sbdcsierra Chapter 775 I was terribly wrong
Chapter 775 I was terribly wrong
Lu Yangyang was young at the time, and even when she heard people mention Lu Wei's father, she only heard how ungrateful he was for abandoning his wife and children. She never actually heard of his name.
It turns out they didn't know at all.
If we hadn't learned this from He Jingze today, the villagers of Qinghe Village would probably have been implicated and wouldn't even know who this person was.
“He refused to tell me about his background, and he wouldn’t even let me know his name. He never cared about me from beginning to end. We were husband and wife, but what am I to him?”
As Lu's mother spoke, her voice became somewhat hoarse. "I hate it. I hate that I am such a living, breathing person. I gave birth to his child, but in the end, he never respected me."
"That's why I forced Amiao to study. I was unwilling to accept that he had treated my son and me so badly. I wanted Amiao to make something of himself, so that he could stand tall and proud when he met him someday, instead of being a pitiful orphan and widow abandoned in a poor mountain village. I held my breath, wanting to prove him wrong and show him what would become of the person he looked down on."
“But A-Miao is smart. A long time ago, he tentatively asked me what if he died, or what if he was a dangerous person. I told him not to think too much about it. He is nothing. He just looks down on me.”
“Ah Miao understands my temperament, and from then on, he never mentioned him again, nor did he make any more guesses. As time went by, when I was so tormented by these days that my eyes could not see clearly and I could not straighten my back, I could not help but wonder if he was really dead, or if he was actually the son of some sinner. He didn’t even leave a single word behind. Was it because he didn’t want to implicate my son and me? At least, he didn’t want to implicate Ah Miao, after all, he used to love this son so much.”
“But what’s the use of thinking about all this?” Mother Lu shook her head and sighed. “I’m just an ordinary country woman. All the resentment I had back then has just dissipated day after day. After A-Miao achieved fame and success, most of that resentment and anger will have disappeared. Whether he’s dead or alive, I don’t care anymore. He’s just a heartless man. There are plenty of heartless men in this world; I just happened to meet one.”
"It was only when A-Miao sent someone back to check on me that I realized something was wrong. He's my son, I know him. If he were safe, he wouldn't have cared about my feelings and would have taken me away. The fact that he didn't insist but sent someone means he's not safe, and it's not safe for me to stay in Qinghe Village either. But what trouble could my son and I possibly get into? It's that heartless man. He came from the capital and then wanted to go back; who knows what kind of huge trouble he's gotten himself into. I'm not afraid of that trouble coming my way; my only worry is A-Miao. I wonder if he can handle it."
Mother Lu sighed, "So I prepared early on. If I can see that heartless man alive, I will definitely give him a good scolding. If I am unfortunately implicated by him, even as a ghost, I will still scold him to vent my anger."
After listening to her finish speaking, Lu Yangyang finally understood the whole story. Over the years, Lu's mother had made some guesses about Lu Jibai, but it wasn't just a year or two, but more than ten or twenty years. In such a long time, all the resentment would have dissipated, leaving only a lingering resentment.
Lu's mother grabbed Lu Yangyang's hand and looked at her: "Yangyang, your aunt knows you. You came here to ask, something must have happened. Tell me, is it related to A-Miao? People have come all the way here. Is A-Miao in danger? Has something happened to him?"
While Lu's mother was talking about the past, she hadn't had time to think much about it, but now that things had quieted down, she couldn't help but start to worry again.
Even though she had confidence in Lu Wei, how could she not worry?
"He's fine. He's doing well as an official in the capital. Don't worry, Auntie!" Lu Yangyang quickly reassured her, afraid that she might overthink things.
"Then what exactly happened?" Lu's mother pressed.
Lu Yangyang thought for a moment, then decided to tell the truth, "His name is Lu Jibai. He used to be the Junior Chamberlain in the Crown Prince Chongwen's household, and was his confidant. However, I don't know much about the aristocratic families in the capital before, so I don't know which family he comes from."
Madam Lu's eyes widened. She didn't understand what "Young Master of the Eastern Palace" meant, but she did understand that his name was Lu Jibai and he was a confidant of Crown Prince Chongwen.
Even if she was ignorant, she knew that the matter of Crown Prince Chongwen was more than twenty years ago.
She didn't understand, but she listened to Lu Wei read every day and knew that with each new emperor came a new court, and what good could come of the former crown prince's confidants?
No wonder, no wonder they ended up in this poor mountain village.
Lu's mother was filled with mixed feelings. With that kind of background, no wonder she looked down on a peasant girl like her.
Lu Yangyang continued, "His identity is connected to old matters. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that someone came here today to silence him. They want to wipe out the entire Qinghe Village. Aunt, you can't stay here any longer. I'm here to arrange for you to leave."
Lu's mother raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face.
Lu Yangyang quickly stopped her, "Auntie, what are you doing?"
Mother Lu looked remorseful and filled with remorse: "I was so stupid, so stupid! I knew he was a menace all along. How could I have forced A-Miao to take the imperial examinations just to spite him? If he hadn't gone to the capital, if he hadn't caught those people's eye, they wouldn't have come knocking on our door. It doesn't matter if I'm implicated, it's my fate to have such a person, but how could I drag my fellow villagers down with me? Over the years, they've treated my son and me so well. If it weren't for everyone's help, I... I was wrong, I was so wrong..."
Lu's mother was sobbing that she couldn't continue. If the trouble she had caused really implicated the villagers, even if she died and went to the eighteenth level of hell, she wouldn't be able to atone for her sins!
In the past, no matter how bitter or difficult things were, she never regretted holding back her anger. But now, she was filled with remorse.
When she heard the commotion outside, she felt only relief that things had finally come to an end, but she never imagined that it would cause such trouble.
“Auntie, calm down. Everyone is alright. We received the news and arrived in time. The villagers are all safe.” Lu Yangyang grabbed her arm, afraid she would get stuck in a rut. “How can it be your fault? If anyone is at fault, it’s Lu Jibai’s fault, it’s the fault of those malicious people behind the scenes. Your decision to let Lu Wei go to school was just a matter between you and Lu Wei, how could it involve the villagers? If those people wanted to silence you and Lu Wei, why would they go to such lengths? They wanted to completely erase Lu Jibai’s traces. Lu Jibai knew he was in trouble, yet he still married and had children here, and then left without a word. He’s the one who dragged everyone down, how can it be you? Even if Lu Jibai has great ambitions, those are his ideals and aspirations. Why should you and Lu Wei bear the consequences?”