Chapter 287 Madam Bamboo
"Of course." Madam Luo touched the pendant around her waist, and her whole body instantly became energetic. She said with a smile, "This is the token of love that Madam Zhu left for my father."
Song Yanxi's eyebrows twitched. She was so frightened by her four words that she almost couldn't hold the boneless baby in her arms.
Is this how this word is used?
Seeing her reaction was wrong, Madam Luo asked in surprise: "Have you, the princess, met Madam Zhu?"
Song Yanxi nodded with mixed feelings, "I have seen it."
Immersed in joy, Mrs. Luo didn't notice her abnormality. She stroked her chest and said comfortedly, "If my parents knew about this, they would definitely be relieved."
She hurriedly asked, "How is Madam Zhu doing? Is her previous business still going on? Why haven't I heard from her in all these years?"
Thinking of Yan Qing, who was described by others as being completely different from the gentle and generous person she remembered, Song Yanxi said in a deep voice, "She has been married and had children for a long time, and has not been doing business outside for many years."
"How could this be?" Mrs. Luo was stunned.
She shook her head and forced a smile, saying, "The princess must have recognized the wrong person. How could a woman as extraordinary as Madam Zhu be willing to stay in the backyard and raise children like an ordinary man like me?"
It’s more like trying to convince himself than questioning Song Yanxi.
She couldn't accept that the person she had admired for so many years was unable to resist his fate in the end and ended up like her, living under someone else's roof and having no control over anything.
Seeing that Song Yanxi was silent, Madam Luo thought that she was too emotional and frightened her, so she apologized, "I'm sorry, I haven't heard from Madam Zhu for a long time, and I couldn't help my emotions.
I heard from my father that Madam Zhu is a mysterious woman. It’s not surprising that people of our generation have never seen her.”
Song Yanxi nodded and said, "Mother hasn't used this identity for many years."
"Mother...Mother?" Mrs. Luo was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
She hurriedly shook her head and denied it, "That's impossible. Madam Zhu has only been in retirement for a short time, how could she have a daughter as old as you?
My father married my mother the year Madam Zhu passed away. I am now twenty-two..."
Song Yanxi said, "I will celebrate my Double Tenth birthday at the beginning of next month."
When she realized that the time really matched, Mrs. Luo didn't know whether to cry or laugh for a moment, until she heard the sound of her child crying.
She hurriedly added firewood to the brazier beside the bed, and wiped away her tears while turning her back to Song Yanxi. After much hesitation, she asked, "How has Madam Zhu been these past few years?"
Song Yanxi said pertinently, "Life wasn't easy in the past few years. She was busy managing the entire Marquisate. In recent years, my younger brother has grown up and taken on the burden. She no longer has to worry about anything in and outside the mansion."
Madam Luo frowned upon hearing this and blurted out, "This huge mansion depends entirely on her. What about your father? Is he dead?"
"Not dead." Song Yanxi lowered her eyes, a barely perceptible coldness flashing in her eyes.
He hadn't even finished enjoying all the blessings she had prepared for him, and he died just like that. What a pity!
When Mrs. Luo thought about how such a good lady like Zhu had married such a piece of trash, she couldn't help but curse, "If you can't rely on her, she might as well die."
Thinking of her husband, she suddenly became even angrier. She gritted her teeth and said, "All men in this world are bastards who get bored easily. None of them are good!"
Song Yanxi frowned when she heard this and was about to remind Mrs. Luo not to generalize. Although there are few responsible men, it cannot be said that there are none at all.
Unexpectedly, she became so cruel that she wouldn't even let her own father go.
She said, "My father is not a good person either. He always says that he only loves Madam Zhu in his life, but he turns around and marries my mother in a grand sedan chair.
It was obvious that he was the first to fall in love with my mother in the shop and sent someone to our house to propose marriage, but he still pretended to be embarrassed to others, saying that he was forced by his parents to do so in order to continue the family line.
A man who had no other choice but to force my mother to have two children in three years, and after my mother gave birth to my brother, he took in five concubines who were said to be somewhat similar to Madam Zhu.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that..."
"What do you have to be sorry about?" Mrs. Luo interrupted Song Yanxi, her eyes red as she said, "The one who should apologize to my mother is that coward who dared to do it but not take responsibility for it."
Looking at the baby in her arms, whose mouth was pouting because he was too hungry and had no energy to cry, she couldn't help but lower her voice and said, "Fortunately, he got his comeuppance and died at the hands of a woman. This can be considered as a few years of good life for my mother."
Seeing that she was still crying while talking, with an expression of indescribable sadness, Song Yanxi asked tentatively: "Your mother..."
"He died of illness."
Mrs. Luo wiped away her tears and smiled bitterly, "My mother was unlucky. She suffered in the backyard for so many years. She finally managed to get him to die and her life became easier. But after a few years, she also lost her son.
She couldn't bear the continuous blows and her body collapsed. She managed to finish my wedding with all her strength, but she passed away before she could return home three days later.
According to Da'an customs, if a couple dies within one year of their marriage, it is considered unlucky.
Especially since they had just gotten married and this happened before the three-day anniversary of their return to their parents' home. The Luo family would surely have some complaints.
Guessing Song Yanxi's doubts, Madam Luo said bitterly, "My mother had just passed away, and my kind parents-in-law brought people to my house and demanded a divorce, saying that we had ruined the feng shui of their Luo family and that I had a bad fate and was unlucky for my relatives."
"Ridiculous! Rumors have long circulated that His Royal Highness Prince Jin is the reincarnation of a killer god, and that he killed his own mother at birth. If that were true, how could the Emperor, who is his closest and dearest, remain safe and sound for so many years?"
Song Yanxi's face turned cold, and she said in a deep voice, "The Luo family probably saw it coming from the beginning because your mother was seriously ill and would soon die. By then, you would be alone, carrying the label of being the unlucky one, helpless and dependent on others for survival."
Madam Luo's face turned pale as she smiled bitterly, "The princess is right. Once my reputation as an unlucky person comes out, those uncles who originally disliked my mother and me will avoid me like the plague.
They were ready to take over the business of bringing my father's illegitimate son back home, opening an ancestral hall to honor his ancestors, and even taking over the Qi Mansion and even the businesses outside the mansion."
Her voice was filled with resentment, "Just because I said 'woman', the shop owners naturally supported the new owner and excluded me.
That illegitimate child, in the name of doing good for me, gave the farm and shop that my grandfather left to my mother to the Luo family as compensation.
I only learned about these things after Luo Dacheng let them slip when he was drunk.
For the past few years, whenever Luo Dacheng got a little unhappy, he would threaten to sell his farm and shop."
Madam Luo lowered her eyes, touched her flat belly, and said softly, "In the past two years, he has gained another bargaining chip. He has forced me to take concubines for him several times on the grounds that I can divorce him without repaying my dowry because I have no children.
In this way, he can not only win the beauty, but also be praised by his neighbors for his gentlemanly character."
"That beast!" Song Yanxi felt like killing someone, her brows furrowed as she said, "Those things are just external possessions. If your mother were still alive, she would definitely not want to see her daughter trapped by these things and ruin her life in vain."
"She really doesn't want to." Madam Luo raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. "But if I leave the Luo family, where else can the princess think I can go?"
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