Chapter 179 Orphan Orphan
"Here?" Su Fengzhang frowned as he looked at the path in front of him. Liu Wei was already a senior military officer. Logically speaking, it was impossible for his home to be in a place like a slum.
It may be an exaggeration to call it a slum, because there are no real slums in the capital today, and you can't see beggars on the streets. This is certainly not because there are really no beggars in the Great Zhou, but because the court does not allow beggars in the capital.
If a beggar in the capital is discovered, he will be thrown directly into prison and sent to work in the mines. Because of this, beggars in the Great Zhou dare not come to this richest place in the world.
However, the residential areas in the westernmost part of the capital are a mixed crowd, with people from all walks of life living here. It is the most chaotic place in the entire capital. The people who live here are either really broke or doing shameful things to cover up their tracks.
Although Liu Wei has been in the Yunzhou Zhenbei Army for many years, according to his official position, his family should not live here.
Su Arong said, "Erlang, the place I found is indeed here."
They stood at the entrance of the alley for a while, and then someone peeked in, obviously wondering why people dressed like them would come to such a place.
"Let's go in and take a look." Su Fengzhang couldn't help but feel a little worried, thinking that the situation of Liu Wei's family might not be good.
Walking to a slightly dilapidated house, the two large doors had peeling paint, making it look a bit desolate. Su Fengzhang reached out and knocked on the door, but there was no movement from inside.
"Is there no one at home?" Su Fengzhang asked curiously.
Su Arong quickly said, "He should be at home. General Liu only has an old mother and a child left at home. Where can an old man and a child go?"
Su Fengzhang knocked on the door again, but there was still no response from inside. However, he heard footsteps and it seemed like someone was lying behind the door looking out.
A child's figure could be vaguely seen. He looked about five or six years old, which was exactly the same age as Liu Wei's child. Su Fengzhang smiled and asked, "Is this General Liu Wei's home? I'm a good friend of General Liu, and I'm here to visit you."
The child suddenly shouted, "Grandma, it's Daddy's friend. Daddy is coming back."
After hearing this, Su Fengzhang didn't know what to do, because Liu Wei might never come back.
Soon, another voice came from inside, the door was finally opened, and an old face appeared in front of the two.
This should be Liu Wei's mother. Judging by her age, she should be less than fifty, but now she looks very old. The old lady seems to be ill, her face is sallow, but there is a hint of hope in her eyes: "Is she Awei's friend? Did my Awei also return with the triumphant team?"
Even Su Fengzhang was speechless at this moment and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
But he quickly reacted, reached out to support the old lady, and said, "Old Madam, I'm here to visit you on behalf of Brother Liu. Why don't we go in and talk first?"
Old Madam Liu was also an experienced person. Seeing his attitude, her heart skipped a beat and her body trembled. But when she saw her grandson following behind, she managed to hold on and was helped back home.
Su Fengzhang had anticipated that the Liu family's situation might not be good, but after entering the house, he found that he was still optimistic. It would not be an exaggeration to describe the Liu family as penniless.
He felt puzzled. Liu Wei was a high-ranking general, and his annual salary should be enough to support his family. Since Liu Wei cared about his family, he would never let them live such a hard life.
After Old Madam Liu sat down, she took a few breaths before she could barely speak. It was obvious that getting out of bed and opening the door was already a difficult task for her. But at this moment, she still hurriedly asked, "Sir...? I wonder how my son Awei is doing now?"
Su Fengzhang glanced at the child next to him. The child was dark-skinned and looked quite strong. He looked very similar to Liu Wei, and it was obvious that they were father and son.
At this moment, the child was staring at him while biting his fingers, and asked, "Uncle, when will my father come back?"
Su Fengzhang sighed in his heart, looked up and said: "Arong, didn't we bring some candy here? You take this child out to eat some. Can you go out and eat candy obediently?"
The child looked up at Mrs. Liu, and only went out happily after seeing her nod.
As soon as they left, Madam Liu's eyes turned red and she kept asking, "Sir, is it true that my Ah Wei has already gone? If not, why did you send Ah Neng away?"
"Sir, just tell me directly. The old woman can still hold on."
Old Madam Liu was also from the south, and her accent was very southern, but their ancestral places were not far apart, so Su Fengzhang could understand her.
Su Fengzhang suddenly lifted her skirt and knelt down, kowtowed three times before saying, "Old Madam Liu, Brother Liu is so righteous. He sacrificed his life for the Great Zhou and for our lives. I cannot repay you for saving my life. From now on, I will treat you as my own mother, take care of you until the end of your life, and treat Liu Neng as my own son, raising him to adulthood."
As soon as she said this, Madam Liu felt a rumbling sound beside her ears. The strength she had been holding on to disappeared, and she collapsed into the chair. "I knew it, I knew he wouldn't come back."
