The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 637
Chapter 637: Returning Home in Glory
The more Rong Xiang Shan thought about it, the angrier he became. Tears, as large as pearls, rolled down his face. “Wuwuwuwu…” I miss home. I miss Father and Mother.
Lost in thought, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud.
With a resounding slap, he struck himself across the face.
Five distinct fingerprints instantly appeared on his cheek.
Pointing at Lu Chao Chao, he wailed, “I’m going to beat your little brother to death!”
“So you will understand… the pain of losing someone dear!”
Slap! Slap! Slap! He relentlessly struck his own face, left and right, as if punishing himself.
The onlookers were dumbfounded. They stood frozen in shock, unable to react.
With a shriek, Nanny Lin rushed forward. “What are you doing?!” The slaps were merciless, and within moments, his cheeks were swollen and bruised.
Bearing his teeth in agony, he pointed at Lu Chao Chao again. “Beat her brother, avenge her!”
“She bullied me—she bullied me… Wuwuwu…” My fate is more bitter than a gourd!
Was I born from the very essence of suffering?
Nanny Lin sighed deeply.
Oh dear, this child has gone out once and returned utterly deranged.
Lu Chao Chao’s head buzzed. Seeing his pitiful and aggrieved expression, she sighed. “Fine, fine. I admit my mistake. I admit my mistake, alright?”
“Can you now forgive my poor, pitiful little brother? Can you stop hitting him?”
“It pains me. My heart aches terribly…”
Rong Xiang Shan raised his tear-streaked face. “Really?”
Lu Chao Chao nodded expressionlessly. She never imagined the mighty Seven Sins would turn into such a fool.
Had she been too harsh on him? Had she scared him senseless?
Lu Chao Chao began to reflect on herself.
But when she considered the immense power he wielded, she knew that if she didn’t suppress him properly, disaster was inevitable.
Forget it. Let him be a little foolish.
As long as he knew to eat when hungry and return home when it rained, it was enough.
Xie Yu Zhou scoffed, folding his arms. Windchaser nudged his elbow. “The Great Priest has come to preach to you again…”
The Great Priest was relentless, appearing daily to discuss philosophy with him.
“Mai Feng, I’ll go with you to relocate your mother’s grave. I’ll take the back gate and meet you outside the city.” Fearing more lectures, Xie Yu Zhou bolted immediately.
Sniffling, Rong Xiang Shan followed. “I’m coming too.”
After they left, Lu Chao Chao said, “I’ll stay and console Sheng He and stabilize Xing Hui’s spirit. Also, tomorrow is Xiang Shan’s birthday. We must hold a grand ceremony for him.”
“Understood. I shall prepare for the birthday feast,” a maid replied promptly.
Once everyone had departed, Lu Chao Chao took out the divine statues of Xian Ting and Zong Bai.
She had asked Windchaser about them, and he confirmed that she had sculpted the statues herself and bestowed divinity upon them.
However, when she attempted to craft new clay figurines, she found she could no longer infuse the souls of Sheng He and Xing Hui into them.
Each time she tried, the figurines shattered.
Something was missing.
Pondering deeply, Lu Chao Chao found herself at a loss and had to set the matter aside for now.
She felt that a secret lay within her.
Perhaps, only the Heavenly Dao knew the answer.
After lunch, Mai Feng led Windchaser, Xie Yu Zhou, and Rong Xiang Shan out of the city. His home was in a small village near Lotus City, and they would reach it by afternoon.
As their entourage neared the village, warriors of Lotus City led the way. The village chief had already gathered the villagers, kneeling in welcome.
“I heard an esteemed guest is visiting our village?”
“Who could it be to warrant an escort by the warriors of Lotus City?”
“Shut up and kneel quickly! If you offend the noble, do you have spare heads to lose?!” The village chief scolded, silencing the murmurs.
From afar, the rhythmic clatter of horse hooves resounded.
The villagers bowed even lower.
