"Really? What's so good about it?"
I looked at him and noticed a hint of expectation in his eyes.
After a long while, I still couldn't think of a single sentence.
My father suddenly smiled, but there seemed to be a hint of bitterness in his smile. "Yue'er, come here."
I obediently walked over.
"Moon, do you remember? When you were little, I held you in my arms and taught you to write and draw..."
A loving gaze fell upon me. "I remember, of course I remember."
“Oh, right, Dad, I suddenly have an idea. Let’s write a poem next to this painting.”
“Good.” Liu Mengjun laughed loudly, “As long as it’s written by Yue’er, I will frame it and hang it up.”
It seems they don't have much faith in me...
"Beside the broken bridge outside the post station, a lonely flower blooms, ownerless and forlorn, already at dusk, alone in sorrow. Adding to its woes are the wind and rain. Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the other flowers be jealous. Fallen and crushed into mud and dust, only its fragrance remains unchanged."
Seeing his father's dazed expression, he waited silently.
"Scattered into mud and crushed into dust, only the fragrance remains," she murmured to herself, her eyes lighting up. "Excellent, excellent poem!" she exclaimed, looking at me proudly. "Truly worthy of being called 'Moon'..."
I lowered my head, feeling a little embarrassed.
When I looked up, I found him staring at me blankly.
"father……"
"Wen'er..."
Who is this Wen'er?
I had planned to talk about that incident, but my father's sudden sentimental recollections made me unable to speak.
"Uncle Sun, I'll be going now."
"Hey, take care, Miss Fourth."
Author's Note:
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Chapter 6 The Devoted Father
"Miss, Miss, did you tell Master about that matter?" Ping'er asked me anxiously as soon as we returned to the room.
"No. By the way, do you know which lady's name is Wen'er?"
Ping'er was taken aback. "Miss, you don't even remember Madam's name, do you?"
"No, no." Oh, it's my mother. "Of course not, I just didn't think of it for a moment. By the way, Ping'er, tell me about my mother."
Ping'er seemed particularly excited. "Madam is the daughter of the prefect, named Mo Qingwen. She was a renowned talented woman back then. It is said that her poems were admired by many talented men and were sung among the people. Back then, the master was a scholar who, after passing the imperial examination, became a disciple of the prefect."
After meeting the lady, he was completely infatuated. It's said he was so captivated that he lost his appetite and couldn't sleep at night. He would spend entire nights writing love poems. Those poems, it's said, couldn't even fit in a large computer case. But the master didn't dare confess at the time, remaining a silent admirer. Later, he had to leave to go to the capital for the imperial examinations. It was the lady's maid who discovered the love poems and told her. So the lady secretly met with the master.
The lady later left with the master against the family's wishes.
I never imagined my dad was such a devoted lover. "And then what happened? Why have I never seen my mom?"
Ping'er sighed, "Madam has always lived in Yuanyang Pavilion, on a street behind the Liu residence. It's the most luxurious and eye-catching one."
Why doesn't she live at the Liu residence?
"It all seemed to happen overnight; Madam suddenly disappeared. No one in the manor mentioned it again, and Master became depressed. Later, the Old Madam arranged for him to marry Madam Lan and Madam Mei. It wasn't until you, Miss, arrived that Master regained his vitality and finally smiled again!"
"What about Mother? Has she never come back to see me? And what kind of place is the Mandarin Duck Tower?"
"No, she has never come back since the madam left. When the young lady appeared later, the old madam refused to acknowledge her and refused to have her name engraved on the family genealogy. In the end, it was the master who insisted and announced the young lady's identity in the mansion, so that no criticism of the young lady could exist in the mansion."
A slight thought crossed my mind.
"As for the Mandarin Duck Tower, its existence is also very strange. It is built so high and so luxurious that even the imperial court tacitly approves of its existence. It is said that it was built by the Lady herself back then."
"Really?" I looked at Ping'er. "I didn't expect my mother to be so unloving. She abandoned me at the Liu family mansion as soon as I was born."
