After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 213 Gu An's Struggle

Chapters 211-212 have been replaced with new content; you can go back and read them now!

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the tent gradually became tense.

The Marquis of Zhenbei stared intently at the young military supervisor. Ping Jin also turned his head, his eyes sharp as he looked to his side, as if the Marquis of Zhenbei had given an order and he would immediately take down Zheng Hao.

As if he hadn't noticed the change in the two men, Zheng Hao showed no fear on his face. He raised his eyes to look at the Marquis of Zhenbei, his dark eyes fixed on him, and his thin lips parted: "Does the Marquis know how Gu An was adopted by my family?"

Upon hearing the name mentioned by the young military supervisor, the Marquis of Zhenbei's expression shifted slightly. So the child's name was now Gu An…

He didn't know whether he was happy or had some other feeling.

Marquis Zhenbei's name was Rong Wu. The Rong family had only one son per generation for three generations, and their offspring were few. They finally welcomed their first grandson. The whole family and clan were overjoyed that the main branch had an heir. Even the usually calm and collected son could not contain his excitement and specially sent a message to the front line to ask Marquis Zhenbei, who was his grandfather, to name the newborn.

Marquis Zhenbei had spent half his life on the battlefield killing countless people. Although he had never seen his newborn grandson, he felt incredibly tender-hearted at the arrival of the newborn through a letter. During the day, he fought bloody battles on the front lines, and at night, he would read various military books and classics in his tent, pondering and agonizing over what name to give his little grandson.

It took him a full month to make a decision.

Rong Heng.

Rongheng, meaning beautiful jade, is often used as a metaphor for the virtues of a gentleman. Jade itself also carries the meaning of warding off evil and bringing good fortune, embodying the Marquis of Zhenbei's wishes for his newborn grandson to be safe and well.

Half a year later, his grandson had grown up and was old enough to travel long distances. His son and daughter-in-law planned to bring him to Youzhou Prefecture. The Marquis of Zhenbei did not say anything on the surface, but he was looking forward to it in his heart.

He instructed craftsmen to forge small knives and swords, several times smaller than ordinary weapons, modeled after those used in the army. He personally selected a foal bred from a Ferghana horse and eagerly awaited the arrival of his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.

The Marquis of Zhenbei had already made detailed plans for his grandson's education. He would wait for his grandson to grow up little by little until he was knee-high, and then he would personally teach him how to ride horses, shoot arrows, and deploy troops.

When Heng'er grows up, he might be a mischievous little rascal, but that's alright; that's what makes a child energetic. Heng'er might also be as sensible and polite as his father from a young age, but in any case, the Marquis of Zhenbei is determined to give his grandson the best of everything in the world.

Unexpectedly, one day, the Marquis of Zhenbei received devastating news. He saw that the personal guard who had always followed his son and daughter-in-law was seriously injured and came to ask for help. The Marquis of Zhenbei then learned that when his son and daughter-in-law were about to approach Youzhou Prefecture, the news was accidentally leaked and they were ambushed by the Northern Barbarians. When the Marquis of Zhenbei led the reinforcements to the scene, his son had already died in battle, leaving only his daughter-in-law, who was being protected by her son and was barely breathing.

How tragic it is for a white-haired person to bury a black-haired person. His daughter-in-law opened her mouth at him. The Marquis of Zhenbei stepped forward to her. His daughter-in-law's face was covered in blood, but she kept opening her mouth at him.

The Marquis of Zhenbei knelt down and approached.

The daughter-in-law spoke with difficulty, her words broken and fragmented: "Father...child...save..."

Her sleeve was tightly gripped by the other party. The Marquis of Zhenbei felt that his daughter-in-law was about to say something, but she suddenly let go and died. Her eyes were fixed in one direction, and she died with her eyes wide open.

The Marquis of Zhenbei was momentarily stunned. His kneeling body looked much more weathered. After a long while, he raised his hand to close his daughter-in-law's eyes, but it took him three times to finally let her close her eyes.

Lady Zhenbei, who was already in poor health and recuperating in the capital, fainted on the spot upon hearing that her son and daughter-in-law had been ambushed and killed. The imperial physicians tried to save her for three days and three nights but could not bring her back to life.

From then on, the Marquis of Zhenbei became a lonely figure, separated from the Northern Barbarians not only by national hatred but also by deep family feuds. Without destroying the Northern Barbarians, how could he face his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson whose fate was unknown?

The Marquis of Zhenbei remained silent, concealing the pain in his eyes, and looked down directly at the young military supervisor below.

Zheng Hao began, “When Gu An came to my home, he was already six or seven years old. At that time, I passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. My family moved to the prefectural city. My uncle went to a brokerage to buy servants and saw a child in the brokerage who was being mistreated without parents. He couldn’t bear it and bought the child and took him home to raise him.”

