Several people were chatting merrily when Third Master Song came over, supporting Old Madam Song. The scene instantly fell silent.
Old Madam Song reached out a trembling hand and grasped Song Guangyuan’s, her eyes filled with tears. “Guangyuan, you’re finally back! If you hadn’t returned…”
Song Guangyuan said, “Mother, didn’t I come back the year before last?”
Old Madam Song said, “This body of mine, it’s getting worse by the day.”
Song Guangyuan looked at Third Master Song disapprovingly. “Third Brother, since Mother’s health is not good, why did you bring her out to catch the wind?”
Third Master Song laughed and said, “Mother hasn’t seen you in a long time, she missed you. After all, we’re family, blood is thicker than water. I couldn’t stop her.”
Song Guangyuan surveyed the group and asked, “Since you’re all here, where’s Second Girl?”
Old Madam Song said in a sarcastic tone, “You should ask your Third Girl.”
Song Chuzhao said, “I don’t know ah.”
He Wan thought she was being sarcastic, so she said, “Speak properly.”
“I really don’t know,” Song Chuzhao said. “I’ve been staying at my maternal grandfather’s house recently, and they didn’t tell me what happened.”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance at He Wan’s expression. Seeing that her mother didn’t show any unusual reaction, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He Wan said, “Father and mother are getting old, and they were injured in their youth. Don’t cause them any trouble.”
Song Chuzhao clutched her hand and said in a wronged tone, “I really didn’t. Why do you always say I’m a troublemaker?”
Madam Gu quickly said, “Don’t scold her. Zhaozhao is very good. She’s intelligent and sensible. She endured a lot of hardship in the capital alone. You’re her own mother, you should be the one to feel sorry for her.”
He Wan knew Song Chuzhao very well. She said, “I think you’re afraid I’ll scold you for sneaking away, so you’re trying to play the victim.”
Madam Gu said, “What do you mean, sneaking away?”
He Wan tapped Song Chuzhao’s forehead and said, “Ask her yourself. You were so clever, you almost fell flat on your face.”
Song Chuzhao said, “My intentions were good. I’ve already learned my lesson.”
Old Madam Song’s face darkened when she heard her mention the matter. She said, “You’ve been away from home for so long, you didn’t even know your own second sister was sick, and you still speak so nonchalantly.”
He Wan didn’t say anything. Madam Gu was displeased and coughed forcefully twice. Old Madam Song dared not argue with her.
Song Guangyuan said helplessly, “Mother. General He only has Zhaozhao as his granddaughter. She hasn’t been back in many years, so it’s reasonable for her to go visit. Since she’s still young, she overlooked things on the Song family’s side. Don’t hold it against her.”
Song Guangyuan originally wanted to ask about Old Madam Song’s health, but he realized that under these circumstances, asking would only elicit one response—that she was being annoyed by Zhaozhao. So he simply didn’t ask.
Old Madam Song waited for a long time, but her son remained silent. She was very angry.
This blockhead, how could she have raised such a dull-witted son?!
Fortunately, at that moment, an Imperial Insignia Guard rode his horse towards the city gate. Everyone saw him and knew that someone must have come from the palace.
The Imperial Insignia Guard clasped his fists from his horse and said, “His Majesty’s decree. He says that General Song and Madam Song have been traveling for many days, and they are exhausted from the journey. They don’t need to rush to the palace to report for duty. They can go home and rest for a while, and they can enter the palace on another day.”
Song Guangyuan bowed slightly in return. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern.”
The soldier held the reins and smiled. “I have other duties to attend to, so I’ll be leaving now. General Song, if you need anything, you can ask the Imperial Insignia Guard soldiers for help.”
Song Guangyuan said, “Thank you!“carpreads.pages.dev
The soldier’s horse took a couple of steps in place, but it didn’t leave yet. He said, “Just now, I passed by the He Mansion and heard that Master He wanted to come to the city gate to greet Madam Song, but he suddenly felt a rush of blood and fainted. He’s currently resting at home. Perhaps he’s seriously ill.”
Song Chuzhao thought to herself, “Grandfather’s illness came just in time!” When she left, the old man could still jump three feet high.
She glanced at her mother and saw that He Wan wasn’t worried at all. She understood that her grandfather was a seasoned offender.
Song Guangyuan hurriedly said, “My father-in-law is ill? I will go visit him later. Thank you for informing me.”
The soldier left, satisfied. He left behind Old Madam Song and her entourage, their faces as black as charcoal.
Madam Gu smiled and said, “General Song, if you don’t mind, I would like to walk with He Wan for a while. I have many personal things I want to talk to her about.”
General Song nodded. Madam Gu immediately pulled He Wan towards the He Mansion, not forgetting to bring Song Chuzhao along.
