Ink Burns

Chapter 288 Father (Part 2)
He Qingshu entered the covered walkway through the second gate. To his right was the lake, as calm as a mirror, stretching as far as the eye could see.

What a huge lake.

This is the capital city.

Every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.

The Xue residence appears to have a narrow and deep gate from the outside, but inside lies a vast and expansive lake!
The only drawback is that a rugged, winding bridge separates the lake, with Xuebei Prefecture on one side and Nan Prefecture on the other, effectively dividing the beautiful lake in two.

I wish they were all from this Southern Prefecture!

However, Xue Changfeng of the Northern Prefecture is half-dead, Zhu Shi is dead, and Xue Chen is dead. They will probably be swallowed by Xue Xiao sooner or later.

According to Jing'an, Xue Xiao is completely infatuated with his wife.

Shan Yue is doing very well now.

Is it called Mountain Moon?
Mrs. Qiu loved to look at mountains, water, the moon, and the morning light, so she named one of her daughters Shanyue (Mountain Moon) and the other Shuiguang (Water Light).

The thought that her own flesh and blood would become the mistress of this vast mansion warmed He Qingshu's heart: No matter how bad Qiu was, she had a good appearance and a tall stature. Her two daughters were pretty when they were young. The older one was very beautiful, while the younger one had a round face back then, and it was hard to tell whether she was good or bad. But thinking about her older sister's appearance, she couldn't be bad.

The leader walked swiftly ahead, while He Qingshu tucked his chin in and quickly touched the ground with his brown hemp shoes. They entered a courtyard with a hanging flower archway. The curtain of the main hall was open, and the roller blind was half-drawn.

He Qingshu lifted the curtain and entered, immediately seeing the young woman sitting at the lower right.

The woman lowered her head slightly, her hair styled in a high bun, adorned with a gold-plated hairpin with a bluebird holding a pearl in its beak. She wore a simple, plain indigo silk outfit and a pair of icy jadeite bracelets on her wrists, which were not very colorful but had good translucency.

The face is not visible.

"Shanyue—" He Qingshu choked up, taking two quick steps: "Shanyue."

The woman raised her head, revealing skin that wasn't very fair, but rather slightly yellowish. She looked timid and weak, with the corners of her mouth turned down, giving her a somewhat bitter appearance.

He Qingshu didn't have time to think it through and immediately went to meet her, his hands trembling: "It really is you."

Before He Qingshu could even shake hands, he heard steady, slow footsteps coming from the cubicle behind him.

Or perhaps Xue Xiao?

How could I meet Xue Xiao on my first meeting?
“Xian—”

He Qingshu suppressed his excitement and turned around.

But a woman walked slowly around the eight screens, like a lady in a turmeric-colored silk robe descending into the mortal world from an ancient painting.

She is a very beautiful woman.

Her eyes were clear and cold, her skin was fair, her figure was tall and slender, and her ginger-yellow long dress made her look like the golden osmanthus hanging on the treetops two months ago. The only difference was that while the golden osmanthus was fragrant, she was like ice and frost.

He Qingshu's hand paused in mid-air for a moment.

Who is Shan Yue?

"Sister." The slender, aloof woman did not turn her head, her eyes slightly cold as she stared straight at He Qingshu before her: "Pour some tea."

The woman obscured the title of He Qingshu.

He Qingshu raised her eyes and two lines of clear tears streamed down her face: "Is it Shui Guang, Shui Guang?" Shan Yue rested one hand on the back of the rosewood armchair with its continuous swastika pattern, her eyes calm: "This is Miss Zhou, her name is 'Li', not Shan Yue, nor Shui Guang."

He Qingshu froze, his face turning pale. He opened his mouth but dared not speak further: He couldn't be sure who this aloof lady was. If he even mistook his own daughter, how could he pretend to be a loving father? —The person who almost killed Cui Yulang in the alley that day, he clearly heard Cui Yulang call her "He Shanyue," and she not only acknowledged it but also intended to kill Cui Yulang, who had seen through her identity!

