A young maidservant walked through the crowd.
She held the handkerchief tightly and carefully walked past the various tables in the lobby on the first floor.
As I passed He Youyou's table, my gaze lingered for a moment.
He Youyou and Han Wen were chatting idly, and no one noticed her.
The maidservant paused for a moment, then turned and went upstairs.
We went up the stairs to a private room on the second floor.
She entered the private room, bent down and whispered in the girl's ear, "Master, it's him, the young master we met by the river that day."
Upon hearing this, a blush spread across the girl's face.
He followed me to Yuqinglou Restaurant today, which shows how deeply he loves me and how he even knows my whereabouts so clearly.
Across from the girl sat a man in his thirties.
He was handsome and had an extraordinary bearing.
The man noticed his daughter's unusual behavior and hurriedly asked with concern, "Wan'er, is something wrong?"
The girl named Wan'er bit her lip.
"Father, we've relied on each other for so many years, just staring at each other all day long, with no one else to talk to. Don't you think it's... too lonely? If... I had someone else by my side, it would be more lively than it is now. What do you think?"
The man's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
After all these years, has her daughter finally relented and agreed to let her remarry?
Since his wife passed away eight years ago, his daughter has forbade him to remarry.
Whenever relatives, friends, or matchmakers try to arrange a marriage for him, this child starts throwing tantrums and crying incessantly.
He always cherished this precious child like the apple of his eye, never uttering a single word of reproach, and never going against her wishes.
His daughter wouldn't allow him to marry, so he refused.
He was genuinely surprised to hear that his daughter was willing to agree.
Sigh, my daughter has grown up and become sensible.
or……
Could it be... that my daughter already has someone suitable in her heart?
Thinking of this, the man tentatively asked, "Wan'er, who is the person you're talking about?"
The girl's face flushed even deeper. She raised her hand to cover half of her face with a handkerchief, and lowered her head shyly: "Father, they didn't say who it was, they just said... if there were such a person, would you be willing?"
The man chuckled: "Of course I'm willing."
To be honest, he felt lonely and isolated because there was no one in his family who cared about him all year round.
I finally managed to get my daughter to agree, how could I not?
I wonder what kind of person, what kind of appearance, the woman that Wan'er has taken a liking to?
If one has read some books, is literate and fluent, and can compose poems and lyrics in harmony with one's own, that would be even better.
Even if someone is illiterate, a gentle and pleasing temperament is acceptable.
Suddenly, countless thoughts flooded my mind.
Hearing that he was willing, the girl said, "Since Father is willing, then... if one day... I meet that person, I will tell you."
"I'll do whatever Wan'er says."
Now that his daughter has agreed, he doesn't care whether it's sooner or later; he can wait.
During a break from eating, the girl, taking advantage of her father's inattention, quietly pulled a maid aside and instructed, "Find a servant boy to follow that young master and see which house he goes to."
"yes."
On He Youyou's side, the drinking, eating, and listening to music went very smoothly.
Cheng Tingrui didn't like crowds, but because Han Wenzheng was engrossed in listening to the music, He Youyou focused most of her attention on herself during the meal, tugging at him and asking him all sorts of questions, chattering on and on.
He then became quite interested.
The meal was a pleasant one, and everyone left satisfied.
Han Wenzheng's holiday this time is not a ten-day break, but a Qingming Festival holiday.
The Qingming Festival is a national statutory holiday, and it is longer than other holidays because everyone goes home to pay respects to their ancestors.
There is a full seven-day holiday.
It can be considered the "Golden Week" of this era.
(Sacrificial rites were very important in ancient times, so the Qingming Festival holiday was long. From the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Dezong of Tang, the Qingming Festival was a seven-day holiday. The Song Dynasty followed the Tang custom, also a seven-day holiday. However, starting from the Ming Dynasty, the Qingming Festival was no longer a statutory holiday.)
The next day, He Youyou began to make arrangements for the ancestral worship ceremony.
She actually knew nothing about rituals.
But the money manager understands.
The housekeeper made a list of the items needed for the ancestral worship and presented it to He Youyou for review.
Incense, candles, paper money, sacrificial offerings, fruits, and tools for sweeping tombs and clearing weeds were all on the list.
After reviewing the list, He Youyou said to Butler Qian, "Old Qian, prepare another copy according to this list."
Old Qian asked, puzzled, "Madam, do you wish to pay respects to your parents from your maternal family?"
He Youyou: Ugh! Don't curse my parents!
Helplessly, she reached out and pulled Ahri in front of her.
"Ah Li, is your birth mother's grave in Jizhou?"
Ahri was stunned.
He never expected that He Youyou would ask about his birth mother.
"Reporting to Mother, my birth mother is buried at the foot of the southern mountain of Jizhou City."
He Youyou nodded slowly: "Before I go back to the Han family's old house, I plan to take you to pay respects to your birth mother. That's why I asked Lao Qian to prepare an extra offering."
Ahri's eyes were instantly filled with tears.
My vision was completely blurred.
He knelt down with a thud, looking up at He Youyou: "Mother..."
He had barely uttered the first two words when his voice trembled and he couldn't bring himself to say the third.
Seeing him like this, He Youyou pulled him up with force.
“Ah Li, I’m grateful to her for giving birth to such a good child as you. It’s all as it should be. Get up and speak.”
"Mother, don't you... mind that she... is a woman of the night?"
"Life is hard, and it's not like I wanted to end up in this world. Just being alive is not easy. If I had family who would cherish me like a precious jewel, providing me with fine clothes and delicious food, who would choose this path? Ah Li, struggling to survive is braver than giving up on life."
Han Wenzheng kept his head down, choked with emotion and unable to speak.
Only tears fell to the ground, plop, plop.
“Your birth mother must have loved you very much and protected you very well. You should remember her and never forget her kindness in giving you life and raising you.”
Originally, Han Wenzheng had secretly prepared incense and candles, intending to pay homage to his birth mother on his way back to the academy on the last day of the Qingming Festival holiday.
But I never expected that He Youyou could think of such a comprehensive plan.
The housekeeper witnessed this scene and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
He didn't linger any longer, responded, turned around, and went out to prepare the offerings.
The next day, the offerings were ready.
The portions were neatly stacked in the side room.
He Youyou, carrying a portion of the food, boarded a carriage with Han Wenzheng and headed straight for the south of the city.
She specifically asked the housekeeper to come along so they could see the grave of Ah Li's birth mother.
When his birth mother passed away, Ah Li was young, weak, and easily bullied.
Those buried under the Cuihua Tower may not be buried with care.
Cemeteries are inevitably simple and unrefined.
Bringing Butler Qian along would allow him to note down any areas that need repair and bring people back another day.
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