Xie Shiyun cried so hard he could barely catch his breath.

He collapsed limply on the ground, clutching at Yun Chu’s skirt.

Yun Chu bent down to help him up: “The Xie Family is now run by your elder brother. Since both your elder brother and grandmother have decided not to look for her, they naturally have their reasons.”

“No, Mother, we must look, we must go look…” Xie Shiyun cried in complete breakdown. “Please, Mother, I can’t live without my concubine mother…”

“Child, what are you shouting randomly?” Lin Shi had been somewhat soft-hearted at first—after all, he was just a four or five-year-old child, and he had once called her Grandmother.

But Xie Shiyun’s loud crying frightened Changsheng.

The little girl who had just been obediently walking on her own immediately buried herself in Yun Chu’s arms, her face turning pale with fright.

Lin Shi’s heart instantly hardened: “Xie Shiyun, from the moment Chu’er left your Xie Family, she is no longer your legitimate mother. Do you understand?”

Xie Shiyun stared blankly with tear-filled eyes, unable to speak.

He still remembered from half a year ago—Mother had loved him most, always holding him in her lap and coaxing him gently.

From childhood, he had known he was Mother’s favorite child.

But for some reason, everything suddenly changed.

Mother drove him out of the courtyard and never showed him affection again.

It was as if he had been abandoned.

When he was abandoned before, he still had his concubine mother’s love, but now his concubine mother was gone… he was all alone.

Why was he so pitiful?

He looked up at the child in Yun Chu’s arms.

It must be because Mother had other children! That’s why she didn’t like him anymore!

He looked at Chu Changsheng’s back, his eyes filled with heavy jealousy and resentment…

Yun Chu reached out and buried her daughter’s face in her embrace.

She spoke: “Brother Yun, you must understand—I am not a member of the Xie Family now. I have no authority to interfere in your Xie Family’s affairs. It’s too dangerous for a child like you to be outside alone. I’ll have someone take you back—consider it fulfilling the affection between mother and son.”

Xie Shiyun wasn’t even five years old yet. He didn’t understand these things. He only knew that Mother was unwilling to help him find his concubine mother.

He lowered his head and clutched his stomach: “Mother, I’m hungry…”

He had sneaked out of the house early in the morning. First, he looked everywhere for his concubine mother. Unable to find her, he began looking for Mother’s residence.

He searched and searched but couldn’t find the place. Just when he was about to despair, he encountered Mother on the street.

He thought Heaven was helping him.

But he was wrong.

Yun Chu couldn’t help but think of her previous life, when it was Xie Shiyun who personally handed the poisoned medicine to her.

Xie Xian had rushed over and knocked the medicine bowl to the ground. Immediately after, Xie Shiyun slapped Xie Xian and handed over a second bowl of poisoned medicine, forcing her to drink it.

The current Xie Shiyun and the future Xie Shiyun—the two faces gradually overlapped.

It wasn’t that she was heartless toward a child.

Rather, having once tasted bitterness, she would never again give even one ten-thousandth of her sincere heart.

She was about to speak when the little girl in her arms suddenly lifted her head and held out a pastry from her hand: “Here—for you.”

Only then did Xie Shiyun notice this was such a beautiful little girl. He was instantly dazed.

Yun Chu immediately pressed down on Chu Changsheng’s head, hiding her daughter’s face, and said: “Qiutong, give Brother Yun something to eat and personally escort him back to the Xie Family.”

Qiutong received the order and took Xie Shiyun’s hand.

Xie Shiyun refused to go and was directly picked up and carried away by Qiutong.

“This Xie Family…” Lin Shi shook her head. “I was truly blind back then.”

Yun Chu smiled: “Mother, let’s not think about these things. Come, let’s go to the cloth shop and see if there are any new fabrics recently.”

The three of them headed to the cloth shop together.

Before long, Qiutong returned Xie Shiyun, now fed, to the Xie Family.