Ping'er quickly tried to comfort her, "Miss, please don't think like that. You used to think like that all the time, and you were always gloomy and unhappy. You felt that you had no one to rely on in the mansion and could only rely on yourself, so you were always bullied. You were always timid and would hide and cry by yourself..." The more Ping'er talked, the sadder she became.
Seeing that the girl was about to cry, I quickly said, "I was just feeling sorry for myself and hoping that Ping'er would sympathize with me. I didn't expect that Ping'er would fall for it so easily, haha..." I smiled smugly.
"Miss..." she called out in complaint.
"Master." The man dressed in black knelt down and reported on the series of events that had recently occurred at the Liu residence.
“This Bai Mei…” A woman emerged from behind the black beaded curtain, her features exquisitely beautiful and deep, her eyes revealing wisdom. She exuded a mature charm, especially her unique aura. “Protect her secretly, don’t let her be discovered.”
“Yes, Master.” The man stood up and handed over a painting.
Slowly roll it up.
A light ink painting depicts a solitary plum tree. A few plum blossoms, yet their spirit remains.
"Beside the broken bridge outside the post station, a lonely flower blooms, ownerless and forlorn, already at dusk, alone in sorrow. Adding to its woes are the wind and rain. Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the other flowers be jealous. Fallen and crushed into mud and dust, only its fragrance remains unchanged."
“This poem…” A ripple appeared in his eyes.
"It was made by the young master."
“Moon…” she murmured. The woman suddenly looked up, her face regaining its composed calm. “If she discovers you, you must be loyal to her and serve her, but… you don’t need to reveal my identity.” Her last words were tinged with bitterness.
"Yes, Master."
Ping'er is such a good girl; she brought me all my favorite dishes.
"Miss, you have such unusual tastes..."
I choked on my food.
"Uncle Sun, you're here." Ping'er quickly got up.
"Uncle Sun..." He has been my personal servant for over ten years.
"Fourth Miss, please eat..." he said with a smile. "Master wants you to go to the front hall. Second Master Lin is there too."
What is he doing here?
"Is it about breaking off the engagement?"
Uncle Sun nodded.
"no!"
I could hear my dad's angry voice before I even entered the door.
Upon entering, one sees Lin Ruixuan in a blue robe, indeed a presentable figure, highlighting his extraordinary handsomeness and elegant demeanor.
"Uncle Liu, I've come today simply to resolve this matter quietly," Lin Ruixuan said respectfully.
"Dad, what's the matter?" he asked with a smile as he stepped through the door.
"Yue'er, you've come." Liu Mengjun looked at her smiling daughter, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
"What were you talking about just now? Yue'er, it sounded quite lively!" She glanced at Lin Ruixuan indifferently.
Lin Ruixuan looked at the changed Liu Feiyue and said, "I just discussed the marriage with Uncle Liu. The Lin family has decided to compromise and take Miss Liu as a concubine."
"Impossible!" Liu Mengjun exclaimed angrily. "Absolutely impossible."
She sneered, "Does Miss Liu think that after what happened, anyone would still be willing to marry her?"
"Shouldn't I be grateful?" he said sarcastically. "It's really a wonder that Second Master Lin thinks so highly of me."
Lin Ruixuan understood what this meant for a woman and wasn't angry at Liu Feiyue's attitude. "Miss Liu, you can rest assured that I won't neglect you because of this. You have a status in the Lin family that is on par with Madam."
"Words are no proof; let's put something in writing first."
"Moon!!"
Lin Ruixuan almost agreed.
“I would never wrong my daughter like that. You can tell your father that I will not marry this daughter; I would rather raise her indefinitely,” Liu Mengjun said righteously.
“Father…” I never expected him to make this decision.
Lin Ruixuan was stunned for a moment.
“Meng Jun…”
"Mother..." The old lady has arrived.
"Grandmother," I greeted obediently.