Those members of the Ma Clan present, more or less, knew that Ma Yan's birth as a son had not been easy.
Mu Hanqin became pregnant shortly after marrying into the family, which delighted the old master and Ma Hui. However, after ten months of pregnancy, Mu Hanqin gave birth to a stillborn child.
Mu Hanqin was so devastated by this incident that she was depressed for half a year. She drank all kinds of herbal medicine and went to the temple dozens of times a year. She then became pregnant twice more, and Mu Hanqin thought it was because of the Bodhisattva's blessing, but both pregnancies ended in miscarriage.
Mu Hanqin crazy and made a scene. The old man was so angry that he said Mu Hanqin was a mother who would bring bad luck to her daughters and didn't have that kind of fortune. Before Ma Yan was born safely, Mu Hanqin had always doubted herself.
She worried every day that things would turn out the same as before, so Ma Yan Mu Hanqin Yan with exceptional care. She forbade Ma Yan from going to any dangerous places, such as hiking by the lake or riding horses at the horse farm.
As a result, although Ma Yan was very filial, he was not close to Mu Hanqin; he actually preferred his father more.
Mu Hanqin didn't care. In her heart, as long as Ma Yan was safe and healthy, that was enough. But she had just learned about this.
The whole "mother brings misfortune to her daughter" thing, the "unlucky daughter" thing—it's all just something the old man made up because he didn't like his daughter.
She did not give birth to a stillborn child, nor did her two daughters die young; they were both given away by the old man.
Tong Aning was amazed.
[There are actually such old things?!]
[Those seemingly nourishing tonics that Mu Hanqin drank were actually medicines that this old man specially found to help her conceive a boy... Wait, does your Ma Family have a throne to inherit?]
[He's blaming his daughter-in-law for his own misdeeds. If it weren't for Ma Yan's arrival, Mu Hanqin would probably have been driven to her death long ago.]
Good heavens, he did all this to force Mu Hanqin to her death so his son could marry someone else. But he didn't expect Mu Hanqin to get pregnant again, and this time it was Ma Yan. Only then did he give up his plans.
Mu Hanqin's family members also came this time.
Mu Hanqin's brother and sister-in-law rushed to Mu Hanqin side. The brother pointed at the old man's nose and cursed, "How vicious! What has our Mu family ever done to wrong you that you treat my sister like this? Don't forget, twenty years ago, when your Ma Family was in trouble, if it weren't for our Mu family helping you out of our in-law relationship, who knows if you would still be where you are today?"
[So, after all that, he's just a gigolo.]
Ma Hui walked up to Mu Hanqin and said earnestly, "Let bygones be bygones, Aqin. Let's live a good life together, okay?"
Sister-in-law. "Get lost! Who wants to live a good life with you? Aqin, come on, let's go home with your sister-in-law."
[How Ma Hui be such a husband? Besides, it was his daughter who was thrown away; his attitude... is very abnormal.]
yes.
Mu Hanqin looked at the Ma Hui, her gaze chilling as she stared at Ma Hui. Why was he so indifferent? Could it be...?
Mu Hanqin held the knife to Ma Hui's neck. Ma Hui panicked, " Aqin, you... you... calm down!"
Mu Hanqin pressed him, "Why aren't you sad? Why aren't you heartbroken? Did you already know all along?"
Ma Hui a pang of guilt. " Aqin, we've been married for so many years. Is that really the kind of person you see me as?"
Mu Hanqin a cold laugh, "I've never understood the Ma Family. I've been married to you for over twenty years, and I never knew your father was so vicious."
The Ma Hui retorted, " Aqin, even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs."
[So you're worse than an animal, watching your father get rid of his own daughter.]
It was actually true! Mu Hanqin excruciating pain. She gritted her teeth and said, "I'm going to kill you! You 'Ma Hui the one who deserves to die the most!"
Mu Hanqin raised her hand, the knife in her hand already slicing through Ma Hui's neck, blood beading out. Tong Aning cried out in alarm, "Don't kill him!"
Mu Hanqin recognized the voice; it was the same voice that had told her the whole truth. She was utterly devastated.
Mu Hanqin looked at Tong Aning with anguish and said, "Are you going to stand with him too?"
Tong Aning hurriedly explained, "No, no, why would I stand with him? What I mean is, this kind of person can be handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Why would you dirty your hands?"
Mu Hanqin taken aback.
Tong Aning pressed her advantage, "Doesn't what I said make a lot of sense? You've already sacrificed over twenty years for the Ma Family, are you going to sacrifice your whole life too?"
Mu Hanqin in tears, "I don't care about my whole life anymore."
The moment she learned that her daughters had been abandoned, she was already a walking corpse.
Suddenly remembering something, Mu Hanqin pressed the knife closer, coldly saying, "You old bastard, tell me where you threw my daughter. If you don't tell me, I'll kill Ma Hui."
Old man. "Do you dare to kill someone?"
Tong Aning: "Can you please stop provoking her?"
Ma Yan: "Mother!"
"You'll see if I dare."
Ma Hui: "Father, help! Father, please tell her! I don't want to die, Father!"
The old man gave two addresses.
