Old Lady Zhou had two simple requests. Firstly, for i Xiu to escort Zhou Xueli to Changan, and secondly, to give the Zhou family a thousand taels for the years of upbringing expenses.
i Xiu agreed readily, for it was nothing major. Since he found the person, he naturally had to return and report to his master.
As for the other request, it was even less of an issue. Silver was sothing they did not lack; giving ten thousand taels, let alone a thousand, was entirely feasible.
"She’s now in Changan, with a daughter." When Old Lady Zhou said this, it seed as if a vital energy had been taken from her, leaving her sowhat deflated, and she added, "Old Man Sun nad her i Niang, probably because he didn’t want to forget your family’s Old Madam’s surna."
With a cold laugh, she continued, "He may have been deeply devoted, but she never sent any word, let alone visited him and their daughter. It was just him being infatuated. Even on his deathbed, he couldn’t stop pushing his sons to treat her generously."
A flicker of hatred crossed Old Lady Zhou’s eyes. Sotis she truly despised him, the old man long gone, and wanted to ask if he ever thought of her and their children.
i Xiu did not reply. The deceased were gone, and past grievances and affections had no real aning. After all, the person was dead, and it should just be a wronged love affair. Who could help it if the Old Madam back then was hard and ended up encountering Old Scholar Zhou?
Old Lady Zhou also found it aningless, and instructed Lady Liang to take i Xiu to rest in the guest room. She, quivering, made her way to the small prayer room, looked at the morial tablet of Old Scholar Sun, her lips moving silently, tears sliding down.
"So what if we raised her? They still ca looking." She lit an incense stick, placed it in the incense burner, and said, "Don’t bla for having personal motives, seeking reward for past kindness. She is your daughter, but not mine. My son is now dead, and the family only has Lier left. The eldest still has a lineage. I can’t let it end. Xueli, as an uncle, can wholeheartedly raise this nephew, but what about his wife? They are a newly married couple, their relationship is good, and I can’t let them be disturbed over this matter."
Old Lady Zhou mumbled for a while before leaving the prayer room, returning to her kang bed, looking fatigued.
"Mother, my sister, isn’t she my sister?" Zhou Xueli asked, bewildered.
"I don’t know." Old Lady Zhou shook her head, "I don’t know if she is your father and that woman’s child. When he brought her back, she wasn’t even a month old, just a few days born."
Recalling the past, Old Lady Zhou’s eyes turned sowhat misty.
"Mother, what exactly happened?"
Old Lady Zhou fell silent for a mont, then said, "Before you, I was also pregnant with a child, just like your sister, she was a little girl. At that ti, your father had to teach at the school. Your grandma and grandpa were long gone, and I was alone, managing everything in and out of the household, while also taking care of your older brother. The hardships and struggles were imnse. Your father, however, was considerate enough, helping out with your brother after returning from teaching, but during the ti I was pregnant with your sister, he would co ho late, and I didn’t think much of it."
Zhou Xueli felt a bit uneasy, intuition telling him he was nearing an unknown secret about his parents. It was a secret hidden deep in his mother’s heart, a lasting pain about to be revealed, with blood seeping from the wound.
"Mother, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t."
Old Lady Zhou glanced at him and said, "Why not talk about it? Since the secret is no longer a secret, what cannot be said?"
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