Chapter 9: Visiting Father

Lin habitually walked toward Madam Qin’s courtyard, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered that he had moved to a new place. 

He had moved to his father’s Danhuai Courtyard. 

Initially, Lin had been stubborn, thinking that it didn’t matter where they lived. 

But now that he was living in his father’s Danhuai Courtyard, he couldn’t help but feel happy. 

When he had first moved, he had thought that Xu Qingyi would be like Madam Qin and place them in a remote part of the estate. 

Though they were said to live in the same courtyard, it would likely be at the edges, far from the main residence. 

This was exactly how Madam Qin had done things—she wanted to appear benevolent and loving, but at the same time, she didn’t want to see them enjoying life too close to her. 

So she had arranged for them to live in the corners of the estate, calling it peaceful and suitable for studying. 

But when it came to Danhuai Courtyard, Xu Qingyi had arranged for them to live in the main building. 

The guest rooms were spacious, bright, elegant, and full of refinement. 

The young maids serving them were stunned, as though they had never seen such luxury before. 

It made sense—these maids had been bought after their arrival and were all from poor families. 

Madam Qin had no intention of giving them any of the well-trained senior maids. 

Stepping into this place, Lin felt a sense of truly becoming a Young Master of the Marquisate. 

The maids and nursemaids who had come with Xu Qingyi’s dowry were busy arranging the details of the rooms. 

They checked for any missing small items and added them in. 

They even used some of Xu Qingyi’s dowry items. 

Seeing Lin enter, the maids and nursemaids respectfully greeted him in unison, saying, “Young Master Lin.” 

Lin glanced at the unfamiliar faces of most of the people and pursed his lips, thinking to himself that in a few days, they would realize how little favor he had in the household and would change their attitudes accordingly. 

“Mm.” Lin responded coolly and went to the study to have a look. 

He was quite satisfied with the new study in his residence; the window faced the garden, offering a pleasant view.

The willow branches swayed gently, and a pond full of lotus leaves stretched out before him. 

If it bloomed in June, it would surely be beautiful. 

But Lin couldn’t help but wonder if he would be able to stay here until the lotus flowers bloomed. 

Perhaps in a few days, his foster mother would come up with some excuse to have them moved out—it wasn’t impossible. 

Xu Qingyi, holding Zhen’s hand, returned first. As the maids in the west wing were still busy, she went directly to her own room. 

“Zhen, are you tired?” she asked. “Your younger brother is sleeping in the inner room. If you’re tired, you can lie down on the soft couch and rest.” 

“Mother, I’m not tired,” Zhen replied softly, his voice hesitant. “I want to go see Father. Is that okay?” 

It had been a long time since he had seen his father. 

“Of course, you can,” Xu Qingyi said. “Do you want to call your older brother to come along?” 

Zhen nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, I’ll go get him!” 

The child ran off quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye. 

Zhen arrived at his older brother’s study, full of excitement. “Big Brother, let’s go see Father!” 

Unlike his two younger brothers, Lin had more freedom and was recognized in the household. Having passed the child scholar exam, he was more present in the Marquisate. 

He often came to visit Danhuai Courtyard. 

As for visiting his father, Lin was more composed and nodded calmly. “Let’s go.” 

“It was Mother who asked me to come get you,” Zhen said, about to go back and find Xu Qingyi. 

Lin didn’t respond and simply walked toward his father’s room. 

“…” Zhen had no choice but to go find Xu Qingyi by himself. 

Xie Yunzhi had just been moved into a sitting position by the servants, his body shifted repeatedly. After a long while, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of complex emotions. 

After spending the entire morning, he had learned from the conversations between Mo Yan and Guan Qi that he had been unconscious for half a year. 

Every day, he had to rely on massages to prevent his body from wasting away. 

What had become of him now? 

He must have lost a lot of weight, perhaps his face was even gaunt and sickly. 

As a grown man, Xie Yunzhi didn’t care much about his appearance. 

“Young Master Lin has arrived?” Guan Qi asked with a smile. 

Lin nodded and looked at his father lying on the bed. “Father, your son is here to see you.” 

Xie Yunzhi felt a mix of emotions, both moved and excited—it was Lin’s voice. 

Just a moment ago, he had been wondering how Lin was doing. 

He had always found Lin the most difficult, as the boy didn’t seem to be close to anyone. 

Just a while ago, he had been thinking to himself that, as a father who was now in such a helpless state, he wondered if Lin might leave the Marquisate. 

It seemed he had worried needlessly. 

Before he went to the battlefield, Xie Yunzhi had told Lin to take care of his two younger brothers if anything happened to him. 

It seemed that Lin had listened. 

“Father, you married yesterday,” Lin said. 

Xie Yunzhi was taken aback. “So I got married just yesterday?” 

“She is the second daughter of the Yong’an Marquisate, her maiden name is Xu Qingyi. Originally, she was my second uncle’s fiancée, and it was also my second uncle who married her,” 

Lin explained in detail. 

He was holding onto a bit of frustration, feeling that his father should have the right to know. 

Guan Qi and Mo Yan exchanged glances and discreetly stepped out to keep watch. 

However, as Guan Qi rounded the screen, he ran into Xu Qingyi… 

Guan Qi felt awkward, but Xu Qingyi felt even more so. 

She had only just arrived and overheard her stepson speaking ill of her—what could she do? 

“Shh.” Xu Qingyi, more flustered than anyone, whispered. 

Guan Qi could only nod in agreement. 

Inside, Xie Yunzhi was not exactly in turmoil, but he was certainly surprised. 

His wife… was actually his second brother’s fiancée? 

How had this happened? 

“Second uncle didn’t like her. He liked the maid beside her. That maid is pregnant.” 

