Chapter 72 The Cat's Past 2
Two familiar servants were standing at the door, but their eyes were red at this moment. When they saw him running back, one of them immediately turned his face away and wiped his eyes fiercely with his sleeve.
A feeling of uneasiness suddenly surged into Bai Qingchen's heart, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze at that moment.
"Is it my parents who are back? What are you doing standing by the door?"
The two servants looked at each other, but couldn't bear to say it, so they just let him go to the main hall to find Uncle Chen.
There were faint sounds of suppressed sobbing coming from inside the door, and the heart-pounding rustling of the white banners blown by the wind.
Bai Qingchen seemed to be suddenly awakened, and rushed towards the door. His small figure pushed open the half-closed door.
The palace was in chaos, and the orderly scene of the past was gone.
The servants looked panicked and hurried, with tears on their faces. The air was filled with suffocating sadness. No one paid attention to him, and no one answered him.
"Dad! Mom!"
He raised his voice, crying, and shouted in vain in the yard. No one responded to him. His voice seemed particularly prominent and helpless in the oppressive silence. He stumbled across the front yard, ran through the corridor, and went straight to the main hall.
At the entrance of the main hall, Uncle Chen stood like a stone statue, his back straight, his hands clenched into fists, hanging at his sides, his knuckles white from the force.
His face, which was always calm and peaceful, was now filled with grief, but he had to try his best to remain calm in front of his children.
Seeing Bai Qingchen rushing towards him, his lips moved and his Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, but he couldn't make a sound immediately.
"Uncle Chen!"
Bai Qingchen rushed over and grabbed Uncle Chen's hand. His hand was cold and still trembling slightly.
"Where are my parents?"
He tilted his head back, his voice filled with fear and pleading that even he couldn't understand. "Where are they? They said they would be back today! Where are they?"
Uncle Chen's body trembled violently. He didn't dare to look down at the child's eyes. He could only grit his teeth, tightening his jaw, and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Young Master... is... is inside..."
Before he could finish his words, he suddenly turned his head and his shoulders twitched violently and uncontrollably.
Bai Qingchen suddenly let go of Uncle Chen's hand as if he was scalded.
He didn't ask any more questions, didn't look at anyone, and stumbled into the main hall.
The main hall was dimly lit and filled with the pungent smell of burning incense, candles and paper ashes.
The tables and chairs usually used for entertaining guests were moved to the wall. In the center of the main room, there were two huge, cold coffins painted with dark brown tung oil. The coffin lids had not been closed yet, and the cold darkness inside could be seen through the gaps.
Bai Qingchen paused. He stood a few steps away from the coffin, his small body trembling violently like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.
He stared at the two coffins with his eyes wide open. The flickering candlelight was reflected in his dark pupils, but there was no light at all.
The sounds of the entire world seemed to disappear at this moment, leaving only a sharp buzzing in his ears and a blank mind. All his thoughts and expectations were swallowed up by the two huge, silent pieces of wood.
His legs went limp and he fell straight to his knees on the cold blue brick floor. The sound of his knees hitting the ground was dull and clear.
There was no crying or howling, only big tears rolling down without warning, hitting the floor and spreading into small dark spots.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, only the broken sound of gasping like a bellows coming from his throat.
The warmth of his father's rough hands rubbing against his head, the pleasant warm fragrance of soapberry mixed with medicinal herbs on his mother's body, the wind raised by their clothes when they climbed onto their horses, countless vivid images rushed into his mind frantically, and were instantly shattered by the huge, cold coffin in front of him.
Their faces seemed to be just like yesterday, still promising birthdays, but now they were lying in this dark and cold coffin, never to respond to his call gently again.
Bai Qingchen's small body could not bear the sudden bad news, and he fell forward with his eyes going dark.
"Young Master!" Uncle Chen exclaimed from behind, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
A glaring white banner was hung at the Bai Mansion, and the mournful sound of suona music continued intermittently for several days. The neighbors nearby were all whispering about the incident, and their sighs weighed like heavy lead on their hearts.
"Have you heard? The Bai family couple... oh, what a sin!"
"That's right. We ran into some damn robbers while traveling for business. They said the whole caravan was gone..."
"Poor kid, how old is he? On his ninth birthday, right? What's going to happen after this..."
"There's only the old housekeeper left to support the family. Without someone in charge, the sky is falling..."
In the mourning hall, Bai Qingchen was wearing coarse linen mourning clothes. His small body was wrapped in loose clothes, making him look even thinner and more fragile.
He knelt straight on the cold mat, with two heavy coffins in front of him.
Incense and candles flickered, and the ashes of paper money swirled and fell. His face was expressionless, and his eyes stared blankly at the flickering candlelight, as if his soul had long since left this body.
