Chapter 69

"He's just a dog I picked up."

A dog, a dog!

Just as he was about to push open that door, that harsh and vicious voice echoed in Xu Xuan's mind, lingering for a long time.

He stood quietly outside the door for a long time, his hands clenched into fists under his sleeves.

Through a door, he could almost see the man lying on the bed, suffering terribly—his father, both familiar and unfamiliar.

A father? Ha. Are there really fathers like that in the world?

If you treat your own son like a dog, then what is your father? An old dog?

No, dogs are loyal and reliable companions to humans. Nowadays, people sometimes curse dogs, which is an insult to them.

The door creaked open, and a beam of sunlight streamed through, illuminating the interior.

Xu Xuan walked in, stepping through the light and shadow. The sunlight shone behind him, making him appear as tall and straight as a pine tree.

He slowly turned his head to look at the man lying in the inner room, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Perhaps because he had just walked in from the sunlight and his eyes were still adjusting to the dimness, at that moment, he felt that his father lying on the bed looked like a mouse, with a small head and a fat body, curled up like a piece of meat.

Rotten meat.

A strong, pungent smell of blood, mixed with the aroma of rotting fat and Chinese herbs, filled the room.

He couldn't help but frown, touched his nose, and asked, "You're awake. Are you feeling any better?"

The only response he received was a faint, intermittent "ah...ah..." sound.

Xu Xuan strolled over.

Only when you get closer can you see that the man's face is distorted as he tries to speak.

It's really ugly; now it looks more like a hideous rat.

Xu Xuan squatted down, put her ear close to the man, and asked, "What do you want to say?"

The man continued to howl, his eyes wide open, straining with all his might to utter the word "Liu," followed by "Hai, um."

Xu Xuan suddenly smiled, "Father is unwell, so please don't speak anymore and rest well. I will send someone to take good care of you. As for Liu Ru—"

The man's eyes widened even more.

Xu Xuan continued, "I will give her half of the Xu family's assets to ensure she will never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life."

As soon as the words were spoken, Xu's father began to flail his limbs, struggling and panting, his eyes filled with disbelief, anger, and despair.

“You rebellious...you...beast…”

Xu Xuan deduced the last two words from the shape of his mouth.

The man loved to call him a beast. He used to be too afraid to fight back, but now he could argue back with a straight face, “When I was a child, you didn’t treat me like a human being, so naturally I can’t be a human being when I grow up. So I am a beast, all thanks to you.”

Xu Xuan stared at the man silently, as if he were looking at a dead man.

To be precise, he was basically dead, unable to speak or walk, his body was rotting, and he could only lie in bed every day, letting time slowly devour his life.

After visiting his father, Xu Xuan went directly to his study and, citing illness, submitted a petition on his father's behalf, requesting that he retire.

Liu Ru, carrying half of the family fortune given to her by Xu Xuan, also embarked on her journey to freedom in Jiangnan.

At the Datong Bridge Wharf outside Dongbianmen in Beijing, Xu Xuan and Deng Yan saw Liu Ru off.

This is the northern starting point of the Grand Canal. Heading south along the canal, you'll reach Hangzhou.

All the goods had been loaded onto the ship. Xu Xuan said to Liu Ru, "When you arrive in Hangzhou, remember to write a letter to let us know you are safe."

"good."

Liu Ru smiled happily.

This kind of smile is sunny and carefree, something I haven't seen in the past decade or so.

In their final moments, Liu Ru embraced Xu Xuan, without any romantic gestures, only the mutual respect and understanding between friends.

It's strange. Just a night ago, the two of them were so deeply in love, but at this moment, all their love has vanished.

The two are now just friends or family.

Liu Ru said to him, "Ziwei, you must take good care of yourself, live well, and live happily."

"good."

He agreed quickly.

“And Shen Yao,” Liu Ru released him, staring into his eyes, and said, “I no longer care about past grievances.”

After she finished speaking, she took a few steps back, solemnly bowed to the two of them, then turned and left without ever looking back.

For her, the capital city was the beginning of a nightmare.

Goodbye, Beijing!

The ship disappeared at the dock.

After Liu Ru left, Deng Yan asked Xu Xuan, "What did she mean by her last sentence?"

Xu Xuan frowned, turned around and left, "How should I know?"

"Hey..." Deng Yan caught up and laughed, "I feel like she's hinting that you and Shen Yao have gotten back together!"

Xu Xuan remained silent.

Deng Yan continued, "Look, she said she doesn't care about past grievances, which means she's let go. This is so you and Shen Yao can live a good life together. You're a lucky guy, remember—"

"Brother Deng," Xu Xuan couldn't help but interrupt him, pinching his brow as he said, "I'm hungry, let's go get something to eat."

"Oh, okay."

The two went directly to a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant by the dock and ordered braised crab meat lion's head, crystal pork jelly, squirrel mandarin fish, some fruits and vegetables, and Shaoxing rice wine.

As Deng Yan poured the wine, he asked, "Ziwei, I remember your hometown is Hangzhou, right?"

"Yes, it is Hangzhou, but I have lived in the capital since I was born and have never been back."

"No way," Deng Yan exclaimed in surprise, "They didn't even go back for the ancestral worship?"

“No. My grandfather passed away before I was born. My father went back to Hangzhou to observe the mourning period, and I was born during that time. For the next twenty years, we always worshipped our ancestors remotely from Beijing and never went back.”

