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A long, long time ago, on an archipelago in the East Sea far from the mainland...
“Huh?” A few silver whiskers danced in the cool sea breeze. Song Shenwei stared incredulously at the person in front of him. “Ugly man?” His old eyes suddenly narrowed with killing intent. “You dare to call my young master ugly?!”
In the direction of the killing intent, the islander pulling in the nets shrugged indifferently: “You said it yourself, tall as a pine tree, a face like the moon, eyes like little birds, eyebrows like green worms.” The honest man ruffled his messy hair, his eyes full of sincerity. “Believe me, if I had ever seen someone so distinctively ugly, I would definitely remember him.”
“You... you... you!” Within inches, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Old Song darted forward in a horse stance, appearing before the man. “My young master is as solemn as a green pine, as clear as moonlight, with phoenix eyes and silkworm-like eyebrows.”
With each description, the honest man mentally drew a picture. Finally, he blinked his brown eyes and spoke very seriously: “Old man.”
“You remember him?” Old Song faced a pair of expectant eyes.
“Are you sure you’re looking for a human being?”
Within inches, a fierce wind rose to the sky, and the sea waves lost their color.
“Dad!”
Song Baolin used all his might to embrace the red-eyed Old Song: “Dad, have you forgotten the lesson from half a year ago? You scared people like this when searching on Star Island. If Xiao Er hadn’t thought of jumping ship to save himself, he might not have survived.”
“Yes, Dad.” Song Xiao Er stepped forward, blocking Old Song’s fiery gaze, which was comparable to a ten-shot crossbow. “This isn’t Divine Kun after all; if you use literary phrases, others won’t understand.” As he spoke, he waved to the islander behind him, motioning for the troublesome fellow to quickly respond.
But who would have thought...
“I understand,” the honest man spoke honestly again, almost making Xiao Er tear his hair out. “I’m the best at speaking Divine Kun on the island.” The man patted his chest, an annoying smile threatening to ignite Old Song like a firecracker. Then he gestured as he continued, “A phoenix is a small bird with a very long tail, and isn’t a silkworm just a fat, disgusting green worm?”
Xiao Er slowly caught his breath, revealing an “I knew it” expression.
“Young man, it was my mistake,” Old Song suppressed his anger and shook his head helplessly. “How about this, I’ll tell you about my young master’s personality again. This time, there will be no mistake.”
He pulled the honest man closer, and their eyes met. Amidst Da Bao and Xiao Er’s eager anticipation, Old Song slowly began to narrate.
“Speaking of my young master, he truly is a young master with the best temperament.”
Lying...
Liar!
“In all these years, this old man has never heard him utter a harsh word.”
Da Bao and Xiao Er exchanged glances, rendered speechless.
That’s because Young Master is too lazy to talk...
“My young master is not only good to people, but he treats all living things with gentleness. For example, when he was seven, to save an injured little bird, he disregarded his own safety and climbed up a big tree during a stormy rain.”
“Oh! How kind-hearted!”
The islander’s enthusiastic response stimulated Old Song’s already powerful salivary glands.
“We in Divine Kun have a saying: ‘At three, you see their old age.’ So we should really start from when he was a little child. Back then...”
Thus, it became uncontrollable.
“Young Master only saved that blackbird to use its eggs as medicine.”
“And that pot of golden chrysanthemums was kicked away by Young Master because it was in the way. Who knew the original spot was struck by lightning?”
The two brothers brought up old grievances, their frustration so thick in their hearts that it finally turned into a question.
Is this really the truth in Father’s eyes?
“Sigh.”
They sighed simultaneously.
No wonder they had been searching for Young Master for over a year and still couldn’t find him. It turned out it was all caused by “truth.”
“Uncle.”
A tender child’s voice sounded, like a clear breeze dispelling the droning old voice. The brothers’ gaze slowly descended, seeing a small figure standing in the dazzling sunlight. This child’s skin was not as dark as the islanders’, and if not for those deep red pupils, he would be a spitting image of a Divine Kun baby.
“Are you looking for someone, Uncle?”
Xiao Er rubbed his eyes. How was this child’s smile so familiar?
“Yes,” Da Bao, however, was not as cautious as his younger brother. “Little one, have you seen a man who looks like us? He’s quite tall, inspires awe at first glance, like a celestial being, a great hero.”
So that’s how my brother sees Young Master.
Glancing at his elder brother, Xiao Er added: “Just being near this man, even on a hot day, you’d feel like it was the dead of winter.”
The little boy’s cat-like eyes blinked, and he stood there, surveying the old man and the two young men from head to toe.
That’s right! Those eyes are clearly!
