal, the box was lifted from her hands. Li Jun walked to the car and dropped the box in the back of the car . Then he opened the door for Yu Yan to enter.
On the drive back home Li Jun was quiet...too quiet actually. It was such a contrast from the joking and teasing husband who drove them for the dinner. Now, he was sullen and hard to approach. Yu Yan chalked it up to the bad dinner. Maybe he was still angry from the arguments with his family.. she thought. She tried talking to him.
" Li Jun?" No answer.
"Li Jun ?" No answer again.
" Jun?" ...Nothing.
" Hus... Husband?" .....
" Mmmmm?" Came the reply from the driver's seat.
Getting the reply she gathered her balls and asked.
" Still upset with the dinner party?"
Li Jun looked over for a second and turned away.... no answer.
After this puzzling behaviour of his, no amount of talking on Yu Yan's part elicited a response. She was confused. Was it not about his family? Did she do something wrong,she thought.
' Was it my manners? was I supposed to do something else?, Did I not speak correctly? Is he ashamed of me? Did he finally realised I am not good enough for him....? '
Her thoughts were taking her to a dark path. She was a nobody. She had no money , no background ,no- nothing. She grew up at the orphanage not knowing who her parents were, or if she even had siblings. she was scolded, beaten for small mistakes, starved most of the times, she even ate from the dustbin if she got too hungry, she ate leaves and even tried to eat mud when she had gotten too hungry. Cold every night in the winters. Full of rashes in the summers. She did laundry in a freezing river when she was barely 5.Li Jun must be snuggled up in a warm blanket during that time. She thought wryly. Her past was hard.The hardest was when she saw children her age laughing and walking with their mothers or their fathers. Even her parents didn't want her. What right did she have to expect this man whom she had known- not even for three years to love her unconditionally and for a life time....even if he was already her husband. He was just too good for her. A fantasy this was... just a short fantasy,until he bored of her and discarded her.... just like the people who gave birth to her.
A warm tear escaped her eyes as she turned towards her window to hide her face.
They reached moon palace and Li Jun got out of the car and strode towards their home, leaving her behind. Yu Yan slowly got off, herself but saw the red box. she opened the backseat door and took the box her new mother in law gave her, as she walked inside the house Li Jun had just disappeared into.