Chapter 129: They Recognize Each Other

Chapter 129: Reunion

Li Yin, Song Liyin.

He was the only son of Marquis Anding, Song Zhi.

The Marquis's voice turned hoarse in an instant as he stepped forward, trying to grasp Yin Hongxue's arm.

"Li Yin, is it you, Li Yin?"

Yin Hongxue initially wanted to dodge, but when his gaze fell upon the Marquis's tear-filled eyes, he found himself inexplicably stopping.

The Marquis's large hands were warm and broad. As he gripped Yin Hongxue's wrist, tears simultaneously streamed down his cheeks.

The scene was deeply shocking. Everyone present stared dumbfounded, even Gu Wen forgot to intervene.

A large teardrop slid from the Marquis's chin and landed on the back of Yin Hongxue's hand, which stuck out because his arm was being held.

The impact made Yin Hongxue's entire body tremble.

Being on the receiving end of such intense emotion for the first time left Yin Hongxue at a loss, completely frozen.

Seeing Yin Hongxue's bewildered state, the Marquis felt as though his heart was being wrenched. He stepped forward and embraced Yin Hongxue like a precious treasure he'd just gotten back.

"Li Yin, I am your father, Li Yin."

The Marquis's action startled his guards beside him. Song Diyun quickly moved to pull the Marquis's shoulder, his own eyes just as red, but when he looked at Yin Hongxue and the stunned Gu Wen, his expression was full of embarrassment.

"Marquis, this is not Li Yin," Song Diyun said. He had learned Yin Hongxue's name earlier, when he'd brought a physician to treat Gu Chaoning's wounds in the middle of the night. "His name is Yin Hongxue, and he just turned thirteen this year!"

The Marquis was clearly stunned. Song Diyun firmly pulled the Marquis's arm away and whispered, "Marquis, you're having another episode. Let's go back and take your medicine, alright?"

The Marquis was pulled apart from Yin Hongxue, yet his eyes remained fixed on Yin Hongxue's face. Seeing Yin Hongxue's eyes well up with tears too, the Marquis stopped retreating and planted his feet.

"Thirteen, thirteen, Yin Hongxue, Yin, Yin—he is Li Yin's child," the Marquis affirmed. "He is Li Yin's child!"

At these words, Song Diyun's grip went slack instantly. He looked uncertainly between Yin Hongxue and the Marquis.

But this was hardly the place to discuss such matters. He coaxed in a low voice, "Marquis, let's go into the city first. Everyone is watching here—it will scare the young master."

Hearing this, the Marquis finally released his grip.

He looked around and sure enough, everyone was staring at him in shock.

But none of that mattered to him.

The Marquis looked at Yin Hongxue cautiously. "Xue Geer, let's go inside, okay?"

Yin Hongxue knew that today's events could not end as he had hoped. Even if he avoided this moment, he could not avoid what came after.

He nodded, his gaze shifting between Gu Wen and Gu Chaoning.

The Marquis said quietly, "The authorities found out they were among the former rebels, which is why..."

Thinking of Gu Chaoning's plans, Yin Hongxue lowered his head slightly and called out to Gu Wen, "Father."

Gu Wen immediately fell in step. Yin Hongxue's call reminded the Marquis, Song Diyun, and the others that Gu Wen was still there.

As the group walked toward the city, they covertly sized up Gu Wen.

If Xue Geer was Yin Geer's child, and Xue Geer called this man father, then didn't that mean Yin Geer had married this man!?

The Marquis's gaze sharpened instantly. He kept looking from Yin Hongxue to Gu Wen.

Hmm, his eyes seemed clear enough, but he didn't have much backbone.

His looks were decent, but still not good enough for Li Yin.

His build looked sturdy enough—whether he could fight was another question.

Xue Geer didn't look much like this man. Actually, that boy whose hands and feet had been tied up looked more like him.

With these thoughts, the group arrived at the Marquis's residence in Tong County.

The Marquis could barely contain his impatience to ask about Yin Hongxue's father.

Yet unexpectedly, Yin Hongxue's first words struck him like a blow.

"We are from Dukou Town, Sui County. My father passed away when I was three. I don't know if my father was named Li Yin—he was bought by my biological father as a husband, called Song Ge'er.

After my father died, my biological father remarried. After they had children, he paid little attention to me. Later, my current father bought me to raise as his own child. So I don't know anything about the jade pendant you mentioned."

"...Li Yin... Li Yin..." The Marquis stared blankly at the young man before him, whose features were so familiar.

The person was right in front of him, yet the words seemed to come from somewhere far away, drifting down from all around him.

At the same time, rapid footsteps sounded outside the door, and a guard's voice came through, brimming with joy.

"Marquis! News from the marquisate! They found Young Master Li Yin's jade pendant in Dukou Town, Sui County!"

At these joyful words, everyone watched as the Marquis opened and closed his mouth several times, but no words came out. He called out "Li Yin" twice, paused for a long moment, then his body suddenly shook twice as if coughing silently. When he opened his mouth again, he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "puff."

The Marquis, who had seemed like an unshakeable pillar since his appearance yesterday, toppled backward.

He let out a long cry, "Li Yin—"

"Marquis!" Everyone rushed forward to catch him.

Yin Hongxue's eyes widened in horror, his whole body trembling. He then rushed forward and grasped the Marquis's hand.

His heart pounded as if about to burst from his chest, the sound threatening to drown out all other voices. All he could hear was the Marquis's rasping breaths and the steady "thump, thump, thump..."

