Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 190
Chapter 190 - Xie Shi'an's Pursuit
Xie Shi'an kept his head lowered, his fingers clenched tightly into fists.
Even if he had not fallen into his present predicament, he would have had no way to contend with these people.
Now, he was already like a rat scurrying across the street; any one of these people could crush him to death with a single finger. Aside from bearing it in silence, he had no other path left.
Though he could not fight back, he could at least commit the faces of these people to memory.
In the future... there would eventually come a day when he rose above them all, and when that time arrived, he would make these individuals regret the humiliation they inflicted on him today.
From his gaze, Yun Chu caught a glimpse of his underlying ambition.
This was a wolf—a wolf forever brimming with fighting spirit.
Even if he was barred from an official career, he would still carve out a path of blood through some other means.
Yun Chu instructed the coachman to drive the carriage forward.
Pulling back the carriage curtain, she called out, "Shi'an, get in."
The group of youths surrounding Xie Shi'an naturally recognized Yun Chu. She was the dearly cherished legitimate eldest daughter of the Pillar-of-the-State Grand General, and they lacked the audacity to cross her, causing them to scatter in all directions.
Xie Shi'an picked up the gauze bandage those people had discarded on the ground, and ignoring the strange looks from passersby, he used it to cover his eye, tied it securely around his head, and climbed into Yun Chu's carriage.
"Many thanks to Mother for clearing the siege."
Yun Chu looked at him and asked, "It's so late, why are you still out on the main street?"
"I was hoping to find some work to earn a living," Xie Shi'an said, keeping his head lowered. "But the moment those people heard I was from the Xie family, they rejected my request. I am truly useless..."
Yun Chu sighed softly. "Here is what I'm thinking: we could sell off the Xie residence and use the proceeds as traveling expenses to return to Jizhou. How about we set off before winter arrives?"
Xie Shi'an had already heard his grandmother mention previously that his mother wanted to take the whole family back to Jizhou.
Originally, he thought it was because of their living situation, but now that the Xie estate had been preserved, why was his mother still insisting on returning to their ancestral home?
He couldn't understand it. His mother was a native-born resident of the capital; how could she be so single-mindedly set on returning to Jizhou?
He looked toward Yun Chu's face.
Attempting to read any clues from her expression.
Yet all he saw was a face burdened with worry for the Xie family.
His father was already dead, and the Xie family no longer held any hope whatsoever. Was his mother truly staying in the Xie family of her own free will? Was she truly dedicating her heart and soul to the Xie family's welfare?
The suspicions in his heart flared up once again.
Lowering his eyes, he spoke, "Mother, I do not wish to return to Jizhou."
Yun Chu smiled faintly. "You are the eldest son of the Xie family. Since you are holding this household together, then everything shall be according to your wishes."
She had given Xie Shi'an a choice, but he had rejected it himself.
In that case, she would simply have to bring Xie Shiwei back.
As an adult, she would not personally make a move against Xie Shi'an; instead, she would let these two brothers fight it out between themselves.
The carriage soon pulled up before the main gates of the Xie residence.
Previously, there had been two manservants guarding both sides of the entrance, but now even the stone lions at the gate exuded an air of desolation and loneliness. The entranceway was left unswept, covered entirely by fallen leaves blown about by the wind.
The two of them stepped across the threshold and parted ways in the front courtyard.
As Xie Shi'an walked into his Pine Pavilion, his pageboy Sanjiu hurriedly brought out a meal of simple dishes and rice.
One could tell at a glance that this meal did not come from the hands of a chef; it must have been prepared personally by his grandmother and the Yiniang, who had cooked a portion to send to him.
Only in his mother's courtyard did numerous servants still remain. Even though the Xie family chefs were gone, his mother still had maids wholeheartedly waiting upon her. A person of such noble status as his mother would probably never be reduced to the point of having to cook for herself...
Chewing the food as though it tasted like tasteless wood, Xie Shi'an finished every last bite.
He knew that during this period, his mother practically went out every single day, returning only when night fell. Just what was she busy with?
