Chapter 105
After dinner, when Yu Ying and Fu Wei returned to the house, Uncle Mo was gone.
With no one around, Yu Ying finally had time to talk to Fu Wei: "That Uncle Mo seems to be the second-in-command of the Muyun Mountain bandits."
Fu Wei looked at Yu Ying with slight surprise.
He guessed that this "Uncle Mo" held a high position in Muyun Mountain, but he didn't think of him as the second-in-command.
But then he thought, judging from Uncle Mo's terrifying aura as he emerged from a sea of blood and swords, it was reasonable to say that he was the second in command.
After a moment, Fu Wei smiled and said, "If being the second-in-command is a good thing, his words have shown his hatred for the governor of Wuling County, and he also respects my biological father. Whether Wuling County is in chaos or next year, you, me, and the Fu family will have a way out."
Fu Wei has a plan in mind, so Yu Ying doesn't need to worry too much.
After a while to digest the food, Yu Ying went to take a bath.
Fu Wei went out of the house and saw his mother coming into the main room. He thought for a moment and then said, "Mother."
Mrs. Luo looked up at him. It was getting dark, and her eyesight was not very good. She could see her son's figure a little double, but it did not stop her from crying.
"What's wrong?"
Fu Wei walked over and said, "I want to ask my mother something."
Mrs. Luo was a little surprised. After all, her second son rarely spoke to her alone. After she came to her senses, she nodded quickly and said, "Then let's go into my room and talk."
The mother and son entered the room. Luo pulled a stool for him to sit on and sat down on the edge of the bed. "What does Erlang want to ask?"
Fu Wei pondered for a moment before asking, "What kind of man is my father?"
Suddenly hearing her son mention her late husband, Luo looked dazed: "Why are you suddenly asking about your father?"
Fu Wei: "I want to understand him."
Luo stared at him in astonishment, then said sullenly, "Erlang, although you don't know your father, he's definitely not someone who would collaborate with the enemy."
Fu Wei didn't understand before, and what he knew was one-sided, so it was difficult for him to speculate about what kind of person his biological father was.
But the fact that his biological father was remembered by his subordinates for twenty years shows that he was a person who cared about his subordinates.
Moreover, as far as he knew, when his biological father was a prefect, he had been married for almost ten years and had only been with his mother, with no other women. This also showed that he was a loyal person.
Fu Wei seemed to have some understanding of his father.
Mrs. Luo looked at her son and said, "Your eldest brother looks most like your father, but your temperament and physique are most similar to your father's."
I didn't grow up around him and I don't have any impression of my father, but these two points are surprisingly similar.
Listening to his mother's words, Fu Wei understood why his adoptive father had become closer and distant to him since he turned fifteen. It was because he saw the shadow of his late superior in him.
I also understand why he is so sure that Huo Minzhi is his biological child.
Luo then muttered to himself, "He does everything himself, and is compassionate to the people. During the flood, he personally led a team to search and rescue the people. He didn't sleep for days, and didn't even enter his home. He even fell seriously ill when he returned... How could he collaborate with the enemy when he worked so hard for the people?"
At the end, Luo's eyes were red, and her voice trembled as she said, "Someone must have been unable to tolerate him, so they framed him."
No matter how many years have passed, Mrs. Luo has always firmly believed that her husband is innocent.
Fu Wei was surprised that his mother trusted his father.
During the six months they had known each other, his mother had never mentioned anything about his biological father to him, and he believed that his mother had grievances against his father.
"Why didn't mother tell me these things?" Fu Wei asked.
Mrs. Luo looked at her son and said quietly, "Then Magistrate Huo is your adoptive father after all. Compared to the grace of giving birth and raising him, how can it compare to the deep affection we've cultivated through daily interactions? Even if you don't say it, I know you're not used to being with us yet, but you just don't show it. How can I make you trust a father you've never met?"
Fu Wei fell silent, but after a while, he looked at his biological mother and spoke softly, "I wasn't used to it before, and I can't say how deep my feelings are now, but now, my mother, my elder brother and his wife, Fu An and Fu Ning, and Liu Niang are my closest relatives."
