Saving Someone in Passing (2)
The first sight Du Yun Han saw of Du Xiao Li was her wearing a straw hat in old clothes working in the fields. At the time, Du Xiao Li was in the middle of combing through the tangerines in the orchard. That is to pick off the excess tangerines from a branch, so as to avoid too many tangerines from growing on one branch, pressuring the branch to break. In addition, there were also two other girls together with her.
"Who are you?" Ying Ge saw the head poking out of the horse carriage and asked.
Everyone had actually long noticed this luxurious horse carriage enter the village, but all thought it was just a passerby. Yet, unexpectedly, he stopped at the foot of their mountain and even stuck his head out for a look.
Du Yun Han got down from the horse carriage and looked to the already thirteen and a half years old Du Xiao Li, asking with a shaking voice, "You're Du Xiao Li?"
"I am, who are you?" In the last few years, Du Xiao Li had also interacted with some wealthy people before, so she momentarily didn't figure out who the other party was.
"Su Su Xin is your mother?" Du Yun Han continued asking.
Du Xiao Li's face immediately darkened and retorted, "You're mistaken."
With that said, she turned around, wanting to return to her own courtyard.
"You're my daughter, I'm your father." Du Yun Han suddenly spoke, "Niu Jing told me everything!"
At this time, the nearby villagers working in the fields all heard the commotion on this side and successively turned to look over.
"Damn it!" Du Xiao Li couldn't help cursing, not knowing whether she was cursing Niu Jing or cursing Du Yun Han. She turned and looked to those spectating villagers below the mountain, and said with a darkened expression, "You, come up first!"
Du Yun Han followed the mountain path upwards, and upon seeing the new house built just a few years ago, he felt a little better inside. At least, his son's and daughter's days were still decent.
"Who are you?" Du Xiao Li went to wash her hand, asking as she glared at Du Yun Han.
Actually, without even asking, she was already certain of Du Yun Han's identity, because that face of his looked as if it almost came from the same mold as the sixteen year old Du Xiu Heng's.
And her appearance was seventy percent similar to their deceased mother.
"I'm your father." Du Xiao Li didn't bother entertaining Du Yun Han, and he also just found himself a chair to sit down.
"My father Du Hai is already dead." Du Xiao Li coldly said.
Du Yun Han stared at Du Xiao Li's hostile appearance and let out a sigh, saying: "Sorry. That year, I failed you all........."
"Save it, I don't know that I still have a father." Du Xiao Li interrupted Du Yun Han's words, "Ying Ge, Xia Yuan, I'm tired from working just now, I'm going to go nap for a while. This lord, the door is over there, see yourself out."
As she finished saying this, she stood up and returned to her own room. However, she wasn't going to sleep, but instead returning to her room to practice her inner energy. When she finished her training session and went out, she discovered that Du Yun Han still haven't left and was currently in the main hall having a stare off with Du Xiu Heng who'd just returned from the county seat.
Du Xiu Heng had already participated in the provincial exams and right now was one of the successful candidates, preparing to go participate in the capital's imperial civil service examination next year. He was already no longer studying at the county seat school. Today, he'd just happened to have some business and headed to the county seat, unexpectedly coming back to see someone he didn't want to see the most.
(T/N: The imperial civil service exam is also known as the metropolitan exam.)
Du Xiao Li looked to the two of them mutually staring at each other, yet didn't say anything. She walked in and sat down next to Du Xiu Heng, asking: "Big brother, when did you come back?"
"I've been back for a while now. Ying Ge and Xia Yuan said you were resting, so I didn't call you." Du Xiu Heng didn't looked to Du Xiao Li, but instead casted his hostile gaze towards Du Yun Han, saying: "This sir, how long do you plan on sitting in our house for?"
"Don't pretend with me. Xiao Li may not know me, but you wouldn't know? Keep pretending to not know your old man, and I'll break your legs!" Du Yun Han wasn't as careful with Du Xiu Heng like as with Du Xiao Li. Upon hearing his words, his anger immediately rose.
"You're not anyone to me, what right do you have to hit me?" Du Xiu Heng said with disdain.
"I'm your old man!" Du Yun Han roared.
Du Xiu Heng coldly snorted and said, "I don't have a father that can't protect his wife and children!"
Hearing Du Xiu Heng say this, Du Yun Han's attitude instantly softened, saying: "The matters that year were my fault, but I believed you mother. She is the true love of my life, and have gone through so many storms together with me, how can I not believe her. But that year, by the time I got back, your mother had already took you and ran away. I also searched everywhere for you two, but what I got was instead two corpses, three lives. That pregnant woman's and that small child's body had the exact same markings as you two's. Thus I thought it was you two, that's why I stopped searching. In these years, I've also missed you all very much."
"Hmph." Du Xiu Heng still just coldly snorted.
"It's true! If not, why else would I immediately rush here as soon as I heard your news." Seeing Du Xiu Heng's attitude, Du Yun Han's anger rose again. Looks like this father's temper wasn't very good!
"Even this mean in our house, if we were your kids, afraid would've already been scared to death by you." Du Xiao Li said.
Perhaps because Du Xiao Li resembled Su Su Xin too much, or perhaps because from birth until prior to today, he'd never seen her before, Du Yun Han felt a little partial towards Du Xiao Li. Seeing Du Xiao Li's discontent look, his anger immediately dissipated, and he apologetically smiled, "I was just anxious, I'm actually not mean."
If not for the current scenario being off, Du Xiao Li definitely would have been amused by Du Yun Han's appearance.
Actually, she could tell, Du Yun Han genuinely did care about them. His gaze towards them was very real, indeed that kind of affectionate and stern look a father would give his child. Furthermore, the incident that year, she hadn't investigated yet. That's why she couldn't conclude it was all this father's fault either. However, whether or not to acknowledge this father, it still depends on Du Xiu Heng. After all, towards this father that suddenly appeared, whether to acknowledge him or not, she didn't have too much of an opinion. If Du Xiu Heng doesn't acknowledge, she'll continue being her village girl, cheerful and carefree. If he acknowledges him, she heard that this father is already the prime minister, and even has an equal wife that the previous emperor bestowed at home. There will certainly be no less of trouble inside and outside the home. But if Du Xiu Heng wants to go back, her accompanying him to the capital to play with them wasn't undoable either.
"You two take your time staring, I'm going to go make dinner." Du Xiao Li said to Du Xiu Heng. However, she definitely won't make Du Yun Han's share.
T/N: This is the regular chapter for Friday, the next sponsored chapter I'll release along with Monday's chapter. Your translator Jen is going to be taking the weekend off from this series to work on other things and catch up on sleep, I'm a bit behind on TWBW, see you guys Monday~
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