Chapter 280

Chapter 280

Although deeply unwilling, Old Man Zhao could only curse inwardly at this damn bad luck.

Before Yu Linlang arrived, he recounted how when they sent He Jinyu to the Yu family, they found on their way back that the gold leaves his aunt gave them matched exactly—right down to the veins—the ones they had accidentally dug up in Tongjiang Town.

“The next day, when we rushed to the Yu residence, the maid at the gate said you had already left.”

Zhao Dashan placed the wooden box he had been holding tightly on the table, and Zhao Xiaobao took out the key hanging around her neck to unlock the family’s most treasured possessions.

There was a crisp click, and a pile of gleaming gold jewelry appeared.

Besides this, there was a money box.

The money box wasn’t locked; Zhao Xiaobao opened it directly, revealing it was packed full with gold leaves, gold melon seeds, and gold gourds.

He Jinyu’s gaze immediately fell on a longevity lock—studded with gemstones, rough at first glance but delicate upon closer inspection—placed among the pile of gold hairpins, gold bracelets, gold rings, gold leaves, gold gourds, and a handful of gold melon seeds.

“This wooden box holds the gold we dug up. That money box holds the thanks your aunt gave us.” Old Man Zhao rubbed a gold leaf, his expression heavy. By voluntarily bringing this up, they had already prepared to lose the wealth.

“Grandpa, are you saying you found a pile of gold while digging a latrine pit for Auntie?” He Jinyu widened his eyes, incredulous.

“Ah, our family’s always been lucky,” Old Man Zhao chuckled awkwardly. “Anyway, that’s how it was. Once, we went to town. We were almost at the city gate when Auntie suddenly had a stomachache. The road was crowded, and she’s a girl, so we ducked into the woods looking for a secluded spot. I remember a crooked tree there—your older brother and his wife were both there. Your big brother dug the pit himself. As he dug, he suddenly shouted he’d found something. Who would have thought someone buried a bottle in the ground? He broke it with his hoe. The gold jewelry in that box was from that find.”

He still felt irritated about it. “This gold was clearly from a wealthy family—there’s even a longevity lock. It must have belonged to some young master or miss, so we didn’t dare use it. Finding gold you can’t use is worse than not finding it at all. So we kept it.”

Although the gold gave their family confidence—they once planned to exchange it for silver in the county—the siblings got distracted by listening to opera and forgot the whole thing.

“Later, we saved you and sent you back to the Yu family. Your aunt gave us thank-you gifts, and that’s when we realized something was off.” Even now, his legs still ached thinking about it. Two days of frantic travel, waylaid by bandits on the way back—the dangers were more than words could describe. “We stopped to rest on the way and opened the money box your aunt gave us. We found the gold leaves inside were identical to the ones we dug up under the crooked tree—same veins, same pattern, same size.”

“If it were something else, fine. The ones your aunt gave and the ones we dug up were both windfalls we came by honestly. If we’d kept them, it would be our business. But that longevity lock—it made me uneasy! We poor folk aren’t particular; when a child’s born, we might tie a red string and a copper coin around their ankle, hoping they’ll be wealthy and noble. But longevity locks are only made for rich families’ children. It’s not like a gold bracelet that gets taken off as they grow. Many children wear it until twelve, even their whole lives. What parent would bury a longevity lock in the ground? The more I thought about it, the more restless I became. The gold burned in my hands. So I planned to take it to the Yu family for your aunt to see. But we were too late.”

He sighed and shook his head, looking really sorry.

He Jinyu never expected that Grandpa had gone back to look for them. He picked up a gold leaf from the box and one from the money box, comparing them closely. Turning them over and over, he found them truly identical in pattern and size.

Wealthy families often made small trinkets like gold melon seeds and leaves. If servants served well and handled matters smoothly, they’d be rewarded. Gold hairpins and bracelets followed the same logic. His mother would give gold bracelets to her trusted maids—it was a way to win loyalty, not uncommon among the rich.

During New Year’s and birthdays, his aunt sent them many rare treasures. He didn’t have much impression of these small items. Were they from the Yu family or the Chen family? Even the maids and servants in wealthy homes had distinct attire, let alone the jewelry.

