193 You Still Have Me
Yu Niaoniao snorted.
“Naturally, it was because my mother was too outstanding. My stepfather had a good impression of her at first glance. After a few encounters, he realized that my mother was even better than he had expected. He could not sit still and shamelessly came to ask for her hand in marriage. My mother examined him for a while and thought he was all right.”
Yu Kangtai felt very uncomfortable, but he could not help but ask.
“Your mother agreed just like that?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “Of course not. My mother even made two requests in the end.”
Yu Kangtai was curious. “What requests?”
Yu Niaoniao extended a finger.
“First request: I don’t care what you did in the past, but after marrying me, can you be loyal to me alone? Don’t take concubines, don’t take mistresses, and don’t flirt outside?”
Hearing this, Yu Kangtai laughed. “She’s still so naive.”
The reason why Madam Xie wanted to divorce him was that he slept with a maidservant.
At that time, Yu Kangtai’s mother was still around. Two years after Madam Xie married into the family, her womb still did not move. The old madam could not sit still anymore, so she arranged a maidservant for Yu Kangtai.
What the old madam meant was to let that servant girl have a child. Regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, they would all live under Madam Xie’s name in the future.
Yu Kangtai felt that this was a perfect idea, so he did as his mother said.
However, Madam Xie was disgusted by this matter and the couple argued over this.
At that time, everyone in the Yu Residence felt that Madam Xie was too petty. Even outsiders felt that Madam Xie was in the wrong.
Madam Xie’s family was far away in Bashu, and she was alone in the capital. But she could not accept that she was sharing a husband with another woman.
In the end, she made up her mind and proposed a divorce.
At that time, Yu Kangtai was also in a fit of anger. He felt that it was just a woman. What was there to care about? Why would a man have to worry about not having a wife?! So he picked up his pen and signed the divorce papers.
Now that he thought about it, Yu Kangtai actually regretted it. He shouldn’t have agreed to the divorce so rashly.
But he felt that there was something wrong with Madam Xie too. She was too petty. It was just a maidservant. Was it worth it for her to divorce him?
Didn’t she look at the other families in the capital? Which official didn’t have concubines and maidservants? Even their madams felt that there was no problem, so why couldn’t she do the same?
In the end, he felt she was too naive. She was already married and still thought of herself as a young lady.
Yu Kangtai originally thought that Madam Xie had already learned her lesson. After returning to Bashu, she should be able to recognize reality. It was very normal for men in this world to have three wives and four concubines.
Unexpectedly, she was still so naive. She was already married for the second time, but she still wanted a man to live only with her.
Yu Niaoniao could hear the mockery in his tone. She raised her eyebrows and asked, “Do you have any objections?”
Now she couldn’t even be bothered to use a respectful title.
Yu Kangtai said, “I have no objections. I was just worried about your mother. I’m afraid that not many men in the world can accept such a request.”
How could Yu Niaoniao not see through his thoughts? If she had only disliked Yu Kangtai before, she really hated him now.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t. My stepfather promised my mother back then, and he lived up to his word. My mother was the only woman he had until he died.”
Yu Kangtai was speechless.
He felt as if he had been slapped in the face. It burned.
He looked away and hurriedly changed the subject.
“You haven’t said what your mother’s second condition is.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “The second request was about me. My mother said that even if she married for the second time, she won’t give up on me as a daughter. She’ll bring me with her and ask my stepfather to treat me as his own. ”
This time, Yu Kangtai did not ask if the man had agreed to such a stupid request.
He knew that the man had agreed since the second marriage took place.
What Yu Kangtai could not understand was why that man accepted such unreasonable requests. What woman would ask to bring her child over after her second marriage? And what man would willingly help someone else raise a child?
Yu Kangtai could not help but ask, “Did you get along well with your stepfather?”
Yu Niaoniao said without hesitation.
“Very well! My stepfather treats me like his own daughter. He’s never mistreated me, physically or emotionally. In my heart, he’s almost like my biological father.”
These words agitated Yu Kangtai.
He emphasized the reminder. “I’m your biological father!”
Yu Niaoniao smiled. Her tone was mocking.
“Is that right?”
Yu Kangtai was very dissatisfied. “What kind of attitude is that? Do you think I’m inferior to that stepfather of yours?”
In the past, Yu Niaoniao would have quarreled with him. But now she wasn’t even in the mood to do so. She was already extremely disappointed with the man opposite her.
Yu Niaoniao walked straight towards the carriage.
Yu Kangtai wanted to chase after her, but Xiao Juan stopped him.
Xiao Juan looked at him coldly. “You’re not worthy of being Niaoniao’s father.”
Yu Kangtai was clearly unconvinced. He tried to argue, but when he met Duke Lang’s fierce gaze, he immediately fell silent in fear.
“Don’t disturb her again.”
Xiao Juan left after saying this.
The carriage drove steadily back to the royal residence.
Yu Niaoniao sat in the carriage and looked at the scenery through the window.
Xiao Juan was a little worried about her. He wanted to comfort her a few times, but because he had no experience in this area, he did not know how to speak.
Suddenly, he heard Yu Niaoniao’s voice. It was soft and unhurried.
“I was four when my mother married my stepfather. Everyone thought I was a child and didn’t know anything, but I actually knew everything. So I was uneasy then. I was afraid that my mother would marry a bad man. I was afraid our lives would get worse and worse. Fortunately, none of my fears came true. My stepfather was a very nice man. He was good to me and my mother. I respected him from the bottom of my heart and sincerely treated him as my father.
When Yu Kangtai sent someone to fetch me from Bashu, I had always thought that his image should be similar to that of my stepfather. To be precise, I felt that all fathers in the world should be like my stepfather. It turns out I was too naive.”
The longer she spent with Yu Kangtai, the more she missed her life in Bashu.
Back then, she’d had her mother’s love and her stepfather’s doting. She’d done whatever she wanted. Every day had been carefree.
And now she had nothing.
She felt someone holding her hand. She looked back and met Xiao’s deep gaze.
“You still have me.”