Xiao Er was about to speak when he heard...
“Are you from Shuiyue Capital?”
Struck by overwhelming happiness, the father and two sons froze in place.
“Wrong?” The little one glanced at the “stone statues” and slowly turned away. “An old hen, a sturdy piece of wood, and a smiling tiger—it’s clearly just as Daddy said, how can it be wrong?”
Sturdy piece of wood?
Smiling tiger?
Daddy?
All three came to their senses simultaneously, but clearly, their focus points were different.
Feng, Wu, Yu!
With a sly smile, Xiao Er was about to grab the little fellow when an old figure swept past him like a hurricane.
“Little... little... Young Master!” A choked sob was followed by a deafening cry, “My Lord, Miss, Son-in-law, Shenwei has finally not failed you! Young Master finally has an heir!”
“Dad! Let go! Young Master is about to be smothered to death by you!”
“Dad, Big Brother, calm down! This child, no matter how small, is at least five years old. How could he be Young Master’s child?!”
And these eyebrows, this expression, they’re clearly from the ‘Alpha Wolf’s’ family!
________________________________________
The cool seawater spread out in layers, wave after wave washing away the footprints on the beach. Three adults followed behind the small child, who barely reached their waists, their cautious demeanor truly unbearable to witness.
“Sigh.”
The old man sighed for the 101st time, and his honest eldest son frowned once again.
“Sigh.”
The 102nd time.
“Dad, please stop sighing,” Xiao Er glared at his dense father and brother, looking worriedly at the little child who was half-smothered but still “kindly” leading them.
Like father, like son, indeed. This “kindness” had lasted for an hour. If he wasn’t mistaken, they had already passed this fishing village for the second time.
Thinking of this, a grim arc appeared at the corner of Xiao Er’s mouth: “Little Feng, where are you taking us?”
His small hands swayed, his small legs bounced, and the little child tilted his head slightly, revealing tiny teeth beneath his curved red lips.
Eight of them, no more, no less.
“To find Auntie,” his dark red eyes unintentionally glanced at the bitter old face behind Xiao Er. “Grandpa, am I right?”
That glance was like a sharp knife, swift, precise, and ruthless, piercing directly into Old Song’s heart.
Why couldn’t he be Young Master’s child?
His wrinkled face quickly crumpled as if he had eaten a sour plum, and his frustration turned into resentment, bursting forth.
“Sigh.”
The 104th time.
Calculating mentally, Xiao Er squinted at the “innocent” little child. This child always picked on the softest targets; his cunning was no less than his father’s. It seemed he couldn’t go easy on him. He stepped forward, about to grab him, when the little child retreated one step ahead of him.
“Wow, the aunties who went digging for seafood are back. I’ll go ask them where Mom and Auntie are.”
With that, he happily ran towards the distance.
So lively, too bad he’s not Young Master’s.
Old Song thought so.
So lively, definitely not Young Master’s.
Song Dabao suddenly realized.
Feigning liveliness to escape. He almost caught that brat.
Song Xiao Er was quite annoyed.
Daddy says a man who doesn’t avenge a grievance isn’t a man.
His small hand touched his shoulder, which was already bruised from being squeezed. A hint of slyness flashed across his innocent face.
He, Xiaoxiao, was both a man and a filial son; he naturally had to obey his elders’ words.
And so, the little child slipped into the crowd of women returning from digging for seafood, slowly searching for someone.
Half an hour later...
“What?” Xiao Er squinted, wishing he could strangle the little brat in front of him. “You made us walk for over two hours, and it turns out they’ve already gone back?”
“Mom and Auntie went digging for seafood early this morning. They should be back with the aunties by this time. Xiaoxiao didn’t expect... didn’t expect...”
The little one lowered his eyelashes slightly, his tearful expression making the “three aunts and six grannies” burst forth with maternal instincts.
“Bullying a little child, aren’t you ashamed, a grown man!”
“Xiaoxiao, don’t be afraid, Auntie will teach him a lesson for you!”
Hmph, trying a trick to gain sympathy? He should know who Song Xiao Er is!
“Aunties, please don’t make trouble for Uncle. It’s all Xiaoxiao’s fault, it’s Xiaoxiao...”
Hey, hey, hey, why is this kid sniffing? He’s acting as if he’s really being bullied.
“Xiao Er, apologize.”
“Big Brother, don’t be fooled by this brat!”
“Brat, are you saying I’m also blind?”
Hearing this, Xiao Er wanted to cry without tears. It was bad enough that Big Brother was a blockhead, but now even Dad was joining in?
Another half an hour...
