"Then, then I am..." Xu Sijie looked at Nan Yong's wife eagerly, but he couldn't say the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"You were brought back by the Marquis." Nan Yong's wife stared into Xu Sijie's eyes. "At that time, you were only three years old. You were ragged and skinny, and you would eat anything you could find. The Marquis handed you over to the Madam, saying that your biological mother had passed away and you had no one to entrust your care to, so he asked the Madam to take care of you. I was originally a hairdresser for the Madam, but when the Madam saw that I was steady and honest, and that she had a daughter who was about the same age as the Fifth Young Master, she moved me into the Fifth Young Master's room."

"I brought him back from outside..." Xu Sijie murmured, and many dusty past events became clear as if the dust had been brushed off.

A gray house, worn-out cotton wool, a roof dripping with rain, a drunkard smashing things, and the sound of opera singing coming from next door...

"Then what kind of person is my biological mother?" Xu Sijie murmured, looking at Nan Yong's wife with hesitation in his eyes. He hoped that Nan Yong's wife would tell him the truth, but he was also afraid that the answer Nan Yong's wife would give would be what he had in mind.

"I don't know either!" Nan Yong's wife was frank and open-minded. "The Marquis only said to people outside that he dreamed that his deceased concubine Tong lived a miserable life and no one even offered incense after her death. Occasionally, he saw the fifth young master who had the same eyes as the Marquis in the charity hall, and thought it was fate, so he brought him back."

Xu Sijie's mind was in a mess. He turned Nan Yong's wife's words over in his mind for several times before he calmed down and thought about it carefully.

Since he was adopted from a charity, how did his father know that his biological mother had passed away and there was no one to trust his child to?

Although Tong was a concubine, no one had ever been heard of being afraid that the concubine would cut off the family line.

Before he came home, his father already had two sons, and his mother wasn't very old, so why did she bring him back home... And his phoenix eyes were exactly the same as his father's, second brother's, and sixth brother's...

In the flash of lightning, a thought came to mind.

"Mom!" Xu Sijie murmured with a pale face, "Am I, am I raised by a concubine?"

Nan Yong's wife looked at him sympathetically and sighed softly: "That's what people outside say."

Yes, that’s the only way to explain it!

Xu Sijie stood there in a daze.

Nanyong's wife looked at him with pity and hugged him tightly.

After a while, Xu Sijie broke free from Nan Yong's wife's arms and walked out in a daze.

When Nan Yong's wife thought about what Xu Sijie had done these days, she couldn't help but worry secretly.

As children grow older, they become more thoughtful and harder to discipline... When he suddenly heard these words, he didn't know what he would do.

Thinking of this, Nan Yong's wife hurriedly called Xu Sijie: "Fifth Young Master, do you believe what I say?"

Xu Sijie turned around and looked at Nan Yong's wife blankly.

Nan Yong's wife stepped forward and grabbed Xu Sijie's hand: "Your Nan Mama is a very honest person who only knows how to stick to her principles. I don't care what people outside say, what the Marquis says, or what you think. In my opinion, since the Madam has agreed to raise you, she has acknowledged you. You are the Marquis's son, the fifth young master of this mansion..."

Before she finished her words, Xu Sijie laughed: "Fifth Young Master? What kind of Fifth Young Master am I... No wonder Mr. Dou orders me around, no wonder the Madam doesn't like me... I..." His smile was bleak, "The son of a concubine... I will only bring shame to my mother..."

"Fifth Young Master!" Nan Yong's wife's face darkened when she heard this, and she said sternly, "If you say that, Madam will be so sad when she knows! Although you are not Madam's biological child, Madam has raised you by her side and treated you as her own child. There are Fourth Young Master's, Sixth Young Master's, and you. You only care about your own life experience, but have you ever thought about Madam's feelings?"

Xu Sijie was stunned when he heard this, and an awkward expression gradually emerged on his face: "I... I..."

But all he could think of was Shiyi Niang. On snowy winter nights, she accompanied him to study under the dim light... On hot summer days, she fanned him as he wrote large characters... When he made mistakes, she gently taught him... When he received praise from the teacher, his mother was happier than him, her face lit up, and she would hug him...

"Mom Nan!" Xu Sijie threw himself into the arms of Nan Yong's wife and burst into tears.

It’s good to be able to cry!

I’m afraid he won’t listen to anything, good or bad.

Nanyong's wife hugged him and patted his back gently, comforting him just like she did when he was a child.

Xu Sijie cried even louder.

A woman who lived in the same courtyard heard the noise and walked in with a smile: "Hey, what happened?"

Seeing that it was Xu Sijie, the man smiled.

This is the good thing about being a mother working as a housekeeper in the room of a young master. No matter how old the master is, she will always be thinking about him... It's a pity that she is working in the room of the fifth young master. If she was working in the room of the sixth young master or the fourth young master, let alone the west wing, it would be easy for her to be sent out to be a housekeeper of a farm in the future!

Thinking of this, he made a "don't disturb" gesture to Nanyong's wife and walked out quietly.

Nan Yong's wife went to the inner room with Xu Sijie.

Xu Sijie lay in the arms of Nan Yong's wife and cried bitterly.

