Little Xi Tian looked at her mother, utterly bewildered, her heart filled with curiosity.
With things having reached this point, why wasn't Mother admitting it?
Besides, any observant person could tell that the woman in the portrait was her mother in her youth.
Even though her appearance had aged, and she had long lost her former beauty and vivacity, her eyes and features wouldn't lie.
Old Man Yun tugged at Madam Gu, asking softly, "Old, old woman, what exactly is going on?"
He had been in a state of confusion from beginning to end.
He recalled that after returning from the army, he had found his wife on the road.
Then the two of them came to Dashui Village, started a family, had children, and had lived there for decades.
But who would have thought that the woman he found on the road was the eldest daughter of the Jingbei General's Mansion.
Old Man Yun felt both happy and a little scared.
If the people from the General's Mansion forcibly took his wife away, wouldn't he go mad?
Madam Gu held back the tears in her eyes, patted Old Man Yun's hand, and said, "It's nothing, he's mistaken you for someone else!"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Perhaps her mother had endured inhumane treatment in the past, which was why she didn't want to revisit old memories.
But Little Xi Tian didn't think Uncle Gu looked like a bad person. Since you siblings have met, why not just acknowledge each other and save all this trouble?
"No, no, no, you are my sister, and the portrait is proof!" Gu Zhenshan said with certainty, pointing to Madam Gu's hand, "My sister also has a crescent-shaped red mole on her wrist, right?"
When they were little, his sister used to take him to the back garden to catch fish and butterflies. The mole was what Gu Zhenshan remembered most vividly.
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu quickly pulled her sleeve down, stood up, and walked outside.
Old Man Yun: "???"
Wait, what did his wife mean?
That portrait was clearly her, and Old Man Yun knew very well that his wife had a mole on her wrist.
All the evidence indicated that Gu Zhenshan had not mistaken her.
His wife actually had such a background.
"Have some congee first!" Old Man Yun pushed the bowl towards Gu Zhenshan.
Gu Zhenshan sighed, he had no appetite for congee right now.
It was too painful to have his sister not recognize him.
Little Xi Tian rolled her big eyes, jumped off the stool, and ran out to find her mother.
Madam Gu was holding a large basin, feeding the chickens by the chicken coop. Her eyes were red, and she was not paying attention to her work, even scattering chicken feed into the pigsty.
"Mother!" Little Xi Tian walked over like a little lamb, hugging Madam Gu's arm.
Madam Gu put down the basin, squatted down, and patted the dust off Little Xi Tian's padded jacket, saying with a smile, "It's cold outside, go inside, my daughter!"
"Mother, Uncle Gu looks very sad!" Little Xi Tian said crisply.
Madam Gu's smile froze, and she picked up the basin to feed the chickens again, "Mother said he mistook you for someone else..."
"No!" Little Xi Tian shook her head, her expression earnest. "The young girl in the portrait looks exactly like you, and everyone in the family knows that Mother has a red mole on her wrist. Since Uncle Gu and Mother have never met, how would he know so much?"
Madam Gu, who was feeding the chickens, paused slightly, turned her head to look in the direction of the main house, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Just then, Steward Cao came scurrying over.
Upon seeing Madam Gu, his body trembled, and he covered his mouth, shouting, "E-E-Eldest Miss, it really is you!"
Madam Gu: "..."
"This servant pays respects to the Eldest Miss!" Steward Cao quickly stepped forward and bowed.
Little Xi Tian let out a giggle at this.
Mother, let's see how long you can keep this up.
Madam Gu glared at Steward Cao and hurried back into the house.
When she ran away from home, Steward Cao was still a young man, and now he had become an old man.
"Uncle Cao!" Little Xi Tian looked at Steward Cao with a smile, "Are you sure you haven't mistaken anyone?"
It seemed that Mother being the eldest daughter of the Jingbei General's Mansion was confirmed.
Steward Cao thumped his chest and said with certainty, "How could I mistake her? Even if the Eldest Miss turned to dust, I would recognize her!"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Why did that sound so unpleasant?
"Then tell me, why did my mother come to the countryside?" Little Xi Tian asked.
Steward Cao rubbed his hands together, "It's too cold outside, let's go to the kitchen to talk!"
Alas, the young general searched for the Eldest Miss day after day, year after year, from spring to winter. Time had flown by, and who knew how many springs and autumns had passed.
"Mhm, okay!" Little Xi Tian nodded and led Steward Cao to the kitchen.
Half an hour later, a gasp of surprise came from the kitchen.
Little Xi Tian's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Is that true? All those concubines, and not a single one can get pregnant?"
This could only mean that Uncle Gu was too useless.
"It's true!" Steward Cao sighed, picked up a stove hook, and dug a piece of charcoal from the stove to light his pipe. He took a puff and said, "It's not that my young general has any physical problems. The imperial physicians have all examined him. The young general is very healthy. At his age, with so many concubines in the mansion, he could have ten or eight children without any issues, but not a single one can get pregnant. Isn't that strange?"
Little Xi Tian hummed, "It is indeed quite bizarre."
She scooped out the cooked potatoes and set them aside to cool. "What does this have to do with my mother?"
It sounded as if her mother had cursed them.
Steward Cao shook his head helplessly. "The young general invited many Taoist priests and monks into the mansion, saying that the concubines couldn't get pregnant because the Eldest Miss ran away back then. If they found her and brought her back to the General's Mansion, everything would go smoothly from then on!"
Little Xi Tian: "..."
Is it really that superstitious?
"So, Uncle Gu has been desperately looking for my mother all these years, right?" Little Xi Tian asked.
"You should call him Uncle, he is your biological uncle!" Steward Cao blew a smoke ring. "Actually, even if this hadn't happened, the young general would have wanted to find the Eldest Miss long ago. After all, they are siblings. No matter how many years have passed, the bond of blood cannot be broken. The old general and the old madam have both passed away. If even they, brother and sister, were to be estranged and never see each other again, the young general would be disheartened. Alas..."
Little Xi Tian said "Oh," and broke open a cooked potato, handing it to Steward Cao. "Here, try it, it's delicious!"
Steward Cao was slightly taken aback, put down his pipe, and took a bite. "Wow, what is this? It's really delicious!"
"Potato, also called Irish potato!" Little Xi Tian replied.
Steward Cao clicked his tongue, wondering if 'rats' could be eaten now.
"Uncle Cao, there's something I've never understood!" Little Xi Tian suddenly asked.
Steward Cao asked curiously, "What is it?"