Old Madam Yun called First Madam over to discuss several important matters. Old Master Yun left first, and before departing, he coldly signaled for Eldest Master to bring Yun Wenfang to the study to see him.
Yun Wenfang was contemplating whether he could find an opportunity to slip away and avoid the elders’ lecture when Old Madam Yun, who was speaking with First Madam, suddenly said, “Everyone else may leave. Fang’er, you stay. Your grandmother has something to say to you.”
Eldest Master glanced at his mother but ultimately left Yun Wenfang behind and followed Old Master Yun to the study. The others also withdrew as instructed.
In the entire Yun Mansion, Yun Wenfang only heeded the words of his grandmother, who had doted on him since childhood. So when Old Madam Yun spoke, he stayed, waiting for her and his mother to finish their serious discussion. Afterward, Old Madam Yun asked First Madam to leave as well.
Only the grandmother and grandson remained in the room.
Old Madam Yun’s expression softened slightly as she beckoned Yun Wenfang over. “Come, let your grandmother take a look at you. Why do I feel like you’ve grown thinner and darker?”
Yun Wenfang walked over and sat on Old Madam Yun’s Arhat Bed, allowing his grandmother to turn his head left and right for inspection. As usual, he wore an endearing smile on his face.
Old Madam Yun suddenly frowned, her fingers brushing the hairline above his ear. “Were you injured on the head? When did this happen?”
Yun Wenfang reached up to touch the spot before remembering. “It happened a while ago. It’s nothing, just a minor scrape.” In the army, who didn’t get injured? He had far more serious wounds on his body than this.
Old Madam Yun traced the scar, gazing at Yun Wenfang for a long while before finally sighing.
“You’ve never suffered hardship since childhood. We all thought you’d come back on your own once you endured difficulties outside, but we never expected… Fang’er, tell your grandmother what you’re thinking. Are you serious about this path, or are you just playing around?”
Old Madam Yun had always fussed over Yun Wenfang’s well-being, food, clothing, and shelter. This was the first time she had spoken to him about “serious matters,” which made Yun Wenfang, accustomed to joking around in front of his grandmother, feel uneasy.
“What if I’m serious? What if I’m just playing around?” Yun Wenfang asked his grandmother with a smile.
Old Madam Yun wasn’t angry. “If you’re serious, the family will naturally support you.”
Yun Wenfang curled his lips. “That won’t be necessary. The Yun Family can’t help me on the path I’ve chosen. I’ve never done anything for the family, so naturally, I don’t need the family meddling in my future.”
Old Madam Yun looked at Yun Wenfang for a long time, her expression complex. She finally understood that although this grandson seemed unchanged from his younger days in her presence, he had truly grown up.
Yun Wenfang, however, asked curiously, “There’s something I’ve never understood, Grandmother. I’d like to ask for your insight.”
“What is it?” Old Madam Yun replied.
“Since childhood, your attitude toward me and my brother has been different. Don’t all elders hope their descendants will achieve great things? You don’t seem to think that way about me,” Yun Wenfang said, looking at Old Madam Yun.
Old Madam Yun remained silent for a long time before finally sighing. “Do you remember the dog you kept as a child?”
Yun Wenfang raised an eyebrow at this. His brother had also brought up this matter once before.
“I remember. It bit me, and then the steward beat it to death.”Old Madam Yun shook her head, looking at Yun Wenfang and saying, "You know perfectly well in your heart that it wasn't the steward who caused its death—it was me."
"And yet you had the steward's legs broken." Old Madam Yun sighed. "The extent of one's power determines how much they can accomplish, and equally, how great their mistakes can be. Fang'er, your intelligence and strong will are originally your strengths, but you are too stubborn, unwilling to give up or compromise. When you could command only two or three attendants, you were already willing to punish your grandmother's confidant for the sake of a creature you favored. What would you do if you held greater power?"
Yun Wenfang was somewhat stunned, even disbelieving. "Because of this incident, you decided to raise me as a useless person?"
