Chapter 222: I am ashamed to be a son, and I dare not sigh about the world
Children always love their parents naturally.
Do parents love their children naturally?
Waking up from her coma, Yun Chen smelled the familiar, decayed scent of horse musk candle, which evoked the uneasy feeling deep in her memory.
Without opening her eyes, she knew this was the Yun family's ancestral hall.
After her father disliked her as a child, she became a frequent visitor to the ancestral hall to be punished by kneeling.
For countless nights, she curled up on the futon, crying herself to sleep in the dim candlelight and the shadows cast by the rows of memorial tablets.
Eleven years later, she returned here again.
Her whole body was in excruciating pain, and her clothes were stuck to the cracked whip marks, making her sweat with the slightest movement.
She didn't have the strength to get up, nor did she want to get up. She just curled up quietly on the futon, listening to the noise outside the door.
It seemed that Yun Zhongjun was personally blocking the door and not letting anyone in.
Bai begged bitterly: "Master, please let the court doctor treat the young lady. She is seriously injured. If she is left untreated, she will have a high fever..."
Yun Wang also advised: "Dad, Sister Chen is now an official appointed by the court. It is really inappropriate for you to do this. It may be suspected of detaining an official without authorization. Please think twice!"
Mrs. Bai started to cry again: "Master, let the past be the past. Nothing is more important than the child's safe return... It's been eleven years, how many 'eleven years' can a person have in a lifetime... Please don't hurt the father-daughter relationship anymore..."
Yun Zhongjun was not moved at all, and only said to Zhang Jiuzhi:
"Go tell all the clan members that I'm going to punish this evildoer and ask them to stay in the mansion for a few more days to attend the clan law meeting. Lock all the doors in the mansion and have everyone stay in their own courtyards. No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission!"
Zhang Jiuzhi was stunned: "Master, it's unlucky to stay at home for no reason! Today is your birthday..."
Yun Zhongjun sneered and asked, "Nothing? You call it nothing when such a curse has occurred in our family?! I, Yun Zhongjun, raised such a thing. I should go to the underworld and apologize to my ancestors as soon as possible. Why celebrate my birthday? Go now!"
Soon, the sounds of doors closing and locking could be heard everywhere in the Yun Mansion, sounding particularly gloomy under the night sky.
The doors were tightly closed, and the black rock walls glowed with dim cold fire, as if they were trying to trap something or devour it alive.
Yun Zhongjun's voice echoed in the deserted mansion:
"Don't give her any food or drink! Don't let her leave the ancestral hall!
"I don't believe I can't kill this evil creature!"
"An official appointed by the imperial court? At worst, I'll trade my life for yours!"
Yun Chen covered her ears tightly, but every word spoken outside the door still came into her ears clearly.
Not bad, not bad.
She was no longer the powerless child she had been in childhood. As long as she wanted, she could immediately tear down the ancestral hall and kick the door out, and no one could stop her.
Even as I was thinking this, my body felt as if filled with lead and I couldn't move at all.
Shrouded in the dim candlelight, she seemed to be still the girl in her childhood.
I fell asleep in a daze and didn't know how long it had been. When I woke up again, it was already bright outside.
Yun Chen opened her eyes and saw a small figure squatting in front of her, looking at her curiously with his head tilted.
"Aunt, my name is Liancheng and I am four years old this year." The little guy said softly.
Yun Chen struggled to get up, and Yun Liancheng's little head also straightened.
Yun Liancheng took out a piece of cake from her bosom and handed it to Yun Chen, "Here, this is my favorite milk glutinous rice cake. Give it to Auntie."
Yun Chen took the pastry and touched Yun Liancheng's head. He knew from her appearance that she was Yun Wang's child, and she should indeed be called aunt.
Yun Chen moved to the leg of the altar and sat down with his arms on his knees. It took him a while to feel less dizzy and he began to bite the glutinous rice cake.