To think that he, Song Xiao Er, brilliant throughout his life, having navigated officialdom, was today outsmarted by a little brat.
Looking at the child, who was surrounded like a star by the moon, Song Baoyan was so angry he almost spat blood.
A bane, truly.
“Xiaoxiao, are these your relatives?” A dark-skinned, well-built village woman asked, glancing at the father-son trio behind him.
“Mm, they’re from my Auntie’s husband’s family.”
As the words fell, Old Song and Song Dabao proudly raised their heads. Only Xiao Er secretly picked at his ear.
Why did the words “Auntie’s husband” sound so exceptionally loud, exceptionally strange, exceptionally... ominous?
“Hmph.”
“So they’re his relatives.”
The women’s scornful gazes pierced them like sharp swords.
Before his own father could explode, Xiao Er clasped his hands and bowed, saying, “May I ask...”
“Indeed, birds of a feather flock together.”
“Exactly. No wonder we don’t like them. So they’re relatives of that freeloader.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Old Song stammered like a hen. “Free... free... free...”
“Freeloader?!”
Da Bao roared out his father’s inner thoughts. The father and two sons stared at each other as if they had seen a ghost.
Their Young Master?
“Of course! Poor little sister Feng married a cold-faced wolf!”
“You think about it, in the past year, what has the young lady not done? Weaving nets, gathering shells, making clothes, teaching. What about her man? Have you ever seen him fish once?”
“Fishing? Her man is stuck in the mountains every day. If he wasn’t afraid of the young lady running away from his abuse, why would he come digging for seafood today?”
“Oh, Auntie’s husband came too?” His dark red eyes sparkled. Xiaoxiao asked with great interest.
“Hmph, yes, he came. At that time, your Auntie was pearl-diving with us. When she came ashore, she saw your Auntie’s husband standing there with a cold face.”
Before Auntie One could finish, Auntie Two indignantly chimed in: “Your Auntie just didn’t find a big pearl, so that freeloader had to smother her with a cotton coat?!”
Smothered?
The Song family father and sons grew more and more confused, and they collectively asked the little brat:
“Are you sure the person we’re looking for and the person they’re talking about are the same?”
________________________________________
Misty waves like a dream paint cloud sails, spring dyes the emerald water reflecting bamboo boats.
May I ask for whom the heart of the waves yearns, only to say the east wind stirs the ripples of emotion.
The wind passed through the mountain mists, swept over the quiet lake, carrying a faint sea scent into the wooden window, bringing a touch of coolness to the small courtyard.
Her wet hair draped over her shoulders. Lazily lying on the bamboo bed, she fanned her long eyelashes, almost intoxicated by the spring afternoon.
“Qingqing.” Half-asleep, a familiar soft call.
She opened her eyes, meeting a pair of phoenix eyes that curved with spring-like warmth. Obediently, she sat up and took the bowl of herbal medicine, which was daunting to look at and nauseating to smell, carefully taking a sip.
It was truly bitter. No wonder the villagers mistakenly thought it was poison.
That... could she not drink it?
Her mouth twitched bitterly, and she looked with a hopeful glance, only to meet his resentful eyes. His gaze was like a deep, secluded pool, filled with the melancholy of late spring, holding her captive, making her heart ache.
Alas, just as her senior sister said, she was pathetically, utterly captivated by her husband.
She rubbed her nose, resignedly drank the bitter medicine, and then looked up.
“More?”
Another bowl was placed before her.
“Xiuyuan...” She slumped her shoulders.
“The seawater is cold,” he said, his words few but logical, as always.
“I have a winter coat on,” she said, pulling her cotton jacket tighter, struggling desperately.
“Qingqing.” He gazed at her unblinkingly, his handsome long eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Your body is already unwell.”
That heartbroken gaze made her momentarily stunned.
She had thought her body would recover with rest, but she hadn’t realized that while her physical wounds could heal, the scars on his heart were hard to erase.
Taking the medicine bowl, her eyes grew warm, but a faint smile played on her lips.
If it could ease the pain in his heart, what was a little bitterness?
She tilted her head back and drank it all in one go.
“Xiuyuan.” Nestled on the bamboo bed, she buried her face in his clothes. The faint scent of herbs made her feel a little dizzy. “I won’t go pearl diving again.”
She purred like a kitten, and the hand gently stroking her light hair paused slightly.
“Qingqing.”
“I know you’re not angry at me for going digging for seafood; I understand.”
“Mm.” His long arm gently tightened, pulling her closer.
Unexpectedly, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist: “Xiuyuan, thank you.”
“Qingqing?”
“Thank you for waiting, thank you for your...”