Xue Xiao's wife must be He Shanyue!
Unfortunately, he was far away in the alley, and since he could only see her back, he had no way of recognizing his eldest daughter's face!
It's alright, it's alright!

That's alright!

He Qingshu was about to speak when the aloof woman spoke again: "Please sit down. I am Shan Yue. My mother carried the sachet containing the family's savings. Why is it on you?"

Shan Yue remained standing.

She recognized the person as her biological father, He Qingshu.

The contours of his facial muscles conform to the natural aging process, and he even appears several years younger than he should look.

Looking at his expression again, his face was rosy and clear. The dry and strong winter wind of the capital city did not make his cheeks and lips look dry and rough.

He had a very upright posture, with a straight back, and his sitting and standing postures were slightly outward-pointing. When his hands hung naturally at his sides, his palms unconsciously turned inward-pointing—this was a very standard official appearance in the capital city.

Looking at his clothes, though they were just coarse linen garments, the stitches were neat and even. His shoes were the kind of brown hemp shoes favored by scholars from Jiangnan, which were silent when he walked. There was only one possibility: the soles of the shoes were made of layers of cloth and hemp, glued together with paste and reinforced with hemp rope, with the bottom layer thickened and coated with wax to prevent moisture.

He Qingshu's smooth, supple skin reflects the peaceful and uneventful life he has enjoyed over the years, thanks to his abundant food and clothing, pleasant mood, and carefree environment.

He didn't even recognize her.

One time, or perhaps it was a coincidence.

How can we appeal to chance the second time?
If he truly cared about her constantly, how could he not even distinguish his own daughter from his own?

She never expected her father, who had always lived on Qiu's hunched back, to be consumed by the same obsession with revenge as she was, but please allow her not to easily understand He Qingshu's magnanimity and...
Therefore, she could only look out through the raised shield of defense and carefully consider his arrival.

"Shanyue." He Qingshu's hand fell straight down, a strained sound emerging from his throat, hoarse and low: "Shanyue—I am your father! I am your father! Don't you remember your father? All these years, I have been searching for you and your sister—"

"Oh."

Shan Yue gently interrupted, "I've searched for twelve years without success. How did you find out about me this time?"

"When Xue Xiao was demoted to the Right Battalion Commandant of the Xishan Camp, the Ministry of Rites reissued his family register, and your imperial decree was on it. I learned that his wife's maiden name was Shanyue! So I paid close attention to it!"

He Qingshu said urgently, "Until last time in Tongnan Ancient Alley, you had a conflict with Cui Yulang, the heir of the Marquis of Wuding. He saw through your identity, and when the soldiers of the Prefect of the Capital were about to find you, it was that little girl that I found who helped you escape!"

That figure in the indigo-gray robe, hidden in the crowd?

Shan Yue slightly raised her chin, pursed her lips and smiled: "So, Father is now an official?"

A smile unconsciously crept onto He Qingshu's lips.

Hearing that he could see the Ministry of Rites' list of family members, he changed his address to "Father".
"I am currently serving in the Dali Temple as a junior official. Although I am half a rank lower than my son-in-law, I have done my best."

He Qingshu straightened his posture, deliberately suppressing his smug tone, and sighed: "That year, you, your mother, and your sister suddenly disappeared without a trace. I searched everywhere. First, I went to Qi County to report to the authorities, and then I went to Songjiang Prefecture to inquire about the news. I only heard that the country was not peaceful at that time. Some mountain bandits from who knows where kidnapped many poor people, the elderly, women, and children. The county officials just sent me back to wait for news and refused to reveal a single word."

"I wrote a letter to the emperor, and coincidentally, the judge of the Songjiang Prefectural School saw my letter and said that I had some knowledge of literature and classics. He then helped me pass the prefectural examination, the metropolitan examination, and the palace examination."

He Qingshu took a deep breath and said again, "So many years have passed, and your mother is no longer here. I remarried, but I have never forgotten you and your sister. Perhaps it is fate, or perhaps it is because I have never been able to let go of these feelings. Now, I only have you and your sister as my children."