Ye Erniang rolled her eyes at her:

"Why can't I laugh? I'm a human being too, of course I can laugh."

The distance between the two seemed to have suddenly closed a lot. Such a gentle Ye Erniang was indeed rare. He took advantage of the victory and continued:

"Laugh if you want to. Laughing is the best way to be happy! Don't worry! You will definitely get better. No one can say that you will never recover from a cold. As long as you keep a cheerful mood, you will definitely be able to..."

Huh? Wen Xi suddenly realized something was amiss. Based on her limited knowledge, if she'd learned it correctly, the defining characteristic of a cold should be a persistent cough, right?

And Ye Erniang fell ill in the beginning because of her incessant cough, right?

Then he stared at Ye Erniang with wide eyes and said uncertainly:

"Wind chill?"

The little girl was usually so calm that one sometimes wondered if she hadn't drunk Meng Po's soup in her reincarnation. But every time she interacted with me, she acted like the foolish son of a landlord who had run away. She was so adorable.

Ye Erniang stopped teasing her and said seriously:

"I don't have a cold. It's just my excuse for not wanting to go back to the capital. I'm really sick though, it's just a common cold."

Wen Xi tilted her head. Could this place be a Feng Shui treasure? Why did Xiang Ye come here, and why did Ye Er Niang want to stay? She was filled with doubts, but she didn't know how to ask.

Ye Erniang ignored her, continuing to talk to herself. For so many years, she had thought she had lived in a daze, but she had never expected that this errand would shatter her state of mind, and that the person who entered her heart was actually this little girl. She didn't know where the trust came from, but she just wanted to show her her scars.

"I used to be a concubine in the palace. When I got older, my family gave me a small steward in the embroidery room. I was considered a good wife and followed my husband's lead. Later, I had a daughter and lived a good life. But the palace is the palace after all. It is not a place where you can live a stable life. The child's father was plotted against by the concubines and took the blame. I had to take the child away from that cannibalistic place. Most of my savings were also searched away, so in order to raise the child, I continued to pick up the work of a concubine. But because I had to take care of the child, I didn't have much time to work, so I could barely make a living. I didn't have more time to work until the child was older. The child is well-behaved and sensible. Usually, when I work, she sits quietly by the side. She likes to watch me embroider the most. Sometimes she also helps the embroidery room with things within her ability. Everyone in the embroidery room likes her. Life is getting better and better. I have more and more savings in my hands. When my daughter gets married in the future, I will definitely give her enough dowry."

As if thinking of that scene, Ye Erniang actually smiled like a flower.

"But one day, I was working very late to finish my embroidery. I called out to my daughter as usual, but there was no response. When I found her in the warehouse, she was like a broken rag doll, blood all over her lower body. But her face was completely pale. When she saw me come in, she smiled tiredly at me. She said, 'Mom, seeing you, I'm not afraid anymore.' I hugged her like crazy and told her I was sorry I was late. But she didn't say a word, she didn't say a word."

Ye Erniang cried almost madly, and the self-blame in her cry rushed into Wen Xi's heart like a raging flood, completely drowning her and making it impossible to breathe.

Wen Xi lowered her head and held Ye Erniang's hand tightly. She seemed to have calmed down a little. She spoke again:

"She was only ten years old! She's still a child! I spent all my family wealth to make that beast-like thing live a life worse than death. Until he couldn't bear it anymore and ended his own life. He died, but my daughter couldn't make it. I wanted to let her go, but she hasn't forgiven me yet. How can I die so easily? I want to live, I want to live in pain to atone for my sins to her."

Wen Xi climbed onto the bed and hugged this person who seemed like he would break at any moment. No wonder, no wonder she killed Zhao San. It was like a stab in the heart again!

"No, no, that's not what she wanted. She didn't forget you. She was the one who said it was okay first, and then you said sorry. Have you forgotten? She smiled and said that she wasn't afraid anymore now that you were here. She knew you would protect her, and she finally waited for you. She left without fear, she was happy. You shouldn't torture yourself like this. If she saw her beloved mother like this, she would be sad."

Ye Erniang said in a trance:

"She forgave me? She didn't blame me for being late?"

Wen Xi shook her head firmly.

Ye Erniang burst into tears and hugged Wen Xi, as if trying to absorb some warmth:

"She left in the end. If I hadn't been so busy with the embroidery, if I had gone there earlier, she wouldn't have..."

Wen Xi patted her on the back:

"You've punished yourself enough. You should live the way she likes, so that she can be happy. If you do this, she won't be happy down there either!"

"She likes it?"

"Yeah, the way she likes it."

Wen Xi nodded firmly again.