Old Madam Song said urgently, “I came to the city gate to greet you personally, and you… you… you are going to visit that family first?”
Song Guangyuan chuckled. He knew his mother’s character best. It was already unusual for her to come to the city gate to greet him. He put on a sorrowful expression and said, “Mother, General He is seriously ill and bedridden. He is my father-in-law and also my benefactor. It would be rude of me not to visit him. I just returned to the capital, how can I let people gossip? Mother is generous, I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Then he turned to Third Master Song and said, “Third Brother, take Mother back first. Take off your outer robe and cover Mother with it, lest she catch a cold. Don’t be so reckless next time.”
Old Madam Song’s body went limp. She leaned against Third Master Song and coughed weakly, “Mother is also sick. Mother has been sick for some time, you just didn’t know. And even if you don’t care about me, you should care about Shiwen.”
Song Guangyuan looked troubled. After a moment, he seemed to have finally come up with a solution. He said, “General He is said to be even sicker. Mother, General He has a wide network in the capital. He must know many famous doctors. After I visit General He, I will ask him to recommend a doctor to come to our mansion to see you. It’s a win-win situation, don’t you think?”
How could Old Madam Song agree? She thought she was going to be driven to death by her own son.
Song Guangyuan turned to Third Master Song, no longer bothering to pretend to be polite. He assumed the air of an elder brother and said, “Third Brother, what are you standing there for? Do you want Mother to stand outside and suffer? Hurry up and take her back. I’ll be back soon. We’ll talk when I get home.”
Third Master Song never expected to be speechless by his elder brother. This man had always been taciturn and never spoke back to his mother. He guessed that perhaps He Wan had instigated his elder brother beforehand. He felt a wave of depression. After silently enduring a scolding, he could only accept his fate and pretended to help Old Madam Song back.
Old Madam Song was furious. She kept muttering, “How can you be like this? I am your own mother!”
Song Guangyuan still cared about Song Shiwen, after all, she was his own daughter.
As he approached the capital, he frequently sent people to inquire about the situation in the city and to relay messages. However, several reports back did not mention Second Girl Song’s illness. To be safe, he instructed his soldiers to invite several renowned physicians to visit the Song Mansion for a consultation. He would first go with He Wan to visit Master He. If something was truly wrong, he would rush back.
The rest of the Gu family had left, but Duke Gu remained. He had intended to take Song Guangyuan away when he couldn’t refuse, but the latter didn’t need his help.
The two middle-aged men nodded subtly as a greeting, then walked side by side towards the front.
Song Guangyuan said, “I returned to the capital today, and I didn’t expect the Duke to come to greet me. I am truly humbled.”
Duke Gu said, “We are in-laws, why are you being so formal? My wife has been wanting to meet your wife. She was free, so she came to wait.”
Song Guangyuan said, “The two young masters from your family returned to the capital a few years ago. I didn’t have time to greet them then. Now I see that they have grown so much. One is scholarly, the other is martial. They are both outstanding individuals, true dragons among men.”
Duke Gu flattered him, “General Song’s two daughters are also beautiful and graceful.”
Song Guangyuan sighed, “Speaking of which, I am worried about this matter. Chuzhao’s marriage has been settled, and I can rest assured. But I don’t know how to arrange for my second daughter. By the way, is your Fourth Son married?”
Duke Gu pondered for a moment and said solemnly, “My Fourth Son is indeed of marriageable age, but he is unrestrained and undisciplined. I can’t control him, so I let him roam free for now. To force him to marry now would be to harm the girl.”
Song Guangyuan: “…” He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt like Duke Gu was avoiding this topic.
Ahead, He Wan told Madam Gu about Song Chuzhao’s return to the capital and the reasons behind it. She was still angry and glared at Song Chuzhao.
Song Chuzhao felt guilty and deliberately fell behind the two, so that her mother wouldn’t see her and be annoyed.
Gu Fengjian also fell back and walked beside her, talking to her in a low voice.
The gourd jade pendant that Lieshui had helped her repair was finally finished. However, the broken part was in an awkward spot, so the repair involved significant alterations. Lieshui had added several pieces of high-quality jade, recut and polished them, and strung them together into a small, charming string of jade gourds. Each one was plump and chubby, with a cute and clumsy expression, even more adorable than the original.
Song Chuzhao took it, exclaiming in delight, “Wow, this is so beautiful! Senior sister Lieshui is so amazing!”
Gu Fengjian said, “My senior sister is very skilled. I told her you liked this, so she put her heart into making it.”
Song Chuzhao paused, then said shyly, “To be honest, don’t be mad, but I didn’t really, really like it before.”
“I know,” Gu Fengjian said. “But you never told me what you really liked. You only praised this one.”
