After her mother left, Xier would add a line on a piece of calligraphy paper every day after writing.
When you add more and more and fill up this piece of paper, mother will come back.
He held the pen and carefully drew today's line. After he finished, he counted it.
There are fifteen in total.
He counted again.
Still fifteen.
It’s still a long way from the sixty that my mother mentioned.
He pressed it with a paperweight, turned around, and asked the maid who was closing the window: "Who is making a noise outside?"
While he was still writing, he heard a faint noise coming from outside the yard in the wind. It sounded like an old woman.
The stable was usually very quiet except for the neighing of horses and the sound of the strong wind blowing through the pasture. None of the servants working here dared to shout so loudly.
The maid closed the doors and windows tightly, trying to block out the sound, turned around and said with a smile: "Young Master, don't listen. The servants will leave soon."
The noise was intermittent but never stopped.
Xier listened carefully for a while and suddenly walked out.
In an open space outside the courtyard gate, Liang Tuan, who was ordered to perform guard duty here, stopped Xie's mother who was about to force her way in.
The commotion attracted the people in the horse farm. They stood in groups of three or four, far away, whispering.
The steward heard the news and saw the situation. He hurriedly drove the people away and did not allow them to stay.
Xie's mother was extremely angry and her noise became louder and louder.
"… I am the mother of your Jiedushi! I know there is a child in here! I came here just to take a look at the child. How dare you stop me from entering?"
Her finger was almost poking Liang Tuan's forehead.
Liang Tuan ordered the guards behind him to stop him and knelt down himself.
"Madam, please calm down. How dare I disrespect you? But before this, I received your order. No one can go without your permission. I beg you to forgive me."
Mother Xie was so angry that her voice trembled. She angrily said, "Am I an outsider? My son would let you stop me? How dare you be so rude! I don't believe that such a small place like today can stop me outside!"
Xie's mother was originally an ordinary woman. Although she did not have much knowledge, she was not a very evil person in her early years. However, in recent years, with her son's success, she not only received an imperial decree, but also everyone in Xie County, from local officials to neighbors, flattered her. Gradually, she became more and more arrogant.
How could she easily eliminate her suspicion of the child adopted by the Mu family? She didn't dare to say anything more in front of her son, but these days, she felt uncomfortable as if she was scratched by a cat. It happened that she heard that the Mu family seemed to be involved in the affairs of the natives and left for something. With this opportunity, how could she not go and take a look in person? She only regretted not knowing where the child was hidden by her son.
Just two days ago, the Jiedushi Mansion received tribute from Empress Liu from the capital, which included some rare fresh fruits in Hexi at this time of year. On that day, in addition to sending the fruits to Xie's mother, Qiu Ju asked around and came back to tell Xie's mother that the steward had also sent someone to the horse farm. Xie's mother suspected that the child was hidden in the horse farm, so she took advantage of her son's departure from the city today and asked someone to prepare a car early in the morning on the pretext of going out to relax, and found this place.
She went through a lot of trouble and finally arrived after a bumpy journey, but she didn't expect to be stopped outside. She was furious.
"Get out of my way!"
He shouted, raised the cane in his hand, and hit the opponent.
Liang Tuan didn't dare to dodge and took the blow head-on.
The manager of the stable was trying to persuade Mother Xie to go to his place to rest first.
In front of everyone, how could Xie's mother stop beating him after such a loss of face
Liang Tuan refused to give in and said, "Madam, even if you want to kill me, I cannot let you go without your order."
Xie's mother became more and more angry, and gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, okay, today I will beat you to death for rebelling! After I kill you, let's see what my son can do to me!" After saying that, she raised her crutch high again.
Just as he was about to strike again, the door of the opposite courtyard suddenly opened, and a child came out of the door and said, "Madam, are you looking for me?"
Mother Xie looked over in the direction of the sound and her hand suddenly stopped in mid-air.
The maid chased out from behind and said anxiously: "Young Master, don't go out!"
Xi'er seemed not to have heard it. She quickly walked to Liang Tuan's side and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
Liang Tuan was afraid that he would be frightened, so he said, "I'm fine! Young master, please go in quickly!"
The child shook his head, turned and looked at Xie's mother.
"Madam, are you Mr. Xie's mother? They are all good people. They didn't mean to make you angry. Don't hit them."
"Young Master!" Liang Tuan and the guards were extremely moved.
Mother Xie reacted and looked around. Seeing that everyone was looking at her and the child in front of her, she felt embarrassed, annoyed, and a little suspicious.
In front of so many people, she couldn't do what she did just now, and continue to throw a tantrum at a child. She slowly put down her crutches, staring at the child with both eyes, without saying a word.
"The old lady heard that the young master is here and is concerned about him, so she came to visit!" Qiuju, who was following behind, interrupted hurriedly.
"Thank you, old lady, for coming to see me. Xier is doing well." The child bowed respectfully to the old woman in front of him.
"Please come in and sit down, old lady."
He turned his head and looked at his maid.
Despite his young age, he has a calm and steady demeanor.
The maid hesitated for a moment, then came up, greeted Mother Xie, and said, "Madam, please come in."
Mother Xie's face turned red, then pale, and she froze for a moment, mumbling, "Forget it, forget it, I have something else to do, I'll go first..."
She took one last look at the child, turned around and hurried away with her people.
That night, upon learning the news, Xie Changgeng did not return to the city, but rushed here first.
He ran into the room and saw the little figure sitting at the table, writing by candlelight, and suddenly stopped.
Xier turned around and saw him coming. A smile appeared on her face. She immediately put down her pen, climbed down from the stool, and shouted, "Thank you, sir!"
Xie Changgeng walked up quickly, picked him up, touched his little arm, and asked, "The old lady came during the day, are you okay?"
Xier shook her head: "I'm fine."
"Are you really okay?"
Xier nodded, thought for a moment, and then asked softly, "Sir, that old lady, is she really your mother?"
Xie Changgeng responded in a low voice.
Xi'er hesitated and said, "The old lady came, but they didn't let her in. She was very angry. My lord, please don't blame them. The old lady has already beaten them."
Xie Changgeng said: "I don't blame them."
Xier seemed to be relieved, with a smile on her face: "My Lord, you are so kind."
Xie Changgeng gazed at the beautiful eyes and eyebrows of the child in his arms, and a feeling of satisfaction and warmth slowly emerged in his chest.
He knew that he would never hear such words or receive such intimacy from that woman.
He lowered his head and looked at the paper on the table that was held down by the paperweight. There were lines drawn on it. He asked, "What is this?"
"After mother left, I would draw one line every day. When I had filled the paper, she would come back," said the child.
Without counting, Xie Changgeng knew there were fifteen bars on it.
He carried the child to the bed and said, "Go to sleep." His tone became gentler.
Xier closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.
As soon as Xie Changgeng came out of the house, his expression turned cold. Liang Tuan and the horse farm manager were waiting outside. Seeing his gloomy face, they knelt down hurriedly and apologized for offending the old lady during the day.
Xie Changgeng ordered him to tell the truth.
The steward hurriedly told the story of how Xie's mother was stopped and angrily beat Liang Tuan with a stick. The young master heard the noise and came out to stop her. He treated her politely and told the whole story of how the old lady finally left on her own. After saying that, he did not dare to look up.
Liang Tuan whispered, "It's not that I'm disrespectful to the old lady. But the master has previously ordered that no one can enter without the master's permission. The master didn't mention the old lady at the time, so I dare not let her go. Please forgive me, sir!"
Xie Changgeng said coldly: "Do you know where your crime lies?"
The two dared not respond.
"I have already instructed that no one can let her in, but you allowed my mother to enter the horse farm and come here!"
The two were stunned, looked at each other, and said hurriedly: "It's my fault! I won't do it again!"
Xie Changgeng turned around, mounted his horse and rode away.
