Chapter 50 (Bonus Chapter) Azhi, do you hate your father...?
Xiao Mingzhang is gone.
That day, after Yunzhu finished teaching her students, she looked back at the meadow, but the figure that had been there was gone.
Yunzhu didn't pay him much attention. She knew that Xiao Mingzhang, as the military commander of Liangzhou, should actually be in Liangzhou most of the time, and only come to Hanze occasionally. So it was perfectly normal for him to be called away whenever there was something going on in Liangzhou.
Faced with his disappearance, Yunzhu remained calm and unmoved. When she returned home that night, she continued her life as usual, as if Xiao Mingzhang had never appeared at all.
Only when Ayan asked about what happened that afternoon did she realize once again that Xiao Mingzhang had been there.
Since picking up Mu Zhaozhi today, Ayan has been staying at home. In the afternoon, she heard some noises outside and wanted to go and see what was going on, but she was worried that something might happen if Mu Zhaozhi was left alone at home. So she could only wait for Yunzhu to come back and ask her about it.
Yunzhu briefly told her what had happened outside that afternoon, and Ayan was just as dumbfounded as she was.
"Does he want to take you and the child home?" Ayan's anger surged from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, a hundred times more furious than when she realized that Xiao Mingzhang seemed to want to take Mu Zhaozhi home.
Because over the years, only she knew and witnessed the suffering Yunzhu endured in the Huan Prince's mansion.
She completely forgot that Mu Zhaozhi was still at home, and her voice grew louder and louder as she said, "What right does he have to want to bring you home again? Has he forgotten how he wanted to kill you back then? And now he wants to bring you home again? What gives him the right?"
"Yes, that's why I absolutely won't agree." Compared to Ayan's ferocity and outburst, Yunzhu was now able to speak calmly about her relationship with Xiao Mingzhang. She tugged at Ayan's sleeve, gesturing for her to keep her voice down, as Mu Zhaozhi was still next door.
Ayan then calmed down a bit.
But she still couldn't help breathing heavily to show her resentment.
Yunzhu's anger had dissipated by the afternoon. She slowly reached out and took Ayan's hand, saying, "Alright, he's only staying in Liangzhou temporarily. He'll definitely leave eventually, so we don't need to worry too much. Once he's gone, we can just continue living our lives."
No, Ayan's anger was still hard to quell. If Xiao Mingzhang hadn't already returned to Liangzhou, she thought she would have rushed up to him right now and given him a good scolding.
Yunzhu had no choice but to coax her a few more times. Seeing that she was really angry, she let her go to the yard to brandish knives and guns and vent her anger.
She has to get up early tomorrow to teach her students, so she can't discuss Xiao Mingzhang with her any further.
Yunzhu thought that after venting her anger that night, Ayan should be as calm as she was. Unexpectedly, the next morning, when she was about to take Mu Zhaozhi out again, Ayan ran up to her again and repeatedly told her that if she ran into Xiao Mingzhang again today, she must call her over and she would curse that bastard to death!
Yunzhu was surprised, but she had no choice but to agree.
Although Xiao Mingzhang left without anyone noticing yesterday, according to his habit these past few days, he would return to Hanze in the afternoon or evening.
She made a promise with Ayan that when she saw him, she would immediately send someone back to inform her.
Ah Yan had everything ready, except for the final push.
She didn't go anywhere all day, just stayed at home waiting and waiting for news from Yunzhu.
But even as evening approached, when Yunzhu returned from the school with Mu Zhaozhi, she still hadn't received any news from Xiao Mingzhang.
"He didn't come today?" Ayan asked.
Yunzhu nodded.
Both she and Ayan were wrong today; Xiao Mingzhang did not come to Hanze.
"That's really rare." Ayan clicked her tongue. Someone like him dared to say he was coming to take Yunzhu home? He just said he was coming to pick her up yesterday, and he's not coming today. Can he be driven away by the slightest setback? What can he possibly rely on?
"It's better that he didn't come." Ayan observed Yunzhu's expression and said, "If he doesn't come, we can have peace and quiet again. It's good that he has some conscience. He knows we like peace and quiet and can't go back with him, so he's giving us some peace and quiet!"
Yunzhu smiled, knowing that Ayan was saying this intentionally for her to hear.
She was afraid that she still harbored any illusions about Xiao Mingzhang.
But what illusions can one still have?
Yunzhu thought that all her fantasies had been completely shattered on that day at the Yunzhou government office.
She didn't say anything, but simply squeezed Ayan's hand to let her know that she didn't miss Xiao Mingzhang for a moment. Compared to him, the boundless freedom of the grassland was more worthy of her longing.
This was the first day that Xiao Mingzhang suddenly appeared in Hanze and then suddenly disappeared.
In the following days, Xiao Mingzhang did not appear again, as if his sudden appearance was an accident, and his disappearance from Yunzhu's life was a long-term trend.
Gradually, Yunzhu returned to a life without Xiao Mingzhang's interference. Every morning she would take Mu Zhaozhi to school, and every afternoon she would take her home from school. Half of the month she needed to teach other girls horseback riding and archery, so during those times, Mu Zhaozhi would be accompanied by Ayan or her own friends.
As for Ayan, she was furious with Xiao Mingzhang, but his failure to appear day after day caused all the anger she had been building up to dissipate.
But naturally, she could not forgive Xiao Mingzhang either. She just started to care less about him, just like Yunzhu.
In short, the family of three's life returned to what it was before.
This day was half a month after Xiao Mingzhang disappeared.
Yunzhu had completely forgotten about this person. That afternoon, she was going to teach the girls to ride horses, so she discussed with Mu Zhaozhi whether she wanted to go home to practice calligraphy or play with her friends.
If she plays with her friends, I can pick her up after her class.