The capital is about 1,500 kilometers away from Hangzhou. It would take a month to travel back by water one way. It's not that I don't want to go back, but that I don't have the time.

Deng Yan nodded, "Yes, Jiangnan is far away, and your father is an official in the capital, so it is really difficult for him to visit his family. But there will always be opportunities in the future."

There was indeed an opportunity: the mourning period for a parent in need of mourning. According to the law, one had to resign from their official post and return to their hometown to observe mourning for 27 months.

Thinking of his father, he couldn't help but lower his eyes and ponder some things.

Last night, my father scolded him, saying he was a dog he had picked up.

He meant "picked up".

When he first heard this, his focus was entirely on the dog, and he was so angry about the term that he lost all reason.

But at this moment, Deng Yan mentioned the matter of ancestor worship, which gave him a jolt.

From childhood to adulthood, he has never knelt inside the ancestral hall during ancestral worship. He always kneels outside the hall, and he is not allowed to enter the ancestral hall at will. Is it possible that he is not a biological child at all, but was actually adopted?

That's why he was neither loved by his father nor his mother.

With this question in mind, he finished his meal and went home. He pushed open the door again and stood by the bed to scrutinize the man.

With a round face, narrow eyes, a short nose, a wide mouth, and an obese figure, he bore no resemblance to himself whatsoever.

As father and son, how could they not have any resemblance?

He was unwilling to give up, so he stepped forward and reached out to touch the man's face.

Perhaps the commotion was a bit too loud, for the man suddenly opened his eyes, glared at Xu Xuan, and made some strange "gurgling" sounds in his throat.

Xu Xuan was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand and took a few steps back.

The room was silent except for the heavy breathing of the two people.

Xu Xuan looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly, and the wind rustled through the treetops, making a sound like nature's song.

Mustering her courage, Xu Xuan looked at the man and asked, "You're not my biological father, are you?"

As soon as the words were spoken, just as expected, the person on the bed's eyes changed instantly, revealing an expression of astonishment and shock, as if a truth that had been hidden for over a decade had finally surfaced.

Xu Xuan almost stopped breathing.

He actually guessed right.

Just because they are not biological children, just because they were adopted, they can be verbally abused and beaten at will, subjected to extreme cruelty and torture, and made to do all sorts of beastly things.

Xu Xuan could no longer control his anger. He rushed over, grabbed the man by the neck, and shouted, "Tell me, who am I? Where are my family? If you don't tell me, I'll strangle you!"

He trembled all over, and his strength increased with each blow; at this moment, he was truly ruthless.

The man stared wide-eyed, struggling desperately with all his might, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree—completely futile. Just as his eyes rolled back and he was about to breathe his last, the door was kicked open, and Shen Yao rushed in.

"Xu Xuan, stop! Are you crazy?"

She rushed forward to stop her.

"Get out of here."

A person who has lost their mind will not listen to anything.

Shen Yao was terrified and yelled at him, "Xu Xuan, are you going to kill your father?"

“He is not my father, no, I don’t have a father like that. I hate him, I hate him to death, I wish he would die right now, why doesn’t he just die?”

Vicious words poured from his mouth, Xu Xuan's eyes were bloodshot, and he was close to madness.

Good heavens, she almost fainted. Murder is a crime, let alone patricide, which is punishable by death by a thousand cuts.

We can't just watch him head towards destruction.

In the nick of time, Shen Yao swiftly pulled out the golden hairpin and forcefully stabbed it into his right arm. With a cry of "Ah!", Xu Xuan released his grip in pain, turned his head, and glared angrily at Shen Yao, "What are you doing?"

"I'll save you."

Shen Yao rushed forward, grabbed his ankle, and pulled him to the ground. Then she straddled his lap and grabbed his clothes.

"Do you know what you're doing? Xu Ziwei, calm down."

"Let me go."

He kept struggling.

Shen Yao simply slapped him to wake him up, "My father is outside right now, are you sure you want him to see you go crazy?"

The hot breath sprayed into his nostrils, and Xu Xuan was stunned. For a moment, he just stared at the woman's flushed cheeks, motionless.

The two looked at each other from a distance.

After a while, his heavy breathing subsided, and he seemed to calm down and regain his senses. Shen Yao then loosened his clothes.

Xu Xuan sat up.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting on the ground. Xu Xuan had his eyes downcast, while Shen Yao was looking at him.

After a long silence, Shen Yao took out a handkerchief and said softly, "I was in a hurry just now, I'm sorry, let me bandage you."

No, no need.

He quickly sidestepped to avoid it.

Shen Yao then said, "It was my fault, and it should be so."

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Shen Yao directly opened his shirt, folded the handkerchief, and tied it to his arm.

"Let's leave it at that for now, we still need to apply the medicine later," Shen Yao added.

Looking at the bandaged wound, Xu Xuan asked, "Why are you here?"

"It's because my dad heard that your house caught fire and that people were injured, so he insisted on coming to visit. He's waiting in the front hall now."

Shaking his arm, Shen Yao tentatively asked, "What exactly happened? Why did you treat your father like that?"

Her heart is still pounding. This place almost turned into a murder scene. Just thinking about it makes her shudder.

"I'm fine."

Xu Xuan choked up, feeling a sudden surge of sadness and heartbreak.

In an instant, all the heartache and grievances surged up, and he couldn't help but shed tears. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed softly.

Shen Yao looked at him, not daring to speak, and just waited quietly.

People are most vulnerable when they cry, so Shen Yao gave him a hug and comforted him, "Everything will pass..."