AWB Chapter 212 Mother and Son Reunited
Chapter 212 Mother and Son Reunited
Xiao Chengyan sensed something was amiss and decided to thoroughly investigate the second branch of the family and Qiao Qingshu. He wanted to find out the root cause of Old Madam Xiao's favoritism towards the second branch.
After driving away Madam Xing and Xiao Qianqian, Old Madam Xiao felt somewhat tired.
I felt annoyed as I held my forehead; this eldest son's wife has been really restless lately.
She was thinking to herself that now that Jiege was willing to stay, if he passed the imperial examination, she would help him find a good job and go to the capital to gain experience for a few years. If he didn't pass, it would be fine to postpone it for a few more years.
She took out the letter that Consort Xiande had given her a few days ago from her bosom and lit it on the candle flame.
He then wrote a reply letter and handed it to his personal maid, Bixi, instructing her to deliver it to the young eunuch waiting at the door.
When Bixi returned with the letter, it was already midnight, but she still felt as if something was following her.
She took two steps, then stopped and looked back, feeling uneasy. Just then, a night owl darted out and swept past her feet.
Patting her chest, Bixi returned to her room and reported to the old lady that the matter had been taken care of. The old lady waved her hand, signaling her to go and rest.
At this moment, a figure slowly rose from the dark flower bushes and then quickly left.
When Qiao Qingshu returned to the second courtyard, she went to Su Yunzhen's room first. Xiao Zhijie was still sitting by the bed.
Having clearly been guarding the area all day, Xiao Zhijie was now resting with his head propped up and his eyes closed.
Su Yunzhen slowly opened her eyes upon hearing footsteps. Seeing that it was Qiao Qingshu, she winked at her, and Qiao Qingshu smiled and nodded at her.
He stepped forward and nudged Xiao Zhijie, saying,
"Husband, I'll keep watch for you for a while. You should go back to your room and rest."
Xiao Zhijie had been on guard all day and was feeling quite tired. He turned to look at Su Yunzhen, then gave instructions to Qiao Qingshu.
"Mother woke up once last night after taking her medicine, but fell asleep quickly. She has already taken her medicine again. If she wakes up, please remember to call me."
Qiao Qingshu nodded and then pushed his back to let him go back to his room to rest before Xiao Zhijie finally left.
After Xiao Zhijie left, a bitter expression appeared on Su Yunzhen's face.
"I've been lying in bed all day, and my back and waist are really sore."
Qiao Qingshu stepped forward with a smile and began to massage her shoulders and back.
"Alright, alright, now you can relax for a bit."
Qiao Qingshu looked around the door again, and seeing that no one was around, she told Su Yunzhen to get up and move around.
"Mother, you can wake up tomorrow. Once you wake up, you don't need to get out of bed. You can drink water when you're thirsty, eat when you're hungry, and have a maid come in to talk to you to relieve your boredom."
Su Yunzhen stretched her stiff shoulders, but a hint of timidity still lingered on her face.
"Alas, I have never lied to anyone before. I am truly terrified, Shu'er. I don't even know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. After all, going to war and killing the enemy is Jie'er's long-cherished wish..."
Qiao Qingshu knew Su Yunzhen's personality: gentle and kind, but somewhat indecisive.
She quickly spoke up to solidify his decision.
“Mother, you must know that if we were to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy, the swords would be merciless. If my husband were to die by accident, it would be a lifelong regret and pain for you. Compared to that, doesn’t what you are doing now seem very right?”
Yes, swords are merciless, and the battlefield is so dangerous; just thinking about it makes my heart tremble with fear.
Su Yunzhen couldn't help but shudder, and after a moment she said firmly,
"Yes, I did the right thing. I couldn't watch my child die..."
After saying that, she climbed back onto the bed and lay down. Qiao Qingshu shook her head with a smile. Her mother-in-law could be quite adorable at times.
