Chapter 4: Fury Unleashed

  Su Qingyun arrived quickly. The distance from the front courtyard study to Jin Garden normally takes at least a quarter of an hour, but Su Qingyun somehow shortened it by half.

  Su Qingyun was unintentionally excited, her footsteps extremely fast, almost able to hear the sound of her brocade robe rubbing against the air.

  He thought his daughter was being affectionate today because she had fallen into the water and got a fright, seeking comfort from him. When she woke up, who knows, she might be as cold and distant as before. He didn't dare think about it too much, so he went to the study to deal with official business, letting himself temporarily not think about this issue.

  Ke Jin'er actually called Sheng Xiao to have dinner together, Su Qingyun almost thought he had misheard, and only reacted when he saw Sheng Xiao's eager and nervous gaze. He looked up at the sky with a lingering sunset glow, feeling this excited for the first time in so many years.

  As soon as he entered the main courtyard of Jin Garden, he saw Su Mu-jin getting out of bed and wearing a plain white autumn shirt in the windproof pavilion, arranging bowls and chopsticks. Her long hair was not tied up, and her black hair was only tied with a silk ribbon at the back, with the long ends hanging straight down to her waist. Her figure already showed a bit of elegance. The girl was already thirteen years old, and her eyebrows were very similar to those of Rong'er. Rong'er also liked to wear plain white clothes without makeup, which made people feel comfortable. Su Qing's eyes were a little dazed, and it wasn't until a gust of cold wind blew that he suddenly woke up. Looking at his daughter's thin and frail back, he frowned and quickly walked forward.

  "The imperial physician instructed you to rest well, how did you end up getting out of bed. Do you need to personally arrange the bowls and chopsticks? Are the maids in Jingyuan vegetarian or something?" She said, frowning and glancing at Xiangxiao behind her.

  Shuang Xiao was about to take the chopsticks from Su Mochen's hand when Su Mochen smiled faintly and said softly, "Shuang Xiao is timid, Father shouldn't scare her. If you really frighten them, my daughters will become isolated and alone, and there won't be anyone left to talk to." She smiled faintly, pretending not to see the deep thought that flashed on her father's face for a moment, and instructed Shuang Xiao with a smile, "Shuang Xiao, today I want to have dinner alone with Father, go to the kitchen and ask the cook to add two more dishes."

  "I'll go now."

  "It's enough." Su Qingyun let out a light sigh, snatched the chopsticks from Su Mochen's hand, and helplessly sighed again. She waved her hand to let Song Xiao go, "Add whatever dishes, it's just one dinner, making too much is also wasteful."

  The cool breeze of early spring was biting, and Su Mu Jin's lips were slightly purple from the cold. Su Qing Yun immediately took off his cloak and wrapped it around Su Mu Jin, his gaze sweeping across her sleeves, and suddenly a raging fire ignited in his heart.

  The sleeves of her clothes only reached the position of her wrists, and Su Qingyun saw that his daughter's white hands were frozen purple. He held on to his last hope and looked down at his daughter's feet, but saw that

  The short skirt was only up to her ankle, and a pair of embroidered shoes couldn't even cover it. The way she naturally lifted her sleeves without thinking about it made him furious, her expression, movement, and demeanor clearly showed that she was already used to this situation.

  And this set of clothes was made of very new fabric, obviously not worn more than a few times, and it was clearly changed into new clothes specifically to have dinner with him.

  Su Qingyun didn't dare to imagine what kind of life her eldest daughter had been living for the past few years! No wonder her daughter had become more and more distant from him, this father only thought that his daughter was unwilling to see him, but he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father at all.

  Liu had always been well-behaved in the past, and since he treated Yun'er like his own daughter, he thought he was treating Jin'er the same way. Now that he thinks about it, he realizes he was greatly mistaken. He only thought that woman was good, but didn't expect her to be so overbearing behind his back, treating his eldest legitimate daughter with such disrespect. Could it be that after becoming the official wife for a few years, she really forgot that she used to be just a concubine?

  Su Qingyun's face grew colder with anger, but she didn't want to ruin the good atmosphere with her daughter. She pretended not to notice her daughter's improper attire and forced a faint smile, feeling the chill of the cool breeze as she reached out to take the ceramic bowl from her hand again.

  "It's too windy here, you can't stand the wind, let's go back inside and eat."

  "No way." Su Mochen smiled lightly and dodged, "The scenery is great here."