Lin continued to inform his father, and as he spoke, he couldn’t help but think how disgraceful his second uncle was. 

“Before the wedding, that maid was already pregnant. Second uncle really liked her, and also…” 

As Xie Yunzhi listened to this, his anger surged. 

When had his second brother become like this? 

In his memory, second brother had always been a cheerful, innocent young man. 

The servants, who had just heard this shocking gossip, were listening with great interest. 

Zhen widened his eyes, trying to understand but not fully grasping what was being said. 

The next bit of information was even more scandalous, and Xu Qingyi quickly covered Zhen’s ears. 

Children shouldn’t hear such things. 

“Last night, on their wedding night, second uncle drugged the bride, went off with the maid, and was caught red-handed by grandmother and grandfather.” 

Xie Yunzhi: “!!!”

The other listeners, too, were stunned: “!!!” 

“Second uncle’s wife found out about this and asked the great-grandmother to swap the bride, to have you as the groom instead,” 

Lin continued. “The great-grandmother initially refused, but then second uncle’s wife promised that she could secure an heir for you.” 

This was all news Lin had only just found out today. 

Xie Yunzhi was once again utterly shocked. What was Lin talking about? 

Heir? How could he have an heir? 

He couldn’t even move a finger—how could he possibly produce an heir?  

Once Lin finished speaking, he suddenly didn’t find Xu Qingyi as repellent anymore. After all, second uncle and that maid who betrayed her were truly disgusting. 

If it were him, he might have resorted to something like that too. 

And, besides, now that his father had a wife, it would be a good thing if they had an heir. 

Lin reluctantly said, “Congratulations, Father. If we have a little brother or sister, it’s a good thing. We’ll take good care of them.” 

Xie Yunzhi was left speechless, his emotions complex: “…”

I can’t move a finger, how could you possibly have a little brother or sister? 

Once Lin finished speaking, Guan Qi entered, clearing his throat with an exaggerated gesture. “Ahem, the Young Madam is coming soon.” 

Lin immediately shut his mouth and stood quietly to the side. 

If Xu Qingyi hadn’t heard it with her own ears, she would never have believed that Lin could talk so much. 

Thankfully, she didn’t mind. 

Zhen, whose ears had been covered, missed the most exciting part. Now that he was finally allowed to hear, he rushed to the bedside and called out, “Father!” 

Xie Yunzhi felt a small, soft weight press against his hand and immediately knew it was Zhen. 

Zhen had grown chubbier. 

“Father, I have a mother now,” Zhen said shyly. 

His older brother didn’t seem to like their mother and had even complained about her. 

But Zhen liked her, so he wanted to speak well of her. 

“Mother is very good to me and my brother,” he said.

Xie Yunzhi paused for a moment, then understood. It seemed that the new wife was not difficult to get along with. 

It was just that Lin’s temperament made him rather outspoken, particularly when it came to others. 

Xie Yunzhi was a traditional man, respectful and filial to his parents, reserved and composed in public, and quiet and simple in private. 

He had no particular expectations for his wife, as long as she treated the children well and was filial to her elders. 

“We just finished lunch, and younger brother is sleeping on Mother’s bed. Grandfather is busy, and second uncle…” 

Zhen’s eyes shifted, and he added, “Second uncle is being punished by great-grandmother, kneeling in the ancestral hall.” 

Xu Qingyi couldn’t help but twitch her lips. So it turned out that Zhen was a bit of a chatterbox as well. 

“We moved to Danhuai Courtyard. The house we live in now is big and nice,” Zhen continued. He hadn’t been so talkative before, and had even been somewhat intimidated by Xie Yunzhi. 

But now, with Xie Yunzhi in his comatose state, his little mouth babbled away. “Grandmother is not nice to us. She doesn’t even let me eat meat, but Mother doesn’t do that.” 

Was Madam Qin unkind to the children?

Xie Yunzhi felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Although he had suspected it, hearing it with his own ears still made him feel bitter and guilty. 

It was because he hadn’t fulfilled his responsibility as a father. 

“Father, when will you wake up?” Zhen shook Xie Yunzhi’s hand. 

Xie Yunzhi thought to himself that he too wanted to wake up and take good care of them. 

“Alright, I’m done,” Zhen said, turning to Xu Qingyi. “Mother, it’s your turn now.” 

Xu Qingyi: “…” 

Wait, did everyone have to play this game? 

She didn’t really have anything to say. 

But since Zhen insisted, she had no choice but to think hard. 

She decided to say a few trivial words. 

Sitting by the bed, Xu Qingyi cleared her throat and said, “Eldest Young Master, I am Qingyi.”

Xie Yunzhi sensed someone approaching, and he caught a faint, delicate fragrance in the air. 

“Although marrying you was unexpected, and there were many twists and turns along the way, perhaps this is the way fate intended it,” 

Xu Qingyi said. “Now that I’ve become your wife, I will fulfill my responsibilities and duties. You can rest assured about that.” 

Her words sounded cultured and well-mannered. 

Xie Yunzhi felt somewhat reassured. 

Xu Qingyi continued, “The three children are very lovely. Lin is intelligent, Zhen is lively, and Heng is well-behaved. I really like them.” 

“I will treat them as my own children, no matter what happens in the future. I will not abandon them.” 

The new wife’s promise was heartfelt. 

Perhaps, in this moment, it truly came from the heart. 

But Xie Yunzhi was a rational and calm man. He was well aware of his own situation. 

So, he chose to listen for now. Time would reveal a person’s true nature. 

“Mother, I like you too! I won’t leave you!” Zhen happily hugged Xu Qingyi’s arm. 

Lin and Xie Yunzhi: “…”