Nan Yong's wife watched him gradually calm down, and advised him carefully: "Fifth Young Master, the Marquis handed you over to the Madam, and the Madam just left you to the care of the housekeeper. She could also borrow you to be raised under the name of Aunt Tong and set up another courtyard to accommodate you. But you see, the Madam is in charge of the household affairs and is busy every day. In this way, not only did she not neglect you, but she also rewarded Nan Madam for you and raised you in the main courtyard. When it was cold, she made you a small silk jacket; when it was hot, she let you cool down in the main room with ice. She also asked Mr. Zhao to enlighten you and let you read and learn etiquette. Even if it was a biological child, it would be no more than this, not to mention that you were brought back by the Marquis from outside. But look at you, what have you done? I don't know where you heard a few gossips, and you came to me crying and making a fuss. Fortunately, the door is closed. If the housekeeper in the mansion knew about this, wouldn't she laugh at the Madam behind her back for not being able to judge people and raising you in vain? That would be a joke."

Xu Sijie was so ashamed by what Nan Yong's wife said that his face turned red. He lowered his head and muttered in silence.

Nan Yong's wife breathed a sigh of relief and continued softly, "Fifth Young Master, Nan Mama has never been to school and doesn't know those great principles. I only know that the more this is the case, the more you should be humble and courteous, study hard, and earn a living for Madam. This way, you will not let Madam down for raising you."

Xu Sijie was so excited that he nodded repeatedly: "I will study hard and make my mother proud."

"That's right!" Nanyong's wife happily hugged Xu Sijie, "Okay, okay, look at you, crying and laughing at the same time, your face looks like a cat. How can you go out like this! Mom will go get some water so you can wash your face. Don't do this again in the future!"

Xu Sijie replied "yes" shyly, and when Nan Yong's wife went to fetch water, he couldn't help but think of this incident again.

Is it because of this that my mother particularly dislikes singing opera herself?

He couldn't help but make up his mind secretly.

He must study hard in the future and make his mother proud of him!

Thinking of this, he suddenly wanted to see his mother.

After washing his face quickly, Xu Sijie went to Shiyi Niang's place.

Eleventh Lady was discussing the New Year's Eve with the housekeeper. When she saw him come in, she put her business aside and asked him with a smile, "What's wrong?"

A pile of account books were spread out on the kang table, and seven or eight housekeepers stood there with their hands hanging down, waiting for them to finish speaking so that they could continue the meeting.

Xu Sijie suddenly felt ashamed and guilty.

He knelt in front of Eleventh Lady, hugged her legs, and rested his head on her knees.

"Mother..." The past events revolved in his mind like a kaleidoscope of memories, all of which were scenes of Eleventh Lady dressing him and playing games with him when he was a child.

He choked up and couldn't utter a word, tears welling up in his eyes. He was afraid that others would notice something was wrong with him, so he quickly closed his eyes. However, his nose was filled with the familiar scent of roses that he had smelled since he was a child.

My heart instantly calmed down, and I felt my eyes getting even wetter.

Eleventh Lady looked at him strangely, thinking that he had been wronged in the outer courtyard. She asked a few housekeepers to wait in the side hall, gently stroked Xu Sijie's black and shiny hair, and her voice became gentler: "What's wrong? Did Brother Jie encounter something unpleasant? What's the use of just crying? Hurry up and tell me."

Xu Sijie couldn't hold back his tears with great difficulty.

He smiled and looked up, his eyes soaked in tears were clear and transparent.

"I'm fine, I just miss my mother!" he said, resting his head on Eleventh Lady's lap again.

Eleventh Lady could sense his difference, but it was not easy to force him to say anything in such an occasion. She smiled and said, "You are so old, why do you always act like a child?"

Xu Sijie smiled and stayed with Shiyi Niang for a while before leaving the hall: "Mother, please discuss matters! I'm going back to study!"

Eleventh Lady looked at his back and pondered for a moment, then asked Qiuyu to call Xier, who was serving Xu Sijie, over, while she continued to talk to the mother who was in charge.

In the Tanbozhai, which was far away from the main house and the flower hall, Xu Sizhun stood confronting Ge Jin as if they were wrestling.

Ge Jin looked at Xu Sizhun's angry eyes, sighed secretly, and whispered: "I know that the fourth young master blames me for not telling the lady about this. But this is what the lady has reminded me again and again, and I also think that what the lady said makes sense. Although you and the fifth young master are brothers, you are the prince, so you should act like a prince. The fifth young master is a half-brother, so he should act like a half-brother. Otherwise, in the eyes of others, wouldn't the Xu family become a family without distinction of high and low? If you go out like this, not only will you be ridiculed, but the fifth young master will also be the one who is pointed at behind his back and become the one who is ridiculed!

Xu Sizun thought of Dou Jing, Chigongpu, the anger of the lady, and the worry of Shiyi Niang...all the words froze on his lips.

His shoulders slumped in frustration.

Ge Jin looked at him and regretted that he had said something too harsh. He lowered his voice and said gently, "If the Fourth Young Master really loves the Fifth Young Master, he should treat the Fifth Young Master better in private. If you put it in public, people will inevitably gossip about it..."

Before she could finish, Xu Sizhun shook his head at her and said, "Sister Ge Jin, there is no need to say more. This is my business. You were given by our grandmother, so I have always respected you, sister. Let it go this time. If you have anything else in the future, I hope that sister Ge Jin will tell me first." After that, he stood up and went into the inner room, leaving Ge Jin with a look of surprise on her face.

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Please just watch it for now and catch the bugs later!

PS: I will continue to affectionately call on my sisters’ pink votes…O(∩_∩)O~