Chapter 545: Father and Son
Editor: Atlas Studios
Qi Xiuyuan only sat on the chair and closed his eyes for a moment. Just then, he heard a sound outside, and he immediately opened his eyes.
“General, Bai Li is back.”
Qi Xiuyuan immediately went out. Everyone was drenched and many of them had wounds on their bodies. When Bai Li saw Qi Xiuyuan, he immediately knelt on the ground and said guiltily, “General, I’m useless.”
Qi Xiuyuan’s heart turned cold. He quickly glanced over and realized that Matriarch Yuan was still alive. Only then did he realize that something was wrong. His father was not there.
Qi Xiuyuan held back his thoughts and waved his hand. “Get the general’s family members to change first. Invite the military doctor over to take a look at the matriarch and the children.”
Qi Xiuyuan hurriedly greeted Matriarch Yuan. However, Matriarch Yuan looked at him guiltily and said, “Good child, go and visit your father first.”
Qi Xiuyuan rushed to the tent at the side. The military doctor had already checked Qi Feng. Seeing him enter and shake his head slightly, Qi Xiuyuan stopped in his tracks and slowly walked to Qi Feng’s bed.
Qi Feng’s breathing was weak. If not for the fact that his chest was still heaving, it was almost impossible to tell that he was a living person. There was a broken arrow in his chest, but it had not been pulled out. Clearly, his vital points had been injured. Once it was taken out, he would probably not survive.
Madam Wu was sitting on the ground and weeping softly. When she saw Qi Xiuyuan enter, she paused for a moment before pouncing to Qi Feng’s side and holding his hand, crying sadly.
Under the cold glance from Qi Xiuyuan, all her cries were stuck in her throat and she couldn’t make another sound.
Qi Feng opened his eyes and looked at his son, who was standing in front of the bed with a complicated expression. He was silent for a moment.
To be honest, he had not seen his son for 12 years. Ever since he left, he would only send him a letter on New Year’s Day.
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He turned to look at Madam Wu and his sons and grandsons on the other side. Then, he turned around and waved at Qi Xiuyuan. “In the blink of an eye, you’re already all grown up.”
Qi Xiuyuan didn’t miss the embarrassment in Qi Feng’s eyes, but he didn’t expose him on his deathbed. Instead, he thought for a moment before kneeling in front of his bed.
Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that his son would not give him face at this moment. He said dryly, “Now that you’ve become successful, you can be considered the number one person in the Qi family…”
Qi Xiuyuan remained silent, but Qi Feng seemed to have gotten into the momentum. He sighed and said, “If your mother in heaven finds out, she will definitely be gratified. Back then, when you were born, your mother flipped through all the poetry books before finally naming you ‘Xiuyuan’. She hoped that you would be unyielding and have a lofty mind. Later, she even gave you the personal name ‘Chengde’, hoping that you would have a noble character.”
Qi Xiuyuan lowered his head slightly. “Mother has always had high hopes for Fourth Brother and me.”
“I only hope that you brothers can uphold your mother’s dying wish and support each other.” Qi Feng continued shyly under Qi Xiuyuan’s gaze, “Father owes you a lot. Even if I want to compensate you, there’s nothing I can do now. Your second and third brothers respect you very much. Although you’re not from the same mother, you’re still biological brothers. After I pass away, you have to take care of them.”
Qi Xiuyuan turned to look at Qi Shaosheng and Qi Shaotai, who were kneeling at the side. He was very unfamiliar with them. If they met face-to-face on the streets, they probably wouldn’t even recognize each other. However, these two were his younger brothers and they had been bullying each other since young. Until now, Qi Xiuyuan didn’t have any feelings for them.
However, he would not disobey Qi Feng at this time, so he nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll take care of my two younger brothers.”
Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief. He really didn’t expect himself to die so early, so early that he had no choice but to entrust his two sons to his eldest son, who he had never been on good terms with.
As soon as this topic ended, the father and son actually fell silent. There was nothing else to say.
