Jiang Chenghuan learned of General Jiang's return that night. She almost immediately got out of bed, called Xiaoqiao to help her dress up, and prepared to pay her respects to her father.
“I’ve lost some weight lately, so I shouldn’t wear clothes that are too thin. I should also put on some lip rouge so that my father won’t worry.” She spoke hurriedly, with barely suppressed joy. “And I should also bring the knee pads I sewed for my father. I don’t know how long I’ll be back this time, or if I’ll have enough to buy two more.”
As he spoke, he rummaged through drawers and cabinets in the room.
Xiaoqiao stood to the side, her eyes full of sympathy. She opened her mouth several times before finally saying, "Miss, it's late. Why don't you go tomorrow?"
“No, I always pay my respects to my father first whenever he comes.” Jiang Chenghuan carried two pairs of knee pads. “I’ve found them. I’ll take them to my father right away.”
She turned around hurriedly, but bumped into the screen.
The two pairs of knee pads fell off, and the person collapsed to the ground.
"Miss, don't go!" Xiaoqiao cried and rushed over. "The general isn't in the manor. He hasn't returned yet."
Even after returning to the manor, would the general really be willing to see this cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest?
Xiaoqiao doesn't know.
Jiang Chenghuan didn't know either.
She clutched her chest, ignoring the numbness and pain in her knees, and hugged herself frantically and helplessly. "Father will come back. Father will return to the Jiang family mansion. Every time he comes back from the capital, he goes back to the mansion."
But that night, General Jiang really did not return.
Jiang Chenghuan sat from the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) to the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). The sky was as dark as ink, the gates of the Jiang residence were tightly closed, all the lights in the courtyards were extinguished, and the whole world fell into silence.
She sat listlessly on the edge of the bed until her eyelids ached, until she felt utterly disheartened, until Ms. Liao arrived upon hearing the news.
“Silly child, he is still your father. He has loved and protected you for more than ten years. How can mere blood ties be severed?” Jiang Liao was angry at her lack of self-confidence. “So what if we don’t go back to the manor tonight? He will come back sooner or later. Why care about one or two nights?”
"Really, Mother?" Jiang Chenghuan forced a smile. "Father won't abandon me, right?"
Only after Ms. Liao gave her a positive answer did she collapse as if relieved and fall asleep.
In my dream, my father was tall and straight, walking ahead of me, as if he was hurrying after something.
Jiang Chenghuan couldn't catch up no matter what he did. He wanted to call him to wait, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
They chased each other all night, and by dawn they were completely exhausted.
"Girl, sleep a little longer. I'll wake you when the general returns," Xiaoqiao advised.
Jiang Chenghuan shook her head, still insisting on dressing up, and sent people out to search for General Jiang's whereabouts.
After a while, a servant came to report that Madam Jiang had gone to the examination hall, as today was the first day of the imperial examination.
Jiang Chenghuan had a strong premonition that his father was right outside the examination hall, and that it was all for Jiang Sheng.
I can't quite describe the feeling in my heart. Is it jealousy, envy, or an indescribable bitterness? Even though I know I am a cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest, I still yearn for my father's love.
This intense desire prompted her to summon a carriage, and carrying two pairs of knee pads, she rushed to the entrance of the examination hall.
She saw her father smile at Jiang Sheng, saw him pat Jiang Sheng's head, saw him standing in the distance observing Jiang Sheng, and a feeling of unreality washed over her, making her dizzy.
"Girl, are you alright? Be strong!" Xiaoqiao said, her voice trembling with tears. "You knew the general didn't come back for you this time, so why did you still come? Why?"
Perhaps it's because there's still a sliver of hope in my heart.
Jiang Chenghuan steadied herself and stared blankly ahead. She felt she should leave, but without a definite answer, she was unwilling to give up.
An internal struggle made her close her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was a figure standing in front of her.
It's my father.
He was still as tall and imposing as ever, with a serious expression when he wasn't smiling, but a hearty and cheerful laugh when he did. He possessed the heroic spirit of a general, and also cared deeply about his children's feelings.
Even though they lived on the frontier for a long time, they could still sense the discord between the grandfather and granddaughter. Whenever this happened, the father would give her little trinkets from the battlefield, send someone to buy the best pastries, and take her out for walks in his spare time to talk to her about humanistic values and the past and present.
In Jiang Chenghuan's heart, General Jiang was the best father in Da Yu, without exception.
But is he still her father now?
The same question was also on Jiang Jizu's mind.
Rationally speaking, Jiang Chenghuan was just a baby when she was switched at birth and had no ability to control things. She firmly believed that the Jiang family was her home, Jiang Jizu and Liao Shi were her parents, and Jiang Chengyuan was her brother.
She is innocent.
Emotionally speaking, her arrival forced Jiang Sheng to lose too much. This had nothing to do with blood ties anymore. It was the life of the youngest daughter of the Jiang family, and the Jiang family's bloodline was used to exchange for her safety and well-being.
How can we make the Jiang family swallow this insult?
More than a decade of family ties, a confusing mix of true and false legitimate daughters, and complex emotions make it difficult to make a decision.
Jiang Chengyuan is young; he can choose to hide in the frontier or avoid being seen.
But Jiang Jizu could not.
He is the head of the Jiang family, General Jiang of the Dayu Dynasty, and Jiang Sheng's father.
"Chenghuan," Jiang Jizu sighed, "go back and live a good life. The Jiang family will not mistreat you."
After all, she was a girl they had raised for over a decade. To strip her of her Jiang family title and send her to her alcoholic father would be tantamount to forcing her to her death.
It's not difficult to raise another girl, and the Jiang family is quite generous.
But there's an unspoken implication: while he won't mistreat her in terms of material comforts, their emotional connection will remain strained.
Jiang Chenghuan wept uncontrollably, her last hope shattered. She trembled as she reached out her hand, but could no longer grasp that broad, comforting palm. "Father...Father..."
Jiang Jizu couldn't spare much attention for her. The five siblings, who were originally catching up, suddenly got up, seemingly to leave in a carriage.
He quickly turned around and followed, not wanting to miss any opportunity.
“Father…” Jiang Chenghuan cried his heart out and hurriedly buried himself in the arms of the belated Liao Shi. “Mother, I have no father anymore, I only have you. Father doesn’t want me anymore, brother doesn’t want me anymore, please, Mother, don’t go, don’t go.”
"I won't leave, I won't." Liao pulled her into her arms and hid in the carriage.
The driver cracked his whip, and the couple, who had been married twenty years ago, drove away back to back.
One was supporting a fake heiress.
One is heading towards becoming a true heiress.
Among the crowd, Old Madam Jiang sighed, a sigh she had expected.
“The general and the eldest young master are both kind-hearted and willing to keep the third young lady.” Tan Yue nodded. “It’s just a pity that the third young lady doesn’t understand that her life was stolen, so it’s normal for her to return it.”
"In this world, those involved are often confused while bystanders see things clearly." Old Madam Jiang shook her head slightly. "It's good to value family ties, but clinging to them too tightly will only harm yourself."
That's right.
Tan Yue seemed to be deep in thought. "Is the old lady going back to the manor, or going with the general?"
"Let's go back," Madam Jiang said with a smile. "Let's leave the rest of our time with them, father and daughter."
The weather was sunny and bright.
In front of the carriage in the small courtyard, a plump girl was climbing onto the carriage shaft and crawling into the carriage.
The bearded man reappeared, looking somewhat aggrieved and puzzled. "Aren't you going to thank me?"
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