Chapter 333 - 332: Complicated
When Yiyi heard what Old Master Ding said, she couldn’t help but smile: "Alright, Grandpa, I’ll stay at home if I’m free and keep you company."
"That’s right."
Old Master Ding nodded with satisfaction.
While the grandfather and granddaughter were talking, Ding Yuejun also returned.
"Yiyi, how’s your classmate? Did she start working at the pharmaceutical factory?"
"Yes, she’ll officially start work tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Ding Yuejun nodded with a smile, and said: "That’s good. You should ask Mo Ping to take care of her more at that time. It’s not easy for a young girl to earn money, and she shouldn’t overwork herself."
"Mom, don’t worry."
As the two were talking, Old Master Ding quietly listened. He found that even without saying anything, just watching them chat was quite interesting. It gave him a sense of peace in time, something he had never experienced before.
Seeing that their conversation was about done, he smiled and invited them: "Alright, dinner will be ready soon. You can chat more later."
Only then did Ding Yuejun stop, and the three of them went to the dining room together.
During the meal, Old Master Ding mentioned, "An old acquaintance will be coming by tomorrow. We can have dinner together then."
"What old acquaintance?"
Ding Yuejun asked curiously.
Old Master Ding’s eyes gleamed sharply, and then he said with a complex expression: "Someone who bears a grudge against you but also did you a favor. You’ll know when you see them."
On hearing this, Ding Yuejun only felt more curious, but seeing Old Master Ding didn’t say much more, she asked no further questions.
Yiyi, sitting beside them, was also full of curiosity. But knowing the answer would be revealed tomorrow, she continued eating quietly without saying more.
By the next day, Yiyi and Ding Yuejun made it a point to return home early.
"Yuejun, Yiyi, you’re here. Let me introduce you, this is Housekeeper Dou."
At these words, Yiyi looked curiously at the old man beside Old Master Ding. He was short, haggard in appearance, and looked to be in his sixties or seventies. When he looked at Yiyi and Ding Yuejun, he seemed excited, yet there was guilt in his eyes.
"Is this... the eldest lady and her daughter?"
Old Master Ding nodded, saying: "Yes, they are Yuejun and her daughter Yiyi."
"Yuejun?"
"That’s right, she’s now called Yuejun. The kind-hearted people who took her in back then saw the ’Ding’ embroidery on her clothes and named her Ding Yuejun. The name sounds good now, so she’s not called Xiao Huan, but Yuejun."
Old Master Ding remarked sentimentally, then turned to introduce them to Ding Yuejun and Yiyi: "This is Uncle Dou, who used to be the housekeeper here. It was because of him that Yuejun went missing back then."
Hearing this, Ding Yuejun was shocked.
Yiyi also looked seriously at Housekeeper Dou, then glanced at Old Master Ding with some confusion. If this was the person who lost her mother back then, why had Old Master Ding specially brought him here?
Uncle Dou looked at Ding Yuejun with shame, then bowed low to apologize: "I’m sorry, Miss, although I was forced back then, I made a terrible mistake. I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but I hope you can live a happy life."
Ding Yuejun looked at Uncle Dou in disbelief, then turned her gaze to Old Master Ding.
Old Master Ding explained: "Back then, Chen Meilian’s people controlled Housekeeper Dou’s young son. Under duress, he tricked Yuejun out of the Ding Family."
"However, that poisonous woman, Chen Meilian, intended for Yuejun to perish directly. Later, when Housekeeper Dou realized something was wrong, he secretly sent Yuejun away. By chance, he encountered a family in the same village whose child had died. He used the deceased child to mislead Chen Meilian into believing Yuejun was really gone, which stopped the pursuit. But..."
By the end, Old Master Ding was still somewhat angry.
"That poisonous woman, Chen Meilian, somehow discovered Yuejun was still alive, leading Yuejun to encounter repeated dangers."
Hearing Old Master Ding’s explanation, Ding Yuejun felt complicated.
So, the elder before her was the one who took her away from the Ding Family mansion. If not for him, she might have perished in that burned-out building in the suburbs. Just as Old Master Ding said, this person both bore a grudge against her and did her a favor, so she really didn’t know how to face Housekeeper Dou.
Yiyi also looked at Housekeeper Dou with a complex expression, but considering that he had actually done her mother a kindness, her expression softened as she said to Housekeeper Dou: "Thank you for saving my mother back then. Otherwise, who knows, she might really not have survived."
Housekeeper Dou, at these words, waved his hand hurriedly, saying: "I dare not claim that. It was originally my wrongdoing, and saving Miss was what I should have done. In any case, it’s best that she returned to the Ding Family safe and sound."
After so many years, the matter weighed heavily on him. Even when his young son returned safely and their family safely exited Shangjing, he still kept thinking about it. Fortunately, Old Master Ding found him, informing him that Miss was well, putting his mind at ease.
"Did you send Mother directly to the South back then?"
At Yiyi’s words, Housekeeper Dou answered with guilt: "At that time it was urgent. I found someone, gave them some money, and asked them to take Miss to Jin City. But unexpectedly, that person didn’t follow my instructions and went straight southward. By the time everything settled, I’d lost track of Miss."
Housekeeper Dou, originally slightly stooped, hunkered even more, shamefully lowering his head.
He had known Miss was missing and Chen Meilian wanted to harm her, but feared being seen as an accomplice by Old Master Ding, so he never spoke of it. Once his young son was safe, he took his family far away from Shangjing.
Though Old Master Ding understood Housekeeper Dou’s difficulties, he resented the failure to report the situation. Yet seeing Yuejun standing safe and sound, he ultimately remained silent, only saying: "Alright, let’s not stand around. Let’s sit and eat."
The meal was tasteless; Old Master Ding harbored resentment, Ding Yuejun was unsettled, and Yiyi couldn’t genuinely thank Housekeeper Dou. As for Housekeeper Dou, knowing the grave mistake he had made, he ate cautiously despite having saved Yuejun.
Following dinner, Housekeeper Dou promptly took his leave.
Old Master Ding did not urge him to stay.
"Yuejun, it’s my fault for not realizing anything strange about Housekeeper Dou at the time. When he mentioned resigning due to illness, I hadn’t considered other reasons."
Ding Yuejun shook her head, saying: "Dad, this isn’t your fault. You were confused at the time, so it’s normal not to notice. However, Housekeeper Dou did save me in the end, so we should thank him."
"Hmph... It’s only because of that point that I let him go and didn’t pursue what happened back then."