lcionline Chapter 2115 Some people are human, and some people are dogs
Chapter 2115 Some people are human, and some people are dogs
Everyone's eyes, subconsciously following her gaze and Song Ziming's movements, were all drawn to the moon door that had been pushed open again.
In the dim light outside the door, a person slowly walked in.
An old man.
His body was severely hunched over, almost bent into a bow, and he walked very slowly, each step carrying the weight of long hours of labor and the ravages of time.
He wore a faded, patched coarse cotton coat and a worn-out felt hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face except for the lower half, which was covered in deep wrinkles and had a dark complexion like bark, along with a grizzled beard.
He leaned on a polished elm cane, his steps faltering, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
However, when he laboriously stepped over the threshold and into the brightly lit area of the backyard, he slowly raised his head and took off his tattered felt hat.
"hiss--"
"Is this person really Wu Sansheng?"
"Why is he still alive?"
Several barely suppressed gasps rang out simultaneously from different directions.
Especially among the ten families of Yanjing, those who were a bit older, such as Shangguan Wuji, Yan Qinghe, and Lu Zhengpin, were like seeing a ghost in broad daylight when they saw that old, dark face covered with deep wrinkles and a striking burn scar. Their pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, their faces drained of color, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Han Xianfeng was struck dumb, staggering back a large step and crashing into the octagonal table behind him, causing the cups, plates, and bowls to clatter, but he seemed oblivious.
He just stared intently at that face, his lips trembling, wanting to say something, but only able to let out hoarse gasps!
He could tell from the reactions of the surrounding families that this person was indeed Wu Sansheng!
That face was not unfamiliar to many of the older generation present who had lived through that era, especially those who had paid attention to the Mu family or related industries.
Although time and hardship have left indelible marks on it, the contours of the features on that face, especially the crescent-shaped scar on the left cheek left by the scalding dye that was accidentally splashed on when he was experimenting with a new dye formula... are absolutely unmistakable!
This person is Wu Sansheng, the last top craftsman in the Mu family's dyeing workshop who mastered all the core recipes and techniques!
Han Xianfeng had heard his ancestors and fathers talk about this person many times before, so he had a deep impression of him!
But to everyone's surprise, he was still alive!
And Mu Huanying even found it?!
"It's...it's Master Wu!" Behind Han Xianfeng, Yan Qinghe murmured in a daze, his face pale, confirming Han Xianfeng's guess.
Wu Sansheng seemed oblivious to the shock and commotion that filled the courtyard.
His cloudy but not numb eyes first scanned the crowd urgently, as if searching for something.
As his gaze swept over Qin Zongheng, Song Qiankun, and other elderly people, and he saw their faint, familiar silhouettes, a slight ripple flickered in his eyes.
Finally, his gaze settled on Mu Huanying.
His hunched body jolted violently, and his withered hands gripped his cane tightly, his knuckles turning white!
He opened his mouth, and a gurgling sound came from his throat, as if he hadn't spoken for many years, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.
He staggered forward two steps, then stopped a short distance from Mu Huanying, bending his already hunched back deeply, almost folding it in half.
“Young…Young Miss…” A hoarse, dry voice, like a broken bellows being pulled, was squeezed out of his throat with difficulty, filled with unbelievable excitement and endless guilt and vicissitudes, “It really is you! I came as soon as I received the letter…for decades…this old servant kowtows to…to Young Miss!”
As he spoke, he actually threw away his cane and tried to kneel down.
"Master Wu!"
Mu Huanying quickly stepped forward and grabbed his withered arm.
"No! Get up! You are a great benefactor of the Mu family, a hero who has suffered greatly! It's so kind of you to come all the way from out of town at your age... Those heartless beasts are the ones who should be kowtowing and apologizing!"
“Young Miss…” The old man looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, at this relative he hadn’t seen in decades, and said with emotion, “Every time your people came to see me… I read the letters they brought carefully, hoping to see you again soon…”
"Old Wu!" Mu Huanying patted the back of his hand with satisfaction. "We'll talk about the past later. Let's finish what I need to do first!"
"Yes, yes, I'll do whatever you say!" Wu Sansheng quickly wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously.
Mu Huanying then turned her sharp gaze to Han Xianfeng, whose face was ashen, and her voice became icy cold again.
"Han Xianfeng! Open your dog eyes and look! Who is this?! Didn't your Han family swear back then that Master Wu Sansheng had suddenly died of an illness and his remains could not be found? Didn't you say that my Mu family's dyeing techniques had been lost and that your Han family's dyes were independently developed?"
"The person is right here, a living witness!"
With Mu Huanying's support, Wu Sansheng slowly straightened his back. He raised his weathered eyes, which now burned with the anger that had been suppressed for forty years, and stared intently at Han Xianfeng.
"So they're from the Han family..."
Wu Sansheng's voice was still hoarse, but much clearer. Each word seemed to be ground out from between his teeth, carrying an accusation of blood and tears. "Then you must remember my face well, right? At least you recognize this scar on my face, right?"
Han Xianfeng trembled, his eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze.
"In the winter of 1940, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the night the Kitchen God ascended to heaven!" Wu Sansheng suddenly raised his voice, his hoarse tone becoming sharp and shrill with excitement. "Your Han family took advantage of the noise of the firecrackers in the city to sneak into the house I lived in behind the dye shop! The leader was your grandfather, Han Laogou, the Han Xianfeng! And your father, Han Xu!"
He stretched out his withered, twig-like fingers and pointed tremblingly at Han Xianfeng.
“You covered my grandson Lai Gebao’s head with a black cloth, held a knife to his neck, and forced me to hand over the formulas for the Mu family’s three core dyes: Sky Blue, Begonia Red, and Pine Frost Morning, as well as the channels for collecting special minerals and plant materials from several specific villages in the south!”
“If I don’t pay, you’ll burn my grandson’s soles with red-hot tongs right in front of me! You’re all animals! That child is only six years old, only six years old, and he cried until his voice was hoarse!”
Recalling the past, Wu Sansheng burst into tears, the murky tears streaming down the deep furrows of his face. "I had no choice... the child is innocent, I had to hand over a third of it... I thought that if I did, you would spare my grandson and me, so I could go to the Mu family to beg for forgiveness..."
He choked up and coughed violently.
Mu Huanying gently patted his back.
After catching his breath, Wu Sansheng's eyes became even more filled with grief and despair: "But you...you beasts! You took the goods, then turned around and tied up my grandson and me, stuffed us into a carriage, saying you'd take us south to avoid trouble! We traveled for three days and three nights, until we reached a desolate mountain wilderness, where you pushed my grandson and me off a cliff..."
The courtyard was deathly silent, save for Wu Sansheng's mournful accusations and suppressed sobs.
Many people were horrified by what they heard, and their eyes were filled with contempt and fear as they looked at Han Xianfeng.
Han Xianfeng was already ashen-faced and drenched in sweat...