It was rare for Qi Feng to feel sad. No matter how much he disliked Qi Xiuyuan, he was still his son. He really didn’t expect the father and son to be so indifferent towards each other.
Sensing that his life was slipping away, he wanted to say a few more words, so he said incoherently, “Madam Li and Madam Mu went missing with their children. I don’t know who abducted them. Don’t worry too much. If you can’t find them, marry another wife as soon as possible and give birth to a legitimate son…”
Qi Xiuyuan was slightly stunned. Only then did he remember that he wasn’t supposed to know about their disappearance. Hence, he asked with a dark expression, “My wife and the child are missing?”
Qi Feng’s voice weakened, as if he lacked confidence. However, he still tried his best to explain. “I didn’t want your wife to feel restricted, so I didn’t let your mother interfere in their matters. There were imperial guards watching outside, but who knew that they would still disappear without a trace?”
Qi Feng looked up at Qi Xiuyuan. In the end, he still suspected that it was Qi Xiuyuan who had had them taken away.
Frowning slightly, Qi Xiuyuan said with an ugly expression, “Father, don’t worry. I’ll get someone to find her.”
Qi Feng turned to look at Madam Wu and gave her a look. In response, she quickly stood up and brought her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren out. Now, only the father and son were left in the tent. Qi Feng asked in a trembling voice, “Chengde, tell Father the truth. Were you the one behind their disappearance?”
Qi Xiuyuan looked up at Qi Feng for a while before replying, “No.”
Just as Qi Feng heaved a sigh of relief, he heard him say, “It was Madam Mu who brought Madam Li away.”
Qi Feng widened his eyes and looked at him. Since there were no outsiders present, Qi Xiuyuan felt more at ease than before. He said honestly, “How much does Father know about us brothers?”
Chest heaving up and down, Qi Feng pointed at him and asked, “You, you want to rebel…”
Qi Xiuyuan didn’t expect this to be the first thing to come to Qi Feng’s mind, but he still nodded and said, “Father is right. This is indeed my plan.”
Anger and grief flashed across Qi Feng’s eyes. “If you have intentions to rebel, where would that leave me? I was still in Lin’an City…”
“That’s why I promised to take care of Second Brother and Third Brother.” Qi Xiuyuan interrupted him and said, “Father, I’m very sorry about this, but I’d still make the same choice again if time reversed.”
He chose his wife and children and abandoned his father.
Qi Feng’s eyes were filled with sorrow. “Do you treat me as your father?”
In this world, there were many who abandoned their wives and children, and few who abandoned their parents.
However, Qi Xiuyuan asked fiercely, “Father, do you treat Fourth Brother and me as your sons?”
Thoughts churned in Qi Xiuyuan’s chest, but he still couldn’t help but question him. He calmed the anger in his chest, surprised that he still wouldn’t be able to control his emotions. He’d thought that after more than ten years and several life and death situations, he had long become indifferent. It turned out that he still cared so much.
Seeing that his father opened his mouth but did not speak, he felt a mixture of fury and gratification. He lowered his voice and said, “Father only thinks that Fourth Brother and I are a disgrace and never deigned to spare a glance at us. Yet now, you’re asking me if I treat you as my father.”
“The father sets the example for the son,” Qi Feng muttered. “You owe your life to me…”
“But you gave birth to me and didn’t raise me. Is that what a father should do? If the father isn’t loving, how can you blame the son for being unfilial? I admit that I’ve done you wrong, so I’ll fulfill your dying wish and take care of Second Brother and Third Brother. What about you, Father? Don’t you feel guilty towards Mother? This marriage was a scheme planned by you. You managed to save yourself and your family with this, but you thought of Fourth Brother and me as a humiliation and made my mother suffer grievances until she died. Do you feel guilty?”
Zhu Wan’s voice and smile involuntarily appeared in front of Qi Feng’s eyes. For a moment, his hands and feet were cold, and he was actually speechless.