Chapter 68: A Ying, I Found You

Shen Xiunian was left speechless by the scolding.

He truly felt guilty toward his mother.

But Liu Fuying was simply too ruthless. Just because he had been somewhat cold toward her son, she was pushing him to such extremes. She might survive without the Shen Family, but his mother would truly die without Liu Fuying.

Liu Fuying was truly something!

If he refused to accept the two children and let them suffer, then his mother’s life or death would have nothing to do with her.

That was exactly what she meant.

After all these years, had his mother not treated her well?

What was her heart made of? How could it be so cold and hard?

“In the past, no matter how angry she was, she never wrote a letter of separation. This time, it seems her heart has truly been wounded. Shen Xiunian, you may be a man with ambitions far and wide, and I don’t blame you for that. But I cannot live without A Yin. If she leaves, I will have no reason to live. I might as well join your father sooner.”

Shen Xiunian remained silent.

His mother’s tear-filled eyes tugged at his heart, causing waves of pain.

In the end, he was the one who gave in.

“I understand, Mother. I will personally go and bring her back. From now on, I will treat the children well.”

He accepted it.

After all, it was he who had told Liu Fuying to find another man in the first place. If it wasn’t Pei Zhouwu, it would have been someone else.

As long as she never had anything to do with Pei Zhouwu again in this lifetime, he would accept everything else.

Whose child he raised didn’t matter.

As long as Liu Fuying could take good care of his mother, he would accept it all.

Hot Spring Inn.

Lü Ping was carrying out Shen Xinian’s foot-washing water and heading to the kitchen to fetch some food, as Shen Xinian had just said she was hungry.

Shen Xiyun was in the next room, covered in sweat from catching grasshoppers, and the nanny was helping him bathe.

At this moment, Shen Xinian was sitting alone in the room, shaking a clay rattle ball in her hand. The jingling sound made her giggle with delight.

A glowing firefly slowly flew in through the window, catching her attention as it passed by. She immediately put down the clay rattle ball and chased after it.

“Mother likes it.”

The little girl wanted to catch the firefly to give it to Liu Fuying, who loved fireflies.

But how old was she? She could barely walk steadily, let alone catch up with a flying firefly. Before long, she saw the firefly fly out through another window.

The door was slightly ajar, and with a gentle push, it opened.

She stepped over the threshold, chased it down the steps, and ran out of the courtyard.

The firefly turned around, and wherever it flew, she chased after it.

Passing by an unknown courtyard with its gate half-open, Shen Xinian glanced inside as she ran past. That one glance made her pause, and she forgot all about chasing the firefly.

“Yiliang Brother.”

The fleeting figure she had glimpsed in the courtyard made her think she had encountered someone familiar. Without a second thought, she ran into the courtyard.

“Yiliang Brother!”

The man inside the main door had just turned away when he suddenly heard a childish voice, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

But he wasn’t Shen Yiliang—he was Pei Zhouwu.

The little girl in the courtyard realized it too when she saw his face after he turned around. Although he looked like Shen Yiliang, he wasn’t him.

Shen Xinian stopped in the courtyard, bold enough to ask directly, “Who are you?”

Who was he?

Pei Zhouwu also wanted to ask who she was. Why did this child look so much like his sister when she was young? And since he and his sister had resembled each other since childhood, it meant this little girl also looked like him.

How peculiar.

Two children in a row resemble him—could they also be from General Shen’s family?

They do have a pair of twins, after all.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Shen Xinian tilted her head to look at him, her eyes fixed intently. At such a young age, she was already captivated by beauty, staring closely at Pei Zhouwu’s handsome face.

Pei Zhouwu smiled faintly, crouched down, and beckoned to her.

Seeing his gesture, Shen Xinian completely forgot the warnings from Liu Fuying and the nannies about not getting too close to strangers. Blinking her round, bright eyes, she ran over to him.

Once she was in front of him, she stared even more intently at Pei Zhouwu’s face.

“Is your guardian Shen Xiunian?” Pei Zhouwu asked her.

She tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand at all. “Who is Shen Xiunian?”

Shen Xiunian rarely returned home, and Liu Fuying never deliberately mentioned him, so she didn’t even know her father’s name.

“And who are you? I thought I saw Brother Yiliang.”

Her confusion was utterly endearing, and her face filled Pei Zhouwu with a sense of familiarity, making his smile even more pronounced.

“What’s your name?” he asked softly again.

