Mo Huawen was about to say that he did not want to eat, but he swallowed his words and removed his hand from his desk. He smiled at her lightly and nodded, gesturing for her to enter.
A flash of joy appeared in Mo Xuetong’s eyes and she heaved the box onto the table with some effort. She reached out to pick up the books scattered on Mo Huawen’s desk and then placed some scrolls onto the shelves by the desk. That was where Mo Huawen’s documents which he handled daily were placed.
“Father, Grandmother sent these boxes of snacks last night. You were asleep, so I did not come to bother you. I only heated them just now and they are best with porridge. Father, try the porridge I made. You must not let the effort I put in go in vain.” Mo Xuetong heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Mo Huawen did not mind her being close to him despite his distant expression. She opened the box and set out the little dishes of snacks.
There was Mo Huawen’s favorite crispy duck, sweet lotus pastry, drunken fish, cucumbers in sauce, cold tofu…and a large pot of porridge that looked delicious. Mo Xuetong scooped a bowl of porridge for Mo Huawen and put it in front of him. Mo Xuetong only regained her calmness after that and looked up with a smile. “Father, try this. I made this porridge. Is it good?”
Mo Huawen took a sip of the porridge as Mo Xuetong looked on expectantly. It was not too thin or too thick, and was not too hot or cold. It was very good. Mo Huawen could not help but take a second measured look at Mo Xuetong. He saw her taking two sips of her own porridge, smiling happily, and for some reason, he felt remorseful.
“Tong’er…”Mo Huawen put his bowl down with a grave expression. One could not tell if it was guilt or love in his eyes.
“Father, is the porridge I made good? If not, I can make improvements next time. Anyway, I want to eat it myself too and I like eating with Father best.” Mo Xuetong winked at Mo Huawen playfully, as if she could not sense the tense atmosphere in the room and spoke about something else instead.
Mo Xuetong had not learned how to cook in Cloud City. While Mdm Qin might not have liked her, she still had to put up a facade and would not allow her to cook. Furthermore, Mother Xu had always been with her and she only had to ask if she wanted to eat anything. She did not have to do anything herself.
After marrying Sima Lingyun in her past life, his mean mother had asked Mo Xuetong to wait on her personally and had bullied her. In order to make delicious food that the Duchess would eat, Mo Xuetong had spent much effort and burnt her hands many times. However, Sima Lingyun would only tell her to be more careful indifferently and not say anything else.
She thought that he was being considerate towards his mother and could not say anything else. She only understood now that he did not care about her. So why would he care whether she was injured or not?
When she thought of that, coldness seeped into her eyes. She had been reborn to seek revenge. She would not spare a single person who had hurt her and caused her to be engulfed in flames.
“Tong’er, this is really good. But don’t cook in the future. There are so many servants, if you cook, then what do we have them for? You’ve only just come to the capital and are not familiar with the noble ladies here. You should meet them more often and don’t stay in the kitchen.” Mo Huawen could not help but reach out to pat her head. His anger dissipated when he saw the brilliant smile on his daughter’s face. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating with gusto.
Mo Xuetong relaxed and smiled when she saw Mo Huawen’s kind and concerned expression.
She scooped herself a small bowl of porridge and sat with Mo Huawen, accompanying him as he ate. The two did not speak while eating and ate slowly. Only the sounds of them eating could be heard in the room. It was calm and peaceful and made one feel relaxed. Mo Huawen’s gloomy feeling abated in the peaceful atmosphere.
Mo Huawen finished eating moments later. Mo Xuetong put her bowl down and went to the door to get Mo Yu to clean up. Mo Huawen’s servant went to make two cups of Longjing tea and helped Mo Yu to clean up the bowls and chopsticks before the two left silently.
Mo Huawen took a sip of his tea and asked with a grave expression, “Tong’er, do you still remember the maids called Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong, your mother had?”
Mo Xuetong naturally remembered that her mother had four personal maids, but she did not know why Mo Huawen was asking her this right now. She nodded in confusion and said, “Of course I remember Yinchun and the others. They did their best in serving Mother. I even asked Nanny Ming to find out about them some time ago and heard that they were not doing well.”
Yinchun had smashed herself against Mo Xuetong’s mother’s coffin and died. Xiang Qiu had fallen ill and died shortly after. Hexia had gone missing, and while Xuedong was still around, she had gone mad. She could not even recognize her family.
“Were they all present when your mother passed away?” Mo Huawen’s expression was very grave and he lowered his voice subconsciously. Despite so, Mo Xuetong could still sense the slight waver in his voice. Mo Xuetong had always wanted to find out what happened then. And now that Mo Huawen brought it up, she felt a little emotional and nibbled on her lips.