Inside the carriage, Mai Feng lifted the curtain, gazing around. The village lay over a hundred miles from Lotus City, with vast fields of lotus flowers. The villagers harvested them at dawn and delivered them to the city by morning.
Lotus was the national flower of the Brahma Kingdom, and foreigners visiting the city often bought a blossom to offer at the temples.
Lotus flowers sold well. So did their seeds. Even the roots were a valuable commodity.
In its mercy, the Buddhist sect purchased flowers from the villagers daily to adorn the Grand Buddha Hall. Over time, lotus flowers flourished across the kingdom.
Here, in this vast expanse, they bloomed in spectacular profusion.
“Guo Guo wished to return home before he died,” Mai Feng murmured, eyes dim with sorrow.
Guo Guo had been barely four years old. Mai Feng could no longer recall his mother’s face. But even in his final moments, Guo Guo kept murmuring for her.
Perhaps now, he was finally reunited with her.
The carriage halted at the village entrance. The chief, stooped with age, approached. “I am the village chief of Lian An Village, paying respects to the noble. May I ask what brings your esteemed presence to our humble home? This old one is at your service.”
The warriors guarded the carriage, while monks stood alongside. Whoever was inside must be someone of great importance.
“Which way is Mai Feng’s home?” Windchaser asked from atop his horse.
The village chief hesitated for a moment, struggling to recall.
A villager tugged his sleeve. “Mai Feng? There was a Li family boy named Li Mai Feng. But that child ran away with his little brother half a year ago.”
Realization dawned on the village chief. “Oh! Mai Feng took his brother and fled.”
“His family is in mourning. Should I summon Li Fu Gui?”
Li Fu Gui knowing such noble guests? The Li family was about to rise in status!
“Forget it. There’s no need for that. Take us to the grave of Li Fu Gui’s first wife instead.”
Windchaser waved a hand dismissively. Just as they were about to leave, Mai Feng lifted the curtain and stepped out.
“Young Master Mai Feng,” Windchaser nodded lightly, giving him the dignity of an address. Of all he had learned from Lu Chao Chao, posturing was what he had mastered best.
Strictly speaking, Mai Feng did not warrant such a title.
But Windchaser wanted to give him face.
“Village Chief Grandpa, why is my family in mourning?” Mai Feng asked.
The village chief squinted at him in shock. He barely recognized him.
After Mai Feng’s mother died, he always wore clothes too small for him. Even in winter, he shivered in a thin, old spring robe his mother had sewn.
Dark-skinned and gaunt, he had looked pitiful.
The village chief had reprimanded Li Fu Gui several times for mistreating the brothers, but to no avail. Eventually, he had given Mai Feng a set of clothes out of pity.
Now, Mai Feng was dressed in finery, exuding an air of nobility. Even the man on horseback had called him “Young Master Mai Feng.”
The chief was utterly stunned.
“Mai Feng?”
“It’s really you, Mai Feng! Have you struck it rich?!” A villager stepped forward, about to clap his shoulder, but shrank back under the warriors’ stern gaze.
Whispers spread rapidly.
“Good lad, I always knew you were destined for greatness! Didn’t I say so back then? Aiyo, I even held you when you were little…” Many villagers rushed to claim kinship.
“Are you asking about Li Fu Gui?”
“Sigh, your family is in mourning.” They sighed, their faces filled with sympathy.
“For your younger brother. No, not Guo Guo—the son your stepmother bore, Rui Rui.”
Mai Feng clenched his fists, his breath heavy.
Tears glistened in his eyes.
“Your stepmother was from Xiahe Village. You knew that, right? She was divorced by her first husband for failing to bear a son.”
“Then she married your father and quickly conceived. It was quite the coincidence…”
“She was beautiful. If not for her infertility, she would never have married your father. And he doted on her endlessly…” For years after their marriage, Li Fu Gui pampered her, cooking meals, massaging her shoulders, and treating her with utmost care.
Compared to her, his first wife was nothing more than a beast of burden.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation