My mother is not my biological mother. This is a very unbelievable thing, but it is the truth.
When I found out, I didn't believe it at all and even asked my older brother to confirm. But when I saw that my older brother didn't say anything, I knew it was true.
But I didn't feel anything before. I just thought that my mother's temper had become bad because she was hit on the head. I never thought that it wasn't my mother.
During the severe drought, our entire village fled the famine. We encountered many dangers on the road: refugees, no food or water, and wolf packs. I never doubted my mother until the mountain collapsed. The village chief told us not to discuss my mother's affairs.
Looking into my brother's eyes, I tried to find some answers, but I couldn't. He was too calm.
If this woman isn't really my mother, then what about my mother? Was she really killed by me? I don't know if I'm trying to escape or if I don't want to admit it, but I haven't asked anyone.
Even without my elder brother, I could only go out and find buyers for the village workshops to escape all of this. Everyone thought I was trying to earn money, but no one knew that I was afraid.
I was afraid that I would really kill my mother. My third and fourth brothers could go to the army, but I had to stay in the village. I wanted to leave, but I had a wife and children, so I couldn't leave.
Fortunately, no one mentioned Linjia Village. That incident seemed to have been forgotten by everyone. My mother was also often not in the village, so I didn't feel so guilty every time I returned.
Business in the village was getting better and better, and I was traveling to more and more places. I never imagined that there were so many wonderful places in this world.
This makes me prefer staying outside, and I spend less time in the village.
That day, after we sold all our goods, we prepared to buy some things to take back to the village for our families. I did the same, separating myself from my fellow villagers. As I walked down the street, I saw that it was bustling with activity ahead.
I went over to check and found that a girl was selling herself. This kind of thing is too common. I had no interest and was about to leave when I was stopped. The one who stopped me was that girl.
When she looked up, I realized she was very beautiful, even more beautiful than my wife. She immediately asked me to buy her, but I only had a few taels of silver.
Although there was other silver, it was needed to be taken back to the village to buy goods. Seeing that I was unwilling, the girl had no choice but to put her hand down.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, I stopped in my tracks, took out the few taels of silver I had on me, and gave them to the girl.
He told the girl that these were all he had on him, and that they were a gift to her, not something he had bought.
Seeing the look of surprise on her face, I felt my heart pounding. The next second, I turned and left. I'm a married man, how could I have such thoughts?
But as soon as I returned to the inn, I saw the person following behind me. She walked over and said that I had already bought her and that she was mine.
I hurriedly explained that it wasn't for sale, but she wasn't happy at all. That's when I realized I had gotten myself into trouble.
If my mother knew that I had done such a stupid thing, she would definitely kill me. My third brother spent one hundred taels of silver to buy a girl, and then they got married.
But I have a wife, and the Lin family doesn't allow concubines. If someone does, they'll be expelled from the clan. Looking at that girl, I felt a pang of regret.
If I had known she would try to take advantage of me, I would never have given her the money. So I told the girl to give me the money, and that I wouldn't give it to her.
Seeing her surprised look, I repeated myself, but to my surprise, the girl grabbed my leg and said that she was already mine, so naturally I wouldn't give her any money.
Everyone around was watching, and the tribespeople who had returned from shopping also ran over and stood awkwardly beside me. Just as I was wondering what to do, a voice came from outside.
The next second, the person who was holding my leg was pulled away, followed by several slaps, and my money was taken back. That person was none other than my mother.
I shouted happily, and then I got a slap on the head. My mother angrily said I was stupid, not only was I tricked, but I also couldn't handle things properly. If my wife found out, she'd cry her eyes out.
Seeing my angry mother, I had no choice but to apologize, saying that I didn't mean it that way and promising that I would never do such a thing again. Only then did my mother let me go.
Thinking of my wife at home, I felt a little panicked. We've been married for several years, and I've never done anything to betray her. Although I didn't do anything this time either, I don't know what to do without my mother.
If this gets back to my wife's ears, she'll be so angry.
With my mother's help, the girl stopped being presumptuous and had to leave. Only then did I cautiously ask my mother why she was there.
My mother said she came here to play and happened to see me being bothered, so she came out to help.
My aunt was also standing nearby, telling me not to trust others easily, and especially not to do such a good deed, otherwise if I brought back a few concubines, she would definitely expel me from the clan. I was so frightened that I nodded repeatedly.
After that incident, I became more cautious and careful, never doing good deeds, and avoiding those girls whenever possible.
Time flies, and we no longer need to run around to the village workshops because so many people know about them; we just need to deliver the goods.
But we traveled to the capital most often. I never imagined that one day my younger brother would become a general and prime minister, and my mother would no longer be a third-rank lady, but a second-rank general.
Sometimes I wonder what kind of person my mother was, how she could be so powerful, a great general. Some families don't produce one in several generations, let alone a female general.
What surprised me the most was that my nephew would become emperor and my elder brother would become the retired emperor. When I heard this news, my thigh was bruised from being pinched.
No matter how much I pinched it, it was true. When we went to bed at night, my wife asked me if I was jealous of my elder brother. Of course I wasn't. What's so great about the retired emperor? Even if he was great, my elder brother didn't stay in the palace. He worked in the workshop instead.
As for my sons, if they were truly capable, I would train any one of them to become emperor. But since they haven't, it means they don't have the ability to be emperor.
My wife said she was just asking, and that she wasn't jealous. Looking at her eyes, I believed her.
I thought my life would go on like this, but I never imagined that my mother would leave. When she said she was leaving, I squatted to the side, filled with regret.
My mother was really killed by me, but this one is not my mother, yet everything she did was no different from what my own mother did.
For the past ten years or so, I have only been deceiving myself. Just because others don't mention it doesn't mean the matter has passed. But my mother said that my mother's death was not entirely our fault.
How can I not blame them? If it weren't for our misfortune, Mother wouldn't have come out, her head would have been broken, and she would have died. If only... there are no ifs. Looking at my two younger brothers, who are equally remorseful, I wish I could beat myself to death.
As dawn broke, my mother passed away.
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