Yun Liancheng followed her example and sat down, then asked in a childish voice:
"Aunt, are you a woman? Or a man? Should I call you uncle?"
Yun Chen was amused: "Even if I am a man, I should be your uncle, not your uncle."
Yun Liancheng covered her mouth and chuckled: "You said 'even if it is', which means you are a woman, so you are my aunt."
What a clever little ghost! Yun Chen pinched Yun Liancheng's little face lovingly, "Isn't the palace under martial law? Why did you come here?"
Yun Liancheng patted her chest proudly and said, "I crawled through a dog hole!"
Yun Chen gave a thumbs up and said, "Great. Be careful or you'll get beaten up when you get back."
Yun Liancheng said with a grin, "My father only knows how to read, not to beat people. The most he did was punish me by not allowing me to go horseback riding, hehe."
"Hey?" Yun Chen showed some interest. "You've already ridden a horse? I also rode a horse when I was four years old, just like you."
"Does Auntie dare to ride the big golden horse?"
"You mean 'Wanlihong'?"
"Um!"
This time it was Yun Chen who was quite proud:
"I tamed six! Back then..."
Yun Liancheng's eyes sparkled as she listened attentively to Yun Chen's story about her horse training in the past, and she was suddenly filled with admiration.
"Aunt, don't worry. If you are locked up here for the rest of your life, I will ride a horse to bring you glutinous rice cakes for the rest of my life!" Yun Liancheng made such a solemn promise to Yun Chen when the conversation was about to end.
"Thank you so much!" Yun Chen smiled and tapped Yun Liancheng's little head. He pulled out the dagger that he always carried with him in his boots, untied the small red tassel on the dagger case, and handed it to Yun Liancheng.
"Tie this to your whip, and the horse will be afraid of you."
Yun Liancheng held the red tassel that emitted a faint fishy smell, as if she had found a treasure, and asked in surprise:
"real?"
Yun Chen blinked his eyes and rubbed Yun Liancheng's little head:
"Really. Don't be afraid of horses; they're afraid of you. Go ahead."
Yun Liancheng carefully stuffed the red tassel into her lapel, not forgetting to smooth her collar, then waved to Yun Chen and ran towards the dog hole.
Yun Chen called from behind, "Next time, bring me something to drink, some sugar water!"
"Okay!" Yun Liancheng agreed loudly and ran away without looking back.
Don't be fooled by the little guy's young age, he is very trustworthy.
Early the next morning, Yunliancheng showed up with some sweet soup.
Like a chubby little animal, he struggled to crawl out of the dog hole, poked out his little head, and carefully took out the jar of sugar water from his arms and placed it on the ground.
Then remove the circle of sausage hanging around his neck.
Untie the tied pastry from your wrist.
He then pulled out two large rolls of soft silk cloth from behind her buttocks.
Finally, he spat out a small pocket-sized bottle from his mouth, which contained the Yun family's special secret medicine for internal injuries.
Yun Chen stared blankly at Yun Liancheng as he finished unloading all the goods on his body, then swiftly got up from the ground, clapped his hands, and grinned:
"Auntie, I'm here!"
Yun Chen looked at the things on the ground. There were food, drinks, and even bandages. It was obviously not something a child like Yun Liancheng could imagine, so he asked him:
"Who gave you these things?"
Yunliancheng laughed and said:
"My dad!"
Yun Wang? Yun Chen was a little surprised and asked again:
"Your father is not angry when he finds out that you crawled through the dog hole into the ancestral hall?"
Yun Liancheng fiddled with the red tassel in her hand. The originally loose part of the tassel had been tightly wrapped again and tied into a beautiful amulet knot. It was obvious that she was an expert needlework worker.
The little man answered without raising his head:
"Don't be angry, Dad is very happy. Dad and Mom said that from now on, I am no longer a nephew without an aunt. They told me to take the things with me and not lose any of them!"
“…”
Yun Chen was speechless for a moment, with complicated emotions surging in his heart.
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