"Aaaaaahh ...
The general is running laps outside.
Hahahaha—
He shouted and laughed.
Thump!
It crashed into a tree.
Although the courtyard cleared out by the prefect was not small, it was not a drill ground after all, and it could not withstand his recklessness. He lost control and crashed into a camphor tree in the courtyard. The branches and leaves rustled and fell, drenching his face and neck with the snow.
The soldiers who had retreated to their rooms to rest were all startled and came out, staring blankly.
"Has the general gone mad?"
"No way? It was fine just now."
"Oh, right, the doctor hasn't left yet. Tell him to take a look at the general."
"Pah, no need to look, I'm perfectly fine!" The general rushed over and kicked each of them, making the soldiers scream and groan. Then, humming some off-key tune, he finally plunged back into the main room.
Mrs. Wei was no longer lying down; she sat up, but made no further movements, remaining completely still.
The shock she felt was no less than that of the general when the person she thought was gone suddenly came back to life and appeared before her eyes.
It wasn't until the general returned, covered in sweat, sat down on the edge of the bed, and grinned foolishly at her that she truly came to her senses.
"Bao'er?"
"Sister Yu, it's me!" the general said loudly.
"Look at the snow on your neck, aren't you cold?" As soon as Madam Wei saw him, her old habit returned. She reached for a handkerchief to wipe it off for him and asked, "Does your head hurt from the bump?"
The general, beaming with delight, leaned over and let her rub his head. "It's not cold, it doesn't hurt! Sister Yu, is there anything else that's bothering you? The doctor is here, I'll call him to come and take a look at you."
Then they busied themselves getting the prepared medicine for Mrs. Wei to drink.
After taking their medicine and being examined by the doctor to confirm that there were no problems, both parties finally calmed down from their unexpected encounter and were able to discuss some serious matters.
The general glanced at Xiao Xin repeatedly, wanting to speak to him but not daring to. So, while looking at him, he asked Madam Wei, "Sister Yu, did that old bastard find out that Xiao Bao is my son, so he bullied you?"
Xu Rong paused for a moment, then suppressed a laugh.
Xiao Xin couldn't hold back any longer and said coldly, "What Xiao Bao? That's not my name."
The general wasn't annoyed; instead, his eyes lit up: "So you acknowledge me as your father?"
Xiao Xin was still sullen and turned his face away.
Wei explained gently, "Erlang, we used to call him that in secret. We didn't know you were born then... If you don't like it, we won't call him that anymore."
After saying this, he turned to the general and said, "It's my younger brother, Da Xiong. He came to the manor. I didn't know he knew about Erlang's background, so I told Erlang to give him some money to get rid of him. Who knew he would be so greedy—"
Xu Xu then told him about Wei Daxiong's situation.
"I knew he was no good!" the general roared in anger. "If it weren't for his meddling back then, saying he was afraid I'd die young like my father, we would have been married long ago!"
Mrs. Wei shook her head helplessly: "He resents you for disciplining him, unlike how his parents spoiled him."
It turns out that the general knew that Wei Daxiong was a burden, but since he was going to marry into the Wei family, he couldn't just ignore him. So he restrained Wei Daxiong from going to those dissolute places. Before he was to serve in the garrison, he wanted to marry Wei, which was normal for ordinary families. But Wei Daxiong resented him and told his parents that with his father's example, who knew if he would also go and never come back?
Even if he can come back, once he enters the garrison, he won't be able to help the Wei family as much as before.
Wei's parents regretted their words and suggested that the general should make some achievements in the army before returning home to get married.
Lady Wei was unwilling, but her parents' orders were paramount, and she had no say in the matter. In addition, the general was hot-tempered at the time. After several rounds of back-and-forth, he agreed and made a promise with Lady Wei that she should wait for his return.
Little did he know that the situation would spiral out of control the moment he left.
The general roared, "When we get back to the capital, I'll find him and skin him alive!"
"Forget it, he didn't know the Marquis and his wife's methods, and he just walked right into it," Madam Wei sighed. "He's probably already suffered quite a bit. From now on, I'll just pretend I don't have this brother and never associate with him again."
Severing ties was the most ruthless decision Wei Shi could make. After saying that, she didn't want to think about it anymore and instead paid attention to the general's words: "Bao'er, are you going back to the capital?"
She remained unconscious and was unaware of the part where the general stormed into the government office.
The general's tone softened as he responded: "Yes, I've been fighting alongside the Duke of England in Annam for the past few years. Now that the war is over, we're heading back. I've rendered some service, and the Duke appreciates me. He wants to adopt me as his son, but he also said my original name wasn't dignified enough, so he gave me a different name, 'Ding,' saying that I'm a general who can quell a thousand troops."
He seemed at least twenty years younger than Madam Wei, his tone a little hesitant, yet full of boastfulness, like a little boy showing off his skills. Madam Wei initially felt proud and smiled, but stopped halfway through her smile and hesitated, asking, "—Bao'er, what do you call yourself now?"
"Lin Ding!" Lin Ding said, puffing out his chest.
Wei Shi, Xiao Xin, and Xu Rong all said in unison: "..."
Even Xu Rong couldn't connect Lin Bao'er and Lin Ding. Firstly, their meeting was coincidental enough, but there was another coincidence on top of that. Secondly, the two names were too different in style.
Who would have thought it was just one person?
This is truly—
"What's wrong? Don't you like the name?" Lin Ding sensed something was wrong. He scratched his head. "Then I'll talk to the Duke and ask him to change it back. I think Bao'er is good. I am Da Bao, and my son is Xiao Bao. Isn't that nice?"
Undeterred, he poked Xiao Xin again.
Ms. Wei didn't know what to say; whatever she said felt too awkward.
