Xie Shi’an lowered his head, tightly clenching his five fingers.

Even if he hadn’t fallen to his current state, he still had no way to contend with the people before him.

Now, he had become a rat crossing the street. These people could crush him with a single finger. Besides silently enduring, he had no second path.

Although he couldn’t resist, he could remember what these people looked like.

In the future… one day, he would rise above these people. At that time, he would make these few regret today’s humiliation of him.

From his eyes, Yun Chu saw his ambition.

This was a wolf, a wolf forever filled with fighting spirit.

Even if he couldn’t pursue an official career, he could carve out a bloody path on another road.

Yun Chu instructed the coachman to drive the carriage over.

She lifted the curtain and called out, “Brother An, get in the carriage.”

The group of people surrounding Xie Shi’an naturally recognized Yun Chu—the beloved eldest legitimate daughter raised by the Duke and Great General. They didn’t have the guts to offend her, so they scattered in all directions.

Xie Shi’an picked up the gauze those people had thrown on the ground. Disregarding the strange looks from passersby, he covered his eye with the gauze, tied it around his head, then boarded Yun Chu’s carriage.

“Thank you, Mother, for rescuing me.”

Yun Chu looked at him. “It’s so late, why are you still on the street?”

“I wanted to find work to earn money.” Xie Shi’an lowered his head. “But those people, once they heard I was from the Xie family, refused my requests. I’m too useless…”

Yun Chu sighed. “Here’s what I’m thinking—sell the Xie family estate and use it as our travel expenses to return to Jizhou. How about we depart before winter arrives?”

Xie Shi’an had long heard Grandmother mention that Mother wanted the whole family to return to Jizhou.

Originally, he thought it was because of the residence issue. Now that the Xie family estate had been preserved, why did Mother still want to return to the old residence?

He didn’t understand. Mother was a native of the capital, born and raised here. Why would she be so set on returning to Jizhou?

He looked toward Yun Chu’s face.

Attempting to see clues from this face.

But all he saw was a face worried about the Xie family.

Father was already dead. The Xie family no longer had any hope. Was Mother truly willing to remain in the Xie family? Was she truly wholeheartedly thinking about the Xie family?

The doubts in his heart surfaced again.

He lowered his eyes and spoke. “Mother, I don’t want to return to Jizhou.”

Yun Chu smiled slightly. “You are the Xie family’s eldest son. This family is supported by you, so everything will follow your wishes.”

She had given Xie Shi’an a chance, but he himself didn’t want it.

Then she could only bring Xie Shiwei back.

As an adult, she wouldn’t personally take action against Xie Shi’an. Then let these two brothers compete with each other.

The carriage soon stopped at the Xie family’s main gate.

Originally, there had been two household guards standing on both sides of the gate. Now even the stone lions at the entrance exuded desolation and loneliness. The gateway was unswept, filled with fallen leaves blown by the wind.

The two stepped over the threshold and went in, separating in the front courtyard.

Xie Shi’an walked into his Qingsong Pavilion. The book boy Sanjiu hurriedly brought up food and dishes.

One look at this food showed it wasn’t made by the cook’s hands. It should be dinner that Grandmother and the concubine personally cooked and sent a portion here to him.

Only in Mother’s courtyard were there still many servants. Even though the Xie family’s cook was gone, Mother still had maids serving her wholeheartedly. Someone as noble as Mother would probably never fall to the day of cooking personally…

Xie Shi’an finished all the food and dishes as if chewing wax.

He knew that during this time, Mother went out almost every day, not returning until dark. What exactly was she busy with?

Grandmother said Mother was bustling about wholeheartedly for the Xie family. He very much wanted to know what exactly Mother was bustling about doing…

The next morning, after Yun Chu finished breakfast, she boarded the carriage to go out. She planned to personally pick out several bolts of fabric for the two children to make several outfits.

She knew the children didn’t lack these things, but she was the children’s birth mother. Clothes prepared by their birth mother ultimately had a different significance.

The carriage had just left the alley where the Xie family was located when she heard Qiutong say in a low voice, “Madam, someone is following behind our carriage. It seems to be… the Eldest Young Master.”

Yun Chu lifted the curtain and glanced back slightly, seeing a figure quickly hide behind a wall.

She smiled. “No need to change our route. Continue on.”

The carriage stopped on the capital’s bustling street, stopping in front of a fabric shop.

Yun Chu walked in, bought several bolts of good material, then bought several ready-made garments for eight or nine-year-old children. Returning to the carriage, she continued forward.

The carriage slowly traveled to the west of the city. This was where the lowest class of common people lived. At the alley entrance, the carriage couldn’t go in. Yun Chu descended from the carriage, walked into the alley, and stopped at a courtyard entrance.

Qiutong stepped forward and knocked on the door. From inside came a child’s wary voice. “Who is it?”

Yun Chu spoke gently. “Brother Wei, it’s me.”

Hearing her words, the door opened.

At the same time, Xie Shi’an, who had been following behind Yun Chu, had his entire face written with disbelief.

Brother Wei… was actually in the capital. Did Mother hide Brother Wei in the capital? Why? Why exactly?

He followed closer.

“Brother Wei, you’ve gotten thinner.” Yun Chu looked at the child before her. “You’ve been in the capital for so many days, suffering by living here. Do you blame Mother?”

Xie Shiwei shook his head. “It was Mother who gave me a place to stay. Otherwise, I would have been arrested and thrown in prison.”

“I bought you several outfits.” Yun Chu took the clothes from Qiutong’s hands and spoke. “Your current appearance is very different from the former Second Young Master Xie. Few people can recognize you. From now on, just call yourself a Xie family descendant from the Xie family’s old residence in Jizhou, named Xie Wei. How about it?”

Xie Shiwei said blankly, “What does Mother mean by this?”

“I’m taking you home.” Yun Chu asked him, “Don’t you want to go home?”

Xie Shiwei immediately cried out, “No, I’m not going back! What would I go back to that home for? No one cares about me, no one values me. Even if I died, no one would care!”

“No, you’re wrong.” Yun Chu said each word deliberately. “Your father was still calling your name before he died. How can you say no one cares about you? The Old Madam has never blamed you either… And there’s your eldest brother. He is the most outstanding eldest brother in this world. For the Xie family, he forced himself to grow up. He’s working hard to support the entire Xie family…”

Xie Shiwei pressed his lips together and said nothing.

He was still just a child. How could he not want to go home? It was just stubbornness. Even if this family was about to fall apart, he still wanted to go back…

“Actually, I could support the Xie family, but I can’t.” Yun Chu spoke earnestly and sincerely. “You’ve studied and should know this saying: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ I hope your eldest brother can grow up in adversity, hope he can rely on himself to turn the Xie family’s fortunes around… But his strength alone is still too small. I hope you’ll go back and together with your eldest brother, support the Xie family’s reputation. When brothers are united, their strength can cut through metal…”

Standing outside the courtyard, Xie Shi’an’s heart was deeply shaken.

So Mother truly was wholeheartedly bustling about for the Xie family… Although he didn’t think Xie Shiwei could help him with anything, Mother being able to do this was enough to show that Mother had truly never thought of leaving the Xie family…

How fortunate he was to have such a legitimate mother.

He was truly too despicable, actually coming to follow Mother…

Xie Shi’an wiped his face and turned to walk out of the alley.

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