readytorunbook Chapter 1123 Resolving Inner Confessions and Choosing Compromise
Chapter 1123 Resolving Inner Confessions and Choosing Compromise
Silence was like an impenetrable net, enveloping everyone within it. After a long while, Zhou Yu gently pulled Ma Chao, who was still frozen in place, and slowly walked to Ma Yue's side. He squatted down, his gaze level with the child's, and his voice, though gentle, carried an undeniable weight: "Yue'er, you have always been more intelligent than other children, your mind as clear as a mirror, as your uncle has seen. But your mother's death was not your father's fault, and he cannot be blamed for it."
He raised his hand and gently brushed the dust off Ma Yue's shoulder, his tone deepening: "Your father, for the sake of this world, for the protection of countless people, has walked a path fraught with peril every year. Countless times he has faced death, countless times he has crawled out of piles of corpses. The wounds on his body are more numerous than the stars you've ever seen. You used to always tell me that when you grew up you wanted to be like your father, a hero who could shoulder responsibilities. That admiration you showed, who wouldn't praise you?"
Ma Yue's lips tightened even more, her small hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white, but she still didn't utter a sound.
Zhou Yu continued, "Now your beloved father is standing right here, yet you treat him like this—if your mother were alive, would she be at peace?" He paused, his gaze becoming more earnest. "That man is the one your mother loved to the core. She was willing to give her life for your father back then; would she want to see you two so estranged?"
Ma Yue's shoulders trembled slightly, his eyelids drooped even lower, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes.
Hearing this, Shamoke's face contorted with even more pain. He turned his head away, gazing at the distant weeds, his Adam's apple bobbing, but ultimately said nothing.
Zhou Yu sighed and continued, "Yue'er, think about it again. It's not just you who's upset; look at those younger brothers behind you—they've also lost their father. You've always been their pillar of support, their 'Great General.' If you keep going on like this, what will they do?"
He reached out and gently patted Ma Yue's back: "When your mother passed away, she hoped you would grow up to be a sensible child. Are you trying to make her worry about you over there?"
Ma Yue's small body swayed slightly. He still didn't speak, but his taut back quietly slumped a little.
The wind was still blowing, but its mournful sound seemed to carry a hint of loosening.
Ma Yue remained silent for a long time, her small figure trembling slightly in the wind. Finally, she spoke softly, her voice still choked with sobs: "I don't blame him for my mother's death... But my mother has been gone for so long, and we've been hoping for his return every day. He's finally here, but he's surrounded by so many beautiful aunties..."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu felt a pang of sorrow and helplessness. He reached out and gently ruffled the boy's hair: "My child, he is your father, and now he is a powerful warlord, bearing the safety of countless people on his shoulders. You grew up listening to his stories, and you know how brave and remarkable he is—it's natural that such a person would be respected and admired. What's so strange about that?"
He paused, recalling past events, and then said, "Even your Aunt Shangxiang often said that if she were to marry in the future, she would want to marry a hero like your father, right? Does Aunt Shangxiang not treat you well? You even patted your chest and said before that you would help your aunt to speak to your father."
Ma Yue suddenly looked up, a hint of urgency flashing in his eyes: "That's different! Aunt Shangxiang is family!"
"How are they different?" Zhou Yu asked gently. "They accompany your father, sharing his joys and sorrows. You find them unfamiliar simply because you don't know them well enough. Didn't you see the pain your father felt when he wept at his grave? Let alone Wu County, in the whole world, how many people can make your father so heartbroken?"
He held Ma Yue's small hand, his fingertips able to feel the coldness of the child's palm: "Child, don't be so stubborn. Your father is probably even more distressed than you are. If you keep distancing yourself from him, how will your uncle cope, caught in the middle? And how can you face your mother's dying wish?"
Ma Yue lowered his head, looking at his hand held by Zhou Yu, and then secretly glanced at Ma Chao not far away—the man was still standing there, his back as lonely as a withered tree that had been blown by the wind all night.
Ma Yue seemed to have suddenly been relieved of a heavy burden. Like a little adult, he let out a soft sigh, straightened his back, stood up, and turned to his kneeling friends behind him, saying, "Get up, everyone."
After he finished speaking, he walked up to Ma Chao alone, stood up straight with his small body, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect like an adult, and called out in a clear and crisp voice, "Father."
That cry of "Father" was like a warm current, instantly dispelling the gloom that had shrouded Ma Chao's heart. He could no longer hold back and hugged Ma Yue tightly. The veteran hero's face was now wet with tears, and his voice was choked with sobs: "Ah, my Yue'er... You've suffered so much, you've really suffered so much."
Ma Yue whispered in his ear, her voice as soft as a feather: "Those aunts... will they all be your wives in the future? Dad, I know, I have a mother. They can be your wives, but they are not my mother."
Ma Chao's arms tightened around his son, his throat felt like it was blocked by a boulder, and he couldn't utter a single word. The child's precocious intelligence and understanding only made his heart ache, and he wished he could make up for all the things he had wronged him.
He took a deep breath, carefully released Ma Yue, turned to look at Sha Moke and Zhou Yu, his gaze resolute: "Old brother, Gongjin. Now that the Jiangdong matter is settled, I will return to Chang'an. I want to take Li'er's remains to Chang'an as well, to be buried with me."
