The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 429
Chapter 429: The Scepter
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“There really is something here!” Xie Yu Zhou crouched down, his face full of surprise.
Everyone stepped aside, allowing Xu Shi Yun to support the old madam forward.
The ancestral hall was in ruins, its surroundings overgrown with wild grass as tall as their knees. Even the path leading here had to be temporarily cleared by the attendants.
The once grand ancestral hall was now blackened by fire, long since collapsed.
Old Madam Ning let out a deep sigh and knelt down, her trembling hands picking up a piece of red cloth.
Having been buried under the earth for many years, the red cloth had faded somewhat.
As she lifted a corner of the cloth, Xie Yu Zhou, with sharp eyes, immediately exclaimed, “It’s a pendant…”
A delicate silver chain held a small pendant, exquisitely crafted.
“It looks like a miniature scepter…” Xu Shi Yun’s eyes lit up at the sight of it.
The finely detailed scepter pendant was adorned with intricate, ancient patterns. At its center, there was a gemstone about the size of a fingernail.
“If this were a full-sized scepter, it would look quite imposing,” Xie Yu Zhou marveled.
Madam Ning gently traced the pendant with her fingers, feeling a deep familiarity within her bones.
She recalled that she had always worn this pendant since birth.
She even remembered the days spent with her tiger mother but had no memory of who had left her in the depths of the mountains.
“Mother, let me put it on for you,” Xu Shi Yun said with a smile.
Xie Yu Zhou helped the old madam sit on the doorstep, while Lu Chao Chao stood on tiptoe to lift her grandmother’s hair. Xu Shi Yun personally fastened the pendant around her neck.
Sunlight bathed the pendant, making it glimmer faintly.
Madam Ning gently stroked it, her expression wistful.
“I was born without parents. This pendant must be something that proves my identity.” She sighed.
“Mother, you have us,” Xu Shi Yun quickly grasped her hand.
The old madam nodded.
“Since we’ve returned to Peach Source Village, we should offer incense to our ancestors. The villagers here have kind hearts, and it was because of me that they suffered…”
Incense, candles, and paper money had already been prepared before their arrival.
At this moment, the guards had tidied the area somewhat.
Lighting the incense, wisps of blue smoke spiraled toward the sky.
Madam Ning held the incense with both hands, followed closely by Xu Shi Yun, her husband, and Lu Chao Chao.
“Ning’er has returned with the children to pay respects to the ancestors. Thank you for your protection over the years… It was I who brought disaster upon Peach Source Village. I am the village’s sinner.” The village had taken her in out of kindness, only to be struck by calamity.
After completing the ritual, the old madam’s mood grew heavy.
“Let’s go home and take a look. Yun’er, you’ve never seen our home before.” The old madam took her daughter and granddaughter’s hands and walked toward the heart of the village.
Near the mountain’s edge, there was a small farmhouse surrounded by a fence.
However, the fence had long since fallen, making it difficult to discern its original form.
“This area was once filled with fruit and vegetables. And over here… this tree…” Madam Ning walked unsteadily toward a jujube tree. Once a sapling no bigger than her palm, it had grown into a towering tree.
“I thought it had perished in that great fire.”
Now, during harvest season, the tree was laden with bright red jujubes.
“I planted this tree when I was pregnant with you. I had hoped that when you grew up, you would have dried jujubes as a snack.” But fate had separated them for far too long.
“You can still have them now.” Xu Shi Yun pressed her lips together, her eyes filled with warmth.
The jujube tree had flourished, its heavy branches bending under the weight of the fruit.
With just a small stretch, she plucked one and took a bite.
The jujube was sweet, crisp, and refreshing. “Mother, it tastes wonderful.” She smiled at her mother.
Xie Yu Zhou, ever agile, climbed the tree like a monkey. “If we don’t pick them now, they’ll over-ripen. Let’s harvest them and dry some for later.”
Xie Yu Zhou and the attendants set to work picking jujubes.
Xu Shi Yun supported her mother as they entered the house.
“This is where I gave birth to you… and where I was married.”
“I had prepared many clothes for you, but they all turned to ashes in the fire.”
The old madam broke down in tears inside the house.
It took a long time before Xu Shi Yun, her own eyes red, helped her back outside.
Having traveled through the night and wept so much, the old madam was completely drained. Xie Jing Xi said, “Let’s rest here in the village for a while. We will return this afternoon.”
He found a house in relatively good condition, had it cleaned, and set up a temporary camp. The attendants drew water from the well for their masters to freshen up.
“Mother, let me help you wash up.” They could not bathe in the open, but at least a simple wash would provide some comfort.
Xu Shi Yun and her maids assisted the old madam.
“Huh…” Deng Zhi, who was helping remove the old madam’s clothing, suddenly hesitated.
“Madam, what is this on the old madam’s back? It looks like a birthmark, but it isn’t quite…”
Madam Ning rarely allowed others to tend to her, so this was the first time anyone had noticed.
“It looks like a painting,” Xu Shi Yun murmured.
Upon seeing the full markings on her mother’s back, she was stunned.
But Madam Ning was unfazed. “It wasn’t there before.”
“When the village was massacred, the entire place was engulfed in flames. As I fled, I thought I would be burned alive.”
She had run frantically up the mountain, yet the flames only grew fiercer. The pain had been unbearable, and she had collapsed, losing consciousness.
While unconscious, she had felt something tearing free from her back.
But when she awoke, her clothes were gone, reduced to ashes—yet she was completely unharmed.
“After that fire, these strange markings appeared on my back…”
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head, examining it. “It’s a pair of wings.”
[No wonder I didn’t notice at first.]
[All the energy must be sealed inside the wings.]
[Aiyo, the old emperor is going to be furious.] Lu Chao Chao covered her mouth, giggling.
Xu Shi Yun raised a brow, waiting for more thoughts to surface, but her niece’s mind had already drifted elsewhere.
[Ai, I really want a big, juicy pork knuckle right now…]
Xu Shi Yun let out a long sigh.
Nine out of ten thoughts in that girl’s head were about food.
“Hurry and put your clothes back on. It’s cold, and you might catch a chill.” Xu Shi Yun also saw the wings but chose not to comment further. The old madam was frail and couldn’t afford to be disturbed.
After freshening up, the old madam finally managed to sleep for a while.
For countless nights, she had been haunted by the fire from that year.
But this time, she dreamt of her childhood—though poor, she had grown up happily, eating food shared by the villagers.
That nap seemed to ease all the knots in her heart.
Even the weariness in her expression began to fade.
“There are so many wild chickens and rabbits outside! Come look!” Xie Yu Zhou cried from the doorway, lifting a plump rabbit. Its neck had been cleanly bitten through.
Rong Che examined it and said, “It was killed by a wild beast. Likely a wolf.”
Madam Ning chuckled. “Clean it up and chop it into pieces. Let’s have a feast. It must be a gift for me.”
Just like in her childhood days.
Cheers erupted, and they immediately set about preparing the meal.
Half an hour later, the pot bubbled with wild chicken soup, enhanced with mushrooms from the mountain.
Rabbit meat roasted over the fire, brushed with honey and sprinkled with various spices, sizzling and filling the air with an irresistible aroma.