After hearing this, Wei Shuwan understood why her mother had been willing to be kicked out of the family to marry her father. She also understood why her uncle had resolutely gone to the border to join the army after her mother's marriage.
For the siblings, that home was more like a shackle.
The moonlight outside the window was like water, illuminating the road ahead. On the wide and flat post road, the wheels rolled away, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
A question arose in Wei Shuwan's mind, but she dared not ask her mother.
When my grandfather fell off the cliff, did he really lose his memory, or did he pretend to lose his memory to escape the frustration of the war and steal those three years?
However, no one in the world, except for my maternal grandfather himself, could answer this question. Whether my grandfather truly suffered from amnesia or not, the fact remains that he ruined a woman's life.
...
Because they hadn't slept much the night before, the mother and daughter didn't fall asleep until dawn. So when Wei Shuwan opened her eyes again, it was already midday, and her mother was simmering porridge and sweet potatoes in the stove.
The coachman and Ziqiao took turns resting along the way. Apart from changing horses twice at the post station, they never stopped. They also ate the dry rations they brought with them.
Seeing that they had already entered Pingyang County, Wei Shuwan knew that her mother still prepared a meal, and that she was unwilling to eat a single grain of rice from her maternal grandfather's house.
So when her mother asked her, "Is this all you have? Can you eat this?" she didn't really like it, but she didn't complain. She obediently took the bowl of white rice porridge and ate it quietly.
Not long after the bowl of porridge was finished, the carriage stopped. Zi Qiao, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and reminded her, "Madam, we have arrived."
Wei Shuwan first lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside. She found that although this place could not compare to the prosperity of Shengjing, it was still spacious with wide streets and shops. It must be the best location in Pingyang County.
Across the street, a courtyard with a gable roof and a gate facing the street was her maternal grandfather's residence, with the four large characters "Pingyang Marquis's Residence" prominently displayed in the center.
"Zi Qiao, go knock on the door," Wei Shuwan instructed softly.
Two stone lions stood guard angrily in front of the Hou Mansion. The vermilion gate opened with double doors. Zi Qiao held the copper ring and knocked a few times. A gatekeeper opened the door a crack, speaking in a very casual tone.
Zi Qiao handed the letter to the gatekeeper, who finally became more respectful, opened the door, and invited Sun Lurong and Wei Shuwan inside.
After the mother and daughter entered, an older housekeeper took their place to lead the way, showing great warmth and concern. Sun Lurong, however, remained silent, her face ashen.
Wei Shuwan could tell that her mother was somewhat resentful. Her mother hadn't returned to her parents' home for nearly twenty years, and today she came back because of that letter, but no one, not even a proper master, came out to greet her; this was truly a great disrespect.
Once they entered their maternal grandfather's courtyard and heard the voices coming from inside, Sun Lurong and Wei Shuwan knew the answer...
"Father, even now you still won't tell us whether you want me or my elder brother to be the heir. If you keep dragging this out, I'm afraid it will be too late for you to say it!"
"Yes, Father, will you choose me, the eldest son, or my second brother, the legitimate son? Give me a straight answer!"
"My lord... you promised me long ago that I would choose the eldest son, not the legitimate heir, so all these years since the Lady of the Marquis left, I have never fought or complained, and have endured all this humiliation... You cannot go back on your word!"
“Father-in-law, the marriage alliance between the two families was originally for the sake of the eldest son, Gong Jue. If you change the heir apparent to the eldest son born out of wedlock, how will your daughter-in-law explain this to her maternal family?”
...
Similar words kept drifting out from inside the house, and Wei Shuwan and her mother stood outside the door listening for a full quarter of an hour. It turned out that the reason for their neglect was that the Sun family members were all vying for the position of heir apparent.
The old steward, however, was used to such things and usually waited until the people inside had finished arguing before going in to report. But today, his aunt, who hadn't returned for many years, had come, and he felt awkward hearing all this so suddenly. He cleared his throat and made a few loud noises to alert the masters inside.
As expected, the people inside immediately fell silent upon hearing this. At this moment, the old steward made a "please" gesture, inviting Sun Lurong and her daughter into the house.
Wei Shuwan followed her mother through the main room to her maternal grandfather's bedroom in the east side room. Through a twelve-piece sandalwood screen painted with a picture of rivers and mountains, she could smell a pungent medicinal odor.
Hearing the commotion, the people inside all went around the screen to look. Although they had guesses in their hearts, they dared not recognize it for a moment.
At this moment, the old steward said, "Master, Second Master, this is Fifth Aunt, and Miss Cousin."
The two middle-aged men standing in front of her looked to be in their forties and were Sun Lurong's elder brothers. Although she didn't acknowledge them, she had entered the house and couldn't be completely disregarding etiquette. She nodded to them and handed them the letter in her hand.
"You've come to see..." The old man spoke in a distant and polite manner, but when faced with this mistress, he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'father,' and simply nodded and made way for her.
Seeing this, the second master also stepped aside to allow Sun Lurong and her daughter to pass.
Sun Lurong didn't want to talk to them much, so she walked straight over and went around the screen to see the person lying on the rosewood carved bed.
The spaciousness of the bed contrasted ironically with his withered and emaciated body; his figure was no longer the robust one she had been when she left home. Sun Lurong had clearly come with a heart full of resentment, but upon seeing her long-lost father, she was left only with heartache.
"How...how did you become like this?" Sun Lurong forced back the tears welling up in her eyes and stepped forward, trying to find a trace of the person from back then in their eyes.
The old man on the couch struggled to open his eyes, and the moment he saw who it was, two flames seemed to flicker in them. But to Sun Lurong, his eyes were still too cloudy, completely different from what they had been back then.
The old man pulled his hand out from under the brocade quilt and slowly raised it, as if reaching towards Sun Lurong: "Rong...er..."
"I'm asking you, how did you end up like this?!" Sun Lurong's tone was icy, each word like a block of ice crashing down.
Wei Shuwan felt a pang of pity and tugged at her mother's sleeve, reminding her to be gentle with a dying person.
Sun Lurong turned her face away, and the tears she had been holding back for so long finally flowed down her cheeks.
"Get out...all of you get out!" The old man turned around with difficulty and looked at his concubine and children by the screen.
The old steward hurriedly urged everyone to leave, leaving only Sun Lurong and her daughter behind. He then helped the old Marquis sit up and placed two soft pillows behind him.
Only then did Sun Lurong finally recognize a familiar face in her long-lost father.
"Rong...er, your father is about to die..." The old Marquis spoke slowly and deliberately, trying his best to make his words clearer and more coherent.
"I've called you back today because I have a last wish to fulfill..."
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