The next day, Qiao Qingshu returned to the Qiao family home early in the morning as usual.
Upon entering, they saw Butler Lai serving Qiao Anlan breakfast. Qiao Anlan sat upright at the table, having already changed out of her servant's clothes.
She was wearing a light green brocade robe that Lai Da had prepared for her, and her jet-black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin.
He used to spend all his time in the library, never seeing the sun, which gave him an almost transparent white complexion. His eyes and brows also carried a lingering sadness, making him look like a noble and melancholic young master.
Qiao Qingshu had to admit that there were moments when she was in a daze. If her brother had been pampered by the Qiao family's luxurious lifestyle all these years, he probably wouldn't have developed such a captivating and aloof air about him today.
Qiao Anlan slowly raised his head, revealing an incredibly bright smile. He smiled as he stood up and pulled Qiao Qingshu to sit down together, gesturing for them to eat together.
Qiao Qingshu had already eaten breakfast before leaving the house, but seeing her brother's eager and expectant eyes, she picked up her chopsticks again, wanting to eat a little more with him.
Qiao Qingshu watched her brother eat and said with a smile,
"Brother, eat slowly. After you finish eating, I'll take you to see someone."
When the carriage stopped deep in the bamboo forest, Qiao Qingshu lifted the curtain and saw that Bai Chanzi and the others had been waiting at the door for a long time.
Behind them, Jiu'er, Huan'er, and He'er all craned their necks and tried their best to reach out, their hearts filled with excitement and anticipation.
Qiao Qingshu smiled and turned around to help Qiao Anlan down from the carriage. Qiao Anlan looked ahead, her eyes momentarily dazed.
Why does the woman in white in front of me seem so familiar...?
Before she could think any further, the woman in white had already rushed over, hugged Qiao Anlan, and burst into tears.
"My son, my son, your mother has finally seen you!"
His cheek was cupped by a pair of slightly cool hands. The woman's eyes were filled with excitement and joy, but also with heartache and reluctance.
"My good child, I've made you suffer all these years. It's all my fault."
Jiu'er and Huan'er beside her had already lowered their heads and wiped away their tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
He'er looked at Qiao Anlan with a sincere gaze, as if she had found something she had lost, and said in a tearful voice,
"This child has lost weight and grown taller..."
You should know that Qiao Anlan was just a child when she went missing, and now she's already an adult.
If it weren't for her eyes, which were so similar to Bai Chanzi's, other people might not recognize her if they met on the street.
Bai Chanzi gazed at Qiao Anlan, as if trying to see into his heart. Her feelings were so complicated that she couldn't say anything more. She just grabbed his hand, touched his face, and cried, cried incessantly.
Qiao Anlan knew that the person in front of him was his mother, the mother he had dreamed of countless times.
But he never imagined that his mother was such a noble and beautiful woman. Although she was not young, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
Dressed in white, pure and noble as snow, her aura was beyond his wildest dreams; he even felt somewhat unworthy of this mother.
He was just a lowly servant, and he never thought he could be so proud as to have such a woman as his mother. He couldn't help but lower his head in self-consciousness and dared not look at Bai Chanzi again.
Qiao Qingshu, standing to one side, keenly sensed her brother's emotions. She stepped forward, took his hand, and said...
“Brother, your past experiences should not define your life. You should have been the legitimate son of a noble marquis in the capital. Now that you have returned, you should learn to enjoy all the glory that belongs to you. Moreover, the Qiao family has fallen into decline, and you bear the responsibility of revitalizing the Qiao family. If you do not have some proud backbone, how can you support such a large family in the future?”
These words were like a bucket of water, waking Qiao Anlan up.
Yes, why should he feel inferior? He is born noble and has many things waiting for him to do. Why should he wallow in self-pity?
He turned and nodded firmly to Qiao Qingshu.
Bai Chanzi, however, took each child's arm and led them into the house.
"Come in quickly, your mother has made lots of delicious food for you."