Song Chuzhao held up the jade gourd in her hand and laughed, “Now I really like this! I’ll definitely keep it with me all the time!”
Gu Fengjian smiled and said, “As long as you like it.”
Madam Gu, arm in arm with He Wan, listened to her account and said with a wry smile, “So that’s how it is. I was wondering why only Zhaozhao came back. I guess the letter didn’t explain everything clearly, and you two didn’t understand. There was actually such a hidden story. What on earth was old Madam Song thinking? She made me look bad in front of my own Gu family.”
He Wan said, “She must have been afraid I would stop her. She thought that if the General came back, he would settle the matter.”
“She’s that kind of person, so she thought you were also stubborn,” Madam Gu said. “There aren’t many people like her in the entire capital. She should be more careful about herself than about others.”
He Wan glanced back at Song Chuzhao and said, “I was worried she wouldn’t get along with the Song family, but it turns out she stayed at the He Mansion. That’s good.”
Madam Gu said, “You think she just moved out peacefully? General Fu personally led his troops to bring her out.”
He Wan had never stayed at the Song family, only once when she sent Song Chuzhao back, leaving a bad impression. Now, listening to this, she felt like the Song family was some kind of den of horrors.
He Wan asked, “What happened to her at the Song family? And what did they mean about Second Girl Song?”
“Don’t even mention Second Girl Song. This time, Zhaozhao was really wronged. Fifth Son Gu was there too, and he told me everything in detail,” Madam Gu sighed. “Second Girl Song thought Zhaozhao was a ghost and wanted to find a Daoist to exorcise her. She even went to Fifth Son Gu’s senior sister, but ended up scaring herself sick.”
He Wan was speechless. “What? Zhaozhao is a ghost?”
Madam Gu said, “Yes! I don’t know what old Madam Song taught Second Girl Song, but she came up with such a ridiculous idea. Isn’t it funny?”
He Wan couldn’t laugh at all.
“Your Song family is a mess. When the General comes back, if he can get involved, he should really take care of things. But, sister, you absolutely must not get involved in this,” Madam Gu whispered. “How long are you planning to stay this time? Old Madam Song is not someone you can easily deal with. You need to be prepared.”
He Wan was lost in thought for a moment, then said, “Not too long.”
Madam Gu sighed, “I wish you could stay longer. You don’t know, since you left, I haven’t met anyone who I can talk to like this. But if you stay and suffer any injustice, I would feel bad for you.”
He Wan said, “I still need to stay for a while.”
“That’s good,” Madam Gu said. “You can visit the He Mansion often, or come and stay at my place for a while. I need to discuss the wedding arrangements for the two children with you properly.”
He Wan chuckled.
Fourth Son Gu felt so awkward. If he walked forward, his mother would glare at him and tell him not to eavesdrop.
If he walked backward, his fifth brother would glare at him and tell him not to get in the way of the two of them.
So he could only trail behind the four of them like a little pitiful thing, watching them pair off and whisper to each other. He even saw his fifth brother secretly slip something into Miss Song’s hand.
To be honest, he had been a brother for so long, but he had never received a gift from his brother. He felt so sad as a big brother.
Fortunately, his father caught up with them later, so Fourth Son Gu stopped and waited with a smile, wanting to be Duke Gu’s little sidekick. But when Duke Gu saw him, he also glared and fiercely gestured for him to go away.
Fourth Son Gu: “???”
Am I not a child of your Gu family anymore?
Finally, the He Mansion was almost in sight.
Madam Gu did not want to interrupt their family reunion, so she parted ways with He Wan at the previous intersection.
Song Chuzhao noticed that He Wan was a little nervous, so she stepped forward and took her mother’s hand, smiling at her and leading her forward.
He Wan felt the encouragement from Song Chuzhao, and realized that her daughter had truly grown up. She also took the other’s hand.
The servants guarding the door saw He Wan appear, their eyes turned red, and they stammered, “Miss!”
He called out “Miss” to He Wan. But He Wan was no longer a young girl.
The He Mansion had never had any young descendants, and the servants were worried that calling Master He by Old Master would stir up painful memories. For over a decade, they had only addressed him as “Master He.” After Song Chuzhao returned, for convenience, they continued to call her “Miss.” Now that He Wan was back, they realized the generational hierarchy was in disarray.
The servant quickly said, “I… I’ll go call Master He! Please come in, all of you, please come in!”
Author’s Note:
Calling him “Big Brother” just feels so strange. I don’t care, I’m not calling him “Big Brother.”
There’s been some misunderstanding. Song Guangyuan’s character is good. He pretends to be filial, but he doesn’t openly defy his mother. He doesn’t really like Old Madam Song either. There will be no more villainous characters in this story. I’ve clarified it a bit.