Mu Zhaozhi chose to play with her friends.
After what happened with Wu Xiaoyi, she hadn't played with her friends for a long time. A few days ago, Wu Xiaoyi finally couldn't help but apologize to her, so she felt that she could still play with her friends again.
Yunzhu naturally agreed.
She then entrusted Mu Zhaozhi to her group of friends, while she went to teach her students.
"Mu Zhaozhi!" The children had been waiting for Mu Zhaozhi for far too long, and when she finally arrived, they all surrounded her.
"What shall we play today?" Mu Zhaozhi asked.
"Let's play hide-and-seek!" someone suggested.
“Okay.” Mu Zhaozhi nodded without any objection.
Everyone laughed happily.
A group of children were playing hide-and-seek, but that wouldn't work on the grassland. So they suggested going to Grandma Fang's house, which was the closest to the grassland. Grandma Fang treated them the best. She lived alone and was very afraid of being lonely, so she often invited them over for sweet soup and snacks.
Grandma Fang's house also has two small courtyards, one in the front and one in the back, which are perfect for playing hide-and-seek.
So a group of friends knocked on Grandma Fang's door and came to her house. After greeting her, they started playing games right under her smiling eyes.
In the first game, everyone played a game of forehand and backhand to determine who would be the first person to be found.
Mu Zhaozhi lost, so she had to go outside the courtyard gate and wait for all her friends inside to hide before Granny Fang would open the door and let her in to find them.
Mu Zhaozhi was left alone outside Granny Fang's house, but she wasn't angry, knowing it was just a game. She obediently cupped her face in her hands, looking like a little adult, and sat at Granny Fang's door.
She looked so adorable, sitting quietly on the stone steps by the door, and then there was no more movement. She was well-behaved, serene, and elegant; it seemed that all the beautiful words to praise a girl could be used to describe her.
But in fact, anyone who gets even a little closer to this little girl will know that her quiet and focused demeanor is not elegant, but rather she is simply observing the swarms of ants on the ground.
"Is watching ants move house interesting?" Gradually, the sun began to set, and a huge figure blocked the blinding sunlight, looming over Mu Zhaozhi's small frame.
Mu Zhaozhi propped her head up and looked up. The moment she saw the person who spoke, she couldn't help but be stunned.
This was Xiao Mingzhang's first appearance in Hanze Town in half a month. With a smile on his face, he slowly squatted down in front of his daughter and said gently, "Long time no see, Azhi."
When Mu Zhaozhi first saw Xiao Mingzhang, she nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes, but she quickly acted as if nothing had happened, pretending that he didn't exist.
She looked down at her ants again.
Xiao Mingzhang was thus ignored.
He paused for a moment, but wasn't annoyed. He followed his daughter's gaze and lowered his head to say, "You seem to have been observing the ants here for a long time. Can you tell me what you've noticed?"
"I didn't see anything," Mu Zhaozhi said.
Xiao Mingzhang was taken aback again, and then his smile deepened.
“Azhi, your father hasn’t seen you in so long…” he said.
“You are not my father.” Mu Zhaozhi’s face tightened, and she interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
Xiao Mingzhang finally couldn't hold back his expression any longer. He looked at Mu Zhaozhi's face, which resembled Yunzhu's by seven parts. It was only a seven-part resemblance in appearance, but she had learned that stubborn temperament perfectly.
After a long pause, Xiao Mingzhang asked Mu Zhaozhi again, "If I'm not your father, then who is?"
“I don’t have a father,” Mu Zhaozhi said in a clear voice.
The person in front of her was her father. Mu Zhaozhi actually remembered him, but she also remembered that her mother didn't like her mentioning her father or acknowledging him. So she decided to pretend that her father didn't exist.
She loves her mother and can't bear to see her angry.
Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Mingzhang, devoid of any emotion. Xiao Mingzhang met her gaze, and soon realized that he was so guilty that he dared not look his daughter in the eye for too long.
In the past half month, Liangzhou and the Western Regions have been at war. As the commander of the Central Plains, Xiao Mingzhang could no longer come to Hanze every day. Finally, after waiting for half a month, he got a short truce. As soon as the truce came, he rushed to Hanze without stopping.
He wanted to see Yunzhu, and then his daughter.
On his way to the grassland, he saw Mu Zhaozhi sitting at the door.
"Azhi, then...do you hate me?" Xiao Mingzhang rarely had the chance to speak face-to-face with Mu Zhaozhi like this. He squatted down in front of his daughter and asked cautiously.
Mu Zhaozhi thought for a moment and then shook her head.
Xiao Mingzhang's eyes lit up, and he asked hopefully, "You don't hate me?"
"I don't know you."
Just as he was still immersed in his fantasy of a harmonious father-daughter relationship, Mu Zhaozhi had already gotten up.
She stood up, and even though she was short, she was still taller than Xiao Mingzhang who was squatting on the ground.
She looked down at Xiao Mingzhang and then said, "Mother has said it before: you can't like or hate people you don't know. Just pretend they don't exist."
“You are not my father. To me, you are just a stranger. I don’t hate strangers, but I don’t like them either.”
Mu Zhaozhi finished speaking in a logical and orderly manner. Just then, Granny Fang opened the courtyard gate from inside the house with a creak.
She still had a pair of smiling eyes and said, "Azhi, the children are all hidden. You can come and find them now!"
"Okay!" Mu Zhao answered Granny Fang crisply, then turned and disappeared into the courtyard without looking back.
"..."
Xiao Mingzhang was left standing there, wanting to talk to his daughter again, but he didn't even know what to say to her anymore.
...He was just an irrelevant person.
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Author's Note: Sorry, I fell asleep while writing last night [crying emoji]. The extra chapter I promised is here! Finally, it's here! Tonight's update is still the same~
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