  Indeed, Jinyuan is the best courtyard in the entire Su family. The yard has pavilions, corridors, and waterside pavilions surrounded by artificial hills. Regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter, it is always lush and green. Especially from this high-lying Wind Pavilion, you can see the entire Jinyuan at a glance. Standing in the pavilion, Su Mu Jin looked into the distance and suddenly blinked her eyes slightly. She pulled Su Qing Yun to sit on the stone bench with cushions and lowered her eyelids, "Dad, today Jin'er is specially apologizing to you."

  Su Qingyun felt a slight heartache, this child didn't have any reason to apologize to him.

  Su Mu Jin pulled up her sleeves and averted her gaze, her eyes falling emptily on the void. Her voice was somewhat ethereal, "Jin'er was unfilial to Father in the past few years. If it weren't for Father's protection all along, Jin'er would have been driven out by Old Madam long ago with the excuse of being unfilial and disobedient. Jin'er's temperament is not likable, and since childhood, she has been spoiled by Mother. When Mother passed away, Jin'er was filled with indignation that could not be vented. At that time, Father had just taken Liu Shi as his concubine, so Jin'er's hatred found a target... You hated the old and loved the new, taking in a concubine as your wife less than a year after Mother passed away..."

  Thinking of her loving mother, Su Mu Jin felt a wave of sadness wash over her, and her eyes suddenly turned red. Her misty eyes were shrouded in a thin layer of fog, and she choked back a sob. She withdrew her gaze and looked at Su Qing Yun, only to see that his eyes were also bright red.

  "This time, my daughter has narrowly escaped death and thought about many things. As the father, it is most important to prioritize filial piety. Moreover, with only one male heir in the Su family, Grandmother cannot possibly allow you not to take a concubine. You previously thought that Liu Shi was kind and gentle, and feared that if you took a concubine, she would be troubled, and Jin Er and Su Yun Jin would also be affected.

  If the Su family must have a mistress, why not welcome one who is knowledgeable and understanding? Moreover, Liu Shi's maternal family is only a merchant household, which is not enough to pose a threat. This way, it will not affect Cong Er's position in the manor in the future..."

  "Jin'er, your father was wrong!"

  People's hearts are always changing. Liu, as a concubine, was content with her position and behaved herself, but he forgot that human nature is greedy. Liu jumped from being a concubine to becoming the mistress of the house, taking charge of the household provisions. Over time, her kindness disappeared, and it's hateful that he still couldn't see clearly, instead causing his children to suffer many humiliations.

  Su Mu Jin shook her head with tears and a smile, wiping away her tears, and smiled lightly. "Daughter is not blaming Father, but just feels that in the past, she didn't see Father's hard work, really doesn't deserve to be your daughter."

  "Silly kid!"

  "Daddy, Jin'er wants to make peace with you."

  Su Qingyun's eyes sparkled with a hint of moisture, her eyebrows raised slightly as she said in a deliberately casual tone, "Father probably thought that this day would never come."

  The father and daughter exchanged a smile, and the atmosphere suddenly warmed up.

  On the other side, Liu's wife had already picked up the food box and returned to the pavilion. Seeing Su Qingyun, her eyes changed, and she subconsciously hid the food box behind her back, forcing a smile, "Master, why are you here today? I didn't know Master was coming, so I ordered the kitchen to remake dinner."

  Her actions made Su Qingyun even more suspicious, and her eyebrows furrowed.

  "What's all the fuss about? If Jin'er can eat it, I certainly can too! Bring it out!"

  Liu's face showed a bitter expression, and she hesitated, not daring to move forward.

  "Bring it out!" Su Qingyun knew that there must be a hidden reason, and looking at his daughter's pale face and dark lips, he suddenly became furious, slamming the stone table and shouting, "Bring it out immediately."

  Liu's body trembled slightly, and she glanced at Su Mu-jin with the corner of her eye. Seeing Miss's calm face, she hesitated and walked forward, placing all the dishes from the food box on the stone table.

  Su Qingyun looked at Su Mochen's clothes and knew that she had suffered grievances over the years, but when he saw the food, his eyes turned red in an instant.

  There were only two small dishes in the food box, a plate of minced meat and eggplant, and a plate of stir-fried cabbage! The plates were only as big as a palm, and there was even less food on them. And to make matters worse, there were ginger and garlic in the eggplant that Jin'er never eats!

  Jin'er is still recovering from her illness, and yet the kitchen serves such a dish!

  Su Qingyun's breathing became rapid, and blood rushed to his throat. He suddenly stood up, kicked the food box away with one foot, and shouted angrily.

  "Go! Bring me that Liu woman!"