“Look at this longevity lock. There are characters engraved on it.” Old Man Zhao picked it up and handed it to him, then glanced back at Qing Xuan, his face as bitter as if he’d eaten a yellow lotus. “I’m starting to believe in fate even more. Your uncle’s family name is Chen. Your aunt once returned to her ancestral home with your cousin and lost the child... We found gold, saved you, sent you back to the Yu family; your aunt gave us a pile of gold in thanks.”

After all these twists and turns: “The surname on this longevity lock is none other than Chen.”

“Chen, Wu, Yu.” He Jinyu read the characters one by one, his eyes widening in shock.

A noise came from the door. They all turned quickly.

The closed door was pushed open. A tall figure removed her cloak hood, revealing an intimidating face that made Old Man Zhao look away hastily.

Yu Linlang’s aura was even stronger than before. Chen Er said she was General Yu. She commanded all the female generals in Yanlin Prefecture. Here, the locals wouldn’t call her the General’s wife; they respectfully called her General Yu.

She was a heroine who could charge into battle.

Yu Linlang’s gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Qing Xuan, who stood quietly to the side.

Qing Xuan didn’t flinch, meeting her gaze in silence.

“Aunt.” He Jinyu glanced at the two guards with lowered heads at the door, then hurried forward. “Why are you here so soon?”

“My horse runs fast.” Yu Linlang’s answer was terse. Her eyes never left Qing Xuan as she walked inside.

Old Man Zhao tugged at his eldest son. Zhao Dashan pulled Xi’er. Three generations suddenly felt the study become cramped, the air thin. They didn’t know if they should bow or how, so they awkwardly brushed off their clothes and clasped their hands together: “Our respects, General Yu.”

“No need for formalities, Elder. You’re Jin Yu’s adopted grandpa, and by relation, my elder. Call me Linlang.” Yu Linlang stepped forward and supported his arm.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.” Old Man Zhao waved his hands repeatedly, but he straightened up.

Yu Linlang took the longevity lock her nephew handed her. She traced the engraved name, her expression softening, and said quietly, “This is indeed my son’s longevity lock. I chose the craftsman myself, I picked the gems myself. Peace, joy, a life without misfortune. I only wished for my son to be carefree, healthy, untouched by worldly troubles—to know no sorrow, no worry, and live happily ever after.”

Back then, her stepmother got more and more aggressive, whispered in her father’s ear to move her mother’s ancestral tablet out of the Yu residence to the Temple of All Nations. Worse, that venomous woman had set her sights on her mother’s grave, wanting to be buried with her father after death. As the first wife, her mother naturally became an obstacle.

Her father, once so wise, had turned blind when it came to that woman and actually agreed.

That year, she had just given birth to her son. Ignoring her husband’s objections, she insisted on going back to Tongjiang Town.

As a married daughter facing a scheming matriarch, the Yu family was no longer what it was before she married. She didn’t even notice when her personal maid turned against her. When the child went missing, the stepmother insisted she had nothing to do with it—the maid stole the child, and the Yu family’s old servants covered for her. Her only mistake was not keeping an eye on the servants.

Among those servants were young maids and old women her mother had once helped.

An excuse no one believed, but her dad bought it.

The maid who stole the child was later caught, but before they could interrogate her, she bit her tongue and died. The servants involved were beaten or killed, but those sent to find the child all returned empty-handed. Her son—lost forever because of her foolishness and negligence.

Her natal family brushed it off. Her husband’s family, due to the court’s political situation and complex relationships, only demanded her father give the Chen family an explanation. That explanation was to banish the stepmother’s foster brother back to guard the ancestral home.

Perhaps in the Duke’s Mansion, this was considered Yu Linlang’s own fault—how foolish of a Yu woman to be tripped up by her own maid.

Yu Linlang hated the Yu family. She even hated the Duke’s Mansion. But most of all, she hated herself.

Over the years, even though she had lost hope, she never stopped searching for her son. The last time she returned to Tongjiang Town, it was for two reasons: first, for Jin Yu, and second, because after many years, she was pregnant again. A new life grew inside her, but she missed that lost son more than ever.

She’d almost forgotten how to be a mother.

She was a failure as a mother.