Old Madam Yun frowned, seemingly disapproving of Yun Wenfang's description, but she said nothing further. Instead, she asked, "Let me ask you this: if you were the heir of the Yun Family, with half of the family's influence and most of its members under your command, what would you have done when Second Young Master Xiao got married?"
Upon hearing Xiao Jingxi's name, Yun Wenfang's eyes turned cold.
Old Madam Yun looked at her grandson and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Even if there was only a sliver of hope for success, you would have tried to snatch her away from Second Young Master Xiao, wouldn't you? You wouldn't have backed down out of fear of his status or the influence of the Yanbei Prince's Mansion. Fang'er, with such a temperament, how could I, your grandmother, entrust the Yun Family to you?"
Yun Wenfang remained silent, his face cold.
Old Madam Yun gently patted Yun Wenfang's head. "Fang'er, don't resent your grandmother. I am responsible for the entire Yun clan and cannot gamble with the family's fate. Otherwise, when I grow old and descend to the underworld, how could I face the ancestors of the Yun Family?"
"No wonder you've been so indulgent with me all these years. Compared to dragging down the Yun Family, those minor mistakes are nothing..." Yun Wenfang sneered, curling the corner of his mouth.
Old Madam Yun looked at this rebellious grandson, opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
Yun Wenfang asked, "Then when you asked me earlier about my future plans and said the family would support me, was that just empty talk?"
Old Madam Yun shook her head. "No, Fang'er. I said that because you have grown up now, and perhaps some of the things I did in the past were not right."
Yun Wenfang nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You're right. I have indeed learned my lesson, and it's one I'll never forget. You need not worry anymore that I will drag the Yun Family down for the sake of someone or something. Some experiences are enough to go through once, and there is nothing left for me to cling to."
Hearing this, Old Madam Yun did not show any joy. "I have always hoped you would understand this truth, but now that you truly do, I almost wish you hadn't."
Yun Wenfang couldn't help but laugh at this and even softened his tone. "That's because you care for me." With that, he made to rise and take his leave.
But Old Madam Yun suddenly asked, "Where exactly is Ting'er? Will he... ever return?"Yun Wenfang turned to look at Old Madam Yun and said earnestly, "Grandmother, my brother has already sacrificed so much for the family. Could the family let him off just this once? Compared to an unfilial son like me, he doesn’t really owe the Yun Family anything."
Old Madam Yun shook her head. "He is the eldest son and grandson. The Yun Family is a responsibility he must shoulder—there is no escaping it. For now, let him go out and get some fresh air. Once he’s had his fill of fun, he’ll come back. I won’t punish him."
Hearing this, Yun Wenfang suddenly laughed and blinked somewhat playfully. "Grandmother, what do you think of me?"
Old Madam Yun looked at Yun Wenfang, somewhat puzzled.
Yun Wenfang said, half-serious and half-joking, "You have more than just one grandson, after all. You yourself said I’ve grown up now. There are things I couldn’t do before, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do them now, right? My brother’s heart isn’t in this. What’s the point of forcing him to stay?"
Old Madam Yun stared at Yun Wenfang for a long moment before frowning and saying, "Are you serious?"
Yun Wenfang smiled. "Of course I am. How would I dare joke with you, Grandmother?"
Old Madam Yun’s frown deepened. "Fang’er, your temperament isn’t suited for this…"
Yun Wenfang waved his hand dismissively. "Whether it’s suited or not can only be known by doing it. Back when I went to the military camp, did you think I was suited? Yet didn’t I do just fine?"
Old Madam Yun fell silent.
Yun Wenfang didn’t press the matter further. His grandmother always said he was too stubborn, but wasn’t she the same?
"It’s getting late. I’ll go rest now." After traveling for several days and returning without a moment of ease, even Yun Wenfang’s iron-like constitution was starting to wear thin.
Old Madam Yun, who had been frowning in thought, snapped back to attention and quickly said, "Since you’re back, stay home properly and don’t wander around. Miss Meng is now staying in your courtyard. Go and see her. Now that you’ve grown up, you must act like an adult. Even if you don’t like Miss Meng, you must consider the Meng Family behind her. Don’t act impulsively anymore."
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