Steward Cao quickly put down his wine bowl, "Master, you are drunk. Why don't you go upstairs and lie down for a while!"
Alas, the young general, who was only in his forties, looked so haggard...
The eldest young lady had been missing for so many years, and no one knew if she was dead or alive. Yet, the young general numbed his senses with alcohol every day. When would this ever end!
"I'm not drunk!" Gu Zhenshan picked up the wine pot and poured himself another full bowl of sorghum wine.
Little Xi Tian blinked her big eyes curiously, "Uncle, are you looking for someone?"
Gu Zhenshan's hand, which was holding the wine, paused, and his expression became somewhat dazed, "How did you know?"
This little girl is truly clever...
Little Xi Tian picked a piece of fried mushroom for him and said with a smile, "You just mentioned your sister. Did she run away from home?"
Gu Zhenshan let out a bitter laugh, "She didn't run away from home. She had no choice but to leave!"
He was too young back then and had no strength to protect his sister...
Now, his relatives around him were either dead or gone. Gu Zhenshan felt heartbroken!
As people age, they tend to miss their deceased relatives more, especially when they know their relatives are still alive but they cannot see them. What kind of torment and suffering is this...
Little Xi Tian nodded, "Then I wish Uncle finds his sister soon, and I hope you siblings can be reunited quickly!"
Gu Zhenshan smiled slightly and reached out to ruffle Little Xi Tian's hair, "Good, I'll take your good wishes!"
This little girl is so endearing, he really wanted to take her away!
He had reached the age of thirty but had no children. He felt like he was halfway to the grave, and he particularly wished to have a child of his own...
It didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl, as long as they could be born.
But the wives and concubines in the General's Mansion were all useless.
They were all like barren hens...
Xiao Jinheng asked, "Mr. Gu, where do you plan to go next?"
To search for relatives across a thousand miles, one's character and perseverance must be very strong, otherwise, they wouldn't have persisted until now.
Gu Zhenshan let out a long sigh and looked at the bleak scenery outside the window, "I plan to go to Feiyan Village to have a look!"
"What?" Yun San Man's eyes widened, "Feiyan Village?"
Is it such a coincidence?
His family had fled from Feiyan Village...
Gu Zhenshan hummed in response, saying nothing more.
"The villagers of Feiyan Village have all fled. Even if Mr. Gu goes there, he won't be able to find any information!" Yun San Man said.
Besides, the journey from here to Feiyan Village is very long and cannot be reached in a day or two...
Little Xi Tian also advised, "Yes, our family used to live in Feiyan Village, and there's no one there anymore! Uncle Gu should try looking elsewhere!"
Gu Zhenshan's pupils trembled upon hearing this, and he turned his head abruptly, "You, you really lived in Feiyan Village?"
Good heavens, he had gone to great lengths to find the villagers of Feiyan Village, and he never expected to meet them here today...
Moreover, this little girl said her mother's surname was Gu. Could it be that this Miss Gu is his sister?
He just didn't know how many families with the surname Gu there were in Feiyan Village.
Yun San Man nodded, "How could this be fake? Our family lived in Feiyan Village for many years!"
Gu Zhenshan's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He directly grabbed Yun San Man's hand, "Then have you seen a woman named Gu Ran'er? Also, what is your mother's name?"
Yun San Man was stunned for a moment and withdrew her hand, "Gu Ran'er? I haven't heard of her..."
"Impossible!" Gu Zhenshan stood up unsteadily, "She clearly married into Feiyan Village back then. Did she change her name?"
What in the world is going on?
Why is God always against him!
Little Xi Tian's eyes curved into a smile, "My mother's name is Gu Xiangqing!"
"Gu Xiangqing?" Gu Zhenshan murmured to himself.
This name sounded so poetic and elegant, not like a name a common villager would choose...
Yun San Man pushed Shangguan Fang'er, who was clinging to her, away and said indifferently, "Also, my mother is not the only one surnamed Gu in Feiyan Village. There are six or seven other families surnamed Gu, but there is no woman named Gu Ran'er!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhenshan's burning enthusiasm instantly cooled down. He sat down listlessly, the light in his eyes extinguished...
"Mr. Gu, is it convenient to tell us why your sister left home back then?" Xiao Jinheng asked.
If she was plotted against, chased, or framed by someone, then it would indeed be inappropriate for her to use her real name and show her face. Changing her name would be normal.
Gu Zhenshan lowered his head and pondered for a long time before slowly speaking, "Back then, my father's concubines looked down on my sister and used all sorts of methods to scheme against and bully her. While my mother was alive, my sister's life was somewhat better, but less than half a year after my mother passed away, my sister was tormented by the concubines to the point where she wished she were dead..."
"The clearest memory I have is that those wretched concubines made my sister kneel in the snow for a whole night. Her legs were so frostbitten that they almost had to be amputated. Besides that, they also burned her with a branding iron, pricked her with needles, and strangled her with ropes. Finally, one day, my sister couldn't bear the torment anymore and secretly escaped. She has been gone for decades, sob!"
Gu Zhenshan said with teary eyes, feeling as if his heart was being twisted by a knife, it was too painful...
Hearing this, Xiao Jinheng became even more curious, "Just a few concubines, and your father just watched them bully his own daughter?"
Little Xi Tian and Yun San Man were also extremely angry.
Their own daughter was almost worn down to death by others, why didn't the father say a word?
Gu Zhenshan sighed, "At that time, my father was seriously ill in bed, barely clinging to life. He couldn't even take care of himself when eating, drinking, or relieving himself, and his speech was muddled. He wanted to manage but couldn't. In the first year after my sister left, my father passed away..."
Gu Zhenshan sniffled and poured himself another bowl of wine.
"Mr. Gu, stop drinking!" Xiao Jinheng held his hand, "I think you should come to Dashui Village with us!"
Gu Zhenshan's expression froze, and he asked in surprise, "You mean, that woman named Gu Xiangqing is my sister?"
Little Xi Tian and Yun San Man were also not entirely sure.
Because their mother never mentioned the past to them...
Even the secret of their father's remarriage was only revealed to Little Xi Tian by their elder brother when he was drunk.
"Uncle, even if my mother isn't your sister, we can still visit. We'll tidy up the house for Big Brother tomorrow and leave. Let's travel together!" Little Xi Tian invited with a smile.
Gu Zhenshan looked at the wine in his bowl, then at Steward Cao, "Alright, let's go to Dashui Village to have a look..."
Just then, a subordinate rushed in and whispered a few words into Gu Zhenshan's ear.
Gu Zhenshan's face changed in surprise upon hearing this, "What?"