"Back then, when he wanted to join the army, I refused. How could a soldier possibly lead to a good life? But he was stubborn and refused to listen. We've been through so many ups and downs over the years, from Qingzhou to the capital, and then from the capital to Yunzhou. Who would have thought that would be the last time we saw each other..."
"It's all my fault, an old woman. If I wasn't useless, he wouldn't have to go there to fight for his future at such a young age. If he wasn't selling his body to earn that little money, he wouldn't have joined the army..."
"Awei, my Awei, it was mother who harmed you!"
Old Madam Liu was crying so hard that she was about to faint. Su Fengzhang hurriedly helped her to rest her back, but the pain of losing a child was not so easy to soothe. Old Madam Liu's spirit was obviously gone.
"Grandma!" Suddenly a child ran in from outside, pushed Su Fengzhang away and yelled, "Did you bully my grandma?"
He is not big in stature, but he is very strong. When he pushes people, he looks like a little tiger and has a certain momentum.
"Erlang, are you okay?" Su Arong followed in and asked hurriedly when he saw this.
Su Fengzhang took a step back, shook his head and said, "It's okay, Madam Liu. Although I'm not qualified to say this, I hope you can be more forgiving for Liu Neng's sake and not be too sad."
Old Madam Liu covered her heart with her hands, and finally paid some attention when she heard her grandson's voice. But when she thought that Liu Neng was still so young and Liu Wei was already gone, she could not hide the grief in her heart.
She was filled with grief, her face turned pale, and she looked like she was about to collapse.
Su Fengzhang was also worried when he saw this. If this matter could not be concealed, he would not have hurriedly told Liu Wei's family: "A Rong, go and ask a doctor to come over."
Mrs. Liu recovered now and shook her head, saying, "No, it's just an old ailment. It won't be a big deal."
Su Fengzhang gave Su Arong a look, and the latter hurried out.
Madam Liu grabbed Su Fengzhang's hand tightly and said, "Tell me in detail how Awei died."
Su Fengzhang was a little hesitant, especially since Liu Neng was standing next to him.
Madam Liu said, "This is Awei's son. Since he was born in the Liu family, he should know all this."
Liu Neng seemed to understand a little bit. Although he was young, he was very stubborn. “Yes, I am with my grandma.”
Su Fengzhang finally organized his words, tried to avoid the cruel parts, and told the whole story.
Thinking of that scene that day, the bitter cold and tragic scene on Yunshan Mountain seemed to return before his eyes. For a moment, Su Fengzhang also felt that he would be buried in Yunshan Mountain, and his voice was choked with sobs. "Madam Liu, I'm sorry, we couldn't find Brother Liu... In the end, we could only pick up his daily clothes and build a cenotaph for him on the border."
After escaping danger, they asked Meng Kun to send people familiar with Yunshan to search, but after searching for a month, they only found a few bodies, and Liu Wei was not among them.
In this relatively short war, many people's bodies were not even recovered.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Liu's face darkened even more. Although she had been mentally prepared, she still felt grief-stricken upon hearing this. As a mother, she did not want her son to be loyal to the country and make great contributions. She only hoped that he could return safely. Who knew that this would become a luxury now?
Liu Neng still didn't quite understand what was going on, but looking at his grandmother's expression, he hesitantly asked, "Grandma, when will my father be back? Didn't you say he would be back soon?"
Seeing his confused look, Mrs. Liu hugged him in her arms and burst into tears in unbearable grief.
Although Liu Neng didn't know what had happened, he was frightened to see her like that and burst into tears on the spot. The old man and the child hugged each other and cried bitterly. For a while, the only sound that could be heard in the Liu family was crying.
Su Fengzhang could only pat their backs to comfort them. It was useless to say anything at this time. How could words alleviate the pain of losing loved ones? At this moment, he deeply felt the paleness of words.
"My dear Ah Wei, you just stayed on the mountain like this. It's so cold up there, how can you bear it..."
"Grandma, is my father in the mountains? Then why don't we go find him?" Liu Neng asked while crying.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Liu burst into tears. Su Fengzhang was afraid she might get hurt, so he quickly said, "Old Madam Liu, why don't we collect Brother Liu's clothes and build a cenotaph for him in the capital?"
"This way, Liu Neng will have a place to worship in the future. Even in the afterlife, Big Brother Liu can enjoy the incense of the world and won't become a lonely ghost and be bullied by others."
This was indeed useful. After hearing it, Old Lady Liu said, "Right, right, right. What's so good about Yunzhou? Who would think of burning paper money there? We should set up one here in the capital!"
As she spoke, Madam Liu was about to stand up, but when she stood up so suddenly, she felt a black screen in front of her eyes and fell down. If Su Fengzhang had not been quick to catch her, she would have probably broken her head.
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