mesbooks Chapter 139 Doubt about life experience
Chapter 139 Doubt about life experience
All the maids in Jing'an Hall were sent out, leaving only Madam Qin and the old lady and her daughter in the room.
At this time, Lady Qin Suxin, wife of Marquis Jingchuan, leaned on her mother, Old Lady Qin, with tears on her face, her eyes red and swollen, and her expression sad.
"Sister, so many years have passed, and you now have Huaizhen, your dear little cotton-padded jacket. Let the past be the past, and we must always look forward." The eldest lady advised softly.
"I only regret that I listened to him and gave my Qing'er to him. For the sake of his cousin's child, he actually used his own flesh and blood to lure away those thieves! My poor child had just turned one year old and could barely call mom and dad, but his cruel father threw him out as bait, regardless of his life or death. He will never see his mother again!"
Thinking of the dark years after her son's disappearance, which were like digging out flesh and cutting out heart, Qin Suxin still gnashed her teeth in hatred.
"It was precisely because of that incident that the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince relied so heavily on your Marquis. There are gains and losses, so you need to be more open-minded, sister."
The Marquis's wife sneered, "Only a fool wouldn't rely on Zhao Wenyan, such a useful dog! Wei Miaoying doesn't even have a family to rely on, who else can she rely on if not this good cousin? Moreover, this cousin is so considerate and caring that he was willing to give up his own eldest son for her and her son. Not to mention a cousin, even a brother wouldn't do that!"
"Sister, ever since Qing'er disappeared, your brother-in-law has been incredibly considerate to you over the past decade or so, out of gratitude. He's also entrusted the two illegitimate sons to your care. It's already quite good that you can manage this. Furthermore, if the Third Prince truly succeeds to the throne, your family's future advancement is imminent. Having reached this point, it's time for you to let go of the past."
"I can't let go!"
The Marquis's wife pounded her chest and complained in a low voice, "Who cares about Zhao Wenyan's two illegitimate sons? With a mother like that, there's no telling what they'll become! I've cared deeply for them for several years, but they're not my own children, so they're still two separate creatures. It was all in vain. Now they're fourteen or fifteen years old, and they don't strive for progress or study all day long. All they do is fight over things at the instigation of their respective concubines. Their father, Zhao Wenyan, isn't even dead yet, and they're already rushing to start a feud!"
The Marquis's wife showed disdain on her face: "I don't care about those two anymore. Let their mother discipline them. Whether they are good or bad in the future has nothing to do with me. In a few years, when my Huaizhen grows up and gets married, I will go to the farm to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. Anyway, no matter how much the Jingchuan Marquis's family property earns in the future, it will not fall into my hands. I don't want to waste my time and energy on Zhao Wenyan!"
"My son, it's all your fault!"
Listening to her daughter's grief-stricken words, the silent Old Lady Qin cried out in regret, "I only thought that with such a chaste grandfather, my grandson would be no worse off. Zhao Wenyan is indeed gentle and elegant, and a man of talent. I thought of everything, but I overlooked his deep affection for his cousin. It was this carelessness that ultimately brought suffering to my son and my poor grandson."
When she talked about the pain, two lines of tears flowed from the corners of the old lady's eyes.
Seeing her mother-in-law like this, the eldest lady hurried forward to help wipe her tears and repeatedly comforted her: "No one can see the future, and naturally no one can be perfect. The old lady is old, so please take care of yourself!"
When the Marquis' wife saw her old mother crying too, she could only hold back her heartache and remain silent.
After a moment, the eldest lady asked tentatively, "Sister, everything seemed fine with you today. How come you were so deeply moved by seeing Wang Weiyuan?"
This is also what makes the old lady feel strange. Now that she sees her daughter has calmed down, she calms down and listens to what she has to say.
The Marquis's face froze, and she said with a hint of shame, "I don't know what's wrong. When I saw that child today, my chest suddenly ached like it was being torn apart. I couldn't help but think of my poor child again. If that child were still alive, he would be as old as this Wang family's brother this year!"
When talking about her only son, Mrs. Hou's eyes became red again.
After being reminded by her daughter, Old Lady Qin suddenly stood up. She slapped her head and blamed herself, saying, "I'm really getting confused when I'm old! When I first met this young man from the Wang family, I also felt very familiar with him. Now that I think about it, this child clearly looks 80% like Wen Yan's grandfather who passed away many years ago!"
"Mom, are you serious?"
The marquis' wife, who was wiping her tears, suddenly raised her head and stared at her mother, fearing that she was talking in her sleep.
Even the eldest lady beside her looked at the old lady in surprise.
"Of course I take it seriously. Although I'm confused, I'm not blind." The old lady turned to her eldest daughter-in-law and asked, "Do you still remember when the young man from the Wang family first came to visit me, did I mistake him for someone else?"
The eldest lady lowered her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head and said affirmatively, "Yes, when you first saw Weiyuan, you called him 'Uncle'."
"That uncle is Wen Yan's deceased grandfather, Zhao Hangui."
The old lady let out a long sigh, looked at her daughter and said slowly, "There are millions of people in this world, so it's not surprising that some look alike. Therefore, even though the young man from the Wang family looks exactly like your husband's grandfather who has long passed away, mother didn't think too much of it at the time, just thinking it was a coincidence among the countless people."
Meeting her daughter's expectant yet timid gaze, the old lady extended her aged hand, caressing the Marquis's still-beautiful face, and said lovingly, "If it were just a resemblance, it would be fine, but my son has such a strong reaction upon seeing the young man from the Wang family for the first time. I can't think of any other reason other than the bond between mother and son!"
"Mother! Mother! Mother!"
The words of mother and son being connected together made the Marquis's wife tremble slightly and tears fell down.
The old lady grasped her daughter's hand and pressed it firmly, as if transferring all her courage to the child. "Xin'er, perhaps the heavens, moved by your longing for your son, could not bear to see you suffer any longer. For some unknown reason, they sent the Wang family's child to us."
She wiped the tears from her daughter's face and encouraged her gently, "Since that's the case, let's just find out about the child's background! If it's really our Qing'er, that would be fantastic. Even if it's not, it's still a child destined for our family, so we can adopt her as our godparent in the future."
The eldest lady nodded repeatedly, smiling and praising her mother-in-law: "What's the saying? Ginger is always wise. It really is mother who has a keen eye and recognized Weiyuan first."
After receiving some consolation from her old mother, the Marquis’ wife suddenly felt reassured in her bewildered heart.
She slowly calmed down and thought about the appearance of the young man from the Wang family. She turned to look at the eldest lady and asked, "Sister-in-law, how old do you think the child is this year?"
The eldest lady thought for a moment and replied, "I didn't ask about his exact age, but Qilang said he was a less than twenty-year-old Jieyuanlang!"
The Marquis's wife said hurriedly, "So, this young man from the Wang family is about the same age as my Qing'er."
The old lady added, "Besides age, the child's intelligence is also like your husband's grandfather. It is said that Wen Yan's grandfather was a scholar who won the imperial examination before he was twenty years old!"