Years on the battlefield had taught Yu Linlang to hide her emotions. She walked slowly toward Qing Xuan, looking at this boy, who had stayed calm the whole time, and said, “Chen Er said you look a lot like him. I don’t have a clear memory of his youth, but seeing you fills me with joy and a sense of closeness.”

Qing Xuan looked at the woman before him. Her face was stern, her tone firm, but her eyes were soft. His body felt naturally drawn to her; his tense frame gradually relaxed, and he nodded and said, “Me too.”

Yu Linlang’s voice grew even gentler. “Do you have any birthmarks?”

“A birthmark the size of a fingernail on my back.”

“Exactly where?”

“Just below my right shoulder blade.”

“May I see it?”

“Yes.”

They answered each other as if no one else was there.

Zhao Xiaobao’s eyes were covered by Xi’er. She scratched but couldn’t pry his hand away, so she gave up.

When she heard sounds again, she saw General Yu kneeling in front of Brother Qing Xuan. She looked like an old woman who could barely move, slowly and carefully tidying his clothes.

She turned her back to everyone, and except for Qingxuan, no one saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"How did you get such a serious injury?"

"I was careless."

"I'll send someone to inform your father shortly. I've found Wuyu. Wuyu is back..."

Seeing her clenching her teeth, not even making a sound as she cried, Qingxuan hesitated, then raised his hand and gently placed it on her shoulder: "Don't you need to confirm again? Maybe the birthmark is just a coincidence."

"There is a red mole at the dimple on your lower back." Yu Linlang shook her head, "Once is a coincidence, but twice is not. If someone else had brought you here, I would have investigated thoroughly, but since it was Grandpa Jinyu's family who brought you, I believe this is fate."

Old Man Zhao was practically beaming with pride. See? This is destiny!

General Yu trusted him that much—it shows Old Man Zhao's character is rock-solid!

"Is Chen Wuyu my name?" Qingxuan looked at the longevity lock (a traditional pendant).

"Mm, Chen Wuyu is your name." Yu Linlang wanted to hug him, but the child's gaze remained calm, and she hesitated to reach out.

"What is my father's name? And you, mother, what is your name?" Qingxuan had heard of the great general's name but had never paid it any mind. Now he wanted to hear the answer from her.

"Your father's name is Chen Guangmao—Guang as in vast, Mao as in the Mao constellation." She took his hand, opened his palm, and traced the characters one by one. "Mother's name is Yu Linlang—Lin, as in fine jade, Lang, as in precious stone."

Qingxuan looked down seriously, committing both names to memory.

"Can you read?" Yu Linlang asked cautiously, worried he might not be able to read.

Qingxuan nodded: "If I couldn't read, I wouldn't be able to study the scriptures, and the master would scold me."

"A master?" Yu Linlang was glad he was literate. She wouldn't have minded if he were illiterate, but knowing he could read meant the life he had lived was better than she had imagined.

"My master is the old Taoist from Qingxuan Temple. I grew up in Qingxuan Temple. I also have eight older martial brothers, and both my master and brothers have been very kind to me." He didn't mention the days of wandering and hardship before the master found him and took him to the temple. "Have Mother and Father been well all these years?"

Yu Linlang ignored the strangeness of the question, overjoyed that the child harbored no resentment toward her and was willing to acknowledge her. She nodded eagerly: "We've both been well. Your father guards the border and is loved and supported by the people. I am now a general too, capable of fighting on the battlefield. We are both striving to protect our land and shield our people from the sufferings of war."

Having set aside romantic love, they had instead found a more comfortable way of coexisting, each working toward their own goals.

"That's good." Qingxuan seemed relieved.

Yu Linlang was perceptive. Seeing the child's demeanor remained calm and detached, without the excitement or joy one would expect from a family reunion, her initial joy began to fade, and her heart plummeted to the bottom.

He seemed only to want to know his origins. Now that he had his answer, that was enough.

He was willing to call her mother, and he asked for his parents' names only because he wanted to know who they were.

"There's no need to send a special message. We can meet another day, if the opportunity arises." Qingxuan's words confirmed her suspicions. "My name is Chen Wuyu. My father is Chen Guangmao. My mother is Yu Linlang..."

He nodded, as if telling himself: "Now I finally know."

And, that was enough.