Chapter 12: A Son Reborn

Chapter 12: A Son Reborn

Yun Niang was struck dumb with shock, but Madam Lu was still preoccupied with how to arrange for Lu Song to marry the second Miss Su, completely oblivious to Yun Niang's reaction.

Their household had managed to survive thus far thanks to the occasional gifts from Su Youyue, which could be sold for a tidy sum, allowing them to support Lu Song and maintain a decent standard of living despite their meager means.

With this source of income severed, unless they could promptly secure a wealthy bride with a substantial dowry, they would soon struggle to even pay their servants' monthly wages. Without money, Madam Lu felt uneasy even leaving the house.

Second Miss Su and Su Youyue shared the same father, so her dowry would likely be comparable. Unlike that crippled ill-fated girl, Second Miss Su was renowned throughout the Imperial City as a harbinger of good fortune!

It was said that when Second Miss Su was born, the sky was illuminated with a brilliant glow. At six years old, during her first visit to the palace, she stumbled upon a hidden treasure trove from the previous dynasty, pleasing the Emperor immensely.

At eight, while visiting a temple to burn incense, Master Hongde praised her as someone with a deep connection to Buddha, even discussing Buddhist scriptures with her, a young girl.

At thirteen, she saved the Third Prince and Third Princess from a group of assassins...

Such a fortunate daughter was a dream come true for any family. What delighted Madam Lu even more was that Second Miss Su was in excellent health, ensuring a smooth pregnancy and childbirth in the future – a million times better than Su Youyue.

"No, we must marry Second Miss Su, but Su Youyue, that cursed girl, will never find another husband! Starting tomorrow, I'll go out and spread the word about her 'good deeds'! A girl who disrespects elders and even threatens to whip them – I doubt any family would dare to take her in!"

Madam Lu released Yun Niang's hand with a cold sneer, exuding an aura of dominance as if she had already envisioned Su Youyue's reputation ruined, leaving her unmarried and destined to spend her old age alone in the Imperial City.

Yun Niang regained her composure, masking her discomfort with insincere replies before hastily departing.

Upon returning to the small courtyard that Lu Song had rented for her, she entered her room and, unable to contain her sorrow any longer, broke down in tears. As she wept, her heart filled with resentment.

Why did her aunt insist on separating them? Why didn't she want her as her cousin's official wife when she had always pretended that she wished for Yun Niang to be her son's bride?

In the midst of her crying, the door creaked open, and a three-year-old boy with an innocent and delicate face stepped in. However, his eyes held an unusual depth, a maturity that defied his young age.

"Mother, what's the matter?"

Upon hearing her son's voice, Yun Niang hastily wiped away her tears. Her son had only recently started to speak clearly after a period of struggle, and in these few days, his speech had become fluent and he had shown remarkable intelligence. Naturally, she could no longer regard him as the innocent child he once was.

After some deliberation, she decided to be truthful with her son; this way, he would understand that no one in the world was closer to him than his mother.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flickered in Lu Wen's eyes.

Has Father renounced the engagement with the Su family?

In their previous life, they had been married for ten years, and he had been forced to call Su's mother 'Mother' for a decade before he was reunited with his biological one. How could there be such a twist in events?

Lu Wen's mind was momentarily overwhelmed. It wasn't that he wasn't clever enough in this new life; he had only been fourteen when he died in the previous one. Despite his cunning, he lacked maturity and mental acuity at that age.

Perhaps his rebirth had indeed brought about some changes.

Seeing his mother still weeping, Lu Wen chose to soothe her gently for a while. In their previous life, that crippled wretch, Su Youyue, had caused him and his mother to be separated for a decade.

Little did he know that shortly after her death, the traitorous dog Xie Yuan went mad and targeted the Lu family, falsely accusing them of a crime and executing everyone in the household!

Su Youyue was indeed a calamity, a jinx who, along with Xie Yuan, formed a despicable pair, destroying his entire family!

In this life, it was fortunate that she didn't marry his father. Now, they could finally live a normal life as a family.

Thoughts of this filled Lu Wen with excitement. He knew what would happen in the next ten years, and with such an advantage, the Lu family didn't need Su Youyue's dowry to become the wealthy family of a decade later!

If so, the Lu family could prosper sooner, allowing him to seize the opportunity to kill Xie Yuan and Su Youyue, that contemptible couple, before Xie Yuan regained his position alongside the deposed prince!

After his initial excitement, Lu Wen calmed down slightly. "Mother, Grandma must be doing this because our Lu family is desperately short on silver. That's why she wants Father to marry a wealthy woman."

Yun Niang was well aware of this. Although she had despised Su Youyue, she had been envious of her dowry, planning to deal with her after the marriage. After all, Su Youyue was just a notorious cripple; she could quietly get rid of her without anyone suspecting a thing. Perhaps people would even applaud such an act.

By then, all that dowry would belong to the Lu family, and she would certainly benefit from it.

But if it were another noble lady, one who wasn't disabled like Su Youyue and didn't foolishly dote on Cousin Lu Song, it was uncertain who would come out on top between her and the newcomer.

If Yun Niang had been delighted about Su Youyue's broken engagement with Lu Song before, now she could only sigh repeatedly.

"Wen'er, you're right. But what can Mother do? Money isn't easy to earn. Although your grandparents left me some savings, it's not much. Your father did give us two shops, but their monthly earnings barely cover our living expenses..."