CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 276: REVENGE ISN’T THAT EASY

On the day of the appointment, Zhao Ting insisted on going along.

Meng Yao couldn’t argue with him and had to let him come.

Fortunately, the invitation didn’t state that she had to go alone.

These past few days, Qi Yunye had been inquiring around and already knew that Meng Yao was Zhao Ting’s wife.

At the same time, he also dug up quite a bit about Zhao Ting’s past, but still didn’t know when they got married.

"Madam Zhao, General Zhao, please." Qi Yunye was very courteous, "The workshop of Yun Bin Sheng Xiang is just behind the shop. Madam Zhao, General Zhao, please follow me."

There were seven or eight craftsmen, all focused on their work.

"These are all the masters of my Yun Bin Sheng Xiang. Any one of them can hold up an entire jewelry shop." Qi Yunye said with some pride, "They were all trained by my grandfather. By the way, the Xiangyun hairpin you bought, Madam Zhao, was crafted by my grandfather. As it happens, he is here today too, Madam Zhao. Didn’t you mention last time that you wanted to meet him?"

Meng Yao instinctively felt that it wasn’t by chance, but on purpose.

Even inviting her here was on purpose.

"Alright, I’ll meet him." Meng Yao agreed.

Qi Yunye led Zhao Ting and Meng Yao to a secluded courtyard, where there was a pavilion, and in it sat an elderly man with gray hair and beard.

From a distance, upon seeing Meng Yao, he immediately stood up.

The resemblance, it was truly uncanny.

She was the spitting image of his daughter when she was young.

Qi Yunye quickly walked a few steps forward, reached the elderly man’s side, and gently supported him, "Grandfather, this is Madam Zhao who bought the Xiangyun hairpin, and this is General Zhao."

"Are they married?" the elderly man asked instinctively.

This question made the situation a bit awkward.

"Madam Zhao, please forgive him, old age makes him more like a child," Qi Yunye quickly explained.

Meng Yao smiled, indicating she didn’t mind.

"Does your name contain the character ’Yao’?" the elderly man asked again.

Meng Yao nodded, "Yes, because of that, I chose the Xiangyun hairpin engraved with the character ’Yao’."

"You have children now, good, good, good," the elderly man said shakily.

Zhao Ting discreetly tugged on Meng Yao’s sleeve; this old man was quite strange. Who asks such questions upon a first meeting?

"We’ve seen what we came to see. I promised mother to return to the State today. Shall we leave?" Zhao Ting suggested.

"Wait, wait, don’t hurry," the elderly man was a little anxious, "stay a bit longer, stay a bit longer."

"Grandfather, just speak frankly," Qi Yunye said, "Madam Zhao, you look so much like my aunt. Look."

Qi Yunye directly unfurled a scroll, "Take a look, Madam Zhao, you will understand."

Zhao Ting’s eyes widened, at first glance, he could’ve sworn it was a portrait of Meng Yao.

"My aunt was murdered over thirty years ago with my uncle near Qingzhou Prefecture," Qi Yunye said, "We found their bodies, but we didn’t find the daughter, who was a newborn at the time. Since my aunt and uncle were found in the mountains, we thought their daughter was carried off by beasts."

Meng Yao’s expression didn’t show any panic.

"So, what do you mean to say? That I’m your aunt’s daughter?"

"Madam Zhao is from Qingzhou Prefecture, and her age matches. Most importantly, you resemble my aunt so much," Qi Yunye said, "My aunt’s daughter also had the character ’Yao’ in her name."

"In this world, although not many, there are indeed people who resemble one another," Meng Yao replied.

"Child, I understand how astonishing this must sound. To anyone else, it would seem incredible. But looking at you, I have the feeling I’m seeing my daughter," the old man said.

"Other than resemblance, do you have any evidence?" Meng Yao asked.

"When my granddaughter was born, I personally crafted a longevity lock and engraved her name on it," the old man said.

Qi Yunye pulled out his own lock, "It looks just like this, except mine is engraved with Qi Zi."

"I don’t know if my granddaughter was wearing the lock when she was taken, but when I later sorted through my daughter’s and son-in-law’s belongings, I couldn’t find that lock," the elderly man sighed.

The lock that Qi Yunye showed, except for the engraving, was identical to the one Meng Yao had.

She had always kept that lock in her system’s storage space.

Calmly, she took out the lock and handed it to the old man, "This lock was given to the family that raised me when I was handed over to them."

The old man took the lock with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face, "This is it, this is the one I crafted with my own hands. Yaoyao, I am your grandfather! I am your grandfather!"

Qi Yunye was also emotional. After all these years, they had long given up hope and accepted that his aunt’s child had fallen prey to wild beasts.

Now, seeing her standing here, how could they not be shocked?

"No wonder I took an instant liking to you; turns out, it’s an unbreakable bloodline connection," Qi Yunye murmured.

In comparison, Meng Yao remained much calmer.

Zhao Ting was a bit taken aback, as he was unaware that Meng Yao was adopted by the Meng Family.

"Grandfather," Meng Yao called, "take a few deep breaths to calm yourself. Let’s discuss it slowly, too much excitement can be harmful."

Qi Yunye quickly poured his grandfather a cup of tea and patted his back, "You promised me to control your emotions! You’re going back on your word. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let you meet sister Yao."

"I won’t get excited, I won’t get excited, I’ll take deep breaths, I’ll listen to Yaoyao," the old man stammered repeatedly.

After the elderly man calmed down, Meng Yao spoke, "I only found out this year that I wasn’t their daughter. I retrieved the lock after my elder sister told me. I never expected to find my family, just kept it as a token from my parents."

"Why did they die?" Meng Yao cautiously asked.

"They were hunted by your father’s enemies. Your father was an outsider," the old man seemed lost in memories, his tone light and slow.

After hearing the story, Meng Yao realized most of the circumstances regarding her biological parents.

Her biological father was the son of the Gelle tribe’s chief, and the so-called enemies were his own brothers.

They were hunted because her grandfather, the tribe’s chief, wished to pass the position to her father.

Her father’s brothers were dissatisfied and joined forces to hunt him down.

"So, should I avenge them?" Meng Yao asked slowly.

"That person is now the chief of the Gelle tribe and is currently subordinate to our Zhou Country," Meng Yao’s grandfather sighed.

In other words, revenge wouldn’t be easy.