His tone was gentle, yet serious.
Mrs. Luo was stunned, and looking at her son's serious expression, she felt a little moved.
After being moved, she suddenly came to her senses and asked, "Erlang, why are you suddenly asking about your father? Did anyone tell you anything?"
Fu Wei looked at his mother.
To be honest, perhaps only from my mother can I understand that "Uncle Mo" and have a preliminary understanding of the people in Mu Yunshan.
I didn't want my mother to know about my father's old subordinates, but it was obvious that my mother still had a grudge about my father.
After careful consideration, Fu Wei chose to tell the story of "Uncle Mo".
"Mother, do you know if any of my soldiers were ordered to carry out missions outside when my father was being questioned?"
Luo wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and said seriously, "But someone claiming to be one of your father's former subordinates has come looking for you?"
Fu Wei nodded and told him the truth about his encounter with the bandit Mu Yunshan in the county seat.
"The middle-aged man said his last name was Mo and asked me to call him Uncle Mo."
When Luo heard the name "Uncle Mo", he felt familiar and couldn't help but frown and think.
Fu Wei continued, "That man is as sturdy as my eldest brother, with a square face and phoenix eyes."
This feature was a bit vague, but Luo Shi seemed to remember something and suddenly stood up from the bed.
Fu Wei raised his eyebrows slightly: "Mother, do you remember who it is?"
Luo looked at Fu Wei and said, "If that man is not lying to you, his surname is Mo, he has phoenix eyes, a square face, and a tall stature. He looks like your father's sworn brother!"
Luo was startled for a moment, then slowly sat down again. She thought back and wondered, "But that doesn't make sense. Your uncle Mo was indeed sent out on missions, but word got back that he and eight hundred soldiers were ambushed by bandits, annihilated, and buried beneath the snowy mountains. Not long after this news came out, the Fu family was convicted and their property confiscated."
Fu Wei frowned slightly, remembering what Mr. Qian had said. He said that at that time there were less than 500 bandits in Muyun Village.
If they were ambushed, casualties would be inevitable, and it would not be surprising if there were less than 500 people left.
It is also possible that the news was wrong due to the obstruction of the snow-capped mountains, and those who survived may have been injured to varying degrees.
Moreover, after the ambush happened, something happened to the Fu family, so it seems understandable that he couldn't get back.
As for why I haven't looked for the Fu family for so long...
Fu Wei guessed that Governor Huo had deliberately erased the Fu family's traces or altered the place of exile.
Fu Wei pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "I still remember what that man looked like. Now I'll go draw his portrait for you to identify."
Mrs. Luo also wanted to know if it was an old friend, so she hurriedly urged him, "You go ahead, I'll wait here."
Fu Wei nodded, turned and left the house.
When Yu Ying came back from the bathroom, she saw Fu Wei drawing seriously at the desk. He didn't even notice her coming in, so she went over to him out of curiosity.
Seeing Fu Wei seemingly painting a portrait and looking at the familiar short beard, Yu Ying asked, "Are you painting that Uncle Mo?"
Although it was not as refined as those in later generations, its features were distinct, allowing her to tell at a glance that it was Uncle Mo.
Fu Wei hummed, "I asked my mother, and it's possible that Uncle Mo has a deep connection with the Fu family."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying frowned slightly.
The book of more than one million words was almost a group portrait, and she read it intermittently. Besides, she didn't remember the content specifically, so it was good enough that she could remember the opening content and the general content.
Furthermore, she simply glanced over some of the information or did not look at it, so she did not remember what other identities Uncle Mo had besides being the second-in-command of the bandit and an old subordinate of Fu Wei's biological father.
"I'll draw the portrait so that you can identify it."
Fu Wei drew Uncle Mo according to his memory.
When Yu Ying looked at the portrait, she knew that Fu Wei had a solid foundation. Not only could he make a repeating crossbow, he also knew how to use a spear. He also had a smart brain, and now he could also paint. What on earth was there that he couldn't do?