“Father, why didn’t you send Mother off then?” She had always wanted to ask this question, but from her past life until now, she had never found the right time to do so. Now that she was affected by Mo Huawen’s emotions, she felt that it would stay and stifle her if she never said it. It was bitterly painful. This was the reason for their estrangement. She used to think that Mo Huawen was the most unfit husband and father. But after what happened all this while, Mo Xuetong saw her father with different eyes.
After she arrived in the capital, Mo Huawen had truly doted on her. Even Mo Xuemin, whom he had always thought highly of was put behind her. Sometimes, when her father looked at her, she could clearly see how he missed her mother. How could a gather like this be unfaithful? And to refuse to see her mother for the last time?
“Then, I was…really busy. I was handling things in Auntie Fang’s courtyard…and didn’t know your mother would die so suddenly… While your mother’s health has always been poor, it was not that bad…She couldn’t even wait for me for a few hours…Your mother, your mother…” It was said that men do not cry until they encountered something truly sad. Mo Huawen held the corners of the table tightly with both hands, afraid that he’d show his weaker side in front of his daughter.
He felt extremely regretful even when he thought about what happened now. If he had known how evil that person was…Luo Xia would not have died so young…He did not know if he was stupid or dumb. They had been husband and wife for so long, and yet, he did not know anything… When he thought of how loving they were and the years they had spent together, Mo Huawen felt extremely grieved.
The morning sun streamed through the window and upon Mo Huawen’s sorrowful expression. His eyes shone, reflecting the light. The bitter smile on his lips was tinged with pain. Mo Xuetong had not imagined Mo Huawen would look like this. Her heart started to beat wildly and she realized that she had neglected something important in the past.
“Father, how did Mother die?” Her voice was thin and weak, shaking uncontrollably. Her lips had turned pale and her hands pressed down so hard on the desk that one could see her joints. A voice in her heart told her again and again that there was something unusual about her mother’s death. And Auntie Fang was not the only issue. Otherwise, her father would have dealt with her a long time ago. Even if he did not punish her, he would not keep her by his side. She did not have any complaints in her past life because she only knew that her mother had died of sickness.
But in this life, she was certain that Auntie Fang had killed her mother. That was why she hated her!
However, she realized that there were other problems, and these problems and made her father hesitate. She had to know! She wanted to know why badly! She forced down the pain and shock she felt and waited for Mo Huawen to give her an answer.
Mo Huawen took a deep breath and made a decision when he saw the pain on his daughter’s child-like face. He saw the panic she felt and how she shook. Her face was as white as paper, and yet, she clutched on to the desk tightly and did not allow herself to fall. He said, “Tong’er, your mother died of illness. It is my fault. I did not make it in time to see her for the last time. You don’t need to investigate this matter further. I want to ask you, did you get people to beat up Yinchun?”
He would not tell Tong’er what happened. Since Luo Xia did not say, he would not mention it either. Mo Xuetong can just be Miss Mo, that’s all!
Yinchun’s death? How did Yinchun die? Didn’t she smash herself on her mother’s coffin and died because she was so close to her mistress? How did it become Mo Xuetong getting someone to beat her up? Mo Xuetong was a little stunned and she could not react just then. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Mo Huawen dazedly.
“Tong’er, it wasn’t you, right?” Mo Huawen understood immediately when he looked at the shock and daze in his daughter’s clear eyes. He thought of how he left his most beloved daughter alone in Cloud City for more than a year because he was flustered by Luo Xia’s sudden death and Auntie Fang’s sweet words. He felt extremely regretful now!
How would his obedient and lovable daughter do something like that? Forcing her mother’s maid to death for no reason, hitting her until she had no way out and died in front of Luo Xia’s coffin. Tong’er was only 11 then. Even though she was a little introverted and was not as likable as Min’er, it would not make her so vicious.
How could his and Luo Xia’s daughter do something like that? But he was enthralled by Auntie Fang then and believed in everything she said. When he recalled how she had knelt at Tong’er’s Qingwei Garden, he could see that she had gone to make trouble. How could a child who had just lost her mother be able to withstand that?
She had already let Auntie Fang off easily by splashing her with a basin of water!
He recalled the letters he sent to Tong’er being returned unopened and thought that she was unwilling to forgive him. He thought that she was vicious and hateful and as such, let her stay alone in Cloud City to train her temper. He had then ignored her. However, these were all plots set by Auntie Fang. Auntie Fang had hated Tong’er…and done things to her where he could not see. He did not know how much Tong’er had suffered.
No wonder Tong’er hated him so much then, and no wonder Tong’er did not forgive him. Auntie Fang was so evil. How would she treat Tong’er well? And he, he had listened to her honeyed words and thought that Tong’er was arrogant and vicious, stubborn and unyielding, and disobedient. Tong’er was rebellious and unfilial…they were all lies Auntie Fang made up!
His heart hurt!
He was wrong. How could he let Auntie Fang interfere with Tong’er’s matters!
