"Young lady, we have some things to take care of at home, so we'll be leaving now."
Watching the two figures leave, Li's mother managed a bitter smile. Would she really forgive them?
It's really hard to say the word "forgive." If it were that easy, why did those two leave without even daring to reply?
"Daughter."
Feeling utterly desolate, Li's mother called out towards the spot where Li Yiyi and the others had been hiding.
Her voice held a hint of caution and a barely perceptible expectation, her gaze fixed intently on the corner.
They waited anxiously for Li Su to come out, but no one appeared. Just as Li's mother was about to lose hope, a familiar voice rang out.
"I'm here."
Li Su heard her mother calling her.
Daughter,
This was the first time she had ever heard such an affectionate term of endearment; before, she was always called a "money-losing girl."
They were so intimate that Li Su almost didn't recognize them. If she hadn't heard it with her own eyes, she would have felt like she was dreaming.
"Daughter...daughter."
Li Su really came out, and the person who couldn't believe it was Li's mother.
She stared intently at what was in front of her, as if afraid that Li Su would disappear in the blink of an eye. Having not seen Li Su for so long, Li's mother had much to say, but when it came time to speak…
For a long time, Li's mother didn't know what to say. What had made the relationship between mother and daughter worse than that between strangers?
Li's mother knew the truth, and because she knew it, she remained silent.
"Don't call me daughter. I'm more familiar with terms like 'good-for-nothing,' 'bastard,' and 'slut.'"
Li Su declined her mother's address; the word "daughter" made her want to laugh.
She used to long for Li's mother to call her "daughter," but now, she doesn't need it anymore.
Li's mother's face paled, and she looked at Li Su with hurt in her eyes. When she saw the unfamiliarity in Li Su's eyes, her heart ached again.
Li's mother opened her mouth, but still didn't know what to say.
What Li's mother didn't say, Li Su did say; there were some things she had wanted to say for a long time.
"Why is it that both Li Hun and I are your children, yet you only love Li Hun and can't see me? Can you tell me why?"
Li Su truly couldn't understand this. Before seeing her father's will, Li Su's entire life was filled with despair.
She thought she was a failure, unimportant, someone born to be abandoned and ignored, after seeing the letters left behind by Li's father...
Li Sucai discovered that the world was colorful, and that she was loved, cherished, and missed, unlike what her mother had said.
She's not a money-loser, not a slut, and certainly not a rotten person.
His eyes, filled with genuine curiosity, made Li's mother shrink back and look away.
Why?
Li's mother didn't want to recall the past. Could she say that she felt jealous after seeing how much Li's father doted on Li Su?
It's incomprehensible to know that a biological mother is jealous of her own daughter; if anyone knew, they would probably look at her with disdain.
Her marriage to Li's father was the result of a scheme, her own scheme. Otherwise, why would Li's father, a city dweller, marry her, an illiterate countrywoman?
She liked Li's father from the moment they met, but Li's father didn't like her. Even when he slept with her under pressure, all he did was fulfill his responsibilities and act accordingly.
Li's father was stingy with any other emotions; she gave birth to Li Hun, and then to Li's father's next generation.
All she got in return were a few words like "Thank you, you've worked hard." She had thought that having a child would improve their relationship.
But in reality, nothing had changed. Li's father was still just a husband and a father, but not the love in her heart.
What can we do? Life goes on.
Soon, she became pregnant with Li Su and gave birth to her. From the moment she learned that Li Su was a girl,
Li's father's attitude underwent a complete change. His usually stern face was now filled with smiles, which were genuine and not forced.
Every time he came home, the first thing Li's father did was hug Li Su and gently coax her. She caught him doing this several times.
Watching Li's father comfort Li Su, watching him hold her, watching his hopes for her future...
Looking down at Li Hun beside her, then at herself, Li's mother was consumed by jealousy.
She longed to take Li Su's place, but the reality was that she couldn't, and Li's father couldn't treat her the way he treated Li Su.
At first, she would try to convince herself that Li Su was her daughter, and that Li's father's affection for Li Su was also his affection for her.
But a person's heart can never be filled completely, and what is already inside can spoil. Without realizing it, the way she looked at Li Su changed.
She often thought about how she had become cold, jealous, and hateful.
If Li Su hadn't been born, she wouldn't have seen her father's gentle side and wouldn't have felt jealous.
Her son wouldn't raise his innocent little face and ask her in his childish voice, "Mom, why does Dad only like my sister and not me?"
If Li Su hadn't been born, their family would still be as harmonious as before.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Li Su had already been born, and she couldn't put Li Su back into her womb.
Since she couldn't change the current outcome, she could only vent all her resentment and injustice on Li Su.
After Li's father passed away, she became even more outrageous.
Li Hun was initially kind to Li Su, but later, influenced by her and Zhao's father, he gradually became unkind to Li Su.
The term "money-losing good" originated from that time; Li's father didn't leave behind much.
She saw the letter and knew what it said. She wanted to destroy it, but it was something left by Li's father, and she couldn't bear to part with it.
So she hid the letter in the most inconspicuous corner, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would remain forever sealed away.
Li Su didn't know when she saw it, nor did she want to know; that letter represented her inner embarrassment.
Li's mother remained silent, unable to utter a single word.
"Don't you want to answer this question? Then let's try another one!"
Li Su didn't expect her mother to answer; even if she did, the deed would be done and wouldn't change the outcome.
She didn't answer, letting Li's mother keep it to herself. Anyway, Li Su knew perfectly well why Li's mother disliked her; it was Li's mother's problem, not hers.
Changing the subject, Li's mother was somewhat surprised by how quickly Li Su changed the subject; she had thought Li Su would probe deeper into the matter.
"Let's talk about Li Hun. You know what Li Hun has, and I know it too."
Seeing the drastic change in Li's mother's expression, Li Su's last shred of affection for her vanished, and she realized she had harbored unwarranted fantasies.
"You...you said something I don't understand."
Li's mother instinctively retorted, unwilling to admit that she understood what Li Su was saying.
She didn't want to make herself look even worse in Li Su's eyes, even if it was just self-deception.
"If you don't understand, then listen to me slowly. You will understand eventually, and you will remember eventually."
It wasn't surprising that Li's mother refuted Li Su; in her memory, from the time she could remember...
Between her and Li Hun, Li's mother always chose Li Hun; her identification of Li Hun just now was merely an accident.
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