Tao Xudong was stunned for a moment after hearing this: "Impossible. Even if my father married my mother for those ancient paintings, he would not have killed my mother after obtaining them. If my mother died inexplicably, I would definitely investigate."
Xiaoman glanced at Tao Xudong: "What I just said was that you and your mother will both die."
Tao Xudong refused to believe it: "Even tigers don't eat their cubs. Even if my father doesn't like me, I'm still his own son."
Xiaoman smiled and asked, "Are you sure?"
"I..." Tao Xudong was unsure. His father had more than one son.
Xiaoman looked at Tao Xudong and said, "You'll investigate if your mother dies mysteriously, and your mother will investigate if you die mysteriously. But what if both of you die..."
Tao Xudong's eyelids twitched. His maternal grandparents were both dead. If his father killed him and his mother, then… his father could easily find an excuse to cover up their deaths. But… "Why would my father kill me and my mother?"
Tao Xudong looked at Xiaoman and said, "You just said that if I gave the painting to my father, my mother and I would be dead. I've already given the painting to my father, so why would he still want to kill me? After I gave the painting to my father, even if he gave it to his son outside the marriage, I couldn't do anything about it. If I asked my father where the painting went, he could easily make up an excuse to get rid of me. He could say he sold it, or he could say he lost it. Second Aunt, my father has absolutely no reason to kill my mother and me."
Xiaoman looked at Tao Xudong without saying a word. Xiaoman knew that Tao Xudong wasn't incapable of thinking about it, but rather unwilling to accept it.
Tao Xudong also looked at Xiaoman. Tao Xudong was waiting. Waiting for Xiaoman to say that he was right, that his father wouldn't kill him and his mother.
After a long while, Tao Xudong closed his eyes briefly: "I'm not my father's biological son, right?"
Xiaoman: "Mmm."
After a long while, Tao Xudong finally asked, "Second Aunt, what was the conspiracy you mentioned earlier?"
"Your great-grandfather only had one daughter, your maternal grandmother, and because of this, he was often ridiculed. One night, he probably dreamed that people were mocking him, and he woke up in anger. After waking up, he said, 'Although I don't have a son, I have a mountain of gold. If I weren't so clueless, I would have dug it up long ago.' Your great-grandfather thought that only he and your great-grandmother were in the room, and that your great-grandmother was asleep. Actually, there was someone else in the room."
Xiaoman stopped and looked at Tao Xudong.
Tao Xudong: "A thief on the roof?"
Xiaoman nodded: "He originally wanted to steal something from your great-grandfather's house. Unexpectedly, he overheard a secret. Because your great-grandfather woke up in the middle of the night in a fit of anger and told him, he was afraid that your great-grandfather was talking in his sleep. But he didn't want to give up. So he started to monitor your great-grandfather. Your great-grandfather is usually very cautious. He followed your great-grandfather for a long time but still couldn't figure out whether what your great-grandfather said was true. He wanted to give up, but he couldn't bear to."
Xiaoman paused to take a sip of water: "Later, when your great-grandfather wasn't paying attention, he and his son tied him up. After your great-grandfather found out what they were up to, he asked the man and his son to untie him. The man and his son thought that even if they untied him, your great-grandfather wouldn't be able to escape, so they untied him."
“After they untied your great-grandfather, he said, ‘I’m already sorry enough for my ancestors that I can’t have a son. If I lose what my ancestors left for future generations, I won’t have the face to face them after I die.’ After saying that, your great-grandfather banged his head against the wall.”
At this point, Xiaoman glanced at Tao Xudong's feet: "Your great-grandfather knew that if he didn't talk, the people who captured him would definitely try every means to torture him. So, when your great-grandfather hit the wall, he used all his strength. Those two didn't expect that your great-grandfather would rather die than tell them. Your great-grandfather was very fast. Before the father and son could react, your great-grandfather had already hit the wall."
Tao Xudong: "But my great-grandfather died of illness, not from a traffic accident."
Xiaoman smiled and said, "I don't know if it was your great-grandfather's good luck or the blessings of our ancestors. That father and son found an abandoned house. Your great-grandfather crashed into it and knocked down the wall. He got up and ran away. The father and son wanted to chase after him, but after only a few steps, the noise he made attracted the attention of the people nearby. When they saw that someone was coming, they didn't dare to chase after him."
"After your great-grandfather returned home, he held a grand ancestral worship ceremony. During the ceremony, he told the onlookers that the ancestors had saved him from a calamity. He also made your great-grandmother and your grandmother swear that if they dared to do anything to betray the ancestors, they would die without a burial place. Although your great-grandfather escaped a calamity, the father and son learned from this incident that your great-grandfather's family was indeed very wealthy. However, your great-grandfather had no sons, a stubborn temper, and became wary of them. Your grandmother was also very shrewd."
Tao Xudong: "So they set their sights on my mother?"
Xiaoman nodded.
Tao Xudong: "Were those father and son my grandfather and my dad?"
Xiaoman: "No."
"no?!"
"Yes. That man also wanted his son to marry your mother. But your maternal grandmother and your mother both disapproved of his son."
Tao Xudong thought for a moment: "Did they tell my father about this because they saw that my mother liked my father?"
"After that person found out that your mother liked your father, he took his daughter to your grandfather's house. That person asked your grandfather if he wanted to get rich overnight?"
"The condition is that my father be with his daughter behind my mother's back?"
Xiaoman looked at Tao Xudong and said, "That's one reason. The second reason is that your father and mother can't have children. They thought your mother knew about the family affairs, but she knew nothing. Your mother hasn't had children, so your maternal grandmother has been urging your father and mother. They thought that if your mother had a child, your maternal grandmother would tell your mother about the family affairs."
Tao Xudong continued, "So that's how I came to be?"
Xiaoman nodded: "After you were born, your maternal grandmother told your mother about several paintings passed down from her family. There's a secret in those paintings, and if you can decipher it, your family's fortunes will change."
Tao Xudong closed his eyes briefly. His mother liked his father very much, so… “My mother told my father?”
Xiaoman nodded: "After they found out, they wanted to find these paintings. But they searched for two years and still couldn't find them. Your maternal grandmother was your great-grandfather's daughter, and she made a vow before the ancestors. So they didn't dare to confront your maternal grandmother directly."
“Your maternal grandmother wanted to wait until you were old enough to stand before passing those paintings on to your mother, but she discovered that your father had another family outside. Moreover, the son that woman had with your father was older than you. So your maternal grandmother skipped your mother and passed the paintings on to you.”
Tao Xudong had one thing he couldn't understand: "Second Aunt, why do my dad and grandpa want to cooperate with them? My maternal grandmother only has one daughter, my mother, so my grandmother's things will definitely be passed down to my mother. As long as my dad can keep my mother in line, all those things will be theirs. If they cooperate with others, they will have to give half of them to those others."
"That person only told your grandfather and your father about your great-grandfather's affair after your father and his daughter had a son and your mother gave birth to you. If your father and grandfather regret it, they will tell your maternal grandmother about your origins. If your maternal grandmother gets angry and burns that ancient painting, then both families will lose everything."
Speaking of her background...: "Second Aunt, do you know who my biological father is?"
Xiaoman smiled and said, "Wait until you're able to investigate yourself."
“Okay.” Tao Xudong looked at Xiaoman and said, “Second Aunt, I know what kind of sincerity you want. I’ll go and do it now.”
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