“My name is Shen Xinian. It’s not the ‘nian’ from ‘nian nian you yu’ (may you have abundance year after year), but it’s pronounced the same. Brother Yiliang taught me that today.”

She answered with a sweet smile and a sweet voice.

With her answer, Pei Zhouwu had a clearer idea. Earlier, at the entrance of the Shen Family, he had overheard a maid calling Shen Xiunian’s son’s name, which sounded very similar to the name she had just given. Combined with the surname Shen, it further confirmed her identity.

“Why did you run out alone? Where are your guardians?”

“I… I was… chasing fireflies!”

At some point, another firefly had flown over, circling behind Pei Zhouwu for a while. Shen Xinian pointed at it, and only then did he notice.

“This is my mother’s favorite. I like it too.”

In contrast to Shen Xinian’s delight, Pei Zhouwu’s expression momentarily froze.

The weather was getting warmer again, and even fireflies had appeared.

“I like them too,” he murmured unconsciously.

He hadn’t liked them before, but after meeting Su Yueying, he suddenly grew fond of them—fond of fireflies, and even fonder of Su Yueying.

Yet, the thought of Su Yueying inevitably brought a bitter taste to his heart, leaving him unsettled.

A rumbling growl from her stomach interrupted his thoughts. He snapped back to reality and glanced at Shen Xinian’s belly.

“Are you hungry?”

Shen Xinian nodded, asking without a hint of shyness, “Do you have any food? My stomach is really hungry.”

“Silly girl,” Pei Zhouwu ruffled her hair, then stood up and added, “You shouldn’t eat food from strangers. Didn’t your mother tell you that?”

“She did, but I like you.”

Pei Zhouwu laughed again, amused by her innocent and adorable foolishness.

They had just met for less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, and she already dared to say she liked him. In the future, she would need to be careful—someone so naive could easily be deceived.

“You’re so good-looking. You’re even better-looking than Brother Yiliang.”

Hearing this, Pei Zhouwu raised his eyebrows high. At such a young age, she was already captivated by appearances—what would she be like when she grew up?

But then again, she wasn’t his daughter.

“Come inside. I’ll get you something to eat.”

As he turned to leave, a small, soft hand grabbed his. Looking down, he saw Shen Xinian grinning up at him.

“Have you seen lots and lots of fireflies?” she asked him with a smile.

Pei Zhouwu thought back for a moment. How could he not have seen them? The sky full of fireflies on his wedding night was something he would never forget.

“Yes, I’ve seen them.”

“But I haven’t. My mother has seen them too. She said that on the night she was born, there were so many fireflies.”

Pei Zhouwu paused mid-step, slowly withdrawing his foot that was about to cross the Threshold.

These words sounded all too familiar to him.

A Ying had also said that on the night she was born, fireflies danced under the moonlight, which was why her mother named her Yueying.

“What is your mother’s name?”

He asked casually, stepping over the Threshold once more.

“My mother’s name is A Ying.”

Shen Xinian answered just as casually, not expecting Pei Zhouwu to freeze completely upon hearing those two words.

“What did you say your mother’s name was?” He turned back, his expression grave.

“A Ying. My mother’s name is A Ying.”

Pei Zhouwu opened his mouth, but his heart pounded like a war drum in his chest, tying his tongue in knots. For a long moment, he couldn’t utter a single word.

He crouched down in front of Shen Xinian, holding her small arms with both hands, and asked again to confirm, “Which character is it? What is her full name? What are the characters of your mother’s full name?”

“Aunt Jieling always calls my mother that. My mother’s name is A Ying.”

“I… I mean…”

“How about I take you to see my mother? Let her decide whether you’re more handsome or the person in the painting is.”

Shen Xinian tugged at his wrist, as if ready to lead him outside.

“My mother keeps a painting hidden in her room. The person in it is wearing white clothes like you, but he has chains on his hands and feet. I accidentally saw it once. My mother said… she said he is the most handsome person in the world.”

“…”

“Come on, hurry up. My mother will be back soon.”

Shen Xinian was too weak to pull Pei Zhouwu along and was instead pulled back by him.

“Say it again. What painting are you talking about? What does the person in the painting look like?”

Shen Xinian frowned, a little frightened by his serious expression.

“Tell me, Niannian, don’t be afraid. Just tell me what that painting looks like, okay?”

“It’s… there’s a small boat, and on the boat is a man wearing white clothes, with dark chains on his hands and feet. And the sky behind him is all gray. My mother said… she said it was because of the heavy fog.”

White clothes and iron chains.

Boat, Zhou.

Zhou, Wu.