He paused, his voice carrying an undeniable solemnity: "No matter how the world changes in the future, no matter how many people accompany me, Ma Chao, Sally will always be my Liang King's principal wife. Even if I marry again in the future, she will only be a concubine."
Dressed in a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), Dong Bai was the first to walk to Sariel's grave. She knelt down, her voice soft yet firm: "Sister Sariel, even though we are separated by life and death, you will always be our sister. Yue'er is the apple of your and your husband's eye. Whether he fully accepts us now or not, we sisters will treat him like our own child, protect him as he grows up safely, and let him know that in this world, besides the love of his parents, there is also the concern of us aunts."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhen Mi and her three daughters kowtowed and said, "Sister, we will protect the home you risked your life for. As Yue'er grows up, we will teach him to read and write, and we will tell him your story so that he will remember that he had a brave and gentle mother. Rest assured, we will never let him suffer the slightest injustice."
Upon hearing this, Shamoke's tense expression finally eased somewhat. He turned his head away, wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, and remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescence.
The afternoon breeze, carrying the fresh scent of mountain grass and trees, brushed against everyone's clothes, much like the gentle caress of Sharyl in her lifetime. Zhou Yu stepped forward and steadily picked up Ma Yue, and the little guy naturally wrapped his arms around his neck, calling out "Uncle" in a clear voice, his previous stubbornness having faded considerably.
"Brother, everyone, let's go back!" Zhou Yu's voice was gentle yet decisive. He raised his hand to look at the sun. "It's already past 1 PM. It will take some more time to get back to the city. It's alright for the adults to be a little hungry, but these children have been with us for most of the day. They're still growing, and they can't stand being this hungry."
Ma Chao then seemed to snap out of his daze, straightening up by supporting himself on his knees. His gaze swept over the forty-odd children—some drooping their heads, tugging at their companions' clothes, others secretly swallowing, their eyes filled with longing for food. He strode forward, taking Sun Shao's hand in one hand and Zhou Yin's in the other, and asked with a smile, "The children must be starving! Come on, let's go home and have some good food!"
But the children didn't move. They all turned their gazes to Ma Yue in Zhou Yu's arms, their little faces showing the solemnity of "obeying the general's orders."
Seeing this, Ma Chao couldn't help but chuckle: "Oh, so you're waiting for your 'General' to give the order?"
The two boys standing next to him—Pan Hu and Wu Niu, the sons of Pan Feng and Wu Anguo—said in gruff voices, “We are the general’s soldiers, and we must obey orders!”
Ma Yue pursed his lips in Zhou Yu's arms and nodded like a little adult.
"Let's go!" The children cheered immediately, like a flock of sparrows released from their cages, instantly becoming lively and crowding together as they headed down the mountain. Sun Shao held Ma Chao's hand and skipped along, while Zhou Yin thoughtfully helped look after several of the younger children. Ma Yue, held by Zhou Yu, glanced across the crowd, his gaze quietly landing on Ma Chao's broad back, his little hands unconsciously clenching Zhou Yu's clothes.
The fragrance of the air mingled with the laughter of children, and wisps of smoke rose faintly from distant chimneys. Ma Chao glanced back at Sally's grave and murmured, "Sally, look, the children are all well. We're going home."
My steps became lighter, carrying heavy longing and warmth for the future.
Ma Chao and Zhou Yu rode side by side, their horses' hooves making a rhythmic sound on the bluestone pavement. He turned his head to look at Zhou Yu beside him, his brows furrowed with concern: "Gongjin, those children I saw earlier were all full of energy, so you must have taken excellent care of them all these years. But I wonder, how exactly have these orphans of your personal guards been settled?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu smiled gently, pulled on the reins, and slowed down, saying, "Don't worry, Mengqi. After those brothers sacrificed their lives, I had their children brought to the city. I specially set up a house in the south of the city so that they could live together and take care of each other."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The accommodations are well arranged, and the daily expenses are all covered by the manor. Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao live nearby. The two sisters are very thoughtful and often go over to check on the children. They can always detect what the children lack or what difficulties they are facing and help them make the necessary arrangements."
"So life has been relatively peaceful?" Ma Chao pressed.
"Stability is a given." Zhou Yu nodded with a smile, his tone tinged with satisfaction. "These lads are never idle. They either follow me to read classics and historical texts, learning some characters and understanding some principles; or they follow those two rough men, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning, to the training ground to practice martial arts, wielding spears and sticks, and each of them has become quite agile."
He glanced at the children playing and running not far away, his eyes full of affection: "Although they no longer have their parents around, they are carefree and have their companions with them, thanks to our care and companionship."
Hearing this, Ma Chao felt a weight lifted from his heart and said with emotion, "That's good. It's a fitting tribute to those brothers who sacrificed their lives for the country."
Ma Chao reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the children practicing martial arts not far away. He said solemnly, "This time, when I take Yue'er back, I'll take these kids with me as well." He paused, his voice filled with unwavering determination, "These brothers died protecting me back then. I will naturally take care of their offspring myself and not let them suffer any more grievances."