Chapter 16. This kind of drama is all too familiar to Achan.
I saw Grandma Sun again in early March.
Willow branches are sprouting, apricot blossoms adorn the branches, and even the wind carries a hint of spring.
Sun's mother looked much older; not only were her cheeks sunken from thinning, but most of her hair had turned white.
"It's been a long time. How have you been, young lady?" Today, Mama Sun did not come in the Zhao family's carriage, but walked.
"Everything is fine, Aunt Sun, please come in and rest." Achan invited Aunt Sun into the house.
Standing outside, Madam Sun shook her head: "I won't go in. I came here today to tell you, young lady, that the lady's body has been brought back to the manor. A mourning hall will be set up in the manor tomorrow, and the funeral will be held the day after."
Ah Chan understood. More than ten days had passed, and the case should be closed. She just didn't know... what the final outcome would be.
"Okay, I'll be there," Achan replied.
The next day, Achan got up early.
She changed into a plain white jacket and skirt, and then picked out a white velvet hairpin from the wooden box. Her slender fingers brushed over the still glittering gold jewelry inside, and she sighed softly.
At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), A Chan arrived outside the Zhao residence. The lanterns at the entrance of the Zhao residence had all been changed to white, with two large characters for "offering sacrifice" on them.
When the servants of the Zhao family saw Achan, they stepped forward, bowed, and led the way for her.
As soon as she entered the mourning hall, Achan saw the black coffin placed in the center. The lid was closed, and Kobayashi was lying inside.
On the offering table in front, there was Kobayashi's memorial tablet and all the sacrificial offerings.
Seeing Zhao Wenyue dressed in mourning clothes in the funeral hall, Achan was not too surprised. Just as she guessed, the Mingjing Division probably couldn't find any solid evidence, and Zhao Wenyue was released.
But what truly surprised Achan was that, besides Zhao Wenyue, there was also a boy who looked to be only seven or eight years old in the mourning hall, also dressed in mourning clothes.
Not only that, the boy actually knelt before Zhao Wenyue, seemingly taking the place of Zhao Wensheng, the eldest son.
When did Xiao Linshi have an extra son? Only children wear heavy mourning clothes for their parents.
Achan entered the mourning hall without making a sound, lit three incense sticks for Xiaolin, and then the filial sons and daughters returned the greetings.
After receiving a bow from both of them, she spoke to Zhao Wenyue, saying, "Cousin, please accept my condolences."
Zhao Wenyue only looked up when she heard her voice. When she saw it was Achan, her eyes were filled with hatred that almost burst out: "It's you, you bitch!"
She was imprisoned in the Mingjing Division for ten whole days. The town prison was dark, cold, and terrifying. Day and night, she was surrounded by screams and cries of agony, making it impossible for her to close her eyes.
Fortunately, the stall owner who sold her the hairpin died unexpectedly, and the Mingjing Division was unable to take the opportunity to frame her. Her father came up with a plan and found someone to help him finally get them to release her.
After she came out, her father told her that neither Granny Sun nor her mother's personal maid had mentioned the jade hairpin. It was clearly Ji Chan who told those people in the Mingjing Division about it.
If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have suffered so much!
Just as Zhao Wenyue was about to get up, the boy next to her grabbed her sleeve with lightning speed. The boy looked up and his clear black and white eyes did not show the innocence of a child.
He said to Zhao Wenyue, "This is Mother's mourning hall. Sister is observing mourning, so it's best not to move around too much to avoid disturbing Mother."
Zhao Wenyue shook off the boy's hand and said coldly, "What are you? Do you really think that just because Father agreed to let you observe mourning for my brother, you can be adopted by my mother? Dream on!"
The boy's voice was clear and crisp: "Sister, you're overthinking it. Wenqi didn't think that way."
However, the boy's words at least persuaded Zhao Wenyue to stop doing anything outrageous.
Seeing that Achan remained silent, the boy seemed frightened and comforted her, saying, "Please forgive me, cousin. You are just too sad because you lost your mother. You did not mean to target me."
She immediately called her cousin, and acted like the mistress of the house. Ah Chan thought to herself that the Zhao family seemed to have undergone some significant changes these days.
"Who are you?" Achan asked, her tone puzzled.
"My name is Zhao Wenqi. I am a distant relative of the Zhao family. After my parents died, I was adopted by my grandparents. I came to the capital with my grandparents after hearing about the unexpected death of my wife." Zhao Wenqi introduced himself clearly, and also explained his background in detail.
"I see. Greetings, Cousin Wenqi." Achan greeted him.
Seeing Achan's reaction, Zhao Wenqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "There are quite a few guests who have come to pay their respects today. Please forgive me if I have been neglected."
"You're too kind, cousin."
After Zhao Wenqi finished speaking, he called over the servants who were waiting outside and ordered them to take Achan to a side hall to rest.
He seemed more sensible than Zhao Wenyue.
Achan didn't stay in the mourning hall any longer and went out with the servants.
Normally, guests who come to offer condolences are not kept by the host for long, but Achan was a relative of the Zhao family, so she was allowed to stay.
There were only four or five people in the side hall at this time. Judging from their familiar manner, they should all be relatives of the Zhao family. After all, apart from Achan, all of Xiaolin's relatives were currently in exile.