Only then did Yuan Shi realize Xie Shiyun wasn’t at home. She had been so anxious steam was coming from the top of her head. Seeing the child brought back, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Madam Xie, please watch your family’s child properly,” Qiutong spoke without any courtesy. “Don’t go looking for our miss again. If outsiders see it, they’ll think your Xie Family still has some relationship with the Yun Family, implicating your Xie Family—our miss cannot bear such responsibility.”

The sarcasm in these words was completely unconcealed.

Yuan Shi looked embarrassed: “I didn’t know Brother Yun had gone to find Chu’er…”

Xie Shi’an walked out from the back and spoke politely: “Thank you for making this trip, Miss Qiutong. Please tell Mother to rest assured. I will watch Brother Yun and won’t let him go to the Yun Family again.”

Qiutong turned and left.

As soon as she left, Xie Shi’an asked with a stern face: “Shiyun, what did you go looking for Mother for?”

Xie Shiyun was very afraid of this elder brother. He stammered: “I wanted Mother to help me find my concubine mother back. I can’t live without my concubine mother…”

Xie Shi’an gripped his shoulder firmly: “How many times must I tell you? Your concubine mother has gone to someone else’s family and will never come back. Just consider your concubine mother dead!”

“No, my concubine mother isn’t dead!” Xie Shiyun shouted. “My concubine mother won’t abandon me! No matter where she goes, she’ll take me with her!”

After speaking, he turned and ran away.

Yuan Shi sighed: “Brother An, are we really not going to care about Concubine Yu anymore?”

“The silver has already been collected. What does Grandmother think?” Xie Shi’an’s voice was very cold. “She betrayed Father and made Father wear a cuckold’s hat even in death. She doesn’t deserve to be a member of the Xie Family anymore. If she’s gone, then she’s gone. Grandmother, don’t just focus on Shikang—watch Shiyun more closely to prevent him from causing trouble at the Yun Family again.”

He didn’t want to let Mother know that it was he who had forced Tingyu down this path.

Mother hoped he would be unbending and upright, yet he had used family members to seek his own interests.

He was afraid Mother would be disappointed in him.

He raised his head and saw Concubine Jiang standing there.

Meeting his eyes, Concubine Jiang shuddered and hurriedly picked up Xie Xian and headed toward the rear courtyard.

She was truly afraid of Xie Shi’an, terrified he would turn his attention to her. A thought arose in her heart—this Xie Family could no longer be stayed in.

Xie Shi’an pulled at his thin lips.

He turned around, about to go out, when he heard the front gate being knocked.

Yuan Shi walked over without any caution and opened the door, immediately shocked: “Yu—Concubine Yu, you…”

“Shh!”

Tingyu covered Yuan Shi’s mouth, quickly entered, and closed the main gate.

She looked disheveled, her face swollen, her whole body hunched: “Brother Yun—where’s Brother Yun? Quickly, bring Brother Yun out!”

Yuan Shi asked blankly: “Didn’t you become a concubine of the Hu Family? How did you end up like this? What are you doing back at the Xie Family?”

“Madam, I don’t have time to explain so much. Quickly, quickly bring Brother Yun out!” Tingyu panted heavily. “I’ll take Brother Yun to lie low for a while, then come back later.”

As she spoke, she headed toward the rear courtyard.

Xie Shi’an blocked her way: “Concubine Yu, Shiyun is the Xie Family’s bloodline. No matter where you go, you cannot take Shiyun away.”

“Brother Yun is my son, the child I carried for ten months and gave birth to. Wherever I go, he must go!” Tingyu shouted somewhat hysterically. “Xie Shi’an, it’s all because of you! If you hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have fallen to such a state! Get out of my way! I’m going to find Brother Yun!”

If she didn’t have Brother Yun, she could accept being a concubine of the Hu Family.

But she couldn’t bear to be separated from her son. All the wealth in the world couldn’t compare to having Brother Yun by her side!

Moreover, the Hu Family was a wolf’s den!

“Bang bang bang!”

The Xie Family’s main gate was suddenly knocked loudly.