GBP Chapter 117 Goat Milk
Chapter 117 Goat Milk
Li Xiaonuan was completely confined to her home after the so-called protector appeared. This was the old lady's announcement that evening; she felt it was inappropriate for Li Xiaonuan to go out at that time. Li Xiaonuan didn't object.
But the person who caused this undeserved disaster is now sitting comfortably under a magnolia tree in a small courtyard, leisurely sipping wine. Opposite him is a graceful and beautiful woman.
Each time the beautiful woman raised her glass, she would smile charmingly at Wei Yu before downing it in one gulp. Wei Yu, on the other hand, would only take a small sip, and he couldn't finish a single glass of wine even after a whole night. Only when the woman opposite him began to show signs of intoxication did Wei Yu put down his glass.
The woman smiled charmingly and finally spoke: "What? Did your brother send you?"
Wei Yu didn't answer, but poured the woman a glass of wine. The woman picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp. Then, she suddenly threw herself on the table and burst into tears. Wei Yu let the woman wail, neither offering any words of comfort nor taking any action.
The woman cried for about 15 minutes before stopping. During this time, Wei Yu drank two glasses of wine. After sitting up straight and tidying her appearance, the woman said, "Wei Yu, thank you so much for coming to see me off, and thank you for listening to my heartfelt words."
"Seven years. I've been with your brother for seven years. During these seven years, I've been extremely attentive to him. I thought that even being his concubine would be good. But in the end, I've been forced to leave for a distant land."
Wei Yu picked up the kettle from the small red clay stove beside him and poured the woman a bowl of hangover soup.
"Sister Sujin, please drink this hangover soup first." This was the first time Wei Yu had spoken tonight. "My brother has made arrangements for you to return to the capital. Our whole family will have to go back to the capital before the New Year; that's where our roots are. So, Sister Sujin, why don't you go back and settle down first?"
Su Jin's lips were tightly pressed together as she looked at Wei Yu with despair. Wei Yu continued to sip his wine, occasionally taking a bite or two of a pastry. It was a milk pastry, made from a recipe he bought from Li Xiaonuan.
"You still like these smelly sheep things just like you did when you were a kid. I heard you have a new hobby now: collecting dairy goats. Didn't you drink enough goat milk when you were a kid? Are you planning to keep drinking it until you're old?" Su Jin couldn't help but ask.
Wei Yu nodded and replied, "Yes, I can't forget the smell of sheep. I'll drink sheep's milk until I'm old. I'm afraid that one day I won't drink milk anymore, and I won't remember the taste of sheep's milk. I'll forget it."
Su Jin sighed softly, saying sadly, "Who can argue with that? But don't go too far. After all, there's nothing anyone can do. Since she's gone, you should let her go in peace. Why are you doing this?"
Wei Yu picked up a bowl of goat's milk from a small table on the other side and took a few sips. After putting it down, he said, "Although I really wanted to hold her hand back then and not let her go, now I can't remember what she looked like. Every time I drink goat's milk, all I can recall is a blurry face. Sister Su Jin, am I being very unfilial?"
Su Jin downed another glass of wine, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said in a trembling voice, "You've done very well. Look, you've grown up safely now. And look at your physique now, isn't it very healthy? This is exactly what Madam wanted to see."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yu's slightly sorrowful lips curled up slightly as he said, "That's good. Then it wasn't in vain that my mother risked her life to give birth to me. Although she never fed me a drop of milk, nor allowed the wet nurse to feed me a drop, she still managed to keep me alive with goat's milk."
Su Jin's thoughts were drawn back to that year, and she recalled, "Yes. You were so small back then that you didn't even have the strength to cry. No matter how many wet nurses we hired, you wouldn't swallow a drop of milk. But when Madam gave birth to you, she was injured and couldn't produce breast milk either. In order to ensure that you, who had been born with great difficulty, could survive, Madam had many milk goats bought."
Wei Yu continued, "As a result, I really did drink the goat's milk, and then I gradually grew up. The person who moved my mother and me to the side courtyard finally admitted that I was his son. Unfortunately, my mother never moved back, and she lived with me in that cold little courtyard until she passed away."
Su Jin knew that Wei Yu harbored resentment, and she also knew some of the inside story. Therefore, she said, "Don't resent the master too much. He was just blinded by some people. Look at what happened to that person later. On the other hand, Madam, the master still had to endure your scolding and Madam's cold looks every day to have meals and stay overnight in your courtyard."
Wei Yu, however, did not take it to heart, saying, "No matter what he does in the end, he cannot make up for the fact that my mother died young because of his distrust and hurt."
Su Jin thought about it and agreed, so she didn't say anything more: "How could you drink that fishy-smelling goat milk? You were so small back then, why didn't you drink your wet nurse's milk, but instead preferred that incredibly pungent goat milk?"
Wei Yu took two more sips of goat milk and replied, "I probably already knew my mother was suffering when I was in her womb. That's why I insisted on having her feed me myself after I was born. Or maybe it's because my mother was so careful and suspicious when she was pregnant with me that she passed on to me."
Su Jin smiled wryly: "So, you're still drinking goat milk, and you seem quite content. If I were like you, I wish I could replace your brother with something else."
Wei Yu glanced at Su Jin, concealing the guilt in his eyes, and said, "Sister Su Jin, you know perfectly well that there is no possibility between my brother and me, so why are you unwilling to let go? In this life, my brother will never have another woman besides my sister-in-law. This is an agreement between us brothers, and we must never step into my father's trap."
Su Jin sighed sadly, "I knew it all along, but I just couldn't let it go. Now it's alright, I'm going back to the capital, far away from him, so he won't have to be so heartbroken."
Wei Yu continued, "My brother freed your family from slavery two years ago. Now that you're back in the capital, you're a young lady from a modest family, no less than other young ladies. While you're still young, hurry up and find a good family to marry into."
Su Jin nodded with a bitter smile, her heart aching terribly. Tears streamed down her face silently. She had known the outcome all along, but she simply couldn't bear to let go. She had thought that being a maidservant by Wei Bian's side for the rest of her life would be enough for her.
Unexpectedly, her presence remained an eyesore, blocking the view between Wei Bian and Chu Lin. If Chu Lin hadn't attacked her last month, Wei Bian wouldn't have directly ordered her to return to the capital.
But who can she blame? It's all her own doing. Knowing she was in the way, she still shamelessly went around people. She deserved to suffer; even if she died, she wouldn't deserve any sympathy.
"I understand. Please thank your brother for me. Although he never lets me call him Young Master, I am only his wet nurse's daughter and I am not worthy to be his brother or sister. Please tell him that I will find a suitable person to marry and then live a peaceful life."
Wei Yu knew that Su Jin always kept her word, so he nodded in agreement. Seeing that Su Jin had vented her anger enough, Wei Yu called for an old woman to help the slightly tipsy Su Jin back to rest. She was to set off for the capital early the next morning.
After seeing Su Jin off, Wei Yu gazed at the two magnolia trees and murmured, "Can't there be even the slightest bit of estrangement or suspicion between people? Is social status really that important?"