Chapter 294: Mother and Son Reunited
Snow sealed the landscape, repainting the world. The weather had turned much colder. The hearth fire was burning.
Grand Princess Huiyun thought she had gone mad again. She could not distinguish between life and death. Not only did she see her deceased child, but she had even imagined what he would look like grown up. She felt utterly ridiculous. She was always good at deceiving herself, and the deceptions were becoming increasingly realistic.
The persimmon on the stove had cracked from the heat; she could even imagine such a detailed scene. She could also smell the fragrance of dates. She saw the dates smoking and catching fire. She saw a little one holding tongs, dropping the burning dates into the tea. The fire was extinguished.
Princess Huiyun was stunned. It was not a dream. After picking up the dates, the little one saw that she was streaming with tears.
Mianmian asked cautiously, “Granny, are you envious because you see my Mother’s whole family? How about I become your dining companion? You can call me whenever you eat.”
Princess Huiyun was brought back to reality by the little one’s words. She thought she was hallucinating. Yet, to her surprise, when she looked up, that person was still there. He was actually walking towards her.
The little one ran up to the man. She threw herself into his arms, sweetly calling out, “Father! Father!”
Her wet, slightly cold hand was held in the man’s hand. He rubbed it gently a few times. They had arrived right before her. The Grand Princess’s eyes were red, but she was wearing a veil.
Qin Luoxia pulled her husband over to her. She said with a smile, “Great-Aunt, I have brought my husband.”
Jiang Changtian was a bit confused; where did he get a Great-Aunt? His Father, Grand Tutor Jiang Bai’s sisters, wouldn’t be here, and they seemed to have all passed away. Was this Xia Mei’s Great-Aunt? Xia Mei said that by the time she had memories, her Father was already gone. If this person wanted to acknowledge Xia Mei, could there be some conspiracy? Jiang Changtian went through the possibilities in his mind, but on the surface, he bowed elegantly and joined in calling her Great-Aunt.
Zi Congheng watched the scene silently. He actually knew that Grand Princess Huiyun must have guessed his Father’s identity, but she had mistaken the person. He did not explain. In any case, the truth would come out eventually.
Princess Huiyun finally understood why things hadn’t added up before. The one performing the Dharma Ritual was her nephew, the Crown Prince. And Lady Qin was not the Crown Prince’s mistress, but the wife of the man before her. The annoying little brat looked exactly like her, and she called the man in front of her Father.
Princess Huiyun worried that she was having an episode; she didn’t even dare to speak. She feared that if she spoke, everything before her would vanish with a “pop!”, leaving nothing behind, without a trace.
Qin Luoxia introduced her children generously. “This is my eldest, Feng Geer.”
Seeing the youth with a scar on his forehead, a scar carved into the shape of a flower, Princess Huiyun’s tears could not be stopped. She must be suffering from hysteria. She even had a grandson, and he was already so old; to think she had imagined a scar on his face—that was too cruel. He shouldn’t have a scar; it would hurt.
“This is Jiang Yu, who is already married. Her husband is Old General Meng’s grandson, and he treats Jiang Yu exceptionally well. They have even had two big grandsons. I will bring them over for you to see in a while. Great-Aunt, you can be a Great-Great-Aunt now.”
Qin Luoxia understood the feeling of weeping with joy upon meeting relatives. The Great-Aunt looked arrogant, but look, she was actually just an ordinary person; so happy, crying so much.
Meng Shaoxia followed along and called her Great-Aunt. His scalp tingled a little; something didn’t seem right. How could Little Yu have a Great-Aunt like this? Taia Temple? A mysterious Great-Aunt???
Princess Huiyun didn’t dare to make a sound, thinking she was having an episode, so she just let the tears flow uncontrollably. Then, she was embraced by Lady Qin.
Usually, Lady Qin saw the Great-Aunt as quite capable of causing trouble, but she hadn’t expected her to be so light. She was very thin. Holding her, it felt like there was hardly any flesh on her. Aunt Yin was much sturdier. This Great-Aunt was truly from the same family as her husband; they were all too thin.
Princess Huiyun fell into a solid, warm embrace. “Great-Aunt, please don’t cry. From now on, we are all one family. Although this place is nice, it is a bit too lonely. You should move in with us; Mianmian likes you, and you can play together.”
Princess Huiyun cried even harder. Mianmian:…
“Feng Geer is getting married soon. If you come, the wedding will certainly be more complete and decent. You missed Jiang Yu’s wedding, but Feng Geer’s is perfect. Later, you can also see Cong Geer get married and Mianmian get wed. Your good days are still ahead. Let’s not cry, Great-Aunt.”
Qin Luoxia patted the Great-Aunt’s back while speaking; she patted very lightly. But it was still enough to almost pat Princess Huiyun to death. Princess Huiyun coughed several times, and her veil was coughed off.
Everyone saw an old lady who looked very much like Mianmian? She wasn’t exactly an old lady, she was very beautiful, but she was of age. There was also a scar on her face, and she looked a bit disheveled, but it still didn’t affect her beauty.
Seeing such a face, Jiang Changtian was stunned. He stood before the woman, shocked, and took a few steps back. Goose-feather-sized snow began to fall from the sky, drifting down in sheets, landing on his head, face, and body. He suddenly opened his mouth and called out, “Mother?”
It was hesitant, awkward, and… After calling out this one sound, he couldn’t utter the next. He opened his mouth, trembling slightly. Tears also rolled down from his eyes. He had called Old Madam Jiang “Mother” thousands of times, and each time Old Madam Jiang had responded with undisguised disgust. Looking at the person before him, he knelt directly, both knees sinking into the snow. He didn’t feel the pain. He was also afraid it was a dream. The icy snow would remind him that this was not a dream.
Princess Huiyun, however, felt the pain. She could kneel herself, but her child could not. She didn’t care if she was having an episode of hysteria. Even if it was false, a hallucination, she would not allow her child to kneel in the snow; it was too cold. “The snow is cold, you are not allowed to kneel. Get up.”
He still didn’t get up, continuing to look up at her, calling out again, “Mother.” She didn’t dare to answer, her lips trembling. She was afraid that if she answered, he would vanish.
“Mother, how could you be so heartless? Do you know how I have lived these years? When I was young, I was often locked in a dark, sunless room. She always said I was an evil seed, saying there was evil hidden in my eyes. She wouldn’t let me eat, she made me kneel in the snow, she let dogs eat meat in front of me, and let me, who had been hungry for days, fight for dog food, and then said I was worse than a dog. She said I was unfilial, unbrotherly, and unfit to be a human. She said I seduced my sister-in-law and had ulterior motives towards her. She said I poisoned my own Father. She said I was a born evil seed… I just wanted to survive, Mother. Do you know how difficult it was for me to live?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I didn’t know you were alive. I’m sorry, I am not worthy of being a Mother. I didn’t know…” Princess Huiyun was trembling all over. Every word the man in front of her said felt like a thousand cuts to her heart. She didn’t know her child was still alive, living so arduously. No wonder Lady Qin carried so many weapons when going out. Who, who harmed her and her son? She wanted all those people to die. To be sliced into a thousand pieces.
“Mother is here, Mother is alive. From now on, as long as Mother is alive, I will not let anyone bully you again. Whoever bullies you, Mother will take revenge for you. Mother will keep her word. Please get up first, okay?”
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