When Song Lan arrived at the Song family's receiving hall, he first saw his brother, Song Wen, standing on the left side of the aisle while his wife was standing on the right side. Both exude an air of indifference towards each other. As if the two did not wish to talk to each other.
"Why have you come, brother?" Song Lan calmly asked.
ραпdα nᴏνɐ| сom Seeing his older brother, Song Wen immediately turned around to look at him and beamed. However, Song Lan was wearing a frown on his face, so Song Jie did not try to approach him for fear of being reproached by him.
Song Wen knew that his brother did not like it when others try to be mushy with him.
"First Brother-in-law…" Madam Song greeted him respectfully.
Song Lan nodded at her politely and said, "Second, Sister-in-law need not be so strict on yourself. We are all family here, so there is no need for such greetings."
Madam Song, also named Huo Tian, did not say a word but decided to no longer be respectful towards her brother-in-law. After all, what is the point of doing so if she came here to separate from the Song family?
Of course, Song Lan did not understand her silence, and he only thought that she was giving him some face. However, he belatedly knew that these two were here to discuss something really important to the Second Household.
As the Head of the Song family, Song Lan took a seat on the chair that was situated at the end of the room. A wide wooden chair made of an oak tree was on the slightly raised ground, and a curtain made from high-quality fabric was hanging behind it.
Song Lan put his hand on his knee and condescendingly looked at the two. Song Wen and Huo Tian have been married for more than two decades, and one might even say that they were a match made in heaven when they got married.
When Song When was younger, the Old Song Patriarch favored him and would spoil him rotten to the point that even the rest of his siblings could not do anything about it even if they tried so hard to impress their father. Song Wen even made a lot of trouble and was pardoned every time, but when it was the other Song children's turn to cause problems, they were severely reprimanded.
When he married over, the Song Patriarch even gave away half of his assets to Song Wen to be sent over to his bride. Everything was handed to him, from the most expensive pearls and silk to the rarest items inside the residence. But alas, this favor that he got from the old patriarch became a wedge towards the brothers' relationship.
No one could really understand why the old patriarch favored Song Wen when he has the lowest IQ in the family. He even failed to be accepted in the Academy three times before the old patriarch pulled some strings so that he could enter. Furthermore, even when the examination for official ranks, Song Wen failed to get the lowest official position when he should have gotten it.
Moreover, when the old patriarch fell sick and no longer could take care of the Song family household, he appointed Song Wen as his only successor while only giving the rest of the Song children a few lands they could make and sell.
And thus, the cracks that appeared in the sibling's relationship started to grow more.
However, despite the old patriarch's decision, Song Lan still got the position as the next Head of the family instead of the foolish Song Wen.
"May I ask now what made the two of you take a trip here?" Song Lan glanced at them and sighed when he saw that Huo Tian's eyes started reddening.
"Is this about your daughter again?" When Song Lan mentioned their daughter, Song Wen and Huo Tian flinched and shuddered at the thought of it.
Their necks shrunk back not in fear but because of the guilt they felt after abandoning her and the justice she should have gotten after her death.
Recalling how her daughter's ending looked when they arrived at the scene, Huo Tian whimpered as tears gathered in her eyes. Just thinking about how her daughter, who had just spoken to her that day returning back to her as a lifeless body, Huo Tian wished she could go back to that time and redo all her actions.
But one cannot simply turn back time just because one wished it. Even if Huo Tian wanted to see her daughter and save her from death, the present could no longer interfere with the past.
On the other hand, Song Wen was not feeling the same extreme guilt as his wife, Huo Tian. Instead of guilt, when Song Lin died, the disappointment he felt was quite depressing. The Emperor already paid them a considerable sum of money and promised to give their son a position on the court when the time comes, but at this moment, no one was sure if Song Wen will be able to produce a son at all and make use of this advantage.
"If this is not about your daughter, then why aren't the two of you speaking? I am not a psychic, and I don't intend to be one either, so don't expect me to know what you two are thinking."
Song Lan turned his Head to Huo Tian and asked, "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"
Being called out by him, Huo Tian could no longer take it and decided to pour her heart away. She said, "Brother-in-law, you must give me justice."
"On what?"
"The man I married is just too much! How could he bring someone else inside our bedroom and even dared to do such indecent acts with her! I want him to apologize to me and a divorce!" Huo Tian glared at Song Wen as if she was possessed.
Song Wen didn't seem to like how she was glaring at him and pointed at her, "Slut! Do you think you're someone worthy to apologize to? Don't even think about it! I will never apologize to you since it was your own fault that your womb can't even carry me a child!" Song Wen clicked his tongue in distaste and added, "As for divorce... go ahead and divorce then! Do you think you're some beauty for me to hold onto? Hmph!"
Hearing these words he had thrown at her, Huo Tian almost fell to the ground and spurt some fresh blood. How dare he! How could he say these words to her?
She only managed to say a few things to complain, but this man rebutted and used ugly words to anger her!
Huo Tian could no longer hold back her tears and cried. She looked quite haggard for someone to be called a Madam from a noble family, but Huo Tian was born a beauty, and even with her appearance like this, people wouldn't feel disgusted. Instead, they would feel intense feelings of wanting to protect her.
"Song Wen." Song Lan called his brother, and his voice contained venom, making Song Wen clump his mouth shut. "Is what your wife saying true?"
Song Wen didn't want to open his mouth to speak, but with his older brother staring at him as if he would swallow him whole, Song Wen finally nodded.
'bang!'
The table before the chair where Song Lan seated was suddenly kicked by Song Lan and flew to the spot near Song Wen.
The younger brother shuddered and looked down. But then, he felt someone's hand grasping his sleeves, and he looked behind him.
Behind Song Wen was a younger woman at the age of twenty-three. She was much younger than Song Wen by a decade and two years. She was wearing a light robe that made her oval face looked adorable, and that small lip was quivering ever so lightly.
"Ma...master Song." She mumbled, and there were some unshed tears on the verge of spilling on the corners of her eyes.
When a man sees a beauty and a younger one at that who shared a few moments with them crying in front of them, one would definitely feel some emotions towards this injustice. And just like other ensnared men, Song Wen was unable to resist this type of seduction.
Thus, when he saw the young woman crying, he immediately decided to stand up for her and faced his brother.
"Older Brother… I know what I did was wrong. But I can't possibly abandon the woman I truly love." Song Wen said and had an expression of a dignified look on his face as he continued. "We already shared a night together. If I tried to leave her after all of that, who would know if my son is already growing inside her!"
Song Lan was utterly dumbstruck by his younger brother's declaration of love. 'What do you know about love?' was what he wanted to ask. However, after the latter half was said by Song Wen, Song Lan felt the great need to beat his younger brother.
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