Although he had long suspected that Heng'er had had a difficult time during the more than ten years since he went missing, the Marquis of Zhenbei never imagined that he would end up working in a brokerage firm. A young master of the Marquis's mansion, yet...

The Marquis of Zhenbei's tiger-like eyes were slightly moist, and his fists behind the desk clenched tightly.

Zheng Hao continued, “Your Excellency and Gu An have been separated for many years. I should not have prevented you from reuniting as grandfather and grandson. The reason I cannot agree to Your Excellency taking Gu An back is twofold: first, Gu An was rescued and raised by my uncle, who treated him like family and sent him to school to study and pass the imperial examinations. He has devoted far more effort to Gu An than many parents. Second, Gu An is not a child. He is a teenager with academic achievements. I cannot make the decision for him.”

Whether the young military supervisor's words were true or false, it no longer mattered to the Marquis of Zhenbei.

He originally thought that after his grandson was taken in by the elders of the brokerage firm, he would at most learn some characters and be trained as a personal servant. Unexpectedly, even without the Marquis's mansion as a backer, his grandson still managed to pass the imperial examinations and achieve fame, just like others.

Knowing who all this belonged to, the Marquis of Zhenbei stood up and bowed to Zheng Hao: "I thank Lord Zheng and your uncle for taking Heng'er in."

"The Marquis of Japan will definitely visit Lord Zheng's uncle in person to express his gratitude."

Zheng Hao rose and returned the greeting: "Your Excellency is too kind. To my uncle and me, Gu An is already family. Your Excellency should not be too hasty in bringing Gu An home. Gu An is young and stubborn. If you do not listen to his opinions, it may be difficult to end the matter."

The Great Qian Dynasty governs the world with filial piety, and the rule has always been that children must do whatever their parents or elders say. How could the younger generation refuse? However, the Marquis of Zhenbei had been separated from his grandson for many years, and it was not easy for them to reunite. He did not want to create a rift between him and his grandson.

"In Lord Zheng's opinion, what should I do?"

As the Marquis of Zhenbei gradually calmed down, he realized that the young military supervisor, who had lived with his grandson for many years, might have different suggestions.

The young military supervisor raised his head and said, "Gu An is calm and reasonable. Your Excellency should give him some time to think things through."

Upon hearing this, even though the Marquis of Zhenbei was extremely anxious, he had no choice but to suppress his anxiety.

.

When Gu Lin returned from the porcelain factory, he heard Da Yan say, "Husband, the young master has been staying in his room ever since he returned to the manor. When the servants went to deliver his dinner, they carried it in the same way they carried it out."

Gu Lin paused for a moment, then his brows slowly furrowed.

Gu An is usually sensible and rarely gets upset with others or refuses to eat; this is the first time Gu Lin has encountered this situation.

He turned to Da Yan and instructed her, "Tell the kitchen staff to make a bowl of light chicken noodle soup, add some greens and skim off the grease, and shred the chicken into strips, but not too finely. Once it's done, send it to the young master's courtyard."

"Yes." Da Yan bowed his head and replied, "The guard Da Zhuo has returned with the message and is waiting for my husband in the main hall."

Gu Lin looked at the dark sky and knew that even if he read the letter, Da Zhuo could not leave the city immediately.

He said, "Send some food to Da Zhuo first, and I'll go see him later."

Da Yan should step down.

Then, Gu Lin lifted his leg and walked towards Gu An's courtyard.

Gu Lin raised his hand and knocked on the door. Before he could speak, Gu An's voice came from inside: "Uncle Gu, come in."

Gu Lin pushed open the door and went in, and saw Gu An sitting at the table reading a book. He seemed no different from before, but he was holding a fun storybook. This was the book that Gu An had read when he was just starting out in his studies, and he had never seen Gu An touch it again since.

Gu Lin pretended not to know and asked as he walked over, "It's rare to see you go home to rest after going to the government office and military camp. What's wrong? What happened?"

Gu Lin sat down next to Gu An.

Upon hearing Uncle Gu's words, Gu An paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly: "It's nothing. There was no military business in the army that required my attention, so I came back."

Gu Lin didn't believe this. Although the other person was not related to Zheng Hao by blood and was a few years younger, they looked very similar in some ways.

What others might consider extremely difficult military affairs are like a mouse falling into a rice jar to them—they won't come back until everything is completely resolved.

Gu An was unwilling to talk about it, knowing the temperament of young people. Gu Lin did not ask any further questions. At this moment, a servant brought in chicken noodles. Gu Lin looked up at Gu An and said, "No matter what, you can't skip meals. I had someone make chicken noodles. Have some."

Uncle Gu is no ordinary person, and Gu An would not refuse him. Besides, he hadn't had a drop of water since returning from the military camp.

