FID – Chapter 959

Chapter 959: Can You Spare My Life?

No one knew exactly what Feng Qingbai and Kang Shiming discussed in the kitchen, but when Kang Shiming left, he looked as if he had aged ten years overnight.

Even his back seemed bent and frail.

Back in the main hall, several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Feng Qingbai. He raised an eyebrow at Liu Zhixia, receiving her helpless expression in return.

“Axiu—” Grandma Liu called out with a smile.

“Grandma, Kang Shiming came to resign from his post. I agreed. Once the court appoints a new county magistrate and the handover is complete, he will leave Xiangshan County and Yunzhou,” Feng Qingbai explained on his own, reading her expression and answering her unspoken questions.

“Aiyo, just as Zhixia guessed!” Grandma Liu slapped her thigh, and the two young men smiled wryly.

“So he really intends to bring his daughter back with him? Will the Jiang family let her go?” Chen Xiulan asked in surprise.

Du Juan immediately responded, “Kang Ziyu is already married into the Jiang family, with the marriage certificate to prove it. She’s officially part of their household. Even if Kang Shiming is a county magistrate, he can’t just take her away. Besides, if the Jiang family could treat Kang Ziyu so cruelly, they’re certainly not good people. I suspect things won’t be so simple. Kang Shiming probably has to agree to some conditions from them. So giving birth is also a technical matter. If the child comes out obedient and filial, like our Nannan, that’s luck. But if she comes out like Kang Ziyu… it might be better not to have her at all!”

Liu Erlin chimed in with his wife, “You’re right. I’ve often thought of sending that little rascal Zhiqiu back and trying again! What good is a kid if all it does is annoy people?”

The joke made everyone laugh, but no one noticed the two little ones in the cradle shivering at the same time, especially the one who had just gotten into trouble.

Kang Shiming’s visit caused no ripple in the Liu household. The next day was New Year’s Eve. The elders went to bed early, while the younger generation stayed in the main hall around the fire, keeping vigil and making red envelopes.

“This year, the whole family is finally together, and we even have two little ones now. Ever since you all came back, Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom have been smiling non-stop, so happy inside,” Liu Zhiqiu said quietly while preparing red envelopes. “I’ve heard from the elders in the village that when people get older, they become especially afraid of being alone. They always hope the younger generation can stay nearby, gathering around their knees. They fear being forgotten and worry that as they age, they’ll gradually become useless and be disliked. I know you all wouldn’t do that, but when you have time, visit home more often. Big Brother, you have official duties that keeps him in Yunzhou, Nannan has married and must stay in the capital, but actually they miss you all very much. They often sit in the courtyard, staring at the horizon and sighing.”

His sudden words fell into a quiet silence around the fire.

“I know each of you carries your own responsibilities, and I might not fully understand all of them. But I believe that no matter how high an official you become, how much money you earn, or how much power and status you have, none of it is as meaningful as fulfilling your filial duty in front of Grandpa and Grandma. I’m just an ordinary person, but I’m saying this today. Listen, keep it in your heart, and do your best. Grandpa and Grandma are in their sixties now.”

Liu Yusheng felt a sudden sting in her nose.

She wanted to cry.

She had always placed her family first, she had always believed that, but in truth, what she and all the rest of them had done was still far less than what Second Brother had done.

Liu Zhiqiu was truly the one with the deepest feelings and the truest filial heart.

He was smart and perceptive. As a grown man, how could he not have dreams of his own?

Of course he did, but compared to staying by his family’s side, those dreams simply weren’t as important, so he chose to remain.

One person carried the burden of filial duty for all of them who were each tied down by their own helpless circumstances, accompanying the elders through every dawn and dusk.

As people grow up and build their own lives, they seem to gain countless unavoidable obligations, countless reasons they ‘can’t help it.’

But in the end, it all comes down to choices, putting other things ahead.

Always thinking: next time… later… there will still be a chance.

The matters at hand feel more pressing, more urgent.

But is that really true?

We rely on the understanding of those closest to us, relying on their tolerance, their love, their willingness to give way.

When he finished the red envelopes and looked up, Liu Zhiqiu saw his precious younger sister’s eyes turning red. His heart trembled. “Nannan, don’t cry! I was just talking, just reminding you all! If you shed tears, then next year’s New Year’s Day will be my death anniversary! You’ve never tasted Grandpa and Grandma and Mom and Dad’s fire tongs, broomsticks, wooden clubs—they’re deadly! You—”

Liu Muqiu raised her fist and thumped him hard. “Good luck and great fortune. Now spit out those words! It’s New Year’s Eve! How can you say something so unlucky? If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll die first and show you!”

It was rare to see Little White Lotus actually bristling at Liu Zhiqiu.

With hands raised in surrender, Liu Zhiqiu pressed his palms together and pleaded, “Please, I’m begging you, don’t cry. It’s New Year’s Eve. Does it make sense to shed tears now? It’s bad luck! I was wrong, okay? I was wrong!”

“Brother… brother-in-law… save me…” By the end, Liu Zhiqiu’s voice had gone weak.

What he said earlier really was just meant as a reminder. For a family that could only gather twice a year, he felt too much heartache for Grandpa and Grandma and took advantage of everyone being home to say it. He never meant to ruin the mood.

He was doomed.

He didn’t even need to think about his parents and grandparents, but he had made Nannan cry. Feng Qingbai absolutely would not let him off easily.

And then there was Little White Lotus… Tsk. So he was going to suffer in both body and heart?

“Second Brother, thank you for all these years.” Liu Yusheng blinked away her tears and forced a smile.

Liu Zhiqiu thought for a moment, then pointed outside. “I’m feeling a little tired. Maybe I’ll go to sleep for a bit. You all keep watch. Shall I see you tomorrow?”

“Smack.” A light hit landed on his forehead, but it didn’t hurt. Then he heard his older brother say, “Idiot.”

“……”

Looking at his Big Brother and his brother-in-law, both expressionless, Liu Zhiqiu asked cautiously, “Brother, brother-in-law, can you spare my little life?”

“Can you stop acting like an idiot at times you absolutely shouldn’t?” Liu Zhixia pinched the bridge of his nose, exhausted.

This fool just had that ability; no matter the situation, he could make you want to laugh and cry at the same time. The sorrow from just a moment ago vanished instantly.

This must’ve been a skill he honed while coaxing their grandparents, and his Dad and Mom every day. It was practically an instinct now.

“I can’t resign from office.” Lowering his gaze to the charcoal burning in the brazier, Liu Zhixia suddenly said, “Our family is no longer the Liu family of the past. Once you are entangled with the court and the imperial clan, there is no way to stay uninvolved. I have to stand in that position. Only then do I have the confidence and the ability to keep our family as safe as before. The same goes for Feng Qingbai. Zhiqiu, the roles we hold now aren’t because of ambition. They’re so Grandpa, Grandma, Father, and Mother can live the simple life they want, without worry.”

In this world, nothing exists in absolute singularity.

Just as light must have darkness behind it, simplicity must have complexity behind it, and a calm surface must hide turbulence.

Someone has to carry those shadows, complications, and surging undercurrents.

He and Feng Qingbai would be the ones to do it.