Lingyunzhou had another dream. In his dream, there were golden waves of wheat and the dark, yet honest, faces of the villagers.
"Yun Yazi, hurry back! Your wife has given birth! She's given you a big, healthy boy!"
"It's true, Wan Niang gave birth to a big, healthy boy for me!" The dark-skinned young man, shirtless, grinned from ear to ear!
Ling Yunzhou awoke with a start. Everything in his dream felt unreal; he hadn't seen the young Tao Wanniang yet. Outside the window, the moon was high in the sky, but there were no stars. Unable to sleep, Ling Yunzhou got up, changed his clothes, and prepared to sneak into the Tao family's house that night.
Tao Wanniang was his first wife. He not only had two sons, but also two grandsons and a granddaughter. For Ling Yunzhou, who had been alone for seventeen years, all of this seemed somewhat unreal.
The thought of that memorial tablet made Ling Yunzhou furious. He wanted to see the person, whether alive or dead. How could she have set up a memorial tablet so hastily?
With practiced ease, Ling Yunzhou went to the room where the memorial tablets were placed. He lit a tinderbox and saw fresh fruit placed in front of the tablets, which were spotless. This made him even angrier.
People worshipped him every day, yet no one recognized him as he stood before them. Ling Yunzhou overturned the memorial tablet again, and before leaving, he sneaked into the main courtyard, though he couldn't explain what he was doing.
Just then, Tao Wanniang got up in the middle of the night and heard footsteps outside, which immediately alerted her.
The memory of being kidnapped last time is still fresh in my mind. Could it be that someone else has come from outside?
She quickly slipped the arrow from her sleeve onto her wrist, and seeing the shadow cast on her window by the moonlight, Tao Wanniang didn't hesitate and shot out the arrow in a flash.
Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Ling Yunzhou hurriedly dodged, but a bloody mark was still left on his cheek, and his mask fell to the ground.
How could there be such a powerful weapon! Ling Yunzhou was shocked, but as the second and third hidden arrows were shot out, Ling Yunzhou immediately leaped onto the wall and disappeared into the night.
Tao Wanniang didn't see the shadowy figure anymore, but she was still worried. After waiting for a while and making sure there was no noise outside, she quietly opened the door, waited a few more moments, then turned around, lit the candle, and left the room.
One, two, three—all the hidden arrows that were shot out have been retrieved. Hmm, there's blood on them.
Tao Wanniang, realizing she had shot someone, wondered who could have come to her house in the middle of the night. "Hmm, what's this?" she thought.
Tao Wan's daughter also noticed the veil that had fallen to the ground. Under the candlelight, she saw a tear in it, so this must be the fabric the other person was wearing!
Tao Wanniang stomped on it with disgust. In any case, the other party was injured and probably wouldn't come again tonight. Tao Wanniang put away the arrow in her sleeve and went to sleep, feeling relieved.
Ling Yunzhou, back at the General's Mansion, couldn't sleep all night. He only had a scratch on his face, but it was so obvious that someone would probably ask about it tomorrow.
Who is inside the house?
Ling Yunzhou was greatly shocked; he didn't believe it could be Tao Wanniang and the others. It seemed Tao Wanniang had many secrets to hide!
The next morning, Ling Dapeng discovered the overturned memorial tablet and rushed over to find Tao Wanniang.
"Mother, something terrible has happened! Father's memorial tablet has fallen over again. Did Father find out what we did and he's angry?"
"What have you done?" Tao Wan's mother raised an eyebrow and questioned her son with a stern face as she looked at his panicked appearance.
“Um, um… Mother, when we go to Xiangguo Temple, let the Bodhisattva find you another person you can rely on,” Ling Dapeng stammered. “That must be why Father is angry.”
Once could be an accident, but twice... Tao Wanniang pondered that the memorial tablet might have been deliberately pressed down. Who would be so obsessed with a memorial tablet? Naturally, it would be the person on the tablet!
A thought flashed through Tao Wanniang's mind, and she immediately thought of Ling Yunzhou. But then, she felt a chill run down her spine. This person must be crazy, sneaking into her house in the middle of the night, and more than once!
So, Ling Yunzhou knew her deceased husband's name was Ling Yunzhou, but he couldn't remember the past, which is why he didn't come to explain to her? However, he was clearly starting to suspect everything, and a sense of crisis crept into his heart, causing Tao Wanniang to frown.
The Ling brothers and their daughters-in-law thought that Tao Wanniang disapproved of their actions, and they all became nervous.
“Mother, you’ve worked so hard for this family your whole life. We… just want someone to take care of you for the rest of your life.” Ling Dahu, as the eldest brother, forced himself to speak. “After all, Father has been dead for many years!”
“Mother, you’re not only capable, but you’ve also become more and more beautiful. If you didn’t say so, people would think you’re only over thirty. It’s such a pity to stay a widow for the rest of your life!” said Wang Hongyu, the eldest daughter-in-law.
"Mother, Father must have found out about this, that's why he's angry and giving us a warning. Ah, the spirits and gods are all connected! What should we do? What should we do? Is Father blaming us too? Will we be in trouble?!"
Ling Dapeng was like a headless fly, spinning around in circles, looking very frightened.
Tao Wan's mother looked at her good son and daughter-in-law, and thought, "Oh, they really think a lot, starting to meddle in their old mother's affairs!"
"Don't worry, your father told me a long time ago that we should all get married and have nothing to do with each other. It's not that I miss your father that much. After all, if it weren't for your father, we wouldn't have been able to leave Lingjia Village so easily."
Tao Wanniang casually remarked, "The wind was strong at night, so it probably fell over. Or maybe a mouse was stealing food and knocked it over." Tao Wanniang said nonchalantly, "What exactly is Lingyunzhou up to? With a beautiful woman like the Princess, why bother thinking about the past?"
"But the offerings are all intact, with no signs of being eaten." Ling Dapeng thought for a moment and said weakly, still feeling that his father was angry.
"Alright, stop thinking about all that nonsense. Those of you who need to buy vegetables, go buy them; those of you who need to fetch water, go fetch water," Tao Wanniang instructed. "Yu Mei, you and Xiao Qiao'er go to the restaurant first. I'll go check over there."
Tao Wanniang's appearance, in the eyes of others, seemed to have some other meaning.
As the Ling brothers left, Wang Hongyu spoke up, "Mother is not being honest! She sent us all away to go to the mourning hall by herself. Do you think she went to pay respects to Father?"
“Mother is very concerned about her image, so she must be putting on a brave face,” Ling Dapeng said with certainty. “Our mother is capable and young. I don’t think it’s worth it for her to remain a widow for Father for the rest of her life.”
“She’s not young, but Mother has such an air about her. What’s that saying again? She’s got some charm, she’s past her prime…” Ling Dahu muttered, but then he slapped his own mouth. “Talking about Mother behind her back, I’m so unfilial!”
Tao Wan's mother didn't take her son and daughter-in-law's words to heart. She carefully examined the outside of the room, but unfortunately, the room was too clean; there wasn't a single footprint. Could it be Ling Yunzhou? She wondered where the hidden arrow had hit. She would have to check more carefully next time she saw Ling Yunzhou.
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