He rushed back to the city, entered the governor's residence, and knocked on his mother's door a few times.
When Xie's mother came back from the horse farm, she became angrier and angrier the more she thought about it. How could she sleep? Although it was very late, she was still sitting on the bed, talking to Qi Lingfeng who was accompanying her. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and the voice of a maid came from outside, reporting that the governor had arrived. She winked at Qi Lingfeng and said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." After that, she lay down, closed her eyes, and began to moan.
Qi Lingfeng went to open the door and stood aside with her head down.
Xie Changgeng walked in.
"Geng'er! You finally come back to see your mother!"
Mother Xie covered her chest with her hands and sat up tremblingly.
"Today, I went to the horse farm. I had good intentions. I heard that the child was there, so I wanted to go see him and bring him back. But I didn't expect the people over there to stop me and not even let me in! Do they still have you in their eyes? You have to make the decision for me! I'm so angry that my heart aches and I'm almost dying!"
"Ah Mao, tell the steward to go get the doctor right away!"
Xie Changgeng stopped in the house and gave instructions to Ah Mao who was looking out the door.
Ah Mao let out an "ah" and ran away.
"Oh, no, no need! I was so angry that my heart ached. Fortunately, Feng'er was here. She rubbed it for me for a long time and I feel much better now." Xie's mother said hurriedly.
"Is Mom really okay?" Xie Changgeng asked.
When Xie's mother saw her son looking at her, she hesitated for a moment and nodded.
"That's good. I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I'll take you out of the city and go home." Xie Changgeng said.
Xie's mother was stunned: "Go home?"
"Yes." Xie Changgeng looked calm.
"This is a borderland, and it's hard to get through the winter. It's not suitable for you to live here for a long time, not to mention that things have been uneasy recently. I've wanted to talk to you for a long time, but I just didn't have the time. I'm back today, and I'll take advantage of my free time to tell you, pack your things, and come back tomorrow."
Mother Xie came back to her senses after a long while. She glanced at Qi Lingfeng and covered her chest again: "Geng'er, what are you talking about! They bullied your mother, and you didn't care. I finally came here, and it hasn't been long, and you want to send me back! My heart hurts again, and I can't leave..."
Qi Lingfeng came over in a hurry, supported Mother Xie on the bed, rubbed her chest, and turned to say, "Sir, the old lady really has a pain in her chest. She has had this disease in the past, and it comes back when she's angry. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you would worry."
"Qiuju! Qiuju! Go get a warm woman for the old lady!" Qi Lingfeng shouted.
Xie Changgeng looked calm as he looked at his mother who was crying with her eyes closed. He said, "Ask Ah Mao to get it. A maidservant who doesn't serve people well but sows discord and spy on the master all day long, what's the point of keeping her?"
As he spoke, from outside, there was a faint sound mixed with painful screams, as if boards were hitting flesh.
Qi Lingfeng's expression changed slightly, and Xie's mother also stopped moaning and opened her eyes.
"Geng'er, what are you talking about?"
She sat up suddenly.
"The manager asked someone to beat Qiuju with a stick!" Outside the door, Ah Mao ran in with a pale face and shouted.
Xie's mother hurriedly climbed down from the bed and ran out of the door with Qi Lingfeng. They saw Qiu Ju being held down in an open space in the yard by two male servants, while another was hitting her buttocks with a board as thick as a palm.
Qiu Ju screamed like a pig being slaughtered, and when she saw Xie's mother and Qi Lingfeng coming out, she screamed, "Madam Qi, old lady, help!"
Xie's mother turned pale, and hurriedly turned back to look for her son, shouting, "Geng'er, what are you doing? Let him go!"
Xie Changgeng came out, without even looking at him, and said to the steward, "Ask her who gave her the courage to spy on you asking someone to deliver the fruit. If she can't explain it clearly, you will be beaten to death on the spot."
After he finished speaking, he walked away with his hands behind his back.
The author has something to say: Thank you little angels for voting for me~
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