After the servant placed the shredded chicken noodles in front of him, Gu An picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

The chicken soup had been simmering since this morning. The broth was clear and sweet, without any greasiness. The noodles were not thin noodles but rather wide noodles with a good chewiness, soaked in the savory flavor of the chicken soup. The shredded chicken was also in strips. Gu An is still growing and needs seven or eight meals a day, not to mention that he hadn't eaten dinner after working half a day today. The bowl of shredded chicken noodles was quickly finished.

Seeing this, Gu Lin asked gently, "There are still food boxes left, do you want more?"

Gu An nodded.

The servants had already left the room. Gu Lin got up to serve noodles to the other person. Gu An's expression changed and he tried to stop him, but Gu Lin pressed down on the other person's shoulder with one hand: "Don't move, sit properly."

Gu An did not resist; the eight-foot-tall man sat obediently on the stool.

The food box was very large. The cook in the kitchen was very clever. Knowing that the young master's appetite was not enough, he divided the shredded chicken, soup, noodles and other side dishes into separate bowls so that the noodles would not be soaked in the soup and clump together.

After pouring a few spoonfuls of chicken broth over the noodles, Gu Lin placed them in front of Gu An and said, "Eat up, there's more if you're not full."

Gu An didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating noodles. Two bowls weren't enough, so he didn't let Uncle Gu serve him more noodles. He got up and started serving himself.

Gu An stopped eating after finishing five bowls of noodles.

Gu Lin got up and picked up the food box. He didn't intend to stay. He said to Gu An, "You have to go to school tomorrow. Get a good rest tonight."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the boy spoke up: "Uncle Gu, wait a minute."

Gu Lin paused, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Suppressing his smile, Gu Lin looked up at the other person: "What's wrong?"

Gu An: "I have something to discuss with Uncle Gu."

Gu Lin sat down again without taking the initiative to speak. He looked at Gu An with a gentle expression and warm eyes, as if he were patiently listening to the young man's words, and he would not force him if he did not want to speak.

The night was deep and cool. Gu An's brows furrowed, and his first words left Gu Lin stunned.

"Uncle Gu, it feels like I've met a blood relative today."

Gu Lin's mind raced, and after a moment he understood what Gu An was talking about, he asked uncertainly, "You met him in the military camp?"

Gu An nodded slightly, but he did not tell Uncle Gu the man's identity.

Gu An: "The other party not only knew my exact age, but also the shape of my birthmark."

As Gu Lin listened, his eyes grew increasingly serious. If what the other party said was true, then the person in the military camp who recognized Gu An must be Gu An's family.

After figuring this out, Gu Lin looked up and saw that Gu An showed no joy at meeting his family. His heart sank slightly; it seemed that the reason for the other person's bad mood was this.

Gu Lin said, "When I first adopted you, I thought you were the son of a servant in an official's family. But as you grew up, you showed extraordinary talent in literature and martial arts, as well as outstanding appearance, so I began to suspect that you were not that family's child."

Just like Zheng Hao, he came from an ordinary background but had a good appearance because his parents were good-looking. He inherited his great strength from the hunter Zheng, and his talent in learning should come from his mother.

When Gu Lin adopted Gu An, he inquired about the other party's parents. They were ordinary, cunning, and opportunistic people. It was impossible for them to have a child like Gu An. Like begets like.

Gu Lin looked at Gu An and said softly, "You must have been separated from your family when you were young, which is why you were taken in and raised by that family. Now that you've finally reunited with your relatives, isn't that a happy thing? Why are you still so gloomy?"

After a moment, Gu An spoke: "Originally, in my heart, Uncle Gu who saved and raised me was my family."

Gu Lin didn't interrupt, letting the other person continue: "Now a grandfather has appeared claiming to have been searching for me for many years, but I don't need him..."

He had long since accepted that those who were kind to him without blood ties were his family, including Uncle Gu, Zheng Hao, and Aunt Zhao. From Yueming Prefecture to the capital and then to Youzhou Prefecture, they had always lived together in harmony and never separated. Now, suddenly, a grandfather appeared who claimed to be his family. Even if Gu An was as composed as he was, he was still a young man with little experience.

After listening to Gu An's words, Gu Lin understood the crux of the problem.

He looked at the boy in front of him and said, "Xiao An, we did not force you to choose between us and your reunited family."

Gu An looked down at him, and Gu Lin continued, "You are our family, and that will never change no matter what. Similarly, that relative is also your family. If he truly loves you, he won't mind if you treat us as family, and he certainly won't force you to make a choice."

"Furthermore, we are all behind you. You don't need to be afraid or scared. You can do whatever you want. We support you."

Gu Lin: "However, your family has been searching for you for many years. They must love you very much. They didn't lose you intentionally. They must have encountered some trouble and had no choice but to lose you. They must have been very sad during the more than ten years they lost you."

Gu An remained silent.

Gu Lin raised his hand and patted his shoulder: "Don't force yourself, don't get stuck in a rut, follow your heart, and don't end up hurting yourself and others."

After saying that, Gu Lin looked at the boy who was deep in thought at the table, and got up to leave without lingering.