Fu Wei put down his brush, waited for the ink to dry, then picked it up again and said to her, "I'm going to ask my mother, you come with me."
Yu Ying said in embarrassment: "I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go there?"
Fu Wei: "If my mother ever finds out who harmed the Fu family, she might lose control of her emotions. I won't be able to comfort her, so please help her and don't let her cry herself blind again."
Luo's eyes had just been healed, so she couldn't get tired or cry for too long.
After Fu Wei said this, Yu Ying just let him go.
When Mrs. Luo thought that her husband's sworn brother might still be alive, she could no longer sit still and waited anxiously for her son to bring the portrait.
A moment later, the son and daughter-in-law came over.
Fu Wei explained, "Sixth Lady also knows about Uncle Mo's situation. I called her over because one more person means one more idea."
Luo Shi seemed to treat Liu Niang as her own family member and didn't care about it. What she cared about was the portrait.
"It's finished, let me see it."
Fu Wei took out the portrait he had just drawn and handed it to her.
Luo took the portrait and opened it tremblingly. When she saw the person in the portrait, she burst into tears of joy: "It's really Third Brother Mo!"
She looked at her son, unable to conceal her excitement, and said, "The man in this painting has been through thick and thin with your father. We are sworn brothers who would risk our lives for each other!"
As he was mentally prepared, Fu Wei was not upset, but Yu Ying was surprised.
"Where is he?!"
Fu Wei said: "He left not long ago, but his son is in Yu County."
Luo was surprised and asked, "Why don't you keep him?"
"Yu County is not peaceful, and his identity must be kept away from suspicion."
Hearing this, Luo immediately remembered what her son had just said, that Uncle Mo was now a fierce bandit in Muyun Mountain.
He also immediately thought that if the Fu family was found to be involved with the bandits in Mu Yunshan, the Fu family would be in trouble.
Thinking of this, Luo Shi felt worried.
Although he was worried, he still asked, "Is his son called Mo Lang?"
She recalled the child who often played with Dalang. Although she could not remember his appearance, she vaguely remembered that he was a naughty child like Dalang.
When the Fu family was ransacked, the homes of their subordinates were also ransacked. The wife of the Mo family had received news of her husband's death a few days earlier, and did not want her husband's body to be left exposed in the wilderness, so she took her son and servants and left home, thus escaping the disaster.
Fu Wei nodded: "I heard Uncle Mo call Alang, I think this should be his name."
"It's really Alang! Why is he in Yu County?!"
Yu Ying whispered, "I came to Yu County to protect the Fu family, but I didn't expect to encounter an epidemic. I didn't have a travel permit, and after contracting the epidemic, I went into hiding. When I was found and sent to the resettlement center, I was already unconscious. My whereabouts were really strange, so I am now detained in the government office."
Luo looked at her daughter-in-law blankly, then at her son. Suddenly, she asked with a heavy heart, "Can Alang be rescued?"
Fu Wei nodded: "Yes, as long as the county magistrate sends someone to investigate, he will be able to come out."
After his mother's identification, Fu Wei, though still wary of Uncle Mo, felt he was three-quarters trustworthy. The other seven-quarters was because so many things had changed in the past twenty years, and no one could be sure this person was still the same person from twenty years ago.
Luo lowered her head and said helplessly, "I think it's because they've become illegal residents and can't return to Wuling County, so they've taken over the mountain. But they're still fierce bandits. If the Fu family associates with them, I'm afraid it will bring trouble to you."
Having said this, Luo raised her head and looked at her son worriedly: "You are now successful in your career. Mother doesn't want to see you burdened by these things. If you can rescue Alang, then don't have any contact with them in the future."
At the end of her words, Luo's eyes were red. "You and Dalang are both my lifeblood. I don't want you to have any more accidents. No matter if that person is your father's brother who went through life and death together, you should not have any contact with him."
Even though she knew that Uncle Mo and the others did not become bandits voluntarily, she knew very well that if she had any connection with them, it would be considered collaborating with the bandits and she would lose her head.
She had already lost Erlang once twenty-two years ago and could not lose him a second time.
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