Chapter 188 Memorial
She and Su Hong had finally managed to leave B City, and this trip back to Lingshui Town was indeed risky, but Su Youling had also thought it through carefully.
According to Wei Ning's investigation, Old Master Yin and Shi Yan have been busy dealing with the Lu family lately and have no time to pay attention to anything else, let alone focus their energy on the mother and daughter.
Even if Old Master Yin has some doubts about Su Hong's identity, they can quickly resolve their matters in Lingshui Town and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, return to City C safely.
Su Youling thought her plan was thorough, but she never expected things to turn out so unexpectedly.
Unbeknownst to her, Old Master Yin, who should have been preoccupied with the Lu family's affairs, had already handed over all matters to Shi Yan and then took Old Wei to Lingshui Town.
Lingshui Town is located in a remote area. After landing, Su Youling and Su Hong took a long-distance bus and arrived in Lingshui Town at sunset.
Returning to the same place after a long time, both mother and daughter had very mixed feelings.
Su Hong, in particular, had spent almost half her life in Lingshui Town, and now that she had returned, she couldn't help but feel emotional at the sight of the place.
Su Hong didn't plan to return to the old house immediately. Instead, she held Su Youling's hand, tugged at the corners of her mouth, and gave a bitter smile. "Although you didn't ask, Mom knows you're also curious about what I want to do after coming back. Mom will take you somewhere."
Su Youling let her lead her up the mountain, vaguely guessing what was going on, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Will all those old stories about Su Hong, the curiosity she has been suppressing, finally be answered today?
The oppressive feeling around Su Hong hadn't dissipated since they arrived in Lingshui Town. The deeper she led Su Youling, the stronger the heavy atmosphere became.
Su Youling could clearly feel that her hands were as cold as if they had been pulled out of ice water. This coldness seemed to seep into her heart, making her heart pound.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Su Hong finally stopped at a low slope covered with weeds.
#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!
Su Youling stared at her for a long time, lost in thought, before slowly squatting down and carefully and meticulously clearing away the weeds from the ground.
Although she couldn't see the expression on her face from behind, Su Youling guessed that her eyes must have turned red.
She pursed her lips, then quietly squatted down and joined Su Hong in pulling out the weeds.
Su Hong's actions did not stop because of her joining in.
Only after the two had cleared away most of the weeds did Su Youling realize that it was a very simple grave.
In impoverished places like Lingshui Town, villagers often choose a location with good feng shui to build a burial mound for their deceased relatives, just like they do now, and then erect a tombstone.
Su Youling stared intently at the words engraved on the tombstone in front of the small grave mound.
His suspicions were confirmed, and his heart sank. He subconsciously looked at Su Hong's face, which was already covered with tears.
"Mom." She put her arm around Su Hong's back with heartache, but when she actually spoke, she didn't know what to say to comfort her. After all, the dead cannot be brought back to life, especially since so many years had passed.
Su Hong turned her head to look at her. When she agreed to let Su Youling come back with her, she had no intention of hiding it anymore, and now she had an endless urge to confide in her.
“This child… died before he could even be born. It was my fault, why does Heaven have to punish such an innocent child? He didn’t even get to see this world one last time…”
Su Youling's heart felt as if it were being repeatedly slashed with a dull knife; the pain was intense and relentless.
Mommy infused it little by little.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what a terrible blow that child's death must have been to Su Hong, who was already deeply wounded at the time.
Su Youling's hand unconsciously fell on her lower abdomen, and the feeling of being connected by blood made her chest feel even more suffocated.
Su Hong wiped away her tears and forced a smile at Su Youling. "We don't know if this unborn child is a boy or a girl. If there are no accidents, you should have another brother or sister who loves and pampers you now."
Unable to bear seeing her feigned strength in her smile, Su Youling knelt down, pulled her into her arms, and gently patted her back. "Mom, have you ever thought that maybe I was sent by God to make up for your regret?"
As she spoke, she took Su Hong's hand and gently placed it on her lower abdomen, smiling, "Now you not only have me, but also him. You're going to be a grandmother too."
The warmth from her palm warmed Su Hong's hand slightly, and her emotions gradually calmed down. This time, she smiled from the bottom of her heart, "That's right, I'm very happy now. I'm almost a grandmother, what more could I want?"
Su Hong then noticed that Su Youling had knelt on the ground to accommodate her. She immediately became nervous and hurriedly helped her up, unable to help but scold her, "You child, you don't even care about something as important as being pregnant, and you say you don't want me to worry."
Su Youling hugged her ingratiatingly and said coquettishly, "I love it when you worry about me. After all, you're my mother."
The oppressive and somber atmosphere from just moments ago was dispelled at this moment.
Su Hong took a deep look at the grave mound in front of her, then looked up and saw that it was already dark. She tugged at Su Youling's hand and said, "It's getting late, let's go down the mountain."
Su Youling lagged behind her, and before leaving, she couldn't help but glance at the grave mound one last time.
#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!
It was this glance that made her notice something she had been ignoring.
She stopped and, with a slight hesitation, stepped forward to lift the weeds beside the grave mound.
Upon seeing a tombstone bearing the name Su Niannian, she gasped in surprise.
Su Niannian is not... Could it be that she has been guessing wrong all along?
Hearing the commotion behind her, Su Hong turned around and saw the tombstone. However, her expression froze for only a moment before she quickly returned to her nonchalant state.
Meeting Su Youling's probing gaze, she said calmly, "The Su Niannian of the past is dead."
This concise sentence seems to negate all past memories, whether painful or beautiful.
Looking at her calm and composed face, Su Youling understood.
Since she has already decided to let go, there is no need to delve into the past.
Su Niannian is dead; the person in front of her is Su Hong, her mother.
...
The road up the mountain was difficult, but the descent was much faster. The mother and daughter made it back to town before dark, and the first thing they did was go back and tidy up the house that had been uninhabited for a long time.
Lingshui Town is only so big, and even the slightest commotion can become the talk of the town. The news of the mother and daughter's return spread quickly, and soon the neighbors gathered in the courtyard outside their house.
The room was damp, and Su Hong and Su Youling carried the cleaned furniture out to air it. Inevitably, they were the subject of gossip and comments from these people.
"Oh dear, I heard that Su Youling married into a wealthy family and is living a leisurely life as a rich lady. I thought you were just bringing your mother to the city to enjoy a life of luxury and that she would never come back to our poor, remote village. What, you've had enough of the rich life and want to learn from city people and come back to experience life?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
