Chapter 187: The Old Madam’s Stroke
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Windchaser, why are you running around?”
Lu Chao Chao swiftly caught hold of Windchaser again.
The little one muttered, “What happened, Windchaser?”
“Why did that old grandpa run away crying? It’s just a lost dog, isn’t it?”
Lu Chao Chao was baffled, unable to find an answer.
…
Late at night.
A baby crawled out from the Mass Grave Hill, pale as a ghost, pointing at an empty spot, declaring, “My friend is not human.”
Tell me, who wouldn’t be terrified?
Lu Chao Chao, however, was unbothered. Without a second thought, she climbed back onto a grave mound and went back to sleep.
The little one curled up in Windchaser’s fur, covered by a small blanket, her body warm and cozy.
It felt as if even the wind had softened, afraid of disturbing her peaceful slumber.
…
Dawn broke.
“Chao Chao… Chao Chao, Little Potato, wake up…”
Lu Chao Chao waved her hand dismissively. Why did she hear her mother’s voice?
Before she could react, she was swept up into a warm embrace.
Sniffing the familiar scent, she blinked. “Eh? It smells like Mother?”
[Did I dream of Mother?]
[That’s not right. I’ve never dreamed of Mother before.]
[My dreams are full of drumsticks.]
Madam Xu: That hurts.
Forcing her eyes open, Lu Chao Chao found Madam Xu smiling gently at her.
“Mother!” Lu Chao Chao’s eyes lit up as she clung to her mother’s cheeks and gave her a loud kiss.
[Mother smells so nice…]
“Mother, why are you here?”
“Are you also seeking refuge with Chao Chao?”
Her big, expectant eyes blinked up at her mother.
Madam Xu sighed helplessly. “Mother doesn’t roam the martial world. I came to bring you home… It’s been three days. Isn’t it time to return?”
Lu Chao Chao froze.
[But I still need to be the boss today!]
[What do I do?]
“I’ve already discussed it with His Majesty,” Madam Xu continued slowly. “Your enrollment will be postponed for a month. What do you think?”
“Also, you’ll only attend half a day of lessons each day.”
Lu Chao Chao hesitated.
“And there will be extra snacks during recess.”
“Alright, Mother, I’ll go home right now!” Lu Chao Chao nodded vigorously, afraid her mother might change her mind.
…
“Brother Bun! Brother Bun!”
As Lu Chao Chao returned to the city, Scarface and the others waved at her excitedly.
After a brief thought, she turned to her mother. “Mother, I need to say goodbye to my friends…”
Madam Xu nodded in agreement.
Lu Chao Chao handed a small bundle to Scarface.
“This is the money I managed to gather. Use it to settle our little brothers.”
“I’ll come visit you guys!”
Scarface clutched the bundle tightly, his voice firm. “Brother Bun, don’t worry. I, Scarface, will make sure everyone is taken care of. I won’t let you down! You will always be our Brother Bun!”
Lu Chao Chao climbed into the carriage, looking back three times with every step.
Madam Xu chuckled. “Little Potato, why do they call you Brother Bun?”
Lu Chao Chao sat cross-legged in the carriage, her expression innocent and honest. “Mother, I don’t know. I’m just Little Potato.”
Within just three days, tales of Brother Bun had spread across the martial world.
As they passed through the commoners’ district, a heart-wrenching wail rang out.
“Wife, I won’t fish anymore. I swear, I’ll never fish again in this lifetime!”
“There’s a ghost at the Mass Grave Hill!”
“She was holding an iron chain—she must have been looking for a substitute soul!”
Lu Chao Chao peeked out of the carriage window, feeling that… this person seemed oddly familiar.
When she finally returned home, Yu Shu cried her heart out.
“Little Miss, you’ve gotten so thin! How could you leave without Yu Shu?” Yu Shu clung to Lu Chao Chao, her eyes red with tears.
Madam Xu inwardly scoffed at her own words.
“Chao Chao, you’ve returned from wandering the jianghu?” That evening, Lu Zheng Yue entered the manor with a smile.
“How was your harvest?”
