My name is Shen Jianshan, I am a general of Dongli, and my wife is Cheng Xue from the Cheng family of Qingzhou.
I met her in winter. I had just returned from the war, and the streets were cold and windy, with few people around.
She stood quietly on the street, draped in a snow-white fox fur cape, the fur at the collar fluttering gently in the wind. Her skin was as white as mutton-fat jade, her eyes as clear as autumn water, a hint of curiosity and anticipation in them.
The bun on her head was simple yet elegant, and an exquisite jade hairpin adorned it, making her look even more dignified and beautiful. At that first glance, I fell in love with her.
After I won military merit, I immediately asked someone to inquire about her family background, and then quickly asked a matchmaker to arrange a marriage for her. I was very happy to marry her as the only wife of my life.
Our married life was sweet and warm. A year later, she gave birth to a son, Shen Yanzhi. The birth of our son filled our home with joy and laughter. Later, she gave birth to a daughter, Shen Qing.
Looking at my two children surrounding me, I thought that happiness could not be more than this.
But the good times didn't last long. At a banquet, my daughter Shen Qing went missing.
At that moment, my world seemed to collapse. I searched everywhere, almost every corner of the capital, but I could not find any trace of her. But I never gave up.
It was snowing heavily that day, and the sky and earth were covered in white. I saw an abandoned child on the side of the road. He was about the same age as my daughter.
In order to comfort Cheng Xue's almost collapsed emotions, perhaps with God's mercy, I took her back home, raised her as my own daughter, and named her Chen Jing.
With Shen Jing, my wife's spirits began to improve. Her eyes, which had always been filled with sorrow and dullness, gradually brightened. She was no longer depressed all day, no longer staring blankly out the window, but now she focused all her attention on Shen Jing.
Every move of Shen Jing touched the heart of the lady. She personally selected clothes for Shen Jing and taught her needlework. Every moment she spent with Shen Jing, the lady's face was filled with a warm smile.
Gradually, she seemed to have forgotten that our biological daughter was still missing. Sometimes, when I saw the scene of Madam and Shen Jing getting along intimately, I couldn't help but feel a little bitter in my heart, thinking of our Shen Qing, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
But I don't blame her. I know she's endured so much pain. The days and nights of torment, the countless times she woke up crying in despair, had already tormented her physically and mentally.
Shen Jing's appearance was like a ray of light in the darkness, allowing her to temporarily escape from the abyss of pain and find a moment of peace and comfort.
So, how could I bear to blame her? I only hope that one day, we can find our real daughter, Shen Qing, and make this family truly complete.
I desperately searched for Shen Qing's whereabouts, clearing out child trafficking organizations everywhere, not letting go of any clues.
Seventeen years have passed, and the long years have almost worn away the hope in my heart. However, just when I was about to fall into despair, I finally got news about Shen Qing.
When my men reported to me, my heart suddenly tightened, and I was so nervous that I could hardly breathe. They told me that Shen Qing had been sold to a farmer's family.
"General, fortunately they didn't mistreat the young lady, but they lived in poverty after all."
Hearing this, my heart was relieved a little. As long as my daughter did not suffer any physical torture or harm, it was a blessing in disguise for me.
Imagining that she grew up in such a poor environment and never enjoyed the wealth and glory that should have belonged to her, my heart was filled with guilt and heartache.
I secretly vowed to take her home as soon as possible, give her the best of everything, and make up for the fatherly love and warmth she had been missing for the past seventeen years.
I hesitated whether to pick her up, fearing she wouldn't recognize us. Coincidentally, her adoptive mother suddenly passed away.
I wanted to go pick her up myself, but I was too busy with court affairs to leave. I wanted my wife to pick her up, but Shen Jing said the journey was too long and my wife had been unwell recently.
Why not write a letter? If she is willing to come back, then she will definitely come back. I listened and wrote a letter to Shen Qing. She replied that she was willing to come back. But I waited for a month and she didn't come back. I was anxious to send someone to pick her up.
Chen Jing volunteered to go, but she came back crying and said she didn't find the person either.
At this moment, Shen Qing arrived and went into the city. Madam took Shen Jing to pick her up, and I hurried home after finishing my military affairs.
The moment I saw her, I was certain she was my daughter. She stood there quietly, her eyes firm and clear. As I stared at her, an indescribable sense of certainty welled up in my heart.
The determination between her brows was like a vow carved on a stone tablet, profound and powerful. It was not an expression that an ordinary woman could possess, but a strength that had weathered all kinds of storms yet remained unyielding.
She was graceful and unrestrained, without the slightest hint of shyness or timidity. Every gesture exuded a natural elegance and composure, as if it were innate.
A pearl is a pearl. Even if it is covered with dust, it will not conceal its elegance.
Although she was dressed simply, she radiated a light that did not come from external decoration, but from the nobility and tenacity deep in her soul.
In her, I saw the shadows of my wife and I, and the pride of the Shen family flowing in her blood. At that moment, I knew that this was my long-lost daughter, the blood relative I had always thought about and never given up searching for.
I am so happy, my baby girl, she has suffered.
Perhaps because she had neglected Shen Jing, the lady felt a little sorry for her. After all, she had raised her with her own hands, so it was natural for the lady to worry about her.
I offered to help Shen Jing find her biological parents, but my wife was reluctant. She said, "They are both my children. I won't show favoritism."
But she didn't understand that our biological daughter had suffered for seventeen years outside, which was unfair to her.
Fortunately, Shen Qing didn't seem to care about these things, and she didn't have a strong sense of belonging to the General's Mansion.
This is both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that she is not bound by the suffering of the past, but the bad thing is that she always seems to be separated from us.
Later I found out that something was wrong with the lady. She complained to me countless times that Shen Jing told her that Shen Qing would bully and exclude Shen Jing after she came.
But I think Shen Jing's heart is a little impure, and what she says can't be fully trusted. I don't know what the lady was thinking, to actually ask our biological daughter for an explanation for Shen Jing, which broke her heart.
I tried to persuade Madam and tell her what kind of person Shen Qing was, but Madam fell into paranoia, which made me feel helpless.
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