Une jeunesse errante

Chapitre 179

Kiyomi Tsuki thought to herself: "Wow, how terrifying! No wonder she's the mother of the Grand Enforcer and the handsome older brother. But then again, Lu Yan is really selfish. At first, out of fear, he desperately pressured the old lady to abort the child; later, fearing she wouldn't hand the child over, he stole it. Sigh, the old lady's love for the Lu brothers, Lu Ji and Lu Yan, is truly the worst luck imaginable. No matter how Lu Yan dies in the future, I will never pity him again."

"Of course, there was also a pitiful mother, Madam Yan. She didn't know her child was dead because Lu Yan had lied to her, saying the child was unwell and had been sent to a faraway place for treatment. Madam Yan cried all day because she couldn't see her child, and eventually fell ill. When Lu Yan gave Qingfeng to her, she thought Qingfeng was her own child, so she loved her dearly. In her heart, Qingfeng was her own." Madam Cai continued, "But how could the child's true biological mother bear to have her child call someone else 'mother'? Fengxian wanted Qingfeng back several times, wanting to take care of Qingfeng as her aunt, but Madam Yan refused to agree even at the cost of her life."

Kiyoshi thought to herself: So that's how it is. The two women turned against each other first because of a man, and then because of a child. People say women are trouble, but in my opinion, men are even more terrifying when they become trouble.

For Qingfeng, all of this was utterly unbearable. Why did this happen? He felt suffocated, like a fish out of water, his chest tight with a feeling of impending doom. Who could tell him why things had turned out this way?

Lijiang gently embraced his trembling body from behind. As if drowning and grasping at a straw, Qingfeng suddenly turned and hugged her tightly. Lijiang softly stroked his back, silently comforting him.

Lu Qingcheng walked over and sat down beside the couch, reaching out to hug her mother.

Madam Lu trembled and said bitterly, "I'm sorry."

Lu Qingcheng hugged her mother tightly and said softly, "Do you remember? One night, you held my hand and let me touch your swollen belly. You smiled and said, 'There's a little brother here.'"

Madam Lu asked in surprise, "You still remember?"

“How could I forget? That night, you held me close, letting me touch your belly. Your face was full of smiles, so kind and happy, you looked as beautiful as a fairy from heaven. Seeing you so happy made me very happy too.” Lu Qingcheng smiled bitterly, “Actually, I once hated Madam Yan just like my mother did. If it weren’t for her, Uncle Yan would definitely be my father. If it weren’t for Madam Yan, Uncle Yan, Mother, Qingfeng, and I, the four of us would definitely be very, very happy.”

Madam Lu's eyes widened in astonishment, while Qingfeng was shocked.

“It’s all in the past.” Lu Qingcheng said gently, “Mother, forget about it. Uncle Yan is dead, and Madam Yan is gone too. Let everything fade away. From now on, Qingfeng and I will always be with you.”

"Qing, Qingcheng, my son..."

Mrs. Lu was sobbing uncontrollably in her son's arms.

Qingfeng asked incredulously, "You...you knew all along?"

Lu Qingcheng scolded, "Idiot. Whether you want to admit it or not, in my mother's and my hearts, you will always be our most beloved family member."

A sudden heat rose in Qingfeng's chest, tears welled up in her eyes, and a fishbone stuck in her throat.

The room suddenly became so quiet. Outside the window was the sound of the wind, and inside was the popping sound of the candle flame. Everyone silently watched the mother and her two children, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Lijiang took out a handkerchief and handed it to Qingfeng. This action reminded Qingjian Yue of something, and she suddenly shouted, "Lijiang!"

"Huh?" Lijiang's face paled. "W-what are you doing?"

“That old bastard Lu Ji, ah, no, that old thing, oh no, anyway, he’s still alive, isn’t he?” Qing Jianyue glared with wide, bright eyes, her anger barely contained.

"I thought something serious had happened! You really scared me to death." Lijiang patted her breasts lightly, clearly annoyed.

"Answer me quickly!" Kiyomi Tsukimi resembled an angry kitten. "Is he still alive?"

Lijiang nodded and said, "Yes."

"If you were alive, why did you lie to me that you were dead? You even put on such a show for me, making me cry so many tears. How despicable!" Qing Jianyue gritted her teeth.

"There's nothing I can do. It's your fault for not wanting to accept the mission," Lijiang said nonchalantly. "I have no choice but to use this tactic of feigning distress to gain your sympathy."

Kiyomi Tsuki angrily retorted, "You vixen, you knew all along, why didn't you tell me?"

Lijiang smiled and said, "Cousin, let me tell you. I came here without hesitation for Qingfeng. But Jianyue is as stubborn as an ox, and she would rather die than come to Lu Family Fort. If it weren't for the fact that Old Master Lu, the Great Witch, the Holy Father, and the Holy Mother all put on a show for him, he would definitely be living a carefree life in Yunnan right now. Otherwise, he would definitely have gone to Tianlong Fort and become someone else's wife."

Lu Qingcheng's face darkened. "Another person?"

Qingjian Yue roared in exasperation, "Lijiang, you vixen, don't talk nonsense!"

Lu Qingcheng said in a gloomy tone, "Another person? Who is this person?"

Wow! He actually believed it.

Qing Jianyue broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "Nothing of the sort, nothing of the sort, don't listen to her nonsense. Oh, and there's one more thing." To divert attention, Qing Jianyue immediately added, "Madam, since you no longer think about that old bastard Lu Ji, why did you send someone to provoke him?"

"Because I can never forget that night on our wedding night, when he loudly mocked me, saying that I married him only to become the wife of the Lu family in Lujiabao. So, I can't swallow this insult. I want to force him to come back, even if I don't care about him anymore, I still want to tell him." The angry light in Old Madam Lu's eyes suddenly turned into tenderness.

Kiyomi Tsuki thought to herself: No way.

"Am I stupid? Hahaha, I'm so stupid. Haha, hahaha..." Old Madam Lu burst into laughter, and in her laughter, the tears on her face shimmered with a sorrowful light under the lamplight...

It was already dawn when they emerged from Yixin Garden. Cai Bo'an, Su Haibo, Lin Feng, Liu Xicheng, He Zhiqiang, Zhou Peng, Zhou Jie, Steward Du, Du Ping, and Lei Yongxiang, who had accompanied Lu Qingcheng back, were waiting outside the gate. Lu Qingcheng, Qingfeng, and Cai Zhonghe came out, and they quickly went to greet them.

Lu Qingcheng nodded, "To the council hall."

Qing Jianyue covered his mouth and let out a long yawn, tears welling up like flowers. He raised his hand to wipe them with his sleeve, but Lu Qingcheng reached out and grabbed his wrist. Qing Jianyue was startled and looked up.

Lu Qingcheng took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on his face and said softly, "You're exhausted, go back to the Ice Garden and get some sleep." Suddenly, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

Kiyomi Tsuki stood there dumbfounded, like a wooden chicken. A mischievous laugh from Lijiang rang out, and Kiyomi Tsuki's face flushed red, her head practically steaming. "What's so funny?"

His shout only made things worse; Lijiang laughed even more unrestrainedly. Everyone present looked at him with beaming smiles.

Kiyoshi was both ashamed and angry, and glared fiercely at the perpetrator.

Lu Qingcheng acted as if nothing was wrong, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll handle the rest. You should go back and rest."

Having said that, he strode away. In the morning light, his imposing figure, surrounded by the crowd, appeared so tall, so majestic, so reliable, as if he were a pillar supporting the heavens. As long as he was there, even if the sky were to fall, there was nothing to fear.

Kiyomi Tsuki silently watched his receding figure, a pure, innocent, and deeply affectionate smile spreading across her face.

I didn't expect him to return so quickly. But it's good that he's back. The matter between the old lady and Qingfeng is finally resolved. It's truly unbelievable how drastically his attitude towards his mother has changed. Who influenced him?

Two gazes shot onto Qing Jianyue's face from not far away, so sharp, so focused, so cold, so disgusted. Qing Jianyue subconsciously looked over and saw Xu Lan, dressed in black robes, leaning against a pillar with his sword in his arms, and Xu Yun standing beside him.

Kiyoshi thought to herself: It's Xu Lan. It seems he's alright now. The Grand Enforcer didn't get anything out of him, which makes sense. How could someone as meticulous, intelligent, and unfathomable as him easily give anyone ammunition against him?

"Young master, let's go back."