After all, she would be buried with those from the Lu Family when she passed away, and she would be enjoying offerings from the Lu Family’s younger generations. What did the Miao Family have to do with her?
Miao Cui Lan felt very disturbed, so she told Lu Zhong about it at night, giving him a sudden shock. He felt that Miao Cui Lan’s theory made sense, so he too started to have the same worries. He knew that anyone who had to acknowledge Madame Xia as an elder in their family would be in for a difficult life.
“Quick, help me think of an idea. I will never acknowledge being a Miao family’s member again. When they kicked me out back then, did they ever think of my wellbeing? We made it through those years with much difficulty, yet has anyone ever asked how I was doing or offered me any help at all? Now that they are envious of us, they come looking for us? They were never on our side, and my ancestors merely watched us quietly from up above. Why should I pay them my respects?”
The flashback of memories brought tears to Miao Cui Lan’s eyes as she felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Lu Zhong held her hand and rubbed it as he comforted her gently, “You’ll still have to go back in two days. You should at least sort it out with your third great uncle.”
She involuntarily sighed. Everyone kept saying that this was a good thing. If she refused to go back, she would not only gain a bad reputation, she would also disappoint her third great uncle and the other elders.
To be honest, she couldn’t care less about it, but Chu He would still need to seek help from their third great uncle in the future.
Yet would they simply let Madame Xia turn the tables and gain a respectable position?
The couple discussed until the middle of the night, yet there was no workable solution. It was not a simple task to refuse and destroy Madame Xia’s plan while keeping a good relationship with their third great uncle.
“We should sleep. I’ll ask Mr Wu for some advice tomorrow. Perhaps he might have some good ideas.” Lu Zhong calmly comforted.
Miao Cui Lan relaxed and smiled, “You’re right, Mr Wu knows everything. He might have a solution to this! May it be the ancestors or a marriage, they’re all just little troubles! We aren’t as smart as Mr Wu. If we did not have him around, we would not be where we are today. Who we need to repay is Mr Wu, not that wolf in a sheep’s clothing!”
He chuckled, “Alright, stop being hung up about what has already happened. Think of how good we’re living our lives now. We don’t need to worry about putting food on the table, we have three adorable children, we have a great friend like Mr Wu, and Chu He’s married to such a lovely wife.”
Miao Cui Lan smiled at that, and she did not say anything else before falling asleep.
On the next day, Lu Zhong came home from Mr Wu’s place with some ideas. Miao Cui Lan’s eyes grew wide after he anxiously told her about it. Her worries were swept away and she did everything as told by Mr Wu.
In the afternoon, Miao Cui Lan changed into a lake blue floral dress, put her hair up into a bun, and carried a basket of joss sticks, paper money, etc and rushed to the Miao Family’s village. She headed directly to her third great uncle’s house.
Her third great uncle was surprised when he saw her. He smiled and greeted her, “I thought you were coming tomorrow morning. Why did you come now?”
“Great Uncle!” Miao Cui Lan’s face was pale. She raised her head and her eyes were swollen red. It looked as if she had just cried. After greeting him, she looked sad and started to sob.
“What’s wrong? What happened” Her third great uncle was utterly shocked.
“I need your help with a decision!” Miao Cui Lan pulled out her handkerchief and wiped her tears away, looking devastated.
“Don’t worry, tell me what’s wrong.” Her great uncle led her to a quiet room to discuss the matter.
She dropped to her knees and kneeled in front of her third great uncle before sobbing, “Great Uncle, please help me! Last night, I, I dreamt of my father!”
“What?” Her third great uncle became very worried as he shifted uncomfortably and unconsciously tried to sit straighter. He asked, “Your father came to you in your dreams? What did he say?”
Miao Cui Lan was a wreck as she smiled bitterly, “He was mad that I did not pay my last respect to him. He said that I did not give him a proper send-off, that he wasted his time to raise me up, and that he will never forgive me! Great Uncle, I am still his biological daughter no matter what. Back then, it was a living hell, why would I simply stay inside it? I am made of flesh and blood too! As my parents, how could they have done that to me? However, I do not hate him because he was my father! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have paid for Chu He’s studies. He never wanted to forgive me, so I didn’t dare to come knocking on his door to disturb him. I really did not know when he passed away, otherwise, why would I not send him off at his funeral? Eventually, I went to pay my respects anyway. I thought that now that he was gone, everything was in the past. I thought that he wouldn’t blame me or hate me anymore, but who knew that he— Great Uncle! He came to me in my dreams last night and scolded me severely, scaring me as I woke up bursting in tears! I was so anxious, so I rushed over to beg for your help. Please have someone burn some incense and paper money for him! I’ve brought the money too. He hates me so much that I do not dare to face his soul. Please, I just hope that he could spare me. I would never disturb him ever again…”
Miao Cui Lan cried and complained heartbrokenly. Her third great uncle sympathized with her as he was shocked at the same time, putting him in a turmoil of emotions.
