The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 272 The General Returns

When news of Wei Zhao's death reached the capital, Xiao Huaiyan, with red eyes, beat up the soldiers who came to pay their respects.

In fact, he couldn't accept this terrible news.

But he's concerned about saving face.

He blurted out that he cried because Wei Zhao owed him money.

Whether others believe it or not, I don't know.

Ning Yunling believed it without a doubt.

In a short time, many officials and scions of prominent families rushed to repay Wei Zhao's debts.

Xiao Huaiyan was so distressed he wanted to die.

But money... he accepts anything offered.

It's all spent now.

Ning Yunling continued her accusations.

"I thought you still had some conscience by going to fetch his coffin to the capital. But you didn't shed a single tear during his burial!"

Xiao Huaiyan: ...

That's because he knew that the person in the coffin wasn't Wei Zhao.

He already knew what was going on when he was in Ze County.

But can he say it?
“I cried as if my parents had died. And you were laughing at me for crying so ugly.”

Xiao Huaiyan: "You're really ugly, don't you know that?"

Ning Yunling was very sad.

"I miss my cousin."

"He's been dead for so long, he must have been reincarnated by now."

Xiao Huaiyan: "Ning Yunling."

"?"

Xiao Huaiyan: "You're at the age where you should be getting married, aren't you?"

Ning Yunling: "What's it to you?"

Xiao Huaiyan casually said, "Take my advice. Get married soon. Who knows, Wei Zhao might be reincarnated as your son."

That was clearly a joke.

But Ning Yunling was all about growing tall, not brains.

He mused.

"Makes sense."

"However, if he really is reincarnated, should I call him cousin or son?"

Xiao Huaiyan: ...

It must have been really tough for you to grow up like this.

He was about to make a joke.

But suddenly his gaze shifted to the ground floor.

A horse-drawn carriage just passed by.

He caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the person driving the carriage was none other than Shunzi.

Xiao Huaiyan was startled.

Is that person finally coming back?

He didn't care about anything else and ran downstairs to chase after him.

But when the others arrived downstairs, there was no sign of the carriage.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Duke of Shunguo's Mansion in Shangjing.

The Ning family's carriage was parked at the entrance.

Old Madam Ning had difficulty walking and was helped down the steps, her legs trembling.

The man supporting her was the solemn-looking Marquis of Ningguo, Ning Yunling's father, and the elder brother of Ning Suchan, the wife of the Duke of Shunguo.

The old lady, who had lived a life of luxury for many years, was dressed appropriately. She wore few accessories, yet her noble air was undeniable. She looked up at the plaque of the Duke of Shun's mansion.

The characters above are vigorous and spirited.

The plaque, under the refraction of light, no longer shone with the golden brilliance it once did.

The white silk curtains in the mansion have not been removed.

The Wei family's door was tightly shut, the white lanterns swayed, and only a desolate atmosphere remained.

Madam Ning sighed deeply.

Marquis Ningguo said in a low voice, "Since Gui's accident, my younger sister has been heartbroken and devastated. The entire household has refused to see any guests. I only saw her once, and I was unable to see her again when I came later."

"I heard from the old woman who serves her the other day that she caught a cold and fell ill again."

Madam Ning tapped the ground with her cane: "Your sister has always been the most thoughtful, keeping everything to herself. Don't you know that? Even I, her mother, can't figure out what she's thinking. She lost her husband early in life, and when Feng Xing had that accident, if it weren't for the fact that Gui Zhi was still around, she probably would have..."

Madam Ning still remembers that after Duke Wei Fengxing of Shunguo had his accident, Ning Suchan almost didn't make it through.

My daughter has always been dignified and proper.

But that time, he cried his heart out in her arms.

She patted Ning Suchan's back: ["It's your parents' fault. After you were rejected by the royal family, no one dared to propose marriage to you. When your fiancé came, we couldn't find fault with him at all; he was even a better husband than the previous one. We agreed to the marriage without much consultation with you."]

"We know you won't blame us, but we still caused you to become a widow at such a young age..."

Ning Suchan choked up as she spoke.

"I hesitated before marrying into the Wei family, but I never regretted it." "When Guizhi had her accident, I was devastated; how much more so for her, her mother?"

Madam Ning was still angry: "If Yunling hadn't let it slip in front of me, would you still have wanted to keep her about your previous suicide attempt?"

"What did I tell you before? I told you to take good care of her, to look after her carefully, and this is how you took care of her?"

Marquis Ningguo lowered his head again and again as he was being scolded.

"It was my fault. But it was also because of you, Mother..."

He is in poor health.

And because Wei Zhao had fallen ill after his accident, how could they dare to let Old Madam Ning be overworked?
"You think I'm too old and useless?"

Marquis Ningguo hurriedly replied, "I dare not."

Madam Ning didn't say anything more, and the two of them went up the steps.

The Wei family's door was tightly closed.

Marquis Ningguo raised his hand and knocked on the door knocker.

Soon, the door was gently pulled open a crack by the person inside.

Before the old woman guarding the Wei family's gate could even peek out, her voice arrived first.

"Our lady is declining to receive guests..."

But once he could see people, his voice faded away in his throat.

The lady has spoken, and her family members are no longer being seen.

But among the people who came today was Old Madam Ning.

Madam Ning showed no sign of trying to force her way in: "I will not make things difficult for you servants."

"Go and ask Su Chan if she can see me. Her mother is exhausted from this trip and would like to ask her daughter for a cup of tea."

The Wei family was a prominent family with a large mansion.

With servants taking care of it, the mansion was kept clean and showed no signs of decay.

The old woman ran all the way there.

When she ran back, her forehead was covered in sweat, but she didn't bother to wipe it away.

He quickly gestured for Madam Ning to enter.

"Madam, please come inside."

As soon as I entered the main courtyard, I heard suppressed coughing inside.

Madam Ning's expression gradually darkened.

Their pace quickened.

The maidservant serving in the main courtyard respectfully lifted the curtain.

Madam Ning entered, walked around the screen, and saw Ning Suchan, who was leaning against her trusted old woman on the couch, looking extremely thin.

Her eyes suddenly reddened.

She sat down by the bed.

"It's hard on you to still have to see your mother."

After a long silence, Ning Suchan's voice became terribly hoarse: "Mother."

Madam Ning straightened the quilt for her: "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Aren't you being unfilial?"

Ning Suchan's hand was grabbed by her.

It is warm.

"I know you're suffering inside, but child, you have to look forward."

“You lost your child, and your mother understands. But please understand your mother. Your mother can’t lose her child too.”

Ning Suchan's eyes were moist, but she didn't want to speak.

Just then, a carriage came to a steady stop in front of the Duke of Shun's mansion.

Wei Zhao's face was deathly pale, looking like he was terminally ill.

Yu Tingwan helped him down from the carriage.

The old woman guarding the gate rubbed her eyes, then rubbed them again in disbelief.

Looking at the ground, there was Wei Zhao's shadow.

She suddenly shouted.

"The general is back!"

The servants sweeping the courtyard heard the noise and dropped their brooms.

"The general is not dead, the general has returned."

The Wei family, which had been quiet for a long time, was suddenly in an uproar.

"Quickly! Go and tell the mistress that the general has returned."

The message was passed down layer by layer.

Upon receiving the news, the maid in the main courtyard could no longer care about anything else and ran inside as fast as she could.

Forgetting social hierarchy and etiquette, he tripped and fell while crossing the threshold.

Bang.

She lay on the ground, seemingly oblivious to the pain.

The sound was exceptionally loud.

"Madam, our general has returned."

Ning Suchan suddenly looked up.