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Facing such a sorrowful Master Wen, a wave of sadness suddenly surged in Qing Wu's heart. This feeling came so abruptly and fiercely that it caught her off guard, leaving her heart in agony.
Unconsciously, she grasped the old man's hand and softly called out, "Grandpa."
As soon as she spoke, her heart felt a sudden release. She couldn't help but call out "Grandpa" again, then took out her handkerchief to wipe away the tears at the corners of his eyes.
Master Wen grabbed her hand along with the handkerchief, tightly enveloping it in his rough palm. His eyes were red, and he murmured softly, repeating those few words.
"Good child. My good child."
Each gentle call seemed like a stone thrown into still water, creating ripples in her heart. Suddenly, a memory buried deep within her surged up, awakening her and making her realize something.
When she spoke again, it was with an immense joy that even she found hard to believe.
"... Grandpa?"
Seeing the girl's increasingly clear and bright eyes, Master Wen knew she had already realized it. He suppressed his overwhelming joy and let out a heavy sigh, pulling the girl into his embrace, speechless and choked with emotion.
The old man's embrace carried the love of an elder and the joy of regaining what was lost, stirring the girl’s heart as well, causing tears to flow down her cheeks.
At that moment, the Refined Young Man hurriedly approached with a riding whip in hand. Upon seeing this scene, he let go of the whip, which fell to the ground.
He stepped forward slowly to stand before the old man and the girl, ruffling the girl's hair gently before reaching out to pat Master Wen's back soothingly.
"It’s good that you found your sister. You should take care of yourself too."
A person who is usually so elegant and composed is now speaking with a hoarse voice, choked with emotion.
These situations have been occurring one after another. Liu Fangyi stared blankly, still somewhat in shock.
The He Family had previously observed the old man's reaction and began to speculate. Now, seeing Wen Qingyue in this state, they vaguely understood something.
She hurriedly sent away all the servants around them, leaving only Mama Huang and Dou Mama to guard the courtyard, forbidding any outsiders from approaching. After thinking for a moment, she pulled Liu Fangyi to the adjacent room and called in Liu Anzhi and Liu Anfeng, who were standing nearby in a daze.
As soon as the door closed, Liu Anfeng could no longer contain himself and asked the He Family, "Mother, what’s wrong with my sister?" After a moment of thought, he couldn't find the right words. Finally, he blurted out, "Is she going to take the surname Wen?"
At this moment, Liu Fangyi had already regained her composure. Hearing him say that, she immediately scolded, "What kind of talk is that!"
"But sister is from the Marquisate, isn't she? If her family has found her, will she... will she stay?" It was Liu Anzhi who spoke up. Usually such a steady person, he was now unable to contain his impatience and voiced his concerns. His tone was filled with worry and sadness.
Mentioning this made Liu Fangyi let out a heavy sigh, unsure of how to respond.
Instead, the He Family maintained a tone not much different from usual, though slightly trembling as she said, "Your sister is still your sister. Just because she has a few more family members doesn’t mean you won’t recognize her anymore. Alright, no one is allowed to speak out of turn. This is a good thing; you all need to be happy about it."
Her face was somewhat pale as she spoke softly to comfort those inside the room.
After a long while, they heard the low sobs outside gradually cease. After waiting a moment longer and hearing soft voices outside, the He Family sighed quietly and opened the door to step out with her husband and son.
At that moment, Qing Wu had just helped Master Wen sit down. Wen Qingyue was beside him gently comforting the elderly man.
Seeing the people from the Liu Residence come out, Wen Qingyue glanced around and asked, "Where is Second Young Master Liu?"
Qing Wu suddenly paused, just about to explain when Liu Anfeng said, "Second Brother went to Wu Manor. Lin Xi came by earlier and seemed off when he left. Second Brother went to check on him."
Wen Qingyue had no doubts and nodded in agreement. She then smiled at Qing Wu, her gaze gentle and warm.
Seeing this scene, Liu Anfeng felt a tightness in his chest and shouted loudly, "You all better not mistake the person!"
"There's no mistake! I can tell it's her at a glance." The old man was somewhat unable to contain his excitement over this matter. "Her brows and eyes are just like my family's brat; they look like they were carved from the same mold. No mistake, no mistake."
Hearing him say this, the Liu Family couldn't help but scrutinize the Marquis and Wen Qingyue.
The Wen Family had striking features. Although the old man was already advanced in age, he still had handsome brows and sharp eyes, suggesting that he must have been quite charming in his youth. As for Wen Qingyue, she had an elegant demeanor and delicate features. Initially unnoticed, upon closer thought, she did bear a resemblance to Qing Wu.
Liu Fangyi sat there dazedly in her chair, unsure of how to begin speaking.
The He Family felt a mix of emotions and also did not respond.
Liu Anzhi had now regained his composure and pondered for a moment before asking, "When did you learn about the fog?"
"It's a long story."
Wen Qingyue sighed and said, "A friend of mine has been traveling back and forth between the Northwest and the grasslands and has some dealings with your household. He inadvertently mentioned Qing Wu's situation to me. I have been searching for my sister for many years, and at that moment, I felt that I couldn't miss this opportunity. So I had him inquire about the general age when Qing Wu faced great difficulties and when she arrived at the Liu Family. The more I heard, the more suspicious I became."
Then, Xun Ji met with her. Just as he was about to continue their interaction, he heard that the Liu Residence had moved back to the capital. He hurriedly inquired around and finally met her again.
"It is obvious that it should be her, but we need some proof," Liu Fangyi said solemnly.
"The mole on my sister's wrist is different from others; how can that not be considered proof?" Wen Qingyue said anxiously. "Now we are absolutely certain. You all..."
"What are you so anxious about? The Liu Family has raised the girl for many years; it is only reasonable to investigate thoroughly for her sake," Master Wen said, patting his shoulder. He then addressed Liu Fangyi, saying, "You can rest assured. I do not consider myself a particularly benevolent person, and I would never bring a child of unknown origins into my home. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. I can tell at a glance that this girl is her. When she came to the capital, it must have been only a few months since we parted ways. If we compare her situation with what we know, we will understand."
Liu Fangyi knew that the valiant Zhenyuan Marquis was not just a man of courage without wisdom. Hearing him say this, he was already about seventy to eighty percent convinced. However, he still asked Qing Wu about the circumstances when she left home—her height, weight, and appearance were all confirmed.
He was so focused on talking with the Marquis that he did not notice the He Family had quietly left. By the time he returned to the hall, the He Family had already acquired a set of clothing.
Wen Qingyue was the first to notice; he focused his gaze on what was in the He Family's arms and immediately stood up, striding toward her.
The grandson's actions interrupted the old man's conversation. The Marquis turned his head and saw Wen Qingyue approaching him with the clothing.
It was a girl's outfit. The originally vibrant colors had faded somewhat due to age, but its original appearance could still be discerned.
"This is it. This is it," Master Wen said, trembling as he pointed at the patterns on the cuffs and spoke to Wen Qingyue. "At that time with them, for children’s clothing, using butterflies and flowers was so uninteresting. Our girl’s sleeves could have some embroidery of bamboo or cypress; it would be sturdy enough to hold its own. Look at this; this is a pattern I personally chose. Right?"
He took the clothing in his hands and shook it slightly. Upon seeing it unfold, his expression changed dramatically.
There were mottled bloodstains on it; although washed by water and time, they were still clearly visible.
The Old Marquis, seasoned in battle and having slain countless bandits, had witnessed countless bloody scenes. Yet for the first time, he felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow and helplessness when looking at the faint, dried bloodstains on a piece of clothing.
"This blood... where did it come from?"
Seeing the profound sadness on the old man's face, Qing Wu hesitated to speak but felt compelled to say, "It's from family."
Family.
Her father and mother.
And also...
Also his son and daughter-in-law.
Master Wen swayed slightly and collapsed back into his chair.
After a moment, he tremblingly stood up, tightly clutching the clothing, and staggered toward the door.
Liu Fangyi noticed something was off with him and was alarmed. He wanted to step forward to support him but was gently stopped by Wen Qingyue's shake of the head.
"Grandfather always becomes this way when he thinks of his parents."
He recalled how he had felt lost when he suddenly confirmed that Qing Wu was his sister, the first thought being that their parents had both met a tragic end. Thus, in a daze, he had informed their grandfather of this matter.
However, hearing about it is one thing. Now, seeing the blood-stained clothes with her own eyes and personally confirming their deaths brings another kind of uncontrollable sorrow to the old man.
"I will accompany my grandfather back to the inn to rest, and I will visit again tomorrow." Wen Qingyue quickly wrote, politely declining the He Family's suggestion to stay at their residence. She then softly said to Qing Wu, "Sister, wait for me."
After saying this, she could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly supported the elderly man with graying hair.
Master Wen stared blankly ahead, and with Wen Qingyue's support, he slowly left Liu Residence under the glow of the red lanterns from the Shangyuan Festival...
Tonight's events were too unexpected. After the grandfather and grandson left, everyone was left speechless. After a while, it was the He Family who spoke first, forcing a smile and saying, "Would you like to eat some tangyuan? There are still plenty left. It's late now; you must all be hungry?"
Liu Fangyi and the others were not hungry and gradually departed. Some returned to the study, while others went back to their own rooms.
Qing Wu thought for a moment but decided to take a bowl of tangyuan and sat by the table with her mother, eating slowly.
The two of them chatted as they usually did, without mentioning Wen Qingyue and Master Wen's visit earlier.
On her way back to the West Courtyard, Qing Wu walked very slowly, not even picking up a hand warmer. She let the cool night breeze sweep over her, hoping to disperse her tangled thoughts.
Just before entering the courtyard, she seemed to sense something and paused slightly, glancing to the side. In the distance, she saw someone lazily leaning against the wall, staring over here.
Their eyes met.
He did not call out "Girl" as he usually did with a casual tone before walking over with a smile. Instead, he quietly watched her without breaking eye contact for a moment.
Qing Wu has experienced too much today, her mind is in chaos, and she has no time to consider Zheng Ning's thoughts at this moment. Therefore, she did not walk towards him but merely inclined her body slightly before returning to her room.
After Dou Mama helped her finish her grooming, Qing Wu sent Danqing Taosi and the others away.
In this silence, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, trying to sort out the events that had just transpired. Just as she began to gather her thoughts, she heard a faint sound from the Door. Then, someone approached slowly.
Qing Wu rubbed her temples and said wearily, "You all go out. I want to be alone for a while."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the person beside her did not move at all, clearly not leaving as she had requested.
Feeling increasingly irritated, Qing Wu was about to scold the person when she opened her eyes but did not see clearly who it was before the person had already stepped forward and suddenly embraced her tightly.
Before Qing Wu could struggle, she fell into a familiar embrace that carried a slight chill.
Immediately after, the low and concerned voice of the Young Emperor rang in her ears.
"Are you... alright? Don't be afraid. I will take care of everything."
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