It was such an impossible coincidence that it was no wonder that he was shocked. He did not tell anyone about Madame Xia wanting to let Miao Cui Lan acknowledge the ancestors and become part of the Miao family. So, there was no way Miao Cui Lan could have found out about it.
However, her father’s visit was coincidental. It seemed like he actually did visit her in her dreams as she was now in a sobbing mess. What if he was still angry at her, and he did not want her to acknowledge the ancestors and return to being a Miao family member?
This must be it!
Her third great uncle broke out in a cold sweat at that realization. He thought: Thank god that I haven’t brought it up.
How could they disturb the souls of their ancestors be disturbed and be disrespectful towards them? Since her father had made it clear about how he felt towards her, it was clear that there would be no need to bring the matter up.
“Ah!” Her third great uncle let out a long sigh, feeling defeated. He thought that he could help Miao Cui Lan by allowing her to acknowledge their ancestors and never have the need to lead a wandering existence. Unexpectedly, that old man was as stubborn as always, unforgiving even after he had passed away.
“Cui Lan, it’s alright. Stop crying. I understand what to do. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to your father. He, erm, everything will be fine once I talk to him…” he sighed.
“Thank you so much, great uncle!” Miao Cui Lan kowtowed to him in gratitude. She said as she wiped her tears, “Thanks to you, I feel relieved.”
“Alright. Come on and get up now.” Her third great uncle offered her a hand.
Miao Cui Lan respectfully agreed and got to her feet. She blew her nose and calmed herself down before asking with a smile, “By the way, I was told that you wanted to see me. I was planning to come tomorrow morning, but since I am already here, you can just tell me what the matter is now. As long as it’s something that I am capable of, I will definitely help you out!”
Miao Cui Lan felt very relieved, and she grew more respectful towards her third great uncle.
However, how could her third great uncle dare to bring up what Madame Xia had suggested? His lips trembled and he mumbled something unintelligible, eventually speaking, “Oh, the thing is… next year would be Chu He’s examinations, right? I was thinking that you’ve had it tough, paying his studies all these years. How about our clan pool some money for him so that it wouldn’t burden you so much? This year would be very critical for him, so we have to make sure he has quality food and good clothes to wear. You had paid for him to attend poetry clubs, extra lessons at his teachers’ homes, and those exchange programs. Hasn’t it been too much a burden for you?”
While he was telling her that, he became very anxious as he kept glancing at Miao Cui Lan. If she agreed with the idea, he would have no choice but to do it. He would need to convince his brothers when he did not even know the cost. This whole mess came from that wench, Madame Xia!
Her third great uncle swore internally.
However, if he did not suggest so, he had nothing else to cover up the truth. After all, Miao Cui Lan was not a member of the Miao Family anymore. There was nothing about the family that he could discuss with her. The only things that he could talk to her about would involve Miao Chu He, but what was it about Miao Chu He that he could bring up? The only matter that was urgent enough was his upcoming examinations!
Naturally, Miao Cui Lan could see through her third great uncle’s anxiety as he hastily replied to her. She secretly found it amusing, but of course, she did not have the guts to tease him and make him anxious. Thus, she immediately shook her head in gratitude and smiled, “As long as you and the other elders care about us, it’ll be enough. You don’t have to worry. I will never treat Chu He badly. His wife is still living and working with us. She helped us a great deal, and our business is booming! We’re capable of paying for him. Anyway, this is the only thing I could do for him as his sister. You just leave this to me, I can take care of it. Chu He will definitely remember your kind-hearted offer!”
“Haha! Chu He is so lucky to have you as his sister! He’s a sincere and kind person. He will never forget your help in the future!” Her third great uncle happily replied. His words came from the bottom of his heart sincerely as he was happy. It was as though he had helped Miao Chu He out with a favor. Even if Miao Cui Lan had refused, Miao Chu He would never forget the kind offer.
“That’s true! Chu He is a good child, and he has always spoken greatly of you, the other elders, and our uncles!” Miao Cui Lan chuckled.
Her third great uncle was even more glad at that. He chatted with Miao Cui Lan for a while before she said her goodbyes and left.
As soon as she left, his face grew dark and he demanded his daughter-in-law to summon Madame Xia.
Madame Xia did not know that Miao Cui Lan had already visited. She was happy as she thought that their third great uncle wanted to plan what to do after Miao Cui Lan came on the next day. She did not believe that Miao Cui Lan would dare to refuse such a great offer to acknowledge the ancestors. As soon as Cui Lan became a part of the Miao Family again, she could control Cui Lan any way she wanted!
After all, Miao Cui Lan could only acknowledge the ancestors with her help. If Cui Lan was disrespectful towards her, she could call her out in front of the entire clan!
