CHAPTER 412: CHAPTER 380: SECOND UPDATE

After parting ways, Song Wei and his wife did not go anywhere else and went straight home.

Wen Wan used the excuse of feeling unwell to avoid going to Rong’an Hall to see her mother-in-law.

Fearing that Jinbao might be naughty and upset Wen Wan, Song Wei planned to take him to the study to practice calligraphy.

Just as he was about to leave, Wen Wan called out to him, "Husband, let Yun Cai take Jinbao to his mother. You stay with me and talk for a while."

Song Wei had no choice but to call Yun Cai over, hand their son to her, and ask her to take him to the old lady’s courtyard.

After Yun Cai left, Song Wei turned around to see Wen Wan half-leaning on the recliner, raising her arm to shield her eyes.

Before the man could speak, she spoke first, "What should I do? I feel like my brain is just a mess right now."

Song Wei didn’t say anything, instead he turned around and brought a basin of cold water, placing it on the basin stand, with a gentle tone that could ease her restlessness, "Come wash your face and clear your head."

Wen Wan listened, did not refuse, moved her arm away from her eyes, glanced at the man standing by the basin stand, then got up, rolled up her sleeves, bent down, and scooped up a large handful of water, splashing it on her face.

The well water, just drawn up in summer, was cold, and the icy touch helped Wen Wan’s mind regain some clarity.

Song Wei held a dry towel in his hand and was in no hurry to hand it to her, merely asking, "How do you feel?"

Wen Wan couldn’t quite put it into words.

Song Wei said, "If you don’t feel it, just wash a few more times."

Following his advice, Wen Wan continued splashing her face with water. The cold water trickled down her arms, soaking a large portion of her rolled-up sleeves before she stopped.

Seeing her unable to open her eyes due to the water, Song Wei stepped forward and gently pressed the dry towel he held onto her face to wipe away the droplets.

Wen Wan quietly opened a slit in her eyes. What she saw was the man’s slightly lean chin, carefully groomed before going out, without any stubble, looking mature and charming.

As someone who spent entire days with books as an Imperial Tutor, he inevitably carried a scent of ink and paper.

Having been married for six years, Wen Wan had grown used to this scent for as many years, yet every time she smelled it, it still evoked different feelings in her.

The large hands wiping her face were distinct at the joints, leading up to strong, broad shoulders.

Perceiving that Wen Wan was peeking, the man deliberately moved the towel to her brow bone, naturally blocking her view.

Wen Wan playfully bumped her head against his firm chest, speaking in a muffled voice, "Why did you make me wash my face for so long? What were you trying to do?"

Song Wei countered with a question, "Still not awake?"

Wen Wan chuckled to herself and replied, "I’m sleepy!"

Song Wei removed the towel, hung it on the hook by the basin stand, and looked at her, "I wanted you to wash the mess away, but it seems like you took it all in."

Song Wei didn’t joke often, but Wen Wan couldn’t help but laugh when he did, appreciating his rare humor.

Noticing the warmth in Song Wei’s eyes, Wen Wan took the initiative to embrace him, tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, and spoke, "Mr. Song, congratulations on marrying the biological daughter of the Eldest Princess and the Prince Consort. Don’t you feel surprised? Like being hit by a pie falling from the sky."

Song Wei thought for a moment and seriously replied, "I’ve never seen a pie fall from the sky, but I’ve been hit by a wine jar more than once. Aside from the pain, I didn’t feel any joy."

"..." Wen Wan was momentarily speechless, then nudged him again with her head, "Are you for real? I’m the one who’s unhappy, can’t you just play along and comfort me?"

Song Wei raised his hand, tucking her damp hair behind her ear, his voice low and warm, "You’re a mother at twenty-two, and you still need comforting?"

Wen Wan pouted, "Others may not comfort me, but you can’t shirk it. You’re my husband."

Catching the coquettish tone in his young wife’s voice, Song Wei gazed at her with even more affection.

After acting willful, Wen Wan returned to the main topic, "I just learned today that my background is such a story of struggle and anguish. The man I always thought was my real father turned out to be my adoptive father, and the godparents I later came to know are my biological parents.

I feel sorry for my adoptive father, yet I can’t blame my birth mother for what she did to him.

I find my biological father innocent and think that him finally having a child after all these years should make him happy and fulfilled.

I want to ask my birth mother why she ignored me for so many years, but thinking of her experiences makes me feel like I can’t be angry anymore.

I couldn’t find any reason to blame or question any of them.

In the end, I realized the most pitiful, the most innocent, the most deserving of sympathy, was myself."

