Free Web NovelChapter 666: Chapter 666: His Father Was Never This Gentle
Dashi squinted his eyes and looked at the imposing man standing next to Su Chengmin.
For a moment, he felt a bit dazed.
Before Dashi could sit up, the man stepped forward and grabbed Dashi’s hand, trying hard to put on a kind smile, and said in an unfathomably kind voice, "Don’t move."
However, the kindness on his imposing face was extremely incongruous.
Dashi’s mouth twitched.
He remembered, this man was his mother’s childhood sweetheart, the Mighty General.
He was also the very Min Han Niu mentioned during a quarrel between his mother and uncle, "If it weren’t for you, I would have left with Min Han Niu long ago."
"How’s your condition?"
Knowing that Dashi was awake, Min Han Niu was very excited.
God knows how furious Min Han Niu was when Dashi got his ribs broken by a horse, almost chopping off Nie Xiaofeng’s horse.
Dashi was the son of an old acquaintance, if Dashi died, he wouldn’t know how to explain to Tong Dajiao.
Remembering Tong Dajiao’s temper, it would be best to wash his neck and wait for Tong Dajiao to chop it off.
Dashi said, "Reporting to the Great General, I feel alright."
With a wave of his large hand, Min Han Niu said, "Why call me Great General, call me uncle."
Before Dashi could respond, he said with a face full of guilt, "If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn’t have the face to see your mother for the rest of my life."
Dashi blinked and couldn’t help but mutter, "As if you’ve seen my mother after leaving Black Dragon Pond all these years."
The Mighty General Min Han Niu: "..."
He had no words to respond to that.
Manager He, Nie Xiaofeng, and Su Chengmin pretended not to hear, Manager He got up to pour water for Dashi, Nie Xiaofeng went to offer medicine, while Su Chengmin stared at the ceiling.
Min Han Niu seized the moment to sit by Dashi’s side, looking at his brows and eyes similar to those from his memories, and asked, "Does your mother blame me?"
Min Han Niu got a bit excited.
Even though Tong Dajiao had a child, she still thought of him.
Listen to that, the resentment in his mother’s tone even passed on to her son.
"It’s not that I didn’t want to return, but I’ve been campaigning everywhere, and later I only returned to Shengjing when called to report..."
Min Han Niu seemed to be pouring his heart out.
Dashi’s mouth twitched; he didn’t mean it that way, he just habitually retorted.
His mother never really complained about Min Han Niu, especially after he grew up. His mother never mentioned Min Han Niu again, not even knowing that Min Han Niu was the Mighty General.
Last year, he wrote home excitedly, telling his mother he had met her childhood sweetheart Min Han Niu, yet his mother’s reply did not mention this at all.
After all, his mother had grandchildren now, and Min Han Niu, as the Mighty General, surely had many wives and concubines. How could they rekindle their old flame?
He did contemplate having such a stepfather, but his mother would have to agree.
Dashi awkwardly said, "Uncle Min, you misunderstood. I couldn’t detect any blame from my mother."
Min Han Niu couldn’t help but ask, "Then how did your mother mention me?"
Min Han Niu’s tone grew excited.
Dashi earnestly said, "Mother never mentioned you. That’s why I said she doesn’t blame you. Given my mother’s temper, if she really blamed you, she would have cursed even your ancestors."
Not cursing means no blame!
Other than mentioning it once at uncle’s house, she never brought it up again.
Of course, this wasn’t something he could tell Min Han Niu.
Min Han Niu: "..."
It felt as if the old wound in his chest was acting up again.
But Min Han Niu soon convinced himself. Tong Dajiao had been married for so long and even had grandchildren; it was normal not to mention him.
Even if she missed him, it was impossible to mention it in front of her children and grandchildren.
He blamed himself for saying unpleasant things when he heard Tong Dajiao married someone surnamed Gu for fifty taels of silver.
He wondered if Tong Dajiao would forgive him.
Would she think he had died out there?
When leaving his hometown, he thought about coming back in glory, intentionally passing by Tong Dajiao’s house in Qinghe Bay to ask for a drink of water, to let her see that the boy she gave up for fifty taels of silver was no longer the poor cowherd.
In hindsight, his young mind seemed naïve. Why did Tong Dajiao marry into the Gu family for fifty taels of silver? It was because of poverty, and partly because the Tong family didn’t act properly.
Of course, he was to blame too. Back then, Tong Dajiao’s father clearly stated that if he could come up with fifty taels of silver, she would marry him.
He couldn’t manage it.
He did return to Black Dragon Pond once, when he became a Colonel and secretly fetched his widowed mother and sister.
As for Qinghe Bay, he merely glanced from afar and then left.
People say to return in glory, but after becoming a Great General, he never went back.
Meeting Tong Dajiao’s son at the border, he couldn’t express how happy he was.
From Nie Xiaofeng, he learned that though Tong Dajiao was widowed, after her husband’s death, she started a business, and it expanded to the capital and now to the border.
He wasn’t surprised at all. Tong Dajiao had propped up her family since she was young, honoring her father and supporting Tong Fusheng’s education.
All these years, he inquired about Tong Fusheng’s situation every year during the imperial exams, and each time there was no Tong Fusheng listed as a candidate. He felt it was not worth it for Tong Dajiao.
"Uncle Min... Uncle Min..."
Seeing Min Han Niu zoning out while holding his hand, Dashi couldn’t help but remind him.
Min Han Niu smiled, patted Dashi’s arm, and took the medicine from Nie Xiaofeng, ready to feed Dashi himself.
Dashi was so startled that he waved his hands. In the army, everyone knew how unapproachable the Mighty General was. If others saw, they might think he was the general’s illegitimate child, and what about his mother’s reputation?
"Uncle Min, I’ll do it myself."
Dashi snatched the medicine bowl from Min Han Niu and gulped it down in one go, then handed the bowl back to Nie Xiaofeng. As he looked up, he met Min’s overly affectionate eyes, and he shivered.
Oh Lord, not even his father looked at him with such affection.
"Uncle, by the way, I wanted to ask if our Emperor is easy to talk to?"
Dashi proactively broke the slightly awkward atmosphere.
Upon mentioning the Emperor, Min Han Niu reverted to being the Mighty General, carefully saying, "Whether he’s easy to talk to depends on what you’re asking for."
He couldn’t outright say their Emperor was suspicious and ruthless, capable of killing his own son.
Min Han Niu thought that, to Dashi, the Emperor might appear more benevolent since, in the Emperor’s eyes, a country merchant couldn’t stir up much trouble.
Dashi asked, "For example, what can’t be asked?"
Min Han Niu initially thought of saying not to ask the Emperor to step down for him to rise, but that was too bold, so he said, "As long as you don’t ask to marry a princess or to become an advisor without stepping down, most requests will be granted."
"After all, your contributions to Dasheng are immense."
Dashi laughed and said, "I understand, Uncle. Rest assured, I won’t demand any return for favors owed."
Dreaming of marrying a princess was out of the question.
Not even Jingzhe dared, let alone having a wife at home.
As for becoming an advisor, he wasn’t up to it.
All he wanted was the frontier market, to gain an officially protected status, and to make money steadily.
Min Han Niu’s mouth twitched. Using the term ’demanding return for favors’ made it seem like the Emperor owed him a huge debt.
However, thinking it over, it wasn’t far from the truth; Dashi’s contributions indirectly solidified the Emperor’s throne.
