Chapter 59: About Lu Xingguang
“Madam, about Sir…” The housekeeper hesitated, torn as to whether she should speak up. After all, this was very personal to the Master.
Seeing the housekeeper’s hesitation to speak up, Yan Susu opened her mouth, but she said nothing. Taking Lu Xingguang by the hand, they went upstairs, where she bathed him and tucked him in.
“Honey, I want a lullaby.” Reluctant let her go, Lu Xingguang held onto Yan Susu’s hand.
Smiling, Yan Susu laid on the bed and pulled him into her arms, humming softly, “Sleep tight, my little babe. The sky is dark, and the wind is blowing…”
The gentle, soft singing was indeed sleep-inducing, and Lu Xingguang, still clutching Yan Susu’s hand, soon drifted off.
Once she was sure he was sound asleep, Yan Susu carefully removed his hand from hers and proceeded to leave the room.
However, upon turning, she noticed the housekeeper waiting respectfully by the door. “Madam, please, could you bring some food to Sir?”
“You could do that, right? Why does it have to be me?”
“I could, but Sir definitely won’t eat it. Whether you believe it or not, Madam, you are very special to Sir.”
“Special?” Yan Susu pursed her lips. Somehow, she had not felt it.
“The Young Master’s status is…unique.”
Yan Susu was stunned.
Unique?
“The Young Master was conceived through a trap set by the Elder Young Mistress.”
Yan Susu frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“The Elder Young Mistress, as part of her scheme to marry Sir, tricked the Old Mistress and set up a trap for Sir, after which the Young Master was born…”
“Hang on a minute, here. Who is this Elder Young Mistress that you keep referring to?” Was she not referring to Lu Zhanxiu’s wife? Why did she have to trap Lu Zhanxiu into conceiving their child?
“The Elder Young Mistress is…the wife of the Elder Young Master.”
“Elder Young Master?” Wasn’t that Lu Zhanxiu?
“Sir’s older brother.”
Yan Susu gasped. “So what you’re saying is that Lu Xingguang is the child of Lu Zhanxiu and his sister-in-law?”
That would be incest!
“Yes.”
At that moment, Yan Susu was tongue-tied, with no idea what to say.
“So, to Sir, the Young Master is a symbol of shame, a thorn in the hearts of his brother and himself, the Lu family’s disgrace…”
So that explained Lu Zhanxiu’s attitude towards Lu Xingguang…Could anyone who had been trapped by his own sister-in-law into conceiving a child–and ruining his reputation–ever really love that child?
All at once, Yan Susu began to understand Lu Zhanxiu a little better, and she sympathized with him.
“But Sir never even thought about abandoning the Young Master or giving him to someone else to bring up. Since birth, the Young Master has been in poor health, and he literally grew up on medicine. Sir has spent huge sums of money consulting with world-renowned doctors, buying the most expensive medicine, making sure that the Young Master had the best care. That is how the young Master has grown into the healthy child that he is today.”
The challenges facing a single man trying to bring up a sickly child on his own were something that only he himself could appreciate.
On top of it all, there was the baggage of a sullied reputation, family disgrace, guilt towards his brother, and the weight of his brother’s hatred.
Sighing, Yan Susu said, “I will make him supper.”
“Thank you, Madam.” The housekeeper retreated respectfully. Knowing that from now on, Yan Susu would certainly be nicer to the Master, she felt slightly comforted.
Life had certainly not been easy for the Master, but he had never complained, not once.
Yan Susu went to the kitchen and made some congee, which she took to the study.
“Knock, knock——”
“Come in.”
Yan Susu put the congee on the table and said softly, “I brought you some congee. Please have some.”
Lu Zhanxiu looked up from his work papers, a little surprised to see her.
“I heard that you didn’t eat dinner tonight. Since you have a weak stomach, I made you something bland.”
“OK,” Lu Zhanxiu responded softly before looking down at his papers again, as though she weren’t there at all.