Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 383 The Lone Star of Heavenly Evil
When Yan Ciwan's carriage was still some distance from the Fu residence, it was stopped by the Imperial Guards.

"There's a flood ahead, this road is temporarily closed. Please take another route!"

Yan Ciwan pushed open the car window and looked out. She saw smoke still billowing from the direction of the Fu residence, indicating that the fire had not yet been extinguished.

She turned to the Imperial Guards in front of her and asked, "Have you seen the Xiao family members? Are they alright?"

The Imperial Guard glanced at her: "The Xiao family members have all been rescued, I heard they were injured. Who are you?"

“I am a friend of Xiao Jia Liulang. I am very concerned about his safety and came here specifically to find him.”

"The Fu residence is currently under firefighting. You bystanders should stay away and cause trouble. Go home and wait for news," the Imperial Guard said, waving them away.

Yan Ciwan became increasingly worried when she heard that someone from the Xiao family had been injured. However, she was still seriously injured and unable to move around easily, and the carriage could not enter the area. She looked around and found a teahouse not far away.

"Dongli, let's go to that teahouse."

"Yes."

Dongli turned the carriage around and arrived at the teahouse entrance, then helped Yan Ciwan out of the carriage.

The carriage was handed over to the waiter, and Dongli pushed Yan Ciwan into the teahouse in a wheelchair.

Yan Ciwan casually ordered a pot of tea and two snacks, then said to Dongli, "You know light-body skills, could you avoid those Imperial Guards and go to the Fu residence to investigate the situation?"

Dongli hesitated, "If I leave, will you be alright staying here alone?"

"Don't worry, I'll just stay here and have some tea while I wait for you to come back. Nothing will happen."

"Alright then, I'll be right back. Don't move around."

Dong Li left the teahouse, leaving Yan Ciwan sitting alone at the table. There were other customers in the teahouse, all discussing the fire at the Fu residence. Even the teahouse owner joined in the gossip.

"Have you heard? General Fu's father was burned to death in the fire!"

"But I heard he was crushed to death by a collapsing roof beam."

"Regardless of how he died, General Fu was truly tragic! His wife died in childbirth, without even being able to see her one last time. He barely escaped death in Youzhou and finally achieved great merit, ready to return home in glory, only to have his mother go blind. Three years ago, his mother passed away from illness, and recently his son was murdered. Now his father is dead too. Tsk tsk tsk, is he just having a run of bad luck?!"

“People like him who made their fortunes through military achievements have blood on their hands and have committed too many killings, which makes them prone to attracting unclean things.”

"Even if there is to be retribution, it should be for him, not for his family."

"Who told him to have such a strong destiny? Otherwise, he would have survived being captured by the enemy in Youzhou. How many people in the world have such a strong destiny? I think he is destined to be a lonely star, destined to live a lonely life."

"Let's keep our voices down. We can't let the Imperial Guards hear us, or we'll be in big trouble."

"Don't worry, shopkeeper. The Imperial Guards are all busy helping to put out the fire right now. They don't have time to come here and listen to our idle chatter."

"It never hurts to be careful, don't you think?"

The tea shop owner smiled at the few customers who were chatting, and as he turned around, he saw Yan Ciwan sitting alone in the corner. He walked over with a smile and greeted her.

"Young lady, do you like our tea and snacks?" Yan Ciwan replied that they were quite good.

"If you finish your tea, just let us know and we'll refill it for you."

"Ah."

The shopkeeper turned to leave, but Yan Ciwan suddenly called out to him and asked, "I just heard you say that General Fu's mother is blind?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper looked her up and down and asked with a smile, "Young lady, you're not a local from Chang'an, are you?"

"No, I haven't been in Chang'an for long."

"No wonder. Many people in Chang'an know about this. Back then, when General Fu was fighting the Turkic army in Youzhou, his troops were ambushed and wiped out. When the news came back, Old Madam Fu couldn't bear the blow and fell ill. I heard that she spent her days at home in tears and even ruined her eyes from crying."

Yan Ciwan suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

"After a long time, we heard the news that General Fu had been captured by the enemy. Not only did he not die, but he also killed the enemy commander and made great contributions. But unfortunately, Madam Fu's eyesight could not be cured. By the time General Fu returned, Madam Fu had gone blind."

Yan Ciwan recalled the family letter. When Madam Fu received the letter, her eyesight must have been good. She did not show any abnormality after reading the letter, which meant that the letter itself was not the problem.

After a moment's thought, she asked again, "Is the Fu family's ancestral home in Chang'an?"

"No, their family only moved to Chang'an and settled down after General Fu's triumphant return. I heard that when they first arrived, they couldn't afford a house and could only rent from others. It wasn't until the current emperor ascended the throne and General Fu rose through the ranks to become the Left Valiant Guard General that they were finally able to buy their current mansion. It's such a pity that this magnificent house has been burned to the ground. Even I, an outsider, feel heartbroken seeing it. General Fu has had such bad luck!"

The shopkeeper couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, feeling sorry for Fu Zheng's bumpy fate.

Yan Ciwan thought for a moment, then asked, "What is the relationship between General Fu and his family?"

"It must have been quite good. When his mother celebrated her sixtieth birthday, they held a three-day banquet. Not only did everyone on our street get to eat for free, but they also each received a big red envelope! I heard that during the time when the old lady was sick, General Fu personally took care of her, cleaning up after her and serving her at her bedside every day. He's so filial!"

"What about the rest of the Fu family?"

The shopkeeper stroked his chin and recalled, "I heard that the General's father was injured many years ago and developed a limp. He rarely went out. He liked to drink tea, and the General would search far and wide for the best tea leaves. Every year when the new tea came in, it would be sent to the General's house first. Once, I got a batch of rare and good tea here, and the steward of the General's house came to me specifically to buy it at a high price, saying that he wanted to buy it for the General's father to taste."

"So it seems that General Fu's family gets along very well."

The shopkeeper nodded: "That's right. General Fu may be a bit fierce, but he's incredibly kind to his own family! It's just a pity that his family members have all left one by one, and now he's all alone. How will he survive with a cold stove and empty pots?"

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but sigh again.

Yan Ciwan pressed further, "Do you know where the Fu family's ancestral home is?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "I don't know about that."

Just then, Dongli returned. She had run all the way here, and there was some sweat on her forehead.

“Madam Ning, I’ve inquired. Xiao Liulang’s father was slightly injured, but fortunately it was just a minor injury. The Xiao family has already gone home.”

Yan Ciwan breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the Xiao family members were unharmed.

She took a handful of copper coins from her purse and placed them on the table: "Shopkeeper, check please."