She couldn't bring herself to speak. Xu Rong, observing from the sidelines, felt that although the matter was unlikely to come to fruition, it was still necessary to let Lin Ding know. So he said, "General, the Marquis has an eldest daughter whom he originally intended to marry to you."
Lin Ding: "..."
He opened his mouth wide, and after a long pause, he blurted out a curse: "I'm already being lenient by not beating him until he's begging me for a begging ...
He huffed and puffed, repeating "old bastard" over and over again.
There's an even more complicated matter at play: Lord Xiao's desire to marry Xiao Shan to him was actually a ploy to find a sucker. However, with Lin Ding and Lady Wei having just reunited, they clearly had a lot to discuss, so Xu Rong temporarily suppressed the topic.
That being said, Lord Xiao never had any good intentions, so it's not unjust for him to be scolded like this.
"Sister Yu, that old bastard is such a scoundrel, has he made you suffer a lot over the years?" Lin Ding asked Wei Shi with concern after a moment of anger.
The hardships they endured were endless.
But Madam Wei glanced at Lin Ding, then at Xiao Xin and Xu Rong, and simply smiled: "It's nothing, it's all in the past."
Having escaped a desperate situation and found love again, she truly felt she had nothing more to ask for and nothing to complain about.
She still had one worry: "Bao'er, you said the Duke wants to adopt you as his godson? Will you have any say in front of the Duke?"
Lin Ding nodded without hesitation: "My eldest brother Zhang and second brother Zhang are with the Duke in the army. In addition, there is a youngest son who has been in the capital. The Duke misses him and said that I am like him, so he treats me exceptionally well."
He had never met Zhang Weiling, and knew neither his temperament nor his appearance. He touched his face with a smug look and asked Xiao Xin, "Is he really like me? Then he can be considered a promising young man."
Xiao Xin: "..."
He was speechless.
"The Duke is teasing you." Madam Wei couldn't help but laugh. She had heard of Zhang Weiling's reputation even in the mansion. "Bao'er, could you talk to the Duke and ask him to act as a mediator and help us reconcile with the Marquis so that Erlang's academic title won't be revoked? Let him ask for whatever conditions he wants."
"Bah! He stole my wife and son, and he dares to make demands of me?" Lin Dingxian cursed again, then paused for a moment, "What official rank?"
Lady Wei explained to him, "Second Brother just passed this year's provincial examination and became the top scholar in Shuntian Prefecture."
Lin Ding: "..." He blinked, cautiously seeking confirmation, "Jieyuan, is it first place?"
Mr. Wei nodded.
Lin Ding suddenly stood up!
He wanted to say something, opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. After a while, he rubbed his hands together and grinned broadly: "Little Bao is so amazing!"
He walked quickly around the room, then came back, his eyes shining, and said, "Sister Yu, don't worry, I'll take care of this. Nobody will be able to touch Xiao Bao's reputation!"
Hearing him say that, Mrs. Wei smiled with relief and said, "Yes."
She was already exhausted from the journey, and the emotional shock of experiencing such extreme joy and sorrow was too severe. After recounting the most important points, she couldn't hold on any longer and felt heavy-headed, wanting to fall asleep.
Lin Ding carefully tucked her in, drew the curtains, and mumbled a few more words to reassure her and let her sleep peacefully, assuring her that he would be there when she woke up. Then he led Xiao Xin and Xu Rong out.
The three men looked at each other in the corridor. Lin Ding was always talkative in front of Madam Wei, but now that he was facing Xiao Xin, he seemed a little timid and couldn't open his mouth.
Xiao Xin paused for a moment, then turned to Xu Rong and asked, "Are you tired? Go and rest for a while."
Xu Rong nodded readily. Of course, she could see the awkward atmosphere between the father and son. However, she was not good at mediating such matters. Besides, she felt it was normal for Xiao Xin to not be able to accept it for the time being. Knowing that Lord Xiao was not his biological father was one thing, but it was quite another for his biological father to actually jump in front of him and give him a new father.
After all, he wasn't from the Wei family, and he had no emotional foundation with Lin Ding. If they were to recognize each other as relatives, there would always be a process involved.
She bowed to Lin Ding, then turned and went to the side room. Seeing that no one else was around, Lin Ding finally relaxed a little and tried to open his mouth again: "Little—"
Before he could finish shouting, Xiao Xin turned and followed Xu Rong away.
He stood alone in the empty corridor.
The soldier guarding the fake seedlings in the next room, having found his chance, cautiously poked his head out: "General, have you convinced him? The young man seems reluctant to come."
"What do you mean you're not happy? You've got it wrong!" Lin Ding snapped at him. "That's not some young master, that's my long-lost son. From now on, you'll have to call him Young Master, understand?"
The soldier turned pale: "General, it's one thing for you to take a fancy to that lady, but you're not even going so far as to go after her son?"
“He’s my own son, my own flesh and blood!” Lin Ding emphasized. “Didn’t you say we look alike? We only look alike because we’re blood relatives, understand?”
The soldier hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, undaunted by power, he insisted on the "truth": "General, what you say is true, but when we were cleaning that carriage, there were half a carriage full of books. That young man not only knows how to use a sword, but he also reads a lot of books."
Lin Ding became smug: "My son is the top scholar in the provincial examination, of course he can study well."
The sergeant was even more at a loss for words: "But General, you seem to—"
Don't you recognize many characters?
Lin Ding: "..."
Enraged, he stepped forward and kicked him out, yelling, "Get out of here! Even if I have a son who's a top scholar, it's no use if you're jealous!"
After the soldier had run away, leaping and scrambling, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "He probably really doesn't like me, huh? Whatever, he's still my son..."
His dejection lasted only a moment. When he turned his face to the two fake talents, it turned into a murderous aura: "Come on, it's your turn."
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