Chapter 35 He ordered her to be pushed towards the capital.
Madam Qin was determined to see Liu Min off.
Having said something wrong earlier, Liu Min dared not speak again, but only cried, lying on the ground, sobbing incessantly.
She actually knew the outcome in her heart, otherwise she wouldn't have cried like this.
His crying broke Old Madam Qin's heart; her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Of all the people in the world, this grandson was the one she loved the most.
She tucked a handkerchief into her eyes, turned to her son, and said, "You all go out. I have something to say to Liansi alone."
Liu Shen said nothing, bowed, and left. The servants also bowed and left in turn.
Liu Shen was standing under the eaves when Shan Lai passed by him with his head down, and he spoke up.
"Don't go yet, I have something to ask you."
Shanlai bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes."
Liu Shen stepped down to the rose trellis in the courtyard, and Shan Lai followed with his head down.
"Is his name Shanlai?"
Goodness is due.
Which two characters?
Shan replied.
Liu Shen nodded. "That's a good name." He then asked, "How old are you? Where are you from?"
"He turned ten in August, a native of Huixian Town outside the city."
"The old lady said you can write and draw."
"I only know a few characters and can draw a few strokes. My knowledge is very limited. You flatter me, madam. I am unworthy of such praise."
After a few words, Liu Shen was quite satisfied.
In terms of appearance, he is a very neat person; in terms of character, he does not seem to be a demon or evil person. Moreover, he has a rather calm demeanor, neither arrogant nor impatient, neither humble nor overbearing, and he does not show any fear in front of others.
People couldn't help but look at her with more respect.
He felt she was qualified, so he nodded slightly. Then he remembered her name; it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. He glanced into Fuze Hall and asked softly, "Why was Lian Si fighting with someone?"
Inside Fuzetang, Liu Min was still crying.
Old Madam Qin comforted him, gently stroking his hair again and again with boundless affection, "Alright, stop crying. If you keep crying like this, my heart will break."
Even after she said that, Liu Min still cried. He had no idea what to do except cry. He was filled with endless sadness and confusion, and could only cry, hoping that people would pity him.
"I can't be separated from the old lady..."
Old Madam Qin could no longer hold back her tears and began to weep bitterly, “My son, you can’t be separated from me, how could I be separated from you? It’s unavoidable, I have to be worthy of your deceased mother! If you don’t make something of yourself, how will I face her in the afterlife? I swear, I will make sure you are adorned in gold and purple, and live a glorious life… You must be successful and bring honor to your mother in the future…”
Liu Min got into a fight because he wanted to be kind.
This is a fact, and she can't deny it. She can't say she doesn't know, and she can't be vague either. You can ask her, or you can ask others. She didn't instigate Liu Min to fight with anyone, so it's not her fault. If she tells the truth, maybe there won't be any problem. But if she lies, that's a different story.
"It must be for my sake. Today, the young master took me to Biqing Creek, saying there was a grand event. A talented scholar was meeting with friends at Biqing Academy through painting. The young master told me to disguise myself as a servant and go with him to admire the scholar's talent. We finally arrived, but trouble broke out. One of the young master's friends offended the scholar, and the scholar got angry and made things difficult for the young master. To protect his friend, the young master pushed me onto the stage and challenged the scholar to a painting contest. Later, the scholar went berserk, grabbed my shoulder and restrained me. The young master went up to help me out, and after a few words, things got heated and they started fighting."
Shan Lai didn't lie; he told the truth. But to Liu Shen, it didn't make sense.
"He went berserk? Why?"
"I don't really know why he went crazy. First, he asked me who my teacher was, and I answered. Then he asked me to introduce him to someone, which was a bit unreasonable. I didn't agree, so he grabbed my shoulder, and it hurt a lot..."
Liu Shen remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.
Shanlai naturally remained silent.
Liu Shen asked Shanlai about the reason why Liu Min had fought with others. Firstly, he genuinely cared about his son, and secondly, he was afraid that his son would cause trouble. He wanted to find out the truth, apologize, and avoid gossip. Unexpectedly, what touched his heart the most in the end was just how good the girl's painting was.
"Did you bring your painting back?"
Shanlai shook his head. "It was a huge mess at the time. Then I heard that the master was coming back, so I rushed home. I didn't have time to think about anything else."
"If I ask you to draw again, is it possible for you to draw it?"
That's no problem.
It was drawn in a few strokes.
The matter of Shanlai becoming Liu Min's concubine was no longer a problem with Liu Shen.
The next morning, a group of more than thirty people in six carriages left the Liu residence in a grand procession.
Old Madam Qin did not go out to see them off, fearing she wouldn't be able to bear it.
Before leaving, Liu Min went to Fuzetang to kowtow to Madam Qin.
The three solemn and respectful kowtows resounded in people's ears.
"Please rest assured, Grandma, your grandson will be diligent in his studies and will never let you down."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Qin felt a pang of heartache, her face remained impassive, and she did not utter a single word.
Seeing this, Liu Min hesitated several times before finally saying nothing.
Liu Min kowtowed, and Shan Lai went up and kowtowed again.
"I have said before that I can never repay the old lady's kindness, even if I die. Please rest assured, old lady, I will go through fire and water for the young master without hesitation."
Madam Qin remained silent.
After he finished kowtowing twice, Liu Shen stepped forward, bent down in front of Madam Qin, and said some heartfelt words.
