Chapter 32 Changing Mothers: I Want This Mother!

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When the morning light arrived as expected, the rain had stopped.

Spring chill and dampness coexist, making it even colder than the previous two days.

Yu Liuzhu stood by the waterside pavilion, gazing at the cool pool water, no one knowing what she was thinking. When she heard familiar footsteps behind her, her usual joy vanished, replaced by resentment in her eyes.

She didn't turn around, and of course, she couldn't see that Shen Linlang's gaze towards her had also changed, no longer filled with genuine affection, but rather with subtlety and complexity.

It seemed like he was scrutinizing her, or perhaps he was conflicted.

When I got to her side, she was a completely different person. I felt sorry for her and a little guilty.

"Tang'er, I was wrong last night. I just couldn't stand how harsh your aunt was to Ali, so I spoke to her harshly. You're not angry with me, are you?"

She didn't sleep well all night, her mind constantly replaying events from her past and present lives. She wasn't angry, but resentful. She resented that Chen Linlang had ignored her in her past life and had raised her voice at her for the sake of someone else in this life.

This wasn't how it used to be. They were a mother and daughter that everyone envied. Why is it like this now? What makes her even more upset is that she always feels uneasy for some reason.

“I’m not angry with my mother, I just feel sorry for my aunt. My little sister Ali is so ignorant, my aunt will probably have to suffer for her for the rest of her life.”

She kept her head slightly lowered, not wanting Shen Linlang to see the unease in her eyes. But little did she know, Shen Linlang didn't want her to notice anything amiss.

For the first time in their lives, the mother and daughter each had their own thoughts.

Despite the chilly weather, Shen Linlang's tightly clenched palms were sweating. "Mother knows that you are only close to your aunt because of that dream. Your aunt is pitiful, but it is all her own choice, and she has no one to blame but herself."

"How can you not blame others? If it were Sister Ali, she would definitely be living a much better life than she is now. It's one thing for Sister Ali to be ignorant and inconsiderate, but she also causes trouble at every turn..."

"Don't say that. I think Ali is much better than before. Maybe she'll be no different from an ordinary person in the future. Or maybe she'll be blessed with great wealth and honor. Did you dream about that in your dream?"

"How could she possibly be alright?" Yu Liuzhu's already uneasy heart seemed to be further agitated, and for a moment she felt extremely panicked.

She softened her tone, her slightly cold eyes glancing at the chilly pool water.

These things never happened in her past life, because she only learned that someone had fallen into the water and died after seeing all her close friends off on the day of the Awakening of Insects.

She was wary of someone who should have died but was still alive, even if he was an idiot.

"Mother, please don't get too close to her, I'm afraid it won't be good for you."

Shen Linlang could tell from her expression that something was wrong, and her heart sank. "What can a child like her do for me?"

“She can’t do anything, but her fate is not very good, and I’m afraid she might offend you.”

"What's wrong? Tang'er, tell your mother quickly so that she can deal with it." Shen Linlang was about to lose control of her emotions and could only pretend to be shocked.

"She died, she drowned."

Yu Liuzhu's words were all sharp and biting.

The word "death" is already the worst possible outcome.

Shen Linlang's body went limp, not from relaxation, but from utter dejection.

It took her a long time to come to her senses, and she said with regret, "What a pitiful child."

"If anyone is pitiful, it is my aunt. She is dead, but my aunt is not free from suffering. She cries for her day and night and refuses to come out to see anyone."

"Alright, let's not talk about them anymore. Let's go see your grandmother." She tried to appear no different from usual, but she was like an empty shell, a walking corpse, unaware of what she was doing or saying.

Yu Liuzhu noticed her odd behavior and felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that she had been frightened and would stay away from certain people in the future.

Upon arriving at Ruian Residence, she instructed Yu Liuzhu to pay her respects to Madam Xie first, then left without saying, "I'm going to see your sister Ali," and went to the west wing.

Inside the west wing, Shen Qinglu was sitting in front of a mirror.

