Chapter 407 — Settling In
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Dou Yan listened.
"See, your brother has come looking for you, hasn't he?" She quickly wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled. "You are not only the Song family's daughter, but also the eldest legitimate daughter of the Ying family's Zhenguo estate — the heir's own full sister by the same mother. You were not born to Li Tiaoniang. It is only that your birth mother has already passed away from illness. If she knew your brother had found you, who knows how overjoyed she would be!"
Though there was no solid proof yet, Song Zhi's words and deeds in her past life had convinced Dou Yan that Yigui must surely be Lady Jiang's own daughter.
She went on, "There should be a portrait of Lady Jiang at the Ying family's Zhenguo estate. When the time comes, I will have your brother find it, and you can look at it before a mirror and see for yourself."
Yigui was like any child wronged by her parents — now and then she had fantasized that she was not her parents' own flesh and blood. Yet when someone told her that her real parents truly were other people, she was still profoundly shaken.
She bowed her head, and only after a long while did she hesitantly say, "Then why did they not come looking for me sooner? When did my birth mother pass away? Was it she who told my brother to come find me?"
As Yigui spoke, a choke crept into her voice.
Dou Zhiwei could hold her tears back no longer, and they fell.
"Of course it is true!" She took Yigui's hand and said, "Your birth mother is my mother-in-law — would I lie to you? It is only that this matter is very complicated, and it cannot be explained clearly in a moment. Once we return to the Ying family's Zhenguo estate, I will tell you in detail. What do you say?"
Yigui nodded meekly.
Dou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
What she feared most was a girl who was like a punching bag, bursting into tears at every turn; next she feared a girl who was stubborn and dug in her heels regardless of the occasion. Yigui might shed many tears, but at least she could be reasoned with. If she had truly been saddled with a punching-bag or a stubborn little sister-in-law, it would have been a real headache.
Yigui lowered her head and twisted her fingers together, saying uneasily, "Whatever is said, she did raise me all these years. I want to go and pay my respects to her... and to my uncle as well. Could you let my uncle go? Just now I saw my brother beat him until he was flat on the ground..."
A Yigui like this could be called a hopeless softheart.
Taking the thief for her mother.
But if she had truly been sharp-edged, she would likely have been beaten to death by Li Tiaoniang long ago, would she not?
Some things could only be dealt with slowly.
Dou Yan patted her hand gently and said, "Sit here for a while first. I will go ask your brother and see how matters outside are coming along. Li Tiaoniang hanged herself, and the neighbors reported it to the authorities. Surely you cannot go to the yamen to pay your respects to her?"
In truth, she was afraid that Song Yan, upon hearing it, would fly into a rage and kill Li Liang as well.
And when Song Yan heard Yigui's request, his face indeed turned dark.
Dou Qu said, "She was raised by the Li family from childhood, and Li Tiaoniang would beat her at the slightest excuse, for no reason at all. Only by being obedient could she survive." Here she turned to Song Yan. "How do you plan to settle Yigui?"
Now that Li Tiaoniang was dead, Yigui's position had become a problem.
To return to the Ying family's Zhenguo estate, there had to be some presentable reason. Surely she could not go on following Li Liang?