Sitting in the main seat of the side hall was an old woman with half-white hair. Although she was dressed in rich clothes, her behavior was somewhat vulgar. She should be Zhao Ming's mother and Xiao Lin's mother-in-law.
When Grandma Zhao saw Achan walk in, she stopped talking to the relatives next to her, turned to look at her, and asked, "Whose family are you? I've never seen you before?"
Achan curtsied to the other party: "Greetings, Madam. My name is Ji Chan, and I am my aunt's niece."
"So it's you." Old Mrs. Zhao must have heard something about Ji Chan from someone, because her gaze towards her was somewhat contemptuous. But she didn't say much, only asked a question before looking away.
Old Mrs. Zhao's likes and dislikes were very obvious. She ignored Achan, and naturally, the other Zhao family relatives would ignore her as well.
Ah Chan sat alone in the corner, ate two pastries, and then sat quietly, listening to the people around her talking, which made her feel quite at ease.
About an hour and a half later, the male head of the household, Zhao Ming, who had been missing all along, arrived with Zhao Wenqi and Zhao Wenyue.
Zhao Ming entered the side hall, first paying his respects to his mother who was sitting in the main seat, and then exchanging greetings with the other relatives.
Zhao Wenyue behind him was perfunctory in her attitude. Even when she bowed to her grandmother, her face was very cold. The old lady Zhao's expression was also not very good, and she did not seem to like this granddaughter very much.
On the contrary, when she saw Zhao Wenqi, the old lady's face immediately lit up with a smile, and she quickly waved to him: "Wenqi, come here to Grandma quickly."
Zhao Wenqi came to Grandma Zhao's side and called out, "Grandma."
"Oh, my dear grandson." She said, gently rubbing his knees with concern. "You've been kneeling for so long, do your legs hurt?"
"Don't worry, Grandma, it won't hurt," Zhao Wenqi reassured the old lady.
"How could it not hurt? You're just a child, and you have to kneel for so long. She's not even your own mother."
“This is what Wenqi should do.”
If it were an ordinary seven or eight-year-old child, upon hearing the old man's words, he might have already followed along. However, Zhao Wenqi's behavior was so sensible that it surprised the Zhao family relatives in the side hall.
Someone asked curiously, "Aunt, whose child is this?"
Grandma Zhao quickly pulled Zhao Wenqi in front of her and introduced him to the people present: "This is my grandson Wenqi. He has been smart and filial since he was a child and has always stayed by our side."
These relatives looked at each other in bewilderment. They all knew that Zhao Ming and Xiao Linshi only had a son and a daughter, and now that their children were all grown up, how could Old Mrs. Zhao have another grandson?
Before Grandma Zhao realized there was anything wrong with her words, Zhao Wenqi, who was standing next to her, spoke up. He said generously, "Greetings, elders. Wenqi was adopted by Grandpa and Grandma."
After he finished speaking, he gently tugged at the hem of Old Mrs. Zhao's dress.
Grandma Zhao then realized what had happened and quickly added, "Yes, this child was unlucky. He lost his parents shortly after birth. I thought that since we were from the same clan and he was pitiful, I took him in as a child."
“I see. No wonder this child is so intelligent; he must have inherited the scholarly spirit of your family,” a relative immediately remarked.
Grandma Zhao burst into laughter: "Who says otherwise? My son's literary talent has all been absorbed by this child."
As she spoke, she patted Zhao Wenqi's head.
Zhao Wenqi simply stood aside with a smile, letting all his relatives look at him, appearing quite composed.
For a child of only a few years old to achieve this level of skill is truly astonishing.
The relative then asked, "Sister-in-law, now that you've come to Beijing, you're not leaving again, are you?"
Grandma Zhao nodded: "I'm not leaving. My grandson is getting old and it's time for him to go to school. It's good for him to stay by his father's side and study hard. In a few years, with his intelligence, he will surely be able to pass the imperial examinations."
"Could it be that Wenqi has already been adopted by his nephew?" the man asked again.
"That's right. My son is stubborn and has a deep affection for my daughter-in-law. But she's not very fertile, and now that there's trouble in the family, we don't even have anyone to carry on the family line, so we had no choice but to give this child away."
After Mrs. Zhao said this, the other relatives all nodded in agreement.
They had all heard that something had happened to the Zhao family. Although they hadn't inquired in great detail, they had heard some rumors.
It is said that Xiao Lin's death was related to her eldest son, who is now in custody. Today, when they came to pay their respects, the eldest son of the Zhao family didn't even show his face, so it seems the rumors are probably true.
The Zhao family lost its eldest son, but someone still had to inherit the family business, and now there's a ready-made one.
Of course, some people might wonder why Zhao Ming, who is not very old, doesn't remarry and have another child since his eldest son is disabled.
But no one would be foolish enough to ask that question in such a situation.
Achan quietly watched Zhao Wenqi beside Old Mrs. Zhao. The child seemed calm, but he couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.
Why are you in such a hurry to adopt this child?
Because the eldest son is disappointing? Because there's no one to inherit the family business?
Achan's gaze shifted from Zhao Wenqi's face to Zhao Ming's. The look in his eyes when he looked at Zhao Wenqi was full of pride, as if he were admiring his masterpiece.
Perhaps it's because Zhao Wenqi, who was supposedly adopted out of pity by the Zhao family patriarch and matriarch, is actually Zhao Ming's biological son.
Ah Chan was all too familiar with this kind of scenario.
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