The Fox Tail Hidden for Decades

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Chapter 45: The Fox’s Tail Hidden for Decades

“Miss, let her be.”

Nanny Li had already silently brought over a square-backed eight-immortals chair, its seat covered with a brocade cushion.

Yun Jiao noticed that Nanny Li seemed to have made preparations, though she did not understand why. Still, she knew the old nanny would never harm Grandmother, and that she must have her reasons. Thus, she let her do as she pleased.

Working together, they helped Old Madam Qian out of the room and into the corridor.

“Here,” Old Madam Qian said, pointing to a spot.

Nanny Li set the chair in place and helped her sit down.

Old Madam Qian said nothing more. She merely stared ahead, occasionally looking from side to side, as though searching for something.

Yun Jiao followed her gaze, but the courtyard was still the same courtyard. Nothing appeared different from usual.

And yet, it felt cold—not the ordinary chill of winter, but a sinister coldness that seemed to seep from the very marrow of her bones. She shuddered involuntarily.

“Don’t come any closer. You’ll frighten the child,” Old Madam Qian murmured, as though admonishing someone.

“Grandmother, whom are you talking to?” Yun Jiao asked, puzzled.

Nanny Li tugged at her, signaling that she should ask no more.

“Miss, have Jianjia and the others summon your uncles and aunts.”

Yun Jiao saw the solemn expression on Nanny Li’s face and felt a little uneasy, but she did as she was told.

Old Madam Qian spoke again. “Comb my hair and wipe my face.”

Nanny Li hurried forward. Yun Jiao stood beside her, passing her whatever she needed. As she watched the color gradually return to her grandmother’s face, delight blossomed in her heart. It seemed Grandmother’s health had truly improved, and her mind had grown much clearer as well.

They remained seated beneath the corridor for nearly half an hour. Once Old Madam Qian had been washed and groomed, her children gathered around her, asking after her health with anxious concern.

Only then did she wave a hand and ask, “Where are Shihai and Shilin?”

After washing and dressing, her every gesture had regained the briskness and authority of former days.

Madam Ding curled her lip.

That old woman really was still thinking about the son she had given away.

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“I’ll send someone to summon Third Brother at once,” Qian Shihai said, looking ashamed.

“Grandmother, you’re better?” asked his wife, Madam Wen, staring anxiously at Old Madam Qian. After suffering such a prolonged illness, suddenly awakening with a healthy flush in her face was perhaps not a good sign.

Old Madam Qian swept her gaze over everyone before finally fixing it on Madam Wen.

“What of that unfilial son you raised? Why haven’t I seen him?”

Madam Wen lowered her head in shame.

“He… I called for him, but he refused to come. In the end, I simply stopped asking. Grandmother, just consider him someone I never raised.”

“Shihai, send someone to bring him here. I have something to say to him.”

“Go quickly,” Qian Shihai urged the servant beside him.

The adopted son Madam Wen had raised had not been taken in as an infant. He had been over four years old when he came to her. His original surname was Zhu, and he was the second son in his family. His parents had named him Jiegen.

Yun Jiao knew him as well. Technically, he belonged to the same generation as her cousins, though he was much older. She had never thought highly of his character, and although they occasionally crossed paths, they had never had any real dealings.

Back when her eldest uncle, Qian Shijiang, was still alive, he already had two daughters, yet he often lamented in private that he had no son or heir.

The Zhu family were among the hired hands on the Qian family estate.

Qian Shijiang often visited the estate and had grown familiar with them. Whenever he saw that they were so poor they could barely feed themselves, he would give them grain, food, or a little silver.

The Zhu family had four boys in succession. As the saying went, half-grown sons could eat their fathers out of house and home, and the family was truly struggling to support all four.

The Zhu family’s second son would call Qian Shijiang “Father” whenever he saw him, and each time, he delighted Qian Shijiang immensely.

Qian Shijiang was kindhearted and treated others generously. As time passed, the Zhu family began to entertain an idea. They said that their second son seemed destined to be connected with Qian Shijiang, and since they were too poor to raise him, they were willing to give him to Qian Shijiang as a son.

Qian Shijiang was moved at once. He had always wanted a son, but after all these years of marriage, Madam Wen had borne only two daughters and had never conceived again.

The couple loved one another deeply. Though they had been married for many years, he had never entertained the thought of taking a concubine. To gain a clever, well-behaved son without having to ask for one seemed a great blessing indeed.

He therefore asked whether Zhu Jiegen was willing to return home with him and become his son.

Zhu Jiegen knew that the Qian family was wealthy. How could he possibly refuse? He called him “Father” again and again, filling Qian Shijiang’s heart with joy. At once, he changed the boy’s name to Qian Xiangze.

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After following Qian Shijiang back to the Qian residence, Qian Xiangze was clever and obedient every day. He never caused trouble, treated the old couple with respect and filial devotion, and possessed such a honeyed tongue that he charmed them completely. They nearly wished they could pluck the moon from the sky and present it to him.

At first, the two daughters of the household, Qian Xiangyun and Qian Xianglian, were not particularly pleased with him. But as the years passed, he won them over as well, until they treated him like a true younger brother and never failed to prepare a share of every fine thing for him.

Thus the family lived in harmony until the two sisters married one after another.

When Qian Xiangze turned fifteen, Qian Shijiang arranged a marriage for him. At the time of the wedding, he even had a three-courtyard residence built especially for the young couple, not far from the family home.

His intentions had been good. Once his son married, he was still not a blood relation, and maintaining a certain distance would benefit both families in the years to come. They were growing old and would not wish to live under the same roof as the younger generation and become a burden. Some separation was best—but they should not live too far apart, lest they grow estranged.

At the time, Qian Xiangze treated his adoptive parents exceptionally well. He never opened his mouth without calling them “Father” and “Mother.” Whenever either of them suffered from a cold, fever, or headache, he would bring his wife to care for them at their side. He was always asking after their health and showing concern. For a time, he became the subject of admiring talk throughout the neighborhood, and everyone said that Qian Shijiang was a good man who had received his just reward.

Later, Zhu Jiegen had two daughters in succession. Qian Shijiang provided both money and labor, hiring people to arrange lavish celebrations. He seemed even more invested than he would have been for a blood son and granddaughter.

Then Qian Shijiang fell ill and died. Old Master Qian followed him soon after, and the main branch of the Qian family was left without an heir. Even if Qian Xiangze were counted, he had no son of his own.

As a result, the entire family estate passed to the second branch. From that day onward, Qian Xiangze seemed to become an entirely different person, finally showing the fox’s tail he had concealed for decades.

No—he was no longer called Qian Xiangze. He had long since resumed his original name, Zhu Jiegen, and his two daughters had taken the Zhu surname as well. In daily life, he treated Madam Wen worse than he would have treated a stranger from the neighborhood. He was a notorious ingrate, known far and wide.

As Madam Wen grew older, she often suffered from minor illnesses and aches. He never once went to see her, much less stayed by her side to care for her. Sometimes, if they happened to meet on the road, he would turn away as though he did not know her.

The Zhu Jiegen whom Old Madam Qian wished to see now was precisely this heartless man.

When Zhu Jiegen heard that Old Madam Qian had regained consciousness, he came quickly.

“You’re here,” Old Madam Qian said, staring directly at him.

“What orders do you have for me, Grandmother?” Zhu Jiegen asked with a deferential smile, bowing and scraping.

The old woman’s sudden recovery was probably nothing more than the last flicker before death. Since she had specifically summoned him, she was likely hoping he would take good care of Madam Wen in the future. Naturally, there would be benefits for him in return.

End of Chapter

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