CHAPTER 799: CHAPTER 798: THE SELF-INFLATED OLD WU

Fu Gui had not expected that her errand to gather information would go so smoothly, and it was only because they had been waiting in that place that she could inquire in such detail.

The woman, not only was she unmarried, but she had also given birth to a daughter for the master, the two of them dependent on each other, enduring disdain and living day to day until last year when their lives took a dramatic turn.

If Madam Zhou were here, she would probably faint from excitement, for the refined man before her eyes was none other than her lover of fifteen years, Wu Lihong, to whom she had pledged her life in secret.

Wu Lihong himself had never imagined that the gentle woman would actually wait for him for fifteen years.

Back then, his intention was not to deceive by marriage. As a young man admiring beauty, he truly had affection for Zhou Yingmei; however, that year he received news of his grandfather’s critical illness and hurried back home.

Upon rushing back, his grandfather was still waiting for him, his life hanging by a thread with the aid of hundred-year-old ginseng, eager to drink a cup of tea from his grandson’s bride and thinking of bringing joy to fend off the bad luck. The family had already arranged a marriage for him, and he was hastily wed.

At that time, Wu Lihong was bewildered, muddled through the wedding ceremony, and upon facing the shy and charming face of his new bride, he forgot everything else.

Just three days after the marriage, the Wu Family replaced the red lanterns with white ones for mourning; Old Grand Master Wu’s funeral was even more grandiose than the wedding. It was only when everything settled down that he realized what he had done.

But he said nothing, nor dared to speak, especially in front of his delicate wife.

He thought to himself, by the time he returned, Mei Niang would have married someone else.

Yet his presumption did not align with reality, for Mei Niang had been waiting for him all along.

A sense of satisfaction and pride welled up within him; such a devoted woman waiting for him, her deep affection for me—every man would feel an inflated sense of vanity and fulfillment, so he became puffed up with pride.

After indulging in his fantasies, Wu Lihong then remembered Zhou Yingmei struggling to raise her daughter and began to feel a twinge of guilt.

"How is she now? Where did you say she was?" Wu Lihong inquired again.

Fu Gui furrowed her brows, sensing that the master intended to go looking for someone.

"Master, how well can a woman who had a child out of wedlock be doing? I heard her previous days were extremely tough, and it was only last year that her situation started to improve," she thought of the news from the village and frowned.

"Speak quickly, tell me in detail, what happened exactly?" Wu Lihong urged.

Fu Gui sighed and told him all the information she had gathered, reasoning that even if she kept silent, the master would eventually find out if he truly sought the person.

After listening to the plight of the mother and daughter, Wu Lihong’s eyes moistened, and he whispered in sorrow, "It’s my fault, I let her down. I never expected, truly never expected this."

"Master, I have heard that this girl has a bad temper," Fu Gui hesitated then said.

Wu Lihong frowned and responded, "Having grown up without a father, how good could her temper be? In Huayang County, where do they live?"

"This servant does not know, for fear that the Zhou family might recognize me, I dared not ask. I only inquired with the villagers. But even the villagers only know that they moved to Huayang County."

"What’s there to fear about asking?" Wu Lihong glared, but considering his own actions, he felt somewhat guilty. If he really went to ask, he was likely to be slashed by the people from the Old Zhou family.

"What are your plans, Master?"

"What kind of nonsense question is that? Now that I know Mei Niang and her daughter are waiting for me, I can’t just ignore them, knowing and not acknowledging them, would that be human?" Wu Lihong snorted, "You go again, no matter what, you must find out where they are."