northernbook Chapter 271 Anqiao’s Original Family (2)
Chapter 271 Anqiao’s Original Family (2)
An Qiao's father couldn't bear it, but he still stated his two requests.
How could the old doctor not respond?
He had already found out about these things long ago, and he brought his daughter here today just to ask for mercy.
Besides, if it weren’t for the old doctor, An Qiao’s father probably wouldn’t have lived that long.
He had an old illness, one of those so-called rich man's diseases, which required a great deal of time and expensive medicine to treat.
The old doctor also grasped this point accurately and was certain that Anqiao's father was not a heartless, ungrateful person.
If Anqiao's father is willing, tomorrow would be a good day for a wedding.
He was also willing to give the shop in the town to Anqiao's father, just hoping that he could protect his daughter. Even if she had no worries about food and clothing, at least she would not starve or freeze to death.
Finally, Anqiao's father agreed.
An Qiao's stepmother also agreed.
Nearly half a year passed in peace, then the old doctor passed away and An Qiao's stepmother became pregnant.
Suddenly, the house was bustling with activity.
But not surprisingly, Anqiao's father treated Anqiao very well, even better than his own child.
The stepmother, who had originally promised to be good to her, suddenly left with her old father because she became pregnant. Anqiao felt that her father was very unfair.
The family started fighting again. An Qiao's father reiterated his promise to the old doctor that he would do what he had promised.
With the birth of the child, the situation eased a lot, at least people in the town no longer heard any rumors.
A boy was born. He has been following his sister since he was young. He dare not go west if his sister goes east, for fear of being punished by his father.
Even though nearly 10 years have passed, if you go to their town and ask around, you can still hear some of the rumors from back then.
It is said that the newborn brother lives like a servant at home, but the elder sister of that family is very beautiful, and she is allowed to learn all the arts that she can, including music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
An Qiao's father went out hunting early in the morning and came back late at night just to provide for her. If the academy did not accept female disciples, An Qiao would probably have been sent to the academy when she was a child.
An Qiao grew up in such an environment, and has been pampered since childhood.
But who knows, the good times don't last long.
When Anqiao was ten years old, his father's old illness relapsed. All of a sudden, the family's source of livelihood was cut by more than half, hunting became less common, and Anqiao had to stop many classes.
But there was still no way. The old doctor was gone. At that time, it was the old doctor who helped Anqiao's father treat his illnesses every time. As time went by, it became more and more difficult.
Seeing that there was no way to save her, Anqiao's father was unwilling to let his daughter down, so on his way down the mountain, his old illness relapsed and he almost didn't come back.
After I came back, I lay in bed all day and gradually became unable to move.
It was also in this year that Anqiao's stepmother found the right opportunity and sold Anqiao. Many people in the town knew about it, and the stepmother must have hated Anqiao to death.
Not long after, Anqiao's father died.
……
Perhaps because of these things, An Qiao never returned home after leaving the palace.
Gu Qingyun spent a lot of manpower and resources to find out these things, just because he wanted to know more.
But as for who Anqiao's biological mother is, it seems that there is no way to find out.
The Marquis listened to Gu Qingyun's mumbling, his pupils shrinking again and again. This was strange. Why was he so partial to a little girl? Who was this girl's mother?
In order for her to live a good life, perhaps her mother originally came from a good family.
"This sounds a bit weird." The Marquis seemed nonchalant, but in fact, he was already feeling a little disturbed.
"Yeah, I also feel it's a bit weird, so weird that it seems like none of this should be happening."
Investigating a case requires piecing together many seemingly irregular shapes to eventually form a complete picture.
But after thinking about this matter over and over again, I still can't come to a conclusion. I always feel that something is strange, but I can't tell what it is.
The Marquis caught another fish. As he put the fish into the bucket, he casually asked, "Where is Miss An's hometown?"
"It's a town behind the Qianling River. To get to that town, you have to cross many mountains." Gu Qingyun sent someone there at that time, and the person came back after a month and a half.
The Marquis nodded, wondering if it was a coincidence?
At that time, his servant fled south with his daughter who was less than one year old. When he went to look for her later, the clues were lost at the foot of a mountain not far from Qianling River.
"Do you think this Miss An is not his child at all?" The Marquis threw another rod, still with no emotion on his face.
"If she is not his child, why is he so good to her? This doesn't make sense. I feel like there must be a reason. Otherwise, if not favoritism, at least the first-born child should also receive such treatment." Gu Qingyun thought of his own family and many different families.
Although there is a hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate children, families that truly value these things will not deprive illegitimate sons and daughters of food and clothing.
"How does he treat his son?" The Marquis asked and answered questions as if he was investigating a case.
"He was probably good to his son, sending him to school at a young age. But because he had to raise two children, the burden of supporting the family increased. He had to go hunting day and night, and his old illness relapsed and became more and more serious." Gu Qingyun thought about it. This is what the person he sent to inquire said.
It seemed that during that period, Anqiao's father ran to the mountains day and night, and the number of prey he sold every day even exceeded that of all the hunters in the town.
It was a fairly large town, and he almost monopolized the game in all the taverns.
"Then why does his stepmother still hate Miss An so much? It seems like he treats them equally." The Marquis stared at the lake without looking at Qingyun.
"Of course it's because after his son was born, he was inferior to Miss An in every way. His father favored Miss An. Many people in this town said that his son was born to be Miss An's servant. Naturally, she was angry."
Gu Qingyun had an expression that said, "Is this hard to understand?"
The Marquis sighed, every family has its own problems.
"Let's go, we've finished fishing, let's go in and eat, I'm really hungry too." The Marquis looked at the sky and prepared to put away his fishing rod.
Gu Qingyun couldn't help but feel awkward again, "Come in and eat, why don't we grill the fish outside?"
"Did you say anything to Miss An about your dilatory attitude today?" The Marquis could no longer tolerate his dilatory attitude.
"Nothing, let's go." Gu Qingyun pretended to be relaxed, but still couldn't help but sigh, "If her family affairs were better, her psychological burden might not be so heavy."