“Alright, put the things down. I’ll take care of Father. You can leave now.”
Wang Huaiyu sat by the bed, covering her forehead as she dismissed the servants.
“Yes, Miss.”
After the servants left, Wang Huaiyu raised her head and looked at her father lying weakly on the sickbed, her face full of guilt.
She took the basin of hot water the servant had brought, wrung out the remaining water from the towel, and wiped the body of her father, who was still unconscious.
After finishing these tasks, she sat back in the chair, tightly holding her father’s hand, watching him with worry.
Wang Huaiyu had been very troubled lately.
As the eldest daughter of the Wang Family, currently the largest landowner in Xiang’an Town, she shouldn’t have been showing her face so much during the time of her own wedding. But now…
Her father lay unconscious on the sickbed, and the wedding had turned into a farce.
The groom’s disappearance and the consequences of that night’s farce fermented like strong liquor. The news that the Wang Family had lost its pillar overnight spread to the ears of the busybodies in Xiang’an Town.
And facing such a situation, even though Wang Huaiyu was usually shrewd and capable, she now felt somewhat helpless.
“Sigh… If only Hongfang were here…”
She began thinking again of Zhou Hongfang, who had lived with the Wang Family for half a year—that “fiancé” who was always humble and attentive to her.
Although she usually ignored his attentions, whenever she felt stressed, that fiancé was always her best confidant.
But ever since that night’s farce, Zhou Hongfang’s figure had never again appeared in the Wang Family’s courtyard.
Her most capable helper in daily life had vanished. Liu Shan, as the instigator, coming forward would only make things worse.
Now, shouldering the responsibility as the family’s pillar, Wang Huaiyu felt only a heavy shadow flooding her heart, impossible to erase.
If not for that absurd night, perhaps none of this would have happened…
Wang Huaiyu touched her abdomen. Her originally beautiful face now fell, full of bitterness.
Hongfang was gone. Now, Father didn’t know when he would wake up. The servants were whispering among themselves.
As for Liu… sigh…
Mother… I miss you…
Just as Wang Huaiyu was secretly grieving, Wang Chengye on the sickbed suddenly made a slight sound.
“…Hk… zk…”
His fingers twitched slightly, his lips parted slightly, the sound he made hoarse and weak.
“Father! You’re awake?” Sensing the movement, Wang Huaiyu immediately snapped back to attention. “Wait a moment, I’ll get you some water now!”
Wang Huaiyu hurriedly got up, quickly went outside to pour a cup of warm water, brought it back, and held it to her father’s lips.
Wang Chengye struggled to prop himself up halfway, took the cup, and gulped the water down, water overflowing from the corners of his mouth.
“Gulp, gulp… Ah!”
After draining the cup, Wang Chengye’s originally somewhat pale complexion improved a little.
“Father! Are you alright? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”
Wang Huaiyu looked at her father nervously, her eyes full of concern.
“Uncomfortable? Hmph! I’m perfectly fine!”
Having recovered his breath, Wang Chengye placed the water cup back on the stool beside the bed with a thump.
The sudden sound made Wang Huaiyu’s shoulders tremble. She lowered her head, not daring to speak.
“Speak, huh?” Wang Chengye stared straight at the daughter he had once been so proud of, full of anger and frustration.
“Weren’t you capable when you were shielding that young man in front of the servants? Why aren’t you talking now, huh?”
Hearing her father’s reprimand, Wang Huaiyu could only press her lips together, letting her father’s fury rain down upon her.
After a good while, she finally opened her mouth.
“…I’m sorry.”
“You still know I’m your father!”
Seeing his daughter so timid now, Wang Chengye’s anger flared even more.
He shakily raised his hand, pointing at Wang Huaiyu, his voice trembling slightly.
“When you stood in front of that little bastard, where in your heart was there any room for me, your father!?”
“You… you tell me! Where is that dead thing! I’ll beat him to death!”
As he spoke, he struggled to get out of bed to look for him.
“Father, don’t be like this!” Seeing her father’s movement, Wang Huaiyu was frightened and quickly reached out to support him. “You just woke up, your body is very weak right now. You should lie back down.”
“Let go!”
Unexpectedly, Wang Chengye flung away the hand she had extended, glaring and roaring.
“Father!”
Seeing her father in this state, completely unwilling to listen to others, Wang Huaiyu, who already felt somewhat wronged, immediately had tears stream from her eyes.
“…Sniff…”
Seeing his daughter’s tearful appearance, Wang Chengye’s movement to get up froze. He didn’t continue, but remained in a position leaning against the headboard.
Actually, it was no wonder Wang Chengye was so angry. The prospective son-in-law he had placed high hopes on had disappeared.
On the night of the grand wedding, a scoundrel he had never liked had impersonated him and caused a farce.
And just when he was about to teach that scoundrel a severe lesson, his most beloved daughter stood on the opposite side.
Any one of these things happening would be enough to make someone unbearably furious, let alone all of them happening to him.
Father and daughter were silent, neither speaking.
After quite a while, Wang Chengye finally spoke, his voice full of exhaustion.
“Why on earth did you do this? Could it be that you two were in cahoots?”
“Hongfang was a child your mother and I had our eyes on long ago. He’s shrewd and capable, knows how to read people, has a steady character, the most reliable in handling matters. In what way is he not better than that so-called nephew of yours?”
“Yes, I’ve spoiled you since you were little. You wanted beautiful new clothes, I bought them for you. You wanted to learn to read and write, I hired a tutor from the capital to teach you. I tried my best to fulfill all your requests.”
As he spoke, Wang Chengye’s originally somewhat straight spine suddenly slumped, and his cloudy eyes also welled up with tears.
“Even when you brought that little bastard home back then and said you wanted to keep him, I, your father, agreed.”
“And what did you do? On such an important day as your wedding day, you still… sigh!”
He sighed, and Wang Chengye’s tears finally fell, just like his back.
This old man had held on for most of his life, but now he finally felt he couldn’t hold on any longer. His questioning pierced Wang Huaiyu’s heart like a sharp sword, right on target.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Before your mother left, what she was most worried about was you.”
“At that time, she was like me now, lying on the bed, holding my hand, her face all wrinkled, terribly ugly.” Recalling his deceased beloved wife, a faint smile finally appeared on Wang Chengye’s face.
“She wouldn’t let me look at her face, said it was ugly. How could I agree? I stared at her desperately, just hoping I could always remember her face, so similar to yours.”
After saying this, Wang Chengye’s face was both crying and smiling.
“At that time, she held me and told me, ‘Chengye… you must raise our daughter well, you must also take good care of yourself…'”
“And then she was gone…”
“Then… then…”
“How I wanted to tell her how well I raised you, how healthy and beautiful you are now, how well I’m living myself, it’s just that I miss her a bit often since she’s been gone.”
“But I can’t… I can’t do anything.”
Wang Chengye wiped his face, his voice hoarse:
“Now… I’ve spoiled you rotten.”
“I lied to your mother…”