The person in his arms leaned closer and closer, her words growing fainter, but he was certain he heard that word—that word they had never spoken but which was always present.
A slight upturn of his lips betrayed his good mood. He lowered his head, his warm breath caressing her neck.
“Me too.”
Three words dyed her delicate white earlobes red. She tilted her head slightly, resting it against his heartbeat. Mottled bamboo shadows, cast through the painted window, fell upon the two embracing in sleep.
Whispers by the window, flowing clouds in the painting, a secluded courtyard deep in the mountains, with a clear zither playing.
Listen, soulmates.
Warm wetness soaked his clothes.
“Qingqing?” He panicked, trying to sit up.
“Xiuyuan, is all of this real?” Her voice was a little hoarse.
His eyes filled with tenderness, he held her tightly: “Of course it’s real.”
The suppressed sobs in his embrace turned into soft whimpers, and the tear stains on his clothes instantly spread.
He knew his wife rarely cried. Many times at night, she was tormented by nightmares, reliving her childhood experiences over and over. Even with moist eyes, she always held back that tear, refusing to let it fall.
But now, she finally no longer held back.
Cry, Qingqing, cry his tears too.
For a long, long time, those deep moisture stains remained on his gray tunic, turning into a rich, deep ink color.
“Feeling better?” He gently wiped the coolness from her cheek and asked softly.
“Mm.” Her voice thick with a nasal tone, she rubbed against him, then changed her mind, “Uh, no.”
“Mm?”
“I was wondering what I really like?” Sensing the man’s displeasure beside her, she quickly added, “I mean interests, not people.”
“Mm.” The head of the household felt a little relieved.
“Xiuyuan likes studying medicine, so he can stay in the mountains completely absorbed.”
His phoenix eyes looked at her with a smile.
“Ah, I’m not jealous.”
As the words left her lips, the head of the household smiled even deeper.
“Okay, I admit it’s a little bit, just a little bit.” She turned over, her slightly red earlobes betraying her shyness. “The highest and furthest is the bright moon, the closest and most distant are husband and wife—this saying, though a bit willful, has some truth to it. Xiuyuan has his hobbies, and I should also have my own world, so that there’s a distance between us yet we still attract each other. That’s how it should be.”
“Mm.”
If she only lived under his wing, she wouldn’t be his wife.
“When I was young, I practiced martial arts for my family. Later, I became an official for my family. Although I learned and did both, they were forced upon me,” she turned to him, her eyes full of confusion. “What is my real interest? Weaving nets? No... Gathering shells? No... Teaching? “ She listed the things she had tried for over a year, denying each one as she spoke. “Sigh, none of them,” she sighed in frustration.
“Then keep trying.”
“Mm?” She slightly composed herself.
“I will accompany you and keep searching,” he said, tenderly kissing her eyes and eyebrows. “If there’s nothing on the island, we’ll go out to sea to search. One day, Qingqing will find her own world.”
She would cry and laugh, and be dissatisfied with her lack of hobbies. Such vividness meant it wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t a dream.
He kissed her so carefully, as if she would shatter if he used too much force. Such kisses made her heart ache.
“Xiuyuan...”
“Qingqing, will you stay with me until we’re old?”
Feeling his slight tremor, she turned and sat up, gazing at the hopeful phoenix eyes beneath her. Tears streamed down her face.
“Yes,” she said, kissing him with all her might. “Yes...”
The wind gently blew, turning into beautiful whispers on the leaves. Spring deepened in the quiet courtyard.
Suddenly...
“Young Master!”
The voice arrived before the person. The courtyard gate was kicked open with a loud thud. Almost simultaneously, the man on the bamboo bed instantly wrapped his wife up tightly.
Awkward, and also...
If he, Song Shenwei, wasn’t suffering from blurred vision due to old age, that shocking glimpse just now... he saw... the one pinned down was... was... was Young Master? No, no, no, it must have been his old eyes blurring! Yes! It must have been his old eyes blurring!
Xiao Er was right, one shouldn’t be too impulsive. Now look, his impulsiveness broke Young Master’s wooden door, and coincidentally interrupted Young Master’s “impulsiveness”...
“Dad, Big Brother, we’ve been framed by that little devil,” Xiao Er concluded calmly. “And also.” He swallowed, looking tremblingly at the certain person rumored to be a freeloader.
“Young Master is very, very, very angry.”
________________________________________
A dark moon and high winds, a night for murder. If others don’t kill me, I’ll kill them.
Looking at his father, who hesitated for a long time outside the main house, not daring to knock on the door, Da Bao was puzzled: “Xiao Er, what do you think Dad is going to do?”
“Die.”
“Indeed, Young Master’s anger hasn’t subsided,” Da Bao sighed, then looked down, seeing his brother’s actions, and was puzzled again. “Xiao Er, what are you sharpening your knife for?”
“Murder.”
“Huh?”
Holding up the gleaming saber, Xiao Er smiled savagely: “I’m going to take someone down with me before Young Master freezes me to death.”
Da Bao, peering through the window, exclaimed: “Hey, the little kid from this morning!”
“Where?” The saber stood upright.
Hmph, hmph, there’s a path to heaven, but you didn’t take it. There’s no gate to hell, but you’ve barged in!
“Uncle.”
Xiao Er was a little stiff; the voice seemed to be right behind him.
“Uncle, have you seen my little Fourth?”
Huh? There’s another one?
...Go in, don’t go in, go in, don’t go in, go in.
After counting the last section of bamboo, Old Song bowed his head in resignation. He might as well go in. He’d admit his mistake to Young Master and explain that because his two sons were pushing in front of him, he unfortunately caught a glimpse of Madam’s jade arm.
Jade... jade arm, ah.
He looked up at the moon, then found a longer bamboo stalk than the previous one, and began his great task of counting bamboo sections.
Go in, don’t go in, go in, don’t go in...
“Mama.”
“...Go in, don’t go in, don’t go in?”
“Mama.”
Hm?
The old man lowered his face and saw a small toddler, barely knee-high, pitifully circling the main house.
“Whose child is this?” The old man squatted down. “And a boy, too.”
“Mama.” The toddler blinked, his amber eyes clouded with a mist of tears, making him look utterly heartbroken.
The old man followed the child’s gaze. Wasn’t that Madam’s graceful figure? “That, Mama?”
“Mm!” The little face was serious, nodding fiercely.
With a whoosh, sparks flew in his heart. His lips trembled with excitement, and the old man knelt halfway, crouching down to eye level with the child: “She, your Mama?” He pointed at the two shadows on the window. “He, your Daddy?”
“Mm! Mama!”
The sparks burned and burned, finally becoming a warm fire in his heart. The old man hugged the little toddler as if he were a treasure. What hesitation, what bamboo sections? Are there parents who do this? Letting their little master roam the mountains like a sheep! Little master, don’t be afraid. No matter how cold-faced Young Master is, Old Song will help you get justice today!
No sooner said than done, the old man holding the child, filled with righteous indignation, kicked open the door of the main house with a mighty foot.
Before he could utter the reproaches he was brimming with, he heard a surprised child’s voice from behind him: “Xiao Si?!”
His momentum was halved. The old man turned around. Wasn’t this the little child from this morning?
By his tone, was he calling his little master? It wasn’t what he said. Young Master and Madam have read many books, so why did they give their little master such a name?
Xiao Si won’t do; it lacks presence. At the very least, he should be called something like “Governing the Nation” or “Bringing Peace to the World.”
“Hey, Xiao Si, how did you get here?”
Nonsense. This is his home. If he doesn’t come back here, where would he live, in the mountains?
The old man nervously hugged the toddler.
“Xiaoxiao, eh? Uncle Song, why are you holding Xiao Si?” A gentle female voice came from inside the door.
Right, right, right, there was still important business to attend to. Old Song straightened his expression and turned to begin speaking.
“Did Xiao Si come to find Auntie?” The gentle female voice directly hit the old man’s face.
What? He didn’t hear clearly. Hm, he must not have heard clearly.
Not hearing clearly didn’t matter. The mistress of the house then said: “Does Xiao Si want to sleep with Auntie?”
Auntie... Auntie... Auntie...
These two words echoed in the old man’s ears like a curse.
“No trouble for Auntie,” sensing his Auntie’s husband’s displeasure, Xiaoxiao reached out and picked up his little brother. “It’s late. I’ll take Xiao Si back first, and we’ll see Auntie and Auntie’s husband tomorrow.”
“Mm.” The master of the house nodded, embracing his wife.
“Thank you, Grandpa Song.” Xiaoxiao led Xiao Si in a bow to Old Song. Then, just as he was about to exit the courtyard gate, he suddenly turned back as if remembering something, a pure smile on his face. “Ah, I forgot to tell Grandpa Song, my Xiao Si is only one year old, and the only word he can say is ‘Mama’.”
With a thud, Old Song fell straight to the ground.
Under the moonlight, two figures, one large and one small, were stretched long.
“A child who doesn’t take fierce revenge isn’t a child, Xiao Si, do you remember?”
“Mama.”
This...
This is the so-called truth.
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