After listening to Su Xingran's words, Xiao Dingyu smiled helplessly. His own mother looked like her own mother, while he looked somewhat like his own mother. Xiaoxue looked like him, her father, her grandmother, and even more like her maternal grandmother.
Having learned that Mo Ting and Xiao Xue had gotten together, Xiao Dingyu knew that he would eventually be recognized in Beijing. But it didn't matter anymore; what he couldn't forgive, he would never forgive.
Xiao Dingyu looked at Xiao Xue and said, "Xiao Xue, your father has never told you where I am from. I came here because I received a call from your grandfather Zhilun, saying that you were beaten because the Wei family was retaliating against you."
“Before I went to Stone Town, I was from the capital. The Xiao Luxuan you met is your great-uncle’s youngest son. I am the son of Xiao Baiyu, a daughter of the Xiao family, and the brothers of the Xiao family are my uncles.”
“Your grandmother had an ex-husband named Wei Xiongjie, and I am their son. Wei Zilin is the son of Wei Xiongjie and the woman he had an affair with. Your grandmother died when your father was only about fifteen years old. She was forced to her death by the Wei family and General Xiao. So after your grandmother died, your father left Beijing. When I left, I severed ties with the Wei family and also obtained a divorce certificate for your grandmother.”
Xiao Dingyu sighed and continued, "Your father recognized your eldest and youngest uncles in the Xiao family. They were good to your grandmother and father. It's just that they weren't in the military in Beijing at the time, and by the time they rushed back, your grandmother had already passed away."
“General Xiao, I will never acknowledge him in this lifetime. I cannot acknowledge a maternal grandfather who drove his own daughter to her death. The Wei family has no relation to me either. I am just your grandmother’s son.”
“Your uncle visited our house last time, and he brought you a gift and a red envelope. I gave them to you when I came. I'm telling you this now so you can be prepared, since the Xiao family will be looking for you after I leave.”
Xiao Xue listened quietly as her father finished speaking. It turned out that her father had relatives and wasn't an orphan. It was just that her father had suffered too much; he lost his mother at the age of fifteen, and his own father and maternal grandfather were the culprits who drove his mother to her death.
Thinking back, her parents had always doted on her and her brother. No matter how busy they were, they always took good care of them. In her memory, neither of them had ever been seriously punished by their parents. Even when they did something wrong, they weren't simply scolded; instead, they were reasoned with and guided.
Thinking back to when she and her younger brother were fifteen, they had hot meals cooked by their mother every day, warm clothes to wear in winter, and caring concern from their parents. Recalling those times, Xiao Xue's eyes gradually reddened.
Xiao Xue held back her tears, not letting them fall. Su Xingran, who was sitting next to Xiao Xue, saw this and gently patted Xiao Xue's shoulder a few times. Xiao Xue turned to Su Xingran and hugged her. Su Xingran was not good at comforting people, so she could only place her hand on Xiao Xue's back and gently pat her.
Xiao Xue, who had been holding back her tears, finally broke down in tears after finding someone to lean on. Those present were also deeply saddened, knowing she was heartbroken over her father's ordeal.
After staying at the Gu family home until around 9 PM, Xiao Dingyu escorted Su Xingran back to the Huang family home. Xiao Dingyu intended to greet Huang Zhenhua upon arrival, but Huang Zhenhua still hadn't returned. Xiao Dingyu instructed Su Xingran to bring her master to the restaurant where Gu Moting and Xiao Xue were holding their banquet the next day for dinner.
The next day, Su Xingran went to help out at the pharmacy again, working until almost evening when it was time to go for dinner. Huang Zhenhua was also busy after returning to Beijing, with different people coming to him for medical treatment. Most of these people were retired veterans who had suffered many injuries in battle when they were young, and were always feeling unwell in their old age.
When Su Xingran arrived, the table was already full of people. She noticed the two Xiao brothers and their wives, as well as an elderly woman over sixty years old whom she didn't recognize. The Gu family was also there—eldest brother Taihe and his wife, and second brother Taizhou and his wife. Her master was nowhere to be seen.
Su Xingran greeted everyone present. When she got to the old man she had never met before, she hesitated for a moment and didn't feel comfortable calling him "Grandpa." Fortunately, Xiao Dingyu came to her rescue.
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