Fourth Concubine

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, when every household was making social calls, the An Family estate had set up a mourning hall.

The mourning hall was located in a small reception hall within the An Family estate. Though called small, it was actually quite spacious. Two coffins stood in the center, belonging to An Ziran's parents, An Changfu and Liu Meixiang. The coffins were made from the finest Golden Phoebe Wood, which was said to resist decay for a long time.

An Ziran had heard from the maids that the two coffins had been prepared by An Changfu while he was still alive, intended for himself and his wife to rest in peace when they grew old. Instead, they had been put to use ahead of time.

An Ziran did not know how to mock such behavior.

It was practically cursing himself to die young—and dragging his wife along to be buried with him.

However, he had also heard that An Changfu had done so because Golden Phoebe Wood was exceptionally difficult to obtain. This kind of phoebe wood was said to be reserved for nobles and high officials. By a fortunate twist of fate, An Changfu had acquired several logs, just enough to make two coffins. They had only been finished half a year ago.

Following the memories from last time, An Ziran arrived outside the mourning hall. Before he even entered, he heard a string of whimpering sobs from within. The crying grew louder and louder, as though they feared others might not hear them. How utterly heartbroken!

The corners of An Ziran's lips lifted slightly into a mocking smile. However, there was too much flesh on his face for the curve to be obvious.

Upon entering the mourning hall, An Ziran saw two women in plain mourning clothes kneeling before the coffins. The heads that were usually piled high with expensive, beautiful hairpins and ornaments now bore only a single simple hairpin.

They were An Changfu's concubines—An Ziran's Second Concubine, Fang Junping, and Fourth Concubine, Wang Qinglan. Since his parents had passed away, the two had come every day to weep at the mourning hall. Anyone unaware of the truth would have thought they loved An Changfu dearly. There was also a Third Concubine, Zheng Bi. He had heard that she had come during the first three days, but she was nowhere to be seen today.

If he had been the former An Ziran, he might indeed have believed that.

But the one standing before them now was An Ziran in a different shell, with a heart clear and crystalline.

"Ziran, why have you come here? Are you better?"

The moment Wang Qinglan turned around, she saw An Ziran standing in the doorway. His fat body was impossible to overlook. She immediately put on a concerned expression, rose to her feet, and walked over to him.

"I'm much better, Fourth Concubine." An Ziran looked at her calmly.

Wang Qinglan suddenly did not know what to say. These past few days, she had always felt that An Ziran seemed like a different person. The former An Ziran had been lazy, gluttonous, and utterly unlearned. Relying on his status as the eldest son, he often beat and cursed the servants, and flew into a rage at the slightest displeasure. He was extremely difficult to serve.

Now, Wang Qinglan could not put the feeling into words. She simply felt that An Ziran seemed to have suddenly come to his senses. Since the master and first wife had died, he had barely made a fuss. His entire person had become silent and deathly still.

However, she did not look too deeply into it. Such a change was not impossible to understand. After all, the parents who had loved him most had died. With two relatives gone in one stroke, no one could possibly escape being shaken by such a blow.

Everyone believed that An Ziran's change was perfectly normal.

At that moment, Fang Junping approached. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, but her expression was cold, revealing no emotion. Yet when she saw An Ziran, a flash of disgust flickered through her eyes. Though she concealed it quickly, An Ziran still caught it.

Fang Junping spoke to him stiffly, "Since you're well, go offer incense and kowtow to your parents. Since they passed away, you, their eldest son, haven't offered incense to them even once."

"I understand, Second Concubine," An Ziran replied blandly.

With that, he walked past the two women. A servant waiting beside the mourning hall immediately handed him three sticks of incense. An Ziran accepted them and bowed decisively to the two coffins. Although they were not his real parents, he still had to put on a proper show, lest someone seize upon it as a weakness.

An Ziran remained in the mourning hall for nearly half an hour before coming out. Wang Qinglan seemed to have been waiting for him outside, and she immediately came forward when she saw him.

Seeing that his face was slightly pale and a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, Wang Qinglan guessed that his illness from the past few days had not fully recovered. Her face immediately filled with concern. "You child, hurry back and rest if you're not well yet. You're now the only man in the An Family who can make decisions. The An Family still depends on you. You mustn't fall ill."

As she spoke, she took out a white handkerchief, intending to wipe his sweat for him, but An Ziran instinctively avoided her.

Wang Qinglan did not seem embarrassed or taken aback, and continued, "Leave your parents' funeral arrangements to your Fourth Concubine. I'll make sure everything is handled flawlessly and give your parents a grand burial."

"Then I'll trouble you, Fourth Concubine. I'll return to my room first." An Ziran nodded.

Wang Qinglan watched him leave. Only when his retreating figure had vanished from sight did her expression slowly darken. With the master dead, An Ziran was the only one left in the An Family who could make decisions. She had no children of her own, so she had to cling tightly to this great tree.