Song Wei didn’t know much about the story between Fanghua, Lu Xingzhou, and Wen Guangping. He only knew that Wen Wan was the biological child of Lu Xingzhou and Fanghua, and Lu Yanqing was the child of Fanghua and Wen Guangping.

As for the details, from the information Wen Wan revealed, it wasn’t hard to guess that everyone in the story had their own stance, yet at the same time, they were all helpless.

Seeing the man not responding, Wen Wan continued, "Today by the Mirror Lake, I saw how tense they were about their youngest son. For a moment, I felt like an outsider, dispensable to them. I even felt that perhaps I shouldn’t acknowledge this relationship."

Seeing the young girl getting more and more off track, Song Wei had to correct her, "When you’re not looking, they might still care about you. It’s just that compared to you at twenty-two, Yan Li at two years old needs more parental care. Your brother isn’t even older than your own child, so there’s really no need to be jealous of him."

He paused and looked at her, "You’re only twenty-two years old. Even if you’re more mature than your peers in terms of mentality, it doesn’t mean you can handle everything without leaving any regrets. In other words, you think today you shouldn’t acknowledge this relationship, but after decades, when they’ve lived their lives and entered their graves, and when you’re white-haired with grandchildren, you may not agree with your current thoughts at twenty-two."

"..." Wen Wan couldn’t find words to refute.

——

Lu Yanli was sent back to the Lu Family, drank some refreshing soup, and after a nap, he no longer felt dizzy or nauseated.

Fanghua stayed by the bedside, deeply troubled.

Lu Xingzhou was called by the Old Marquis for a while and just returned. Upon entering, he said to her, "If you’re really upset, find a maid to talk to. Don’t let yourself get stuck in a dead end thinking too much."

A woman’s thoughts aren’t that simple, especially someone like Fanghua who suffered from depression. Faced with the events of the day, she couldn’t help but overthink. She looked at the man, "At the time, we were flustered because of Yan Li and left her behind. Do you think Wanwan might have some thoughts? Might she feel we’ve neglected her and don’t value her?"

Lu Xingzhou walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it over, "You’re overthinking. Wanwan is a mother herself, mature in nature. A sick child is the top priority. How could she be angry with you because of that?"

Fanghua took the tea cup, drank quickly, and said, "Before we officially acknowledged each other, I always hoped the day would come when Wanwan could call me mother. Now that we have acknowledged each other, I’m afraid she’ll have mood swings. More and more, I feel like I’m a useless mother."

"You’ve tangled yourself up again." Lu Xingzhou was worried she’d return to her years of self-isolation and tried to shift her attention to their son, "Yan Li is only two years old. You need to take care of him for a long time, but before that, you also need to take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally, understand?"

Fanghua nodded numbly, but she couldn’t avoid recalling the scene on the pleasure boat during the day.

...

On the day Lu Xingzhou and his wife left the capital, Song Wei had official matters at the government office and wasn’t home.

Wen Wan brought Jinbao to see them off.

Seeing her daughter come in person, Fanghua felt all her worries over the past two days vanish.

Wen Wan glanced at her birth father, Lu Xingzhou, who stood tall and vigorous, then at Fanghua, who was visibly not in a good mental state, and a surge of indescribable emotion arose in her heart.

The words Song Wei said to her seemed to linger in her ears.

She’s twenty-two now, completely able to choose not to recognize her parents, but what if, when she’s old and regretting, what then?

At that time, even if she wanted to acknowledge them, she could only speak to a cold tombstone.

Song Wei also said that her adoptive father remarried, and her birth mother returned to her birth father, so no one really owed anyone. The entanglements of their generation seemed to have reached a satisfactory conclusion.

"Father, Mother, take care on your journey."

Wen Wan said these words, her eyes slightly reddened.

Fanghua stepped forward, not wanting the farewell to only be filled with tears, and tried her best to smile, "Wanwan, come back to Ningzhou to play when you have the chance. I’ll make your favorite wontons by hand, with any filling you like."

A completely ordinary sentence, yet it was like a boulder that could mend the sky, instantly filling a void in her heart completely.

Wen Wan nodded tearfully, "Okay."

Then she looked at her birth father, "I noticed that Mother’s spirit isn’t very good, probably because of the Empress Dowager’s matter. On this journey south, please take good care of her and Yan Li."

Lu Xingzhou looked at her with a smile, "Little girl, you’ve grown up."

Song Wei had also said this.

Wen Wan suppressed the sadness in her heart, showing a bit of shyness on her face, then said, "I know how difficult it was for you to reach this point. Although I can’t empathize, I think, instead of letting the relationship deteriorate until we’re dead to each other, I can offer more understanding."