Mother suffered unhappiness in her marriage, and when she was tornted by Grandmother, Father never uttered a single word in her defense. He allowed Mother, soone as radiant as a flower, to wither in the marriage until she ultimately perished.
When the ti of Mother’s passing approached, Father was still attending a eting. Grandmother, worried about disrupting his career, forbade anyone from calling to inform him.
By the ti Father finished his eting and rushed back, he missed seeing Mother for the last ti.
Father sat silently on a stone bench in the courtyard, motionless, for the entire night.
At dawn, he walked back from the mourning hall. Seeing him, his body was drenched in the morning mist, and his eyes, shrouded by vapor, were filled with an overwhelming sorrow.
He was shocked to notice that overnight, Father’s hair had turned gray in significant patches, making him appear profoundly aged.
When Mother was buried, Father did not attend the funeral.
Everyone believed Father was unfeeling.
Grandmother had already selected a society lady as Father’s new wife and even set the date for their wedding.
Father, who had always been filial, was presud to comply. After all, his marriage to Mother had also been arranged by Grandmother.
However, unexpectedly, he refused Grandmother’s decision. No matter how furious and hysterical she beca, he remained unmoved.
"For my entire life, I will have only Lan’er as my wife. Mother, you’ve controlled all my life, and you tornted Lan’er all her life. Now that she’s gone, can you finally let us go?"
"You ungrateful brat! She’s already dead, and you still cling to your despair! Moving forward with marriage is the proper thing to do. That woman was a mistake from the beginning. I thought her scholarly background would make her more agreeable, but who knew she turned out to be such a troubleso creature? Always defying when she was alive, and even in death, she manages to haunt you. I should have had a Mage suppress her spirit to prevent her from continuing to harm others."
He stood at the door, hearing the argunt inside. His heart felt an unbearable desolation.
"Mother!" Yu Yixin shouted angrily, "That was my wife, the mother of my children! And you dared use the sa thods against her that you used on Sang Ziming! You’re terrifying!"
"She stole your soul—this outco is what she deserved. Haha." The old woman’s sinister laughter sent chills down his spine.
"You probably don’t know, do you? Your precious wife was secretly colluding with that couple, helping them escape. She even discovered what you did to the Shen family and planned to poison you to death."
A packet of poison was tossed at Yu Yixin’s feet.
Yu Yixin stood there dumbfounded, staring at the packet of poison by his feet. He instinctively shook his head: "No... impossible."
"Your wife planned to kill you, and yet you still pine for her. How foolish can you be? A disloyal, ungrateful wife like her—dead and gone—is a blessing. Your mother will find you soone better."
"No, she wouldn’t harm ...."
Yu Yixin suddenly raised his head to face the old woman. "This poison—you prepared it, didn’t you?"
The certainty in his tone was unmistakable.
The old woman narrowed her eyes. "Stop clinging to your illusions."
"The one who’s delusional is you." Yu Yixin’s ntal state teetered on the brink of collapse, his veins bulging, revealing his deep anguish and inner struggle.
"I consulted Dr. Ye. Although Lan’er’s health suffered during childbirth with Ace, with proper care, there would’ve been no major complications. Why did her condition deteriorate so rapidly? It was you—you added sothing to her dication. You killed Lan’er."
Grandmother sat high and proud, utterly unashad by the accusation. She even smiled faintly. "You truly are my son, figuring it out so quickly."
"Why?"
"Because she disobeyed . Because she wanted to save that old couple. Because she spoke up for Sang Ziming. Did she not understand she was the Yu family’s daughter-in-law? If she couldn’t recognize her position, then don’t bla for being ruthless."
"Sang Ziming is dead. The Sang family remains nailed to the pillar of sha, never to rise again. My elder brother and sister-in-law are crippled and blind. They’ll never pose a threat. I even followed your orders and eradicated the Shen family, cutting off all their paths. Why can’t you let go? Why must you obsess over the people and grudges of the past?"
Yu Yixin took a deep breath, his gaze tinged with resentnt. "Even though you are now the matriarch of the Yu family, you’ll spend your entire life living under the shadow of Sang Ziming. Father may have destroyed the Sang family, but even to death, he couldn’t stop longing for her. And you? You were nothing but a tool he used to provoke Sang Ziming. Look at you—you lived such a pathetic existence, only finding satisfaction through controlling your children. Your whole life—it’s nothing but a joke."
i Lvge’s face turned ashen. "Yu Yixin, shut your mouth! Everything I’ve done was for you! How dare you accuse like this? If it weren’t for , you wouldn’t have the status and power you enjoy now! The fire that killed Yu Fuli, the explosion in Yu Yisen’s lab, the Shen family’s demise—weren’t these all your actions? Aren’t you driven by your jealousy of Yu Yisen’s excellence and Father’s favoritism toward him? What right do you have to bla ?"
Indeed, a mother and son—always knowing exactly how to stab where it hurts the most, compounding the pain.
Yu Yixin sneered coldly. "Yes, I’m jealous of my brother’s brilliance, jealous of Father’s attention to him—I can admit it. But can you? You’re only capable of sneaky, vile deeds behind the scenes, suppressing spirits—how absurd. Yet you’re plagued by nightmares every night. Your retribution will co sooner or later."
He chuckled bitterly. "Mine will co too."
"Yu Yixin, has that woman truly ant that much to you?"
Yu Yixin murmured, "Delayed affection is cheaper than grass—I let her down...."
When he looked up again, his eyes carried only resolute finality. "Mother, this is the last ti I’ll call you that. You gave life and raised , and I’ve repaid you as much as I could. You’ve known you had cornered because of your status, wielding it without restraint. But never again."
He cast one last glance at the old woman seated high above, pulling his lips into a scornful smile. "The mont Lan’er died, the bond between us as mother and son ended. From now on, no further contact in this lifeti."
With those words, he turned and walked away decisively.
Yu Fusheng recalled that day: Father left Grandmother’s courtyard and never looked back.
Inside, Grandmother smashed the teacup beside her in fury. "Ungrateful brat! You’d better keep your word."
She thought it was just another rebellious remark. Who could’ve guessed those words would co to pass? Yu Yixin soon fell ill. He forgot everything—everything except Lan’er.
When Grandmother found out, she beca enraged and cursed Mother once more. She no longer cared about Father and truly upheld her vow, never ntioning him again.
"Heh-heh, Lan’er, Lan’er...."
Yu Yixin laughed like an innocent child, his murky eyes filled with pure obsession.
Yu Fusheng’s nose burned with emotion, and he sniffled. "Dad, Grandmother is ill as well. If she dies just like this, wouldn’t it be for the best? She’s lived enough for this lifeti."
"But she can’t die—she hasn’t revealed the whereabouts of the Sang family treasure. Grandmother must stay alive."
"Am I an unfilial son?"
"Dad, was the Shen family’s downfall related to you? And is Ge’an’s current chaos tied to those events?"
"Ace has caused trouble again. Grandmother’s indulgence has made him reckless—I constantly fear he’ll create even bigger disasters one day."
"Recently, I can’t shake a sense of unease, as if a massive unseen net is enveloping and the Yu family without my awareness."
"Dad, I’m so tired and lost—can you give so guidance...?"
The gentle mountain breeze brushed past, tree shadows swaying. The tired, uncertain murmurs of a man filled the courtyard with quiet sounds of longing.
User Comments
0 comments from readers