Just as Xu Lanting left, Xu Lanyue came again. She whispered to Xu Lanyin, "Sister, I can see that Daddy really wants to see Auntie. Can you help Daddy put in a good word so that Auntie can see him? Daddy has lost weight and has so many blisters. I feel so sorry for him. Oh, and my cousin scolded Daddy so harshly. Daddy is so pitiful."
She pursed her lips and wanted to cry, but held it back.
When she was at Zhao's house, she had begged Xu Lanting, who said he would discuss it with his sister first. But after they discussed it, Xu Lanting went straight back to the east wing, so she had no choice but to beg Xu Lanyin again.
Xu Lanyin smoothed Xu Lanyue's hair and said, "Even you can see what Dad meant. My mother must have seen it too. She doesn't want to see me now, and she must have her own reasons. There are some things that we, as younger generations, shouldn't interfere with. Let the elders solve them themselves."
"oh."
Xu Lanyue agreed and returned to the south room with tears in her eyes.
The next day, Zhao Wushang went to the yamen, and Xu Lanting went to school. Xu Qingyan didn't dare come over, so Xu Lanyue and Min Jia went to accompany him again. In the afternoon, Xu Lanyin also went to see him.
Xu Qingyan looked better and was chatting and laughing with the two children.
He complained, "Your father has been back for so long, and he's only coming to see you now?" and gave Xu Lanyue a wink.
When he was a spy, he and Xu Lanyue had an agreement that Xu Lanyue would do whatever he wanted with his eyes or gestures. When Xu Lanyue saw this, although she was reluctant to let Min Jia go, she still found an excuse to take Min Jia out.
Of course, Xu Lanyin could not hide their eye contact.
As soon as the children left, Xu Qingyan asked anxiously, "Daughter, did you help me with what I asked of you?"
Xu Lanyin confessed honestly, "I wanted to help at first, but after the commotion, I didn't want to help anymore."
Seeing Xu Qingyan looking at her with resentment, he continued, "My mother has been married to the Xu family for eighteen years, and my father has only been home for a few months. From the age of eighteen to thirty-six, from the prime of life to a middle-aged woman, what a long time. My mother raised the children at home alone and took care of her parents-in-law. She used the sweetness of those few months and the endless longing for my father to get through it day by day. But how did my father and my grandfather treat her?
"Let's start with my grandfather. When my mother was dying, he didn't offer a penny to help the widow. The gossip from the villagers was enough to make my mother sad and embarrassed, but my grandfather even joined in the scolding, even to her face. He either accused her of having a dirty background or suspected she was planning to remarry or go out and seduce other men. He trampled my mother's pride into the mud and made her cry countless times. I remember she said more than once that if it weren't for the three of us, she would have hanged herself long ago..."
"I finally waited for my father to return, but instead you brought back a memorial tablet for a concubine, a concubine's daughter, and all the glory of a concubine. No matter how high-sounding your reasons were, or how nice your words were, the blow to my mother was devastating. She lost not only her husband's loyalty, but also the obsession and yearning she had held for so many years...
"For the sake of the three of us, my mother chose to endure and continue to stay in this family, giving my father a chance. But my grandfather was vain and bullied my mother. He even used my mother's background to make trouble, using her as a concubine to pressure her. His words were sharper than a knife...
"Dad, tell me, how much has my mother suffered in this family? As her daughter, what reason do I have to force her to stay? My mother's suffering is caused by you and the Xu family. If you have the sincerity and ability to make her stay in this family willingly and let her live a happy life for the rest of her life, I will be happy too. If my mother feels that she can only feel the cold to the bone in the Xu family and that leaving is the only way to avoid freezing to death, I support her."
Xu Lanyin's words made Xu Qingyan shed tears.
He held his head and thought for a long time before he raised his head and said, "My daughter is right, I shouldn't have let you get involved. It was selfish of me to force your mother to stay. I failed her and the Xu family wronged her." He sighed again and said, "Is this okay? Your mother is not completely safe yet. If she leaves this home, I'm afraid Wang Yi will know her identity and have bad intentions again. Let her wait a little longer, until Wang Yi completely lets go and she is officially adopted by Princess Nanyang and Prince Consort Chai, then consider whether to stay or go. During this time, we should calm down and think clearly. If she still insists on going out, I will let her go. Also, that home belongs to her and the children. There is no need to live alone to avoid me. It's dangerous. When I come back, I will live in my son-in-law's house and not disturb her."
Xu Lanyin looked at the man in front of her and felt that his words were sincere and responsible. Besides, it would be helpful to have a buffer period for everyone to think things over. She said, "If both of you are willing to live together, that would be even better. But if both of you are miserable together, it would be better for you to part ways and live your own lives."
Xu Qingyan shook his head and sighed, "I can't be at peace without your mother."
Xu Lanyin didn't know how to respond to this, so the two of them remained silent, listening to the clear and loud laughter of the two little girls outside.
Xu Qingyan added, "If I really separate from your mother, I don't want to remarry. You can live with little Niuniu until she gets married."
Xu Lanyin didn't dare to conclude whether Xu Qingyan would really not marry again if he divorced Qin, so she said, "Okay. I like Lan Yue very much. She is strong, cheerful, and optimistic. She is also very close to me."
Xu Lanyin knew she felt somewhat sorry for Qin Shi by always keeping Xu Lanyue with her, but she insisted on keeping her. She felt the little girl's experience was too unusual. The scars on her face were unacceptable to many, but she had a good personality and good character, so she wanted to give the child a happy upbringing.
Xu Lanyin sat for a while before getting up and saying goodbye. "Dad, I'm going over now. Please take four letters to the capital for me tomorrow."
She would write a letter to the Princess, Little Star, and Wang Sanni, and Qin would also write a letter to Xu Lanzhou. Xu Qingyan couldn't carry anything on his fast horse, so he had to write a letter to Little Star, otherwise he would be disappointed.
Xu Lanyin returned to the Xu family and told Qin Shi what she and Xu Qingyan had said. Qin Shi's eyes were red, but she didn't say a word. Yesterday and today, she had been expressionless, and had said less than five sentences in total.
At night, heavy snow fell again, and the strong wind rustled the dead branches and window paper. Xu Lanyin was awakened by the start, and she was so distressed that she couldn't sleep well, thinking that Xu Qingyan had to rush back to Beijing the next day.
She certainly felt more sorry for Qin, but she also felt sorry for Xu Qingyan. Thinking about these two miserable people, Xu Lanyin didn't know whether they should get together or get divorced.
She seemed to have just fallen asleep when she heard the rooster crowing in the backyard.
There was a knock at her door. Mrs. Lu said, "Miss, Ji Zhu came to say that it's snowing heavily today, and the master has to leave after breakfast."
We were originally scheduled to depart in the afternoon, but now we have to leave earlier.
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