Lu Chao Chao hesitated for a moment before replying, “Second Brother, I made more money than you did on your travels…”
[Ah, Second Brother wandered for half a year and still couldn’t earn enough for me to last three days begging for food…]
[Forget it, my own brother may be a bit slow, but I’ll take care of him.]
[Even if he’s just a lucky mascot, that works too.]
Lu Zheng Yue’s smile froze slightly.
Why did I bring this humiliation upon myself??
Lu Yuan Xiao, who had just entered, silently closed his mouth, his eyes filled with schadenfreude.
Hahaha, Second Brother insisted on kicking an iron plate.
When Lu Yan Shu returned, the family gathered for dinner.
Just as they put down their bowls, a servant rushed in breathlessly.
“Madam, something has happened!”
“What’s so urgent? Don’t startle the Young Miss and Madam,” Deng Zhi scolded the gatekeeper with a glare.
“Sister Deng Zhi, this is truly urgent!” The gatekeeper wiped his cold sweat.
“Madam, just now at the Marquis’… at the Lu residence, there was an uproar. It is said that the Old Madam suddenly collapsed, unconscious, her mouth drooping and slurred speech. She seems to have…”
“Had a stroke.”
The entire Lu household fell into an uproar.
[Could that old hag have been angered to death?] Lu Chao Chao suddenly sat up.
[If she dies, will they invite me to a feast?]
[Not going as a filial child, but attending a banquet sounds good. I hear the funeral feasts of wealthy families are quite lavish.] Lu Chao Chao rubbed her belly. She often overate, causing stomachaches at night, so Madam Xu had started managing her diet.
Madam Xu nearly burst into laughter at her thoughts.
“What exactly happened? Explain in detail,” Deng Zhi pressed, knowing this was a serious matter.
The gatekeeper wiped his sweat. “The Lu residence has been having a streak of bad luck lately.”
“Madam Pei volunteered to transcribe scriptures at the small Buddhist hall to pray for the Lu family’s fortune.”
“She transcribed continuously for half a month… even spending nights in the hall.”
“Tonight, the Old Madam suddenly decided to visit the hall to offer incense. She told no one and went alone.”
“No one knows what she saw, but she let out a shriek and collapsed instantly, hitting her head against a table, bleeding on the spot.”
“When she regained consciousness, her mouth drooped, she drooled, her speech was incoherent, and half her body was paralyzed—she had a stroke!”
The crowd was utterly shocked.
“Serves her right! Deceiving Mother for eighteen years—this is karma!” Ten-year-old Lu Yuan Xiao couldn’t hold back his emotions and cursed angrily.
Madam Xu shook her head slightly. “Yuan Xiao, it’s fine to speak this way at home, but never outside.”
“You aim for the imperial examinations. You must not leave room for criticism.”
Outsiders could curse, but if a grandson by blood insulted his own grandmother, he would be criticized for eternity.
Such was the way of the world.
[Aiya, aiya! I heard Madam Pei shaved her paramour’s head and smuggled him into the house disguised as a monk!]
[Did the Old Madam catch them in the act?] Lu Chao Chao snickered.
Exciting, truly exciting.
[I need gossip, I crave gossip…]
Lu Chao Chao wasn’t the only one craving gossip!
Madam Xu clenched her handkerchief, the corners of her lips twitching uncontrollably, struggling to keep a straight face.
She cleared her throat and coughed lightly.
Her face remained dignified, her tone filled with melancholy. “Although you have been expelled from the family and struck from the family register, in the eyes of the world, there is still a debt of gratitude for raising you.”
“Now that the Old Madam is ill, visiting would silence gossip.”
Madam Xu sat up straight, looking righteous.
“Yan Shu is about to take the capital examination, Zheng Yue has just entered the military, and Yuan Xiao has his child scholar exam next year. They need to focus on studying.”
“So…”
“I shall go on your behalf.”
Madam Xu’s eyes sparkled. Gossip! Gossip! Gossip!
Ah, what’s the point of returning home in glory if you don’t trample on those who wronged you?
Life has to be a little fun, doesn’t it?