His grandmother had said that his mother was running herself ragged for the sake of the Xie family, and he desperately wanted to know what on earth his mother was expending so much effort for...
The next morning, after partaking in her breakfast, Yun Chu boarded her carriage and headed out, planning to personally select a few bolts of fabric for the two children and make a few sets of new clothes for them.
She knew the children weren't lacking in such things, but she was their biological mother, and garments prepared by a birth mother naturally held a different significance.
Just as her carriage cleared the alley belonging to the Xie residence, she heard Qiutong speak in a low voice, "Madam, someone is following behind our carriage. It seems to be... the Eldest Young Master."
Yun Chu lifted the carriage curtain and glanced slightly backward, catching sight of a figure quickly darting behind a wall.
She smiled lightly. "No need to change our itinerary, keep going."
The carriage stopped along a bustling street in the capital, pulling up right in front of a fabric shop.
Yun Chu stepped inside, purchased several bolts of fine material, and then bought a few ready-made garments sized for children of eight or nine years old. Returning to the carriage, she resumed her journey.
The carriage slowly made its way toward the west of the city, an area where the lowest stratum of commoners resided. Upon reaching the mouth of an alley, the carriage could go no further; Yun Chu stepped down from the vehicle, walked into the lane, and stopped before the entrance of a small courtyard.
Qiutong stepped forward to rap on the door, and a child's vigilant voice rang out from within, "Who is it?"
Yun Chu spoke in a gentle tone, "Wei'er, it's me."
Hearing her voice, the door swung open.
At the same time, Xie Shi'an—who had been trailing behind Yun Chu—felt his entire face fill with utter disbelief.
Wei'er... was actually right here in the capital? Was it Mother who had hidden Wei'er in the capital? Why? What was the meaning of all this?
He followed them closely as they stepped inside.
"Wei'er, you've grown thin." Yun Chu looked at the child before her. "You've been back in the capital for so many days, suffering the grievance of staying hidden in this place. Do you blame Mother?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head. "It was Mother who gave me a place of refuge; otherwise, I would have been dragged off to the great prison."
"I bought you a few sets of clothes," Yun Chu said, taking the garments from Qiutong's hands. "Your appearance now is vastly different from your old self as the Second Young Master of the Xie family, and hardly anyone will recognize you. From now on, you shall claim to be a member of the Xie family branch from the ancestral estate in Jizhou, using the name Xie Wei. How does that sound?"
Xie Shi'an looked bewildered as he asked, "What does Mother mean by this?"
"I am taking you home," Yun Chu asked him, "Do you not want to go home?"
Xie Shi'an immediately cried out in startled protest, "No, I am not going back! Why should I ever go back to that place? No one cares about me, no one values me, and nobody would even care if I died!"
"No, you are wrong," Yun Chu said, emphasizing each word. "Your father was talking about you right up until the moment he died. How can you say no one cares about you? Your grandmother has never blamed you either... And your eldest brother—he is the most exceptional eldest brother in this world. For the sake of the Xie family, he forced himself to grow up, struggling to hold the entire household together..."
Xie Shi'an pressed his lips together in silence.
He was still only a child; how could he truly not want to go home? He was merely putting up a stubborn front. Even if that household was on the verge of shattering, he still longed to return...
"In truth, I could prop up the Xie family myself, but I cannot do that," Yun Chu said earnestly. "You have read books; you should know the saying: 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' I hope your eldest brother can grow through adversity, and I hope he can rely on his own strength to turn the Xie family's fortunes around... Yet his individual strength remains too small. I want you to return, join forces with your eldest brother, and uphold the lintel of the Xie family together. When brothers are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal..."
Standing outside the courtyard gates, Xie Shi'an felt a profound wave of shock ripple through his heart.
So his mother really had been single-mindedly running herself ragged for the Xie family... Although he didn't believe Xie Shiwei could help him with anything, the fact that his mother could go to such lengths proved that she truly had never once thought of leaving the Xie family...
How immensely fortunate he was to have been blessed with such a legitimate mother.
He was truly too despicable for having suspected and tailed her...
Xie Shi'an wiped a hand across his face and turned to walk out of the alley.