Mu's older brother said, " Aqin n't worry, Aqin, I've remembered it."
The sister-in-law slowly grasped Mu Hanqin's arm. "That's right, your brother and sister-in-law are here for you. That young girl is right. There's no need to sacrifice your whole life for the Ma Family. You don't want to be in jail when your three daughters are found, do you?"
Mu Hanqin softened, gradually lowering her hand. The knife clattered to the ground. She nestled in her sister-in-law's arms, weakly saying, "Sister-in-law, I'm tired."
Upon hearing this, her sister-in-law's eyes glistened with tears. She hugged Mu Hanqin and said, "Sister-in-law will take you home."
As the three passed by Ma Yan, Ma Yan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
The elder brother and sister-in-law were also in a difficult position.
Mu Hanqin to her feet and said, "You choose for yourself."
"Mother, I..."
"If you can't choose, then don't get in my way."
With his father on one side and his mother on the other, Ma Yan could only watch Mu Hanqin walk away.
Why didn't he choose his mother?
[As expected, sons are incapable of empathizing with their mothers.]
The auction ended badly. Tong Aning did not go home, but instead told Tong Siyan and went to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Xue Lin was not there, Tong Aning met Cen Yu.
" Miss Tong, you've come at the perfect time. I was just about to deliver your invitation."
"Invitation?"
Cen Yu handed the invitation to Tong Aning with both hands. After reading it, Tong Aning exclaimed with delight, "You're getting married to Miss Wen? Congratulations!"
After offering her congratulations, Tong Aning solemnly said, "I have something important to tell you."
After hearing everything that had happened at the Ma Family, Cen Yu frowned and said, "Such a thing actually happened?"
Tong Aning nodded.
"I'll send someone to bring the Ma Family father and son back right away."
Tong Aning gave a heavy "hmm".
"Abandoning infants is a grave crime, and they dared to do it against the law; it's utterly despicable."
Cen Yu was furious and decided to go there himself.
This can be considered a case of reaping what you sow.
Tong Aning learned the whereabouts of Mu Hanqin's three daughters from Xixi, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and gave it to a little beggar to deliver to the Mu family.
After doing all this, Tong Aning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
*
The New Year is approaching, but the border war situation is becoming increasingly tense.
General Meng received the imperial decree and will soon lead his troops to the border.
Tong Aning was worried about her third brother, and also about Azhu.
Her face was full of worry as she asked earnestly, " Azhu, are you really not going to miss me?"
Azhu gently comforted her, "No, it won't happen."
Tong Aning rested her chin on her hand as the three of them ate hot pot in the private room. The steaming heat seemed to illuminate Tong Aning's features.
Azhu and Lou Yingyu had never seen Tong Aning so worried.
Lou Yingyu comforted her, "Don't worry."
Azhu added, "Yes, yes, there's one more thing..."
Lou Yingyu and Tong Aning both looked at Azhu. Azhu lowered her head and said, "It's not that I'm reluctant to leave my father, but I've already decided to go to the army camp with him."
"What?!" Lou Yingyu stood up abruptly.
Tong Aning's eyes widened. " Azhu, you..."
Azhu pulled Lou Yingyu back down to sit, saying, "Miss, Aning, I am the daughter of a military officer, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to go along."
"But... but..." Tong Aning stammered for a long time before finally managing to stammer, "What about your mother?"
Azhu smiled and said, "The three of us will go together."
Tong Aning scratched her head, but seemed to have no reason to stop Azhu, so she said, "Then I'll make some more medicine for you to take with you."
Lou Yingyu: "... Shall I give you more silver?"
Azhu said, "It's alright, Aning. It's cold today, don't always work so hard. What if you get frostbite? And Miss, I have some money."
Lou Yingyu snorted, "Can what you have be the same as what I gave you?"
Tong Aning chimed in, "That's right, that's right."
[Sobbing, I'm so reluctant to leave!]
Lou Yingyu was also reluctant to part with it, and she suddenly had a brilliant idea, "Why don't we become sworn sisters right here today?"
Lou Yingyu was bold and decisive; she asked the restaurant manager to bring in a stove and incense.
Shopkeeper: "?"
Even though I didn't understand, I did it anyway.
The three of them knelt down on the carpet.
Lou Yingyu cupped her hands and said, "I don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but I do ask to be born on the same day, month, and year..."
Lou Yingyu hesitated, then pondered, "Death doesn't seem like a good omen."
Tong Aning: "Shouldn't we all wish to get rich on the same day, in the same month, in the same year?"
Lou Yingyu: "... You're really obsessed with money."
Tong Aning gave a simple, honest smile. After the sworn brotherhood ceremony, the three continued eating.
Tong Aning had just put some mutton into her bowl when the door was pounded on loudly.
Tong Aning shuddered. "[What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong?]"
Lou Yingyu was furious. To her, today was the auspicious day for her to become sworn siblings with Tong Aning and Azhu, and also an important moment to send Azhu off. She angrily said, "Who dares to cause trouble here?"
She went up and opened the door.
A person slammed down through the open door.
Lou Yingyu: "..."
Three heads, six eyes, all staring at this person.
" Feng Ying, it's you... What are you doing, offering New Year's greetings?"