Yin Hongxue did not understand why people could have such intense emotions.

That just hearing of his father's death could send someone into such a frenzy of grief that they coughed up blood.

But looking at the Marquis like this—looking at this man who was still utterly foreign to him even now—a wave of hurt suddenly surged in Yin Hongxue's heart.

The figure in his memory, long blurred and on the verge of disappearing entirely, was suddenly redrawn in vivid detail by the blood the Marquis had spat.

The grief of losing his father, held back for ten years, came crashing down on him all at once, like ten years of light snowfall finally piling up and crushing him in that single moment.

Yin Hongxue burst into loud sobs, tears streaming down like rain.

...

"Physician, how are the Marquis and the young master?"

The physician glanced at Song Diyun, then at Gu Wen, and answered with some confusion, "The Marquis has had some chronic health issues. This time, the intense emotional distress made him lose his breath temporarily, which caused him to faint."

As for the young master, it was a moment of grief—he cried too much, his body grew weary, and he passed out into a deep sleep.

Hearing that there was no serious problem, Song Diyun and Gu Wen both breathed a sigh of relief. They respectfully saw the physician off and then returned to the main hall.

After waiting in the main hall for about a quarter of an hour, Gu Chaoning, having composed himself, was respectfully escorted in.

Although Marquis Anding had brought fewer than a hundred men, his subordinates were efficient. In a short time, they had thoroughly investigated Gu Wen, Yin Hongxue, Gu Chaoning, and the others. Upon learning of Gu Chaoning's identity, they promptly sent him over.

Gu Chaoning, after being untied and respectfully brought in, realized that the Marquis's people already knew everything about him. Deciding there was no point in hiding it anymore, he walked in, called Gu Wen "Father," and sat down beside him.

He looked around the room but didn't see Yin Hongxue or the Marquis, so he turned his gaze back to Gu Wen.

Gu Wen was still somewhat bewildered by the turn of events. He glanced cautiously at Song Diyun and the others, then whispered the recent happenings to Gu Chaoning.

Gu Chaoning was stunned after hearing it. After a long hesitation, he murmured, "Xue Geer... cried until he passed out?"

Gu Wen nodded, recalling the image of Yin Hongxue's face and eyes flushed red, his body collapsing like a falling leaf. His heart tightened.

He let out a long sigh, feeling a pang of unease, and quietly asked Gu Chaoning, "Xue Geer has been confirmed as a son of the Marquis's household... Does this mean he'll be going to the capital from now on?"

The question was asked with an answer already implied, but until someone confirmed it outright, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

Gu Chaoning felt a wave of melancholy as well. Though he had known from the moment he took Yin Hongxue into his home that he would eventually return to the Marquis's household, now that the moment had truly arrived, he struggled to feel okay with it.

"He will return to the Marquis's household," Gu Chaoning said softly, speaking both to Gu Wen and to himself.

After all, hadn't he originally wanted his family to take in Yin Hongxue precisely because he saw his difficult situation and wanted to give him a safe place to stay for a while before he returned to the Marquis's household?

By the time Marquis Anding and Yin Hongxue both woke up, it was already evening (the you hour, 5–7 PM).

The kitchen staff had been keeping an eye on the time and had someone waiting in the courtyard. Upon hearing that both masters were awake, they immediately finished up the evening meal. Within about half an hour, the table was set.

Food was scarce at the time, and though the kitchen had wanted to celebrate finding Yin Hongxue, the ingredients were limited. The table had lean pork congee and coarse grain pancakes, three meat dishes, and two vegetable dishes: dried green beans stir-fried with cured meat, stewed old hen soup, scrambled eggs with scallions, stir-fried dried mushrooms with garlic, and shredded radish stir-fry.

There was plenty of food for the four of them—Marquis Anding, Yin Hongxue, Gu Wen, and Gu Chaoning.

After getting some sleep, Marquis Anding had pulled himself together. Aside from a lingering pallor, no one would have guessed how flustered he'd been that morning.

Yin Hongxue, however, had a face as white as snow, his eyes red and swollen like walnuts.

The other three at the table felt sorry for him seeing him like this. Chopsticks flew as everyone added food to his bowl, and soon his bowl had two chicken drumsticks and a piece of scrambled egg.

Yin Hongxue looked down at his bowl, then up at them, and finally couldn't help but let out a "pfft" and smiled.

Seeing him smile, Gu Chaoning, whose brows had been furrowed with worry since he first saw him, finally relaxed a little.

After the meal, Marquis Anding first talked with Yin Hongxue for a while about family matters, then took him and Gu Chaoning outside to get some air. Once they were gone, he stood up and solemnly bowed to Gu Wen.

Gu Wen was startled and immediately rose to support the Marquis, but Marquis Anding insisted on completing the bow before straightening up.

Both he and Gu Wen understood the reason for the bow.

That was when Gu Wen finally understood.

The Marquis truly cared for Xue Geer. There was no need to worry about how the boy would fare once taken back to the capital.

That Yin Hongxue would return to the capital with Marquis Anding was never explicitly discussed, but everyone understood it tacitly.

Yin Hongxue agreed with Marquis Anding that he would return to the capital only after the snow disaster in Chuan Yang Prefecture City had ended. The next day, escorted by ten of the Marquis's personal guards, he set out with Gu Wen, Gu Chaoning, and the others on the road back to Xiaohe Village in Dukou Town.