Chapter 115: The Little Ancestor of the Minister’s Household
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Lu Chao Chao’s single sentence froze Master Fang in place.
“Someone who’s about to die?”
Was his beloved wife truly beyond saving?
Master Fang felt a surge of despair, his tears flowing uncontrollably.
“She only wishes for death,” Lu Chao Chao’s baby-like voice was unclear, but the old Minister understood.
“Thirty years ago, when our eldest daughter was three, my wife took her out to view the lanterns. She got lost that night, and my wife has carried a shadow in her heart ever since. She never conceived again,” he said with a voice full of sorrow.
Master Fang, a man of steadfast devotion, never remarried nor took concubines.
“I adopted a son, recorded under my name. The grandson you lent money to is his child,” he explained, his voice hollow. He led Lu Chao Chao into the inner courtyard.
Inside, the atmosphere was grim. Every servant wore an expression of tension.
Anyone could sense the Old Madam’s life slipping away.
The moment they stepped inside, the smell of medicine and the stifling presence of death filled the air.
Lu Chao Chao noticed a young woman kneeling by the bed. Her attire was simple, without a single piece of jewelry, as if afraid such things might harm the Old Madam. The woman was holding a copper basin, personally cleaning the Old Madam’s soiled linens. Her expression carried no resentment—only dedication.
“This is my daughter-in-law, Zhu Yan. She came to us from the north, fleeing disaster. My wife’s kindness saved her life. By fate, she and my son formed a union,” Master Fang explained.
Over the years, Zhu Yan, grateful for the Old Madam’s kindness, served her with utmost devotion. The Old Madam, in turn, grew closer to Zhu Yan than even to her adopted son.
“She still refuses to eat,” Zhu Yan’s voice choked with emotion, her eyes red. The Old Madam had not taken a drop of water for three days.
“You’ve returned?” The frail voice of the Old Madam came from the bed. Master Fang immediately clasped her hand.
“Thirty years of marriage—you know my heart.”
“Don’t force me to stay,” the Old Madam said between sobs. “For you, I’ve held on for decades, but I can’t anymore. I’m so tired…” Her cloudy eyes gazed into the distance as if waiting for something.
“Old woman, you’re all I have,” the commanding presence of the Minister dissolved into the heart-wrenching cries of a grieving husband.
Their daughter was gone, and now his wife was leaving too?
“It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I failed to protect our daughter… The Fang family is destined to end with me,” the Old Madam wailed, her cries filled with despair.
An adopted son was still an adopted son.
The Fang family bloodline was severed.
The Old Madam’s grief had festered into illness. She had never recovered after losing her daughter, and Master Fang’s refusal to take concubines ensured their lineage came to an end.
Lu Chao Chao, however, was staring at the young woman silently weeping by the bed.
“Ohhh… found yourrr daughterrr,” she said softly.
The crying stopped abruptly.
Master Fang’s head snapped toward her.
“If you can find my daughter, you will be the ancestor of the Minister’s Household!” Master Fang declared, taking a deep breath.
Over the years, he had even brought imposters to pose as their daughter, desperate to keep his wife alive. But the Old Madam always saw through the ruse.
Lu Chao Chao grinned.
“Yourrr daughterrr is right hereee,” she declared.
“What… What are you saying?” The Old Madam blinked in confusion at the small child before her.
“Yourrr daughterrr… came home alll-ready!” Lu Chao Chao crossed her arms, raising her chin.
The Old Madam’s accumulated virtue and good deeds had already brought her lost child back to her side.
Even Master Fang was bewildered.
“The palace of childrennn is full. Yourrr child is alll-ready by yourrr side,” Lu Chao Chao said, pointing at Zhu Yan.
The young woman froze. “Huh?” She still had tears streaming down her face.
The Old Madam suddenly sat upright. Though she had not eaten in days, the urgency in her voice gave her strength. Master Fang quickly steadied her.
“What did you say? Say it again! In detail! She’s already here?” the Old Madam’s voice trembled as she struggled to comprehend.
“No… no! Zhu Yan! Zhu Yan, say it again! Where are you from?” The Old Madam tried to rise from the bed, but Zhu Yan quickly held her down.
“Mother, please lie down,” Zhu Yan said anxiously.
“My daughter-in-law’s name is Zhu Yan. She is from Beiqu County. At fifteen, she was sold by her mother while fleeing famine. She managed to escape and was saved by my wife during disaster relief,” Zhu Yan explained, her voice trembling. “But… what does this mean?”
“What about before that? Do you remember anything from before you turned three?” the Old Madam asked urgently, a question she had never asked before.
Zhu Yan hesitated.
“I… I was gravely ill before the age of three. When I woke, I had intense headaches and lost all memories of that time. However…” she faltered.
Neighbors used to joke that she was a foundling brought in to care for her brothers.
But she had never believed it.
Now, however…
“They used to tease that I was picked up. But… I have a birthmark,” Zhu Yan said, her face turning red.
Master Fang’s posture straightened suddenly.
“On your hip!” the Old Madam cried out, her voice sharp.
The room fell silent as tears streamed down her face. Her trembling hands reached for Zhu Yan.
“My daughter had a leaf-shaped birthmark on her hip. It was in such a hidden place that no one else could know!” She clutched Zhu Yan’s hand desperately. “Can we have a midwife or nanny check to confirm?”
“Though it’s… awkward…” Master Fang began, but Zhu Yan immediately nodded.
“I’m willing,” Zhu Yan said. Her mother-in-law’s longing for her lost daughter had been her only wish for decades. Zhu Yan had prayed for years, hoping her mother-in-law would find peace.
She never imagined that peace was herself.
The Old Madam’s desire to die disappeared in an instant. “Bring me ginseng soup!” she ordered the maids.
The servants, overjoyed, wiped away tears as they brought out the soup and congee, which had been kept warm on the stove per the Old Madam’s instructions.
After drinking a bowl, the Old Madam dared not overindulge, mindful of her fragile health. She had to preserve her strength to reunite with her daughter.
She could not wait. The maids helped her into the inner room.
Lu Chao Chao sat on a chair, a large dog lying at her feet, while the white-haired Master Fang paced like an excited youth.
Their adopted son, Fang Xu An, rushed into the courtyard.
“Father? Is it true? Has she been found?” Fang Xu An’s voice quivered with anticipation.
For over two decades, the family had endured false hopes and heartbreak. Could this really be the end of their search?
Before Master Fang could answer, a loud, anguished cry echoed from the inner room.
“My daughter! My daughter!” The Old Madam wept, years of suppressed despair pouring out.
Her long years of virtue and prayer had been answered. The daughter she had dreamed of was already by her side.
She had almost missed her.
Master Fang knelt before Lu Chao Chao, tears streaming down his face.
“You are our Little Ancestor.”
The very next day after her divorce, Lu Chao Chao became the Little Ancestor of the Minister’s Household.