Some people came to pay their respects, some people whispered words of comfort in his ears, the voices were buzzing, but not a single word reached his ears. The only things left in his world were the two coffins and his parents who were sleeping forever in the coffins.
Chen Boqiang was keeping himself spirited and taking care of the funeral inside and out. He looked like he had aged ten years. He told Bai Qingchen that it was the government who sent people to return the bodies of the master and his mistress.
The story goes that they encountered a group of extremely ferocious bandits on the way, and the caravan fought desperately but ultimately failed to escape. A passing merchant reported the matter to the authorities, who then brought the body back. As for further details, the authorities were vague.
Bai Yize and Su Zhixu were usually kind to their servants. Although the mansion was in great trouble at the moment and people were in panic, with Uncle Chen's efforts, the servants still performed their duties and the funeral was handled decently and thoroughly.
After seven days of rest, the coffin was carried out of the mansion and buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Handfuls of yellow earth fell, burying the coffin and completely burying the last bit of light in Bai Qingchen's life.
Before the new soil on the grave was compacted by the wind, the door of the Bai Mansion, where the white banner had just been removed, was knocked rudely again.
There were three people coming, led by a middle-aged man wearing a long silk gown, with a look of deliberately pretended sadness and a condescending look on his face.
Behind him followed a thin man who looked like a butler. His triangular eyes rolled around as he looked around, with no attempt to hide the calculation in his eyes.
There was also a younger one with his arms folded, a look of impatience and contempt on his face.
Uncle Chen had just finished taking care of a funeral and was exhausted. He forced himself to come out to greet them. "How many people are you?" He stood in front of the door and asked vigilantly.
The middle-aged man cleared his throat, his eyes passing Uncle Chen and sweeping directly towards the empty courtyard. His voice was filled with false sorrow: "I am Bai Yize's eldest brother, Bai Yifeng."
"I heard that my second brother met with misfortune, so I came to offer condolences and also to see my poor nephew." He deliberately emphasized the word "nephew."
The triangular-eyed butler behind him immediately chimed in, his voice sharp: "Get out of the way! This is Master Bai! He's here to take care of his brother's funeral. What are you, a servant, doing standing here?"
Uncle Chen's heart trembled. He had followed Bai Yize for many years and had never heard the master mention any so-called elder brother or family member.
The master only vaguely said that in order to marry his wife, he had a very bad relationship with his family, and eventually left home and had no contact with them anymore.
Now that the body has just been buried, these so-called clan members have come to the door at the exact moment, and their intentions are obvious.
"The master never mentioned having brothers during his lifetime."
Uncle Chen straightened his back and spoke in a low but remarkably firm voice.
"Forgive my old servant's poor eyesight and the fact that I dare not recognize you rashly. There has been a great mourning in the mansion and the young master is young and sad, so it is inconvenient for him to see guests. Please go back." He made a gesture to close the door.
"presumptuous!"
The young man with his arms folded took a step forward and gave Uncle Chen a hard push.
The force was so great that Uncle Chen was caught off guard. He staggered back two steps and bumped into the door frame, letting out a muffled groan.
The young man pointed at Uncle Chen's nose and cursed, "How dare an old servant stand in the way of the master? Open your dog eyes and see clearly!"
He took out a yellowed piece of paper from his pocket, opened it and waved it in front of Uncle Chen. It was clearly stamped with the official seal.
"This is the family tree my father had prepared at the government office. Bai Yize is my father's younger brother, the second son of the Bai family. He was disobedient and unfilial and abandoned his family for a wild woman of unknown origin."
"Now that he's dead, his bloodline and his family property will naturally be handled by our Bai family! How can you, an outsider, get to dictate what happens?"
The wild woman of unknown origin that he was referring to was Su Zhixu.
Uncle Chen was so angry that he was shaking all over, his face livid: "Since the master has already severed ties with our family, what are you doing here?"
"Sever ties?" Bai Yifeng sneered and spoke slowly, his voice like a cold poisonous snake.
"Blood is thicker than water. How can it be severed by a few words?"
"Bai Yize is a member of the Bai family in life and a ghost of the Bai family in death! The little property he left behind must naturally be taken over by our family. As for this child."
His tone was filled with undisguised contempt, "A bastard born from a lowly woman, and we don't even know if it's from the Bai family."
The triangular-eyed butler immediately echoed in a sharp voice: "That's right! Who knows if it's our Second Master's child? It must be some wild one..."
"Shut up!" A suppressed roar interrupted the butler's vicious words.
Everyone turned around and saw Bai Qingchen standing in the corridor leading to the backyard.
His small body was wrapped in plain white mourning clothes, his face was frighteningly pale, his lips were tightly pursed, but his eyes seemed to be burning with cold fire as he stared at the uninvited guests at the door.
"You are not allowed to slander my mother!" His voice was not loud, but it was filled with a fierceness of all his strength.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
