She sighed softly, seemingly very disappointed: "This is a matter of life and death. I know you don't trust me and dare not tell me the truth..."
"But you shouldn't have hidden it from me that your father had replaced me with someone else. We are, after all, husband and wife. I am his wife in name only. How can you deceive me like this? What kind of person do you take me for?"
Luo Yang walked to her side and hurriedly explained, "No, Mother, back then... I admit that I didn't completely trust you back then, not just you, I didn't even tell my eldest brother."
We didn't know him very well to begin with. He used to follow his grandfather to guard the frontier. During the year he was exiled, he was out all day, and we didn't know what he was busy with. Apart from occasionally having meals together, we could hardly see him at other times.
Ah Li was young, and her older brother was always listless, so only I discovered that our father had been replaced. When I asked him about it, he finally told me the truth. I... I didn't just not tell Mom, I just wanted as few people as possible to know. I didn't even tell my older brother..."
Luo Yang was so nervous that he became incoherent, quickly trying to explain himself, afraid that Xiao Yunying would be angry with him because of this.
Seeing that he couldn't hold back his laughter, Xiao Yunying burst out laughing.
"I was just kidding you. Why are you so nervous? I just suddenly felt like acting and wanted to put on a show. Look how scared you are, your face has turned pale."
Luo Yang was momentarily at a loss for words: "Mother, are you really not angry with me?"
Xiao Yunying marinated the chopped meat with various seasonings: "I'm not angry, unless you have something else you're hiding from me."
Luo Yang immediately raised his hand and swore, "No, I promise I will never hide anything from Mother again. If I am lying, may I be struck by lightning..."
Xiao Yunying raised her hand and flicked his forehead, interrupting his oath: "What 'heaven'? You're not allowed to say unlucky things. Your lip is still bruised. Doesn't it hurt to talk so much? Go and rest."
Luo Yang rubbed his slightly sore forehead, but felt relaxed: "Mother, I'm going to go and study for a while."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Xiao Yunying felt much better after playing with the child. Hearing a soft, childlike voice calling "Mother" from behind her, she turned around and asked, "Xin'er, is something the matter?"
Luo Xin walked in: "It's nothing, I just wanted to see what my second brother wanted to see Mother for."
Xiao Yunying washed her hands, dragged a stool over and sat down, then pulled Luo Xin onto her lap: "Little girl, you were eavesdropping this time, weren't you?"
Luo Xin nestled in her arms: "Mother, please don't be angry with my brothers, and... and please don't be angry with Father either..."
Xiao Yunying smiled and tapped her little nose: "Mother won't be angry, Xin'er, don't worry."
Luo Xin fiddled with her fingers and hummed in agreement, then fell silent.
Xiao Yunying belatedly realized that the little girl's mood had been a bit off recently. When she asked, she only said that she was unhappy because she found practicing calligraphy too difficult.
I'm feeling better now, but I don't feel as lively and cheerful as I used to be.
Could it be that this little girl has something on her mind that she can't tell anyone?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
