Chapter 210 Mother's Years

The invitation that the Zhong family sent to Old Madam Shen was handed over to Old Madam Shen by the servants of the Shen family instead of directly to Shen Yuan. After reading the invitation, Old Madam Shen asked someone to call her granddaughter over.

"Your grandmother and uncle said they want to see you. If you want to see them, go and see them. If you don't want to see them, then don't. Just pretend that you didn't see this post."

Shen Yuan didn't hesitate too much and took the post. "I'll go and see her. I want to see where my mother grew up."

Just because of her mother, nothing else.

"Okay, then would you like grandma to go with you tomorrow?"

"No need, I can go by myself. I'll go take a look and come back soon."

"Okay, then go and have a look. The oranges are ripe early this year. Let's ask the farm to send some oranges tomorrow. Grandma will ask the kitchen to make crab and orange stew for you."

The next morning, Shen Yuan got up early and asked Qingdai to do her makeup. After getting dressed, she ate a bowl of wontons and said goodbye to her grandmother before going out to the Zhong family.

Seeing that her granddaughter had been calm since yesterday, Old Lady Shen couldn't help but sigh to the nanny beside her: "Manman has really grown up. But it's okay. I feel relieved now. Girls have to make their own decisions."

"Our children are all very smart. There is no one more blessed than you in Jinling City."

…

The Zhong family and the Shen family were not far from each other, and perhaps that was why her mother was able to climb over her father's wall. Yesterday, Shen Yuan went to her father's yard and stood under the wall. She seemed to see the girl who was sitting on the top of the wall and was so bold, and the young scholar who was standing inside the wall, at a loss but secretly happy because his lover had come.

Sometimes, a person can live a whole life in just one moment.

So, today Shen Yuan walked into his mother's house with a smile on his face.

Knowing that Shen Yuan was coming, Zhong Yanming did not go out today and waited at home.

Huang saw her husband wandering around the house early in the morning and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you so anxious? Didn't the Shen family send a message saying they would come?"

Zhong Yanming then reluctantly sat down and expressed her concerns, "I'm worried about mother... since Manman is here, mother will still be happy and friendly to her. I'm afraid mother will think of my younger sister and not be nice to Manman."

"You said that you were very happy. Didn't your mother agree to it? If she agreed, it shouldn't be like what you said, right?"

But before Zhong Yanming could think about it any longer, at this moment, a servant came in and told her that Shen Yuan had arrived.

"arrive?!"

Zhong Yanming immediately stood up and walked out, and told his wife, "Tell Ze and Chun to hurry up and come out to see their cousin."

Zhong Xiangze and Zhong Xiangchun are Zhong Yanming's children, twin brother and sister, and are only twelve years old this year.

When Zhong Yanming arrived, Shen Yuan was sitting in the guest hall of the Zhong family. Zhong Yanming was outside looking at the little girl who looked like her younger sister. Suddenly, she felt a little "homesick" and was slow to take the next step.

Just when Zhong Yanming was stunned, Shen Yuan had already seen him and stood up.

"You must be my uncle, right?"

"Yes, yes, I am your uncle. Manman, do you still remember me?"

Shen Yuan smiled and said, "You look a lot like your mother. I can tell."

"You also... look a lot like your mother."

The little girl had bright eyes and a kind look, and one could tell at a glance that she was well-brought up. Their family lived in Jinling, as did the Shen family, so they naturally knew that Shen Yun had never remarried after his younger sister's death, and had raised the child by himself, acting as both a father and a mother.

The eldest daughter's letter also talked about the situation of the siblings Shen Su and Shen Yuan. To be honest, he felt that Shen Yun had done a good job, but after all, Yan Niang was his closest relative.

Zhong Yanming suddenly didn't know what to say, and he didn't even know where to start to express his concern. Fortunately, his wife came over with their two children, so he wasn't too embarrassed.

"Manman, this is your aunt, and your brother and sister."

"I've met my aunt, and my brothers and sisters are hello."

Huang was not as quiet as Zhong Yanming. She was a talkative woman. As soon as she saw Shen Yuan, she took her hand and said, "I am glad to see you. Your uncle always talks about you at home. You are so beautiful. This is a little gift from your aunt. Wear it for fun."

Huang put a blood jade bracelet on Shen Yuan's hand. This could be considered as a meeting gift from the elders to the younger ones. Even as a courtesy, Shen Yuan did not refuse.

And when she came today, her grandmother also prepared something for her, telling her that her uncle had a pair of children who were a few years younger than her, and that she should give them a gift when she met them.

"Thank you, aunt."

Shen Yuan also took a pair of bat-patterned jade pendants from Qingdai, which she was going to give to her cousins.

“This is for my younger brother and sister.”

Brother and sister Zhong Xiangze and Zhong Xiangchunzhong look very similar, and they both look like their mother. They remember their father and mother's teachings, accept the gifts obediently, and thank Shen Yuan.

"Thank you, cousin."

"Well...Manman, your uncle will take you to meet your grandmother."

Shen Yuan nodded and said okay.

Zhong Yanming took Shen Yuan to the backyard. Along the way, Shen Yuan looked around carefully. Zhong Yanming seemed to see what Shen Yuan was thinking and took the initiative to introduce it to her.

He pointed to a tree and said, "When your mother was little, she was naughty. When she was twelve or thirteen, she climbed up a tree. She couldn't get down and didn't dare to call for help. She was afraid that her father and mother would find out and punish her. She stayed on the tree for more than half an hour. It was only when I passed by that I rescued her."

So Shen Yuan stayed under the tall locust tree for a while. Through the shadow of the tree, she seemed to see her mother's girlhood.

Zhong Yanming did not urge them. He waited until Shen Yuan finished looking before he led her forward. From the front yard to the back yard, they had to pass through a corridor. On one side of the corridor was a large pond with many fish in it.

"When your mother was little, she liked to sit here and feed the fish whenever she had nothing to do. She fed the fish in our home and made them fatter than those in other families."

"Look here." Zhong Yanming stopped beside a pillar. "At that time, your mother and I liked to come here to play. We even compared our heights and drew a lot of lines on the pillar. The left one is your mother's, and the right one is mine. This pillar was scratched all over by the two of us. Later, your grandfather found it and beat me up. But the pillar was not repainted and was left there."

Shen Yuan also reached out and gently touched the marks belonging to her mother.

Zhong Yanming talked to Shen Yuan as they walked. It took them nearly half an hour to walk from the front yard to Shen Yuan's grandmother's yard.

"Manman, your grandmother is old. If... don't bother with her."

Shen Yuan understood what Zhong Yanming meant, and nodded with a smile, "I know, uncle."

Her grandmother is her mother's mother, why would she care?