The face in the mirror grew more and more pleasing to her eye, as if this was how she was meant to look—outwardly beautiful, with striking, assertive features that exuded a certain aggressiveness. Her previous face had been too sickly and pitiful, like a disguise, or a mask, rather than her true self.

She smiled at herself in the mirror, and the beauty in the mirror instantly became more radiant, showing no trace of her foolish or dull appearance. No one would know whether the so-called missing soul was congenital or man-made.

"Ah Li," Shen Linlang called out to her, her figure gradually appearing in the mirror.

“Look!” she said, pointing to the two people in the mirror. “Our ears look so alike.”

Shen Linlang subconsciously looked at her ears; they were small and delicate, with rounded earlobes like curled pieces of jade porcelain, and a mole on the auricle. Looking at her own ears in the mirror, she noticed they were not only very similar, but also had a mole in almost the same spot.

One on the left and one on the right, they look like a pair.

"Don't we look alike?" She exclaimed with delight, as if she had found a treasure. "I want to look like you."

The two women in the mirror looked completely different, but for some reason, Shen Linlang felt a sense of familiarity between her brows and eyebrows, unlike herself, as if she resembled someone from the Shen family.

"Ah Li, remember this: never go to the water alone again. If you want to go, make sure someone comes with you."

She had her own suspicions, but on the surface she appeared clueless and nodded obediently.

The wound on her forehead hadn't healed yet, so she continued to cover it with a hairband. Her red clothes and red hairband accentuated her stunningly beautiful features, making her look bright and dazzling.

It can be admirable or it can arouse envy.

But Yu Liuzhu felt even worse than jealousy, especially when Shen Linlang personally lifted the curtain for her. The more she looked at her, the more irritating she became, and she wished she would disappear immediately.

Having just learned from Yu Liuzhu that no one had eaten breakfast, Xie quickly sent someone to bring food.

There were two sets of food. One set was originally for Shen Linlang and Yu Liuzhu, and everything from the main dishes to the side dishes and pastries was exquisite and meticulous. The other set was for Ruianju, which was meant to help Shen Qinglu's stomach and intestines, and contained a little bit of meat.

The group sat around the table, but no one spoke.

The Xie family started eating first, and the others followed.

Shen Qinglu simply sat there, without moving.

"Ah Li, is none of this food to your liking?" Madam Xie asked, puzzled.

“Grandmother, I dare not eat it.” Shen Qinglu’s eyes were filled with fear and dread. “I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that she fed me something and then I became an idiot.”

Upon hearing this, Xie's heart skipped a beat, and her body trembled, causing her chopsticks to slip from her hand and fall to the ground.

Granny Li quickly picked it up and put on a clean one.

Shen Linlang's heart clenched for no reason, a sharp pain shooting through her. "Ali, who is this 'her' you're talking about?"

Shen Qinglu leaned closer to her, her dark eyes glistening with moisture, like a wounded little animal that had finally found someone to shelter it. "You said she's the one who was my mother."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Yu Liuzhu immediately turned cold. "Your aunt is your own mother. She has suffered so much for you all these years. It's one thing for you to be ungrateful, but to maliciously slander her is simply unfilial!"

"Tang'er!" Shen Linlang frowned unhappily. "Ali was just frightened by a dream. How can you say she is unfilial?"

It was just a dream; others might not have taken it seriously, but she couldn't help believing it and even thinking about it more deeply.

She had seen the child when he was a month old, and he certainly didn't seem like a mentally challenged child. If he had really been drugged and turned into this state, what was the motive of the person who drugged him?

The thought of that possibility made her tremble uncontrollably.

“If she were truly a filial daughter, she wouldn’t have such a dream.” Yu Liuzhu was angry at her for defending Shen Qinglu, her tone full of dissatisfaction and resentment. “Mother, you can’t…”

“She likes you, of course you think she’s good.” Shen Qinglu pretended to be unconvinced and said in a defiant manner, “If you like her so much, then let her be your mother.”

After saying that, she took Shen Linlang's arm, her dark eyes shining like stars, "I want this mother!"

Then he said to Madam Xie, "Grandmother, how about I switch mothers with Sister Tang'er?"

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