Madam Qin nodded, indicating that she had taken his words to heart.
Liu Shen had finished speaking, and there was nothing more to say. It was truly time to part ways.
"Go ahead, just keep writing to me."
I dare not say anything more than this one sentence, for fear that if I say too much, my heart will soften and I will be reluctant to let go.
Liu Min thought the same way, so he endured it. But just as he was about to step out of Fuzetang, a sudden buzzing sound rang in his ears, numbing him. His calves went weak and he twisted his ankle. He turned around blankly and stared at the person sitting in the armchair for a long while before finally turning back to the chair and kowtowing three times again.
This is truly the last time.
The Fuze Hall fell silent; there wasn't a sound.
Ru Hui glanced at Madam Qin's expression and softly advised, "Madam, you should still see her off..."
Old Madam Qin simply shook her head.
Ru Hui didn't know what else to say, so she shut her mouth and said nothing more.
After a while, just as the caravan was about to leave the city gate, Old Madam Qin suddenly burst into tears, clutching her handkerchief and sobbing uncontrollably.
Ru Hui was frightened and tried to comfort her while also calling for people to chase after the carriage.
Old Madam Qin held her down, saying haltingly, "Don't go...please don't go...if you come back, all our efforts will be in vain, all the suffering we endured will be for nothing...I'd rather die than suffer again..."
Ru Hui could only offer words of comfort through tears.
Liu Min was unaware of Madam Qin's crying. If he had known, he would have crawled all the way back to his grandmother's side even if his legs were broken.
Without my grandmother, I would not be where I am today.
He knew his grandmother meant well, and he didn't want her to worry about him, so he stopped crying.
What he should do most is to fulfill his grandmother's wishes, stand out from the crowd, and make a name for himself. Only in this way will he not have let his grandmother down. For his grandmother's sake, going to other people's homes and suffering hardships and grievances is nothing, as long as he can fulfill his grandmother's wishes.
While Shanlai was in the carriage, she was thinking that the day after tomorrow would be the 21st day after Yao Yong's death. In principle, she should go to pay her respects. But now that she was leaving, she would not be able to go. Old Madam Qin told her that she would definitely send someone to pay her respects and that she would never let Yao Yong's grave be deserted. She told her not to worry. Old Madam Qin would definitely not lie to her. But she was her own daughter. It would be too much of a disservice if she did not personally go to the grave to pay her respects while Yao Yong was still alive.
But she had already sold herself into servitude to someone else.
Her master didn't pity her; she didn't even have the right to visit the grave.
Thinking like this made me feel a little better.
But then she remembered that Yao's last words to her before he left were, "Never go to the capital."
She is currently on her way to the capital.
Yao Yong would never harm her. There must be a reason why he wouldn't let her go to the capital. If she is sober, she should listen to him and never set foot in the capital again in this life.
But she's not in her right mind now.
She couldn't help but think that she wasn't actually Yao Yong's biological daughter. Yao Yong's child was that guy named A Bao... She must have some kind of story, but it wasn't a good one.
But even if it's not good, it's still better than living a muddled life.
Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my background?
As long as we can figure these things out, even death doesn't matter.
Anyway, she is now all alone, with no ties to anyone.
The only debt of gratitude owed to Old Madam Qin must be repaid.
If you want to repay a debt of gratitude, you must go to the capital.
So she absolutely had to go to the capital; her fate was pushing her there.
Seeing her worried expression, Wu Qingyu, who was in the same car, took her hand and comforted her gently.
Wu Qingyu was in poor health, barely clinging to life. This half of her life was from her nursing son, so she came along as well.
Of course she has to come.
Liu Min didn't think that way. He was afraid that Wu Qingyu would die on the way. Why make things so complicated when everything was fine? He was afraid that other words wouldn't be effective enough, so he spoke frankly to Wu Qingyu.
Wu Qingyu also spoke frankly: if she really died for Liu Min, then her death was worthwhile; otherwise, her life was wasted.
Having said all that, there was no point in saying anything more, so Wu Qingyu, carrying her belongings, appeared in the caravan and shared a carriage with Shanlai.
There were six carriages, three for passengers and three for cargo. Liu Shen and Liu Min each rode in one carriage, while Shan Lai rode with Wu Qingyu.
Before boarding the car, Liu Min instructed Shan Lai to be vigilant and take good care of Wu Qingyu.
This was only right, and Shanlai agreed without hesitation.
However, once they got in the car, Wu Qingyu had to comfort Shanlai, which made Shanlai feel apprehensive and he dared not show his worries on his face anymore.
Fortunately, the scenery changes dramatically from south to north, and it was early autumn with clear skies and lush greenery, enough to captivate the soul and leave no time to dwell on sad memories.
The journey from Pingcheng to the capital is three thousand li, and takes twenty-five days.
On the third day of the eighth lunar month, the weather was clear. Shan saw the three huge characters "Xuancheng Gate" on the city wall from the car window. Holding the geography book in her hand, she knew that they had arrived in the capital.
It took about an hour to travel from Xuancheng Gate to the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites on Fengsheng Street. For the entire hour, Shanlai remained pressed against the carriage window, staring out without moving.
Everything was new and unfamiliar.
It inevitably makes people feel uneasy.
This is a completely unknown world.
However, when you get off the bus, your foot lands firmly on the bluestone slab. It's like stepping on gravel, but also on your heart. Even decades later, the sound still lingers.
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