The once bustling kitchen fell silent after Cheng Xiaokui asked that question; even the crackling of the firewood seemed abrupt.
Cheng Xiao Kui looked at Lin Qiu Ru, who was not speaking. She knew that Lin Qiu Ru must be deliberately hiding this, but it was something she had to find out!
This time, she wouldn't let Lin Qiuru drift by like a paddleboard.
She said, "Mom, can't I ask about this? We're family, and I don't think you should hide anything from me!"
Lin Qiuru pursed her lips and said with difficulty, "You child, what do I have to hide from you? How much money do we have? Where do I keep my money? I've never hidden anything from you!"
Cheng Xiaokui linked her arm with Lin Qiuru's and said, "I know you're good to me, you treat me like your own daughter. Back in the village, everyone hated me."
I slept with Si Muyang and forced him to marry me, and you never blamed me! I'm so grateful to you for that!
Otherwise, in the countryside, someone like me wouldn't earn work points and would have starved to death long ago!
Lin Qiuru sighed and said, "Let's not talk about the past. Our family will have plenty of good days ahead!"
Cheng Xiaokui asked, "Mom, why don't you blame me? Given my situation and Si Muyang's situation back then, Si Muyang could have clearly married a better girl. Aren't you angry at all?"
Lin Qiuru's lips pressed into a straight line, and she stammered, "What's there to be angry about... How poor was my family back then? We also had two adopted children. What kind of family's daughter would be willing to marry my son?"
"A girl is willing to marry him, without asking for a dowry, and doesn't mind that my family is poor. How could I possibly look down on her?"
Cheng Xiaokui said, "Mom, although we are poor, Si Muyang works in the army and is in the capital. If he wants to find a wife in the countryside, all the village beauties in the surrounding villages will line up to marry him!"
Lin Qiuru said, "I don't care if the village beauties from all the villages marry him! I just remember when I was sick, you cooked porridge for me every day and helped me take care of my two children."
Be kind! Always remember the kindness others show you! Find ways to repay them.
Cheng Xiao Kui said, "So ever since I married into this family, I've treated you like my own mother. I thought you would tell me everything, but I didn't expect that there are still things you wouldn't tell me."
This is probably what they mean by "there's a mountain between you and your mother," how come they're all different from their biological mothers?
She deliberately pouted, making a resentful expression.
Lin Qiuru hurriedly said, "This child! Why are you talking like that?! What do you mean by 'a layer of skin separates you from a mountain'? I've never thought of it that way."
Cheng Xiaokui said, "Then tell me, why doesn't Si Muyang have any brothers, but you only had one child?"
Lin Qiuru stood there, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to answer Cheng Xiaokui's question.
Past events flashed through her mind like a slideshow...
Her mind was filled with the cries of a baby girl and the urging voice of an old woman.
"Hurry up! Give me the girl, and you can have the boy! With this boy, even if your husband dies, your in-laws can't kick you out! They can't sell you to some old bachelor! You can live a peaceful life with your son!"
Painful memories crashed over her mind like a tidal wave.
Lin Qiuru's arms were trembling uncontrollably, and her head was throbbing as if it were about to explode!
The rolling pin in her hand fell to the ground with a thud. She grabbed her hair and squatted down in anguish.
Cheng Xiao Kui was startled. She quickly hugged Lin Qiu Ru and comforted her, "Mom! What's wrong? Don't be afraid, I'm here with you!"
She gently patted Lin Qiuru's back; she hadn't expected Lin Qiuru's reaction to be so painful.
Is Lin Qiu Ru hiding something this huge?!
The king's voice came from outside the kitchen.
"Xiao Kui, what happened to my mom?!"
Cheng Xiao Kui turned her head and saw the man walking into the kitchen.
Her gaze shifted slightly as she said, "It's nothing. Mom caught a bit of a chill last night and has a headache. I'll help her back to her room to rest, and I'll make breakfast later. Are you not hungry?"
The king said, “I’m not hungry! Quickly help our mother back to her room, I’ll get her some hot water.”
Cheng Xiao Kui helped Lin Qiu Ru up and helped her back to her room to lie down on the bed.
The emperor poured a teacup of hot water and brought it over.
He asked, "What's wrong with Mom? Should we take her to the hospital to get her checked out?"
Lin Qiuru lay on the bed, her mind clearing up a bit. She said, "It's just a bit of a headache from sleeping last night, nothing serious. Do you really need to go to the hospital for something like this? You should go back to your room and rest to recover!"
She urged her son to go back to his room and rest.
Cheng Xiaokui said, "You should go back now. I'll take care of Mom, so you don't need to worry. If you stand here, Mom will worry about your health."
The king said, "Alright then, I'll go back to my room to rest. You take good care of Mom."
After he finished speaking, he deliberately reached out and patted Cheng Xiao Kui's shoulder twice.
These intimate little gestures between couples should be done from time to time so that Cheng Xiao Kui can get used to being touched by him.
Cheng Xiao Kui frowned. Luckily, she had her back to the emperor, otherwise her annoyance would have been impossible to hide.
She heard the door close and the sound of the emperor's footsteps fading into the distance.
She picked up the enamel mug and blew on the hot water inside. One good thing about winter is that everything gets cold very quickly.
The water, which was scalding hot, cooled down after she shook it a couple of times.
She helped Lin Qiuru sit up and placed a quilt behind her.
Lin Qiuru leaned against the quilt and drank a few sips of water.
Cheng Xiaokui said, "Mom, I know there are definitely some things you don't want me to know. But I feel that as your daughter-in-law, I should know. Don't you trust me?"
Lin Qiuru said, "It's not that I don't believe you... it's just..."
Her lips pressed into a straight line. This matter was like a bombshell; once she said it, she really didn't know what the consequences would be.
She stared intently at Cheng Xiao Kui, and couldn't help but reach out and touch Cheng Xiao Kui's face.
But if she doesn't tell Cheng Xiao Kui, will she miss the chance to reunite with her daughter?
But if she tells her daughter, will her daughter resent her?
Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, all her ideas were tangled up, and she couldn't find a single line of thought.
Cheng Xiao Kui could see how troubled Lin Qiu Ru was, and she said, "Mom! I swear to God, if you don't want Si Mu Yang to know, I will never tell him in my life."
What you've said is very important to me! It's also important to Si Muyang! But whatever the truth is, it won't affect our lives or you!
Lin Qiu asked, word by word, "Why do you absolutely have to know...?"
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