Upon hearing this, Tang Yaoyao's eyes widened and she frowned: "Why so suddenly?"
Qiao Yanzhi held back her tears and said with pursed lips, "I'll have Qin Song take you to the Qiao family to see them. I'll go to the hospital first."
Tang Yaoyao was instantly wide awake and nodded, "Mom, you go first, I'll go to Auntie's house right away and call you later."
"Um."
Afterwards, Tang Yaoyao went back into the room and changed her clothes in the shortest amount of time.
After going downstairs, she saw Qin Song standing in the living room, who looked like he had been waiting for her for a long time.
She nodded slightly: "Young Miss."
Tang Yaoyao nodded: "Let's go, Uncle Qin."
"yes."
After getting into the car, Tang Yaoyao felt uneasy.
The image of tears welling up in my mother's eyes flashed through my mind; even though she was trying hard to hold them back, I could still sense her fear.
Although she didn't know her mother completely, she knew very well that her mother loved her third aunt very much, who was her only sister.
If my third aunt's husband were to die because of this, the chasm between my third aunt and my mother would become even deeper.
There is no hatred, but the sisterly bond cannot return to its original state because of the past deceptions that led to the husband's death.
Over the years, besides wanting to find her, my mother has also hoped that my third aunt could return to my maternal grandparents' home and reconcile with them.
We've lived most of our lives; who wants to have regrets in the second half?
My heart was filled with mixed emotions as I finally arrived at the Qiao family home once again.
After getting out of the car, Uncle Qin went to knock on the door.
Aunt Zhang from the Qiao family recognized him and was somewhat surprised: "Old Qin, what brings you here?"
"Where is Madam?"
"She's probably asleep," Aunt Zhang replied, but a sense of foreboding crept into her heart, and she asked again, "Has something happened?"
Qin Song explained his purpose: "Mr. Qiao has been issued a critical condition notice at the hospital. I've come to take her to the hospital so she can see Mr. Qiao one last time."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang was momentarily stunned, her heart leaping: "Critically ill..."
Qin Song urged again, "Take me and the young lady to the bedroom, thank you for your trouble."
Aunt Zhang nodded repeatedly: "This way, this way."
Tang Yaoyao followed the two of them to the bedroom door. At that moment, her heart clenched tightly.
If my third aunt's husband really passes away, what should my third aunt do?
Without giving her a chance to think, she gently knocked on the door.
Qiao Mingzhu was not asleep; her weary voice came from inside the room: "Is something the matter?"
Tang Yaoyao's heart trembled slightly. She glanced at the time. These days, her third aunt must have been suffering a lot. It was already this late, and she still hadn't fallen asleep.
She tried to be gentle and said softly, "It's me, Tang Yaoyao, Third Aunt. Could you please open the door?"
The people inside seemed surprised that she would come so late, and for a moment, they remained silent.
Tang Yaoyao moved closer and said, "Third Aunt, I'm very sorry about what happened before. I've caused you trouble. I came here this time..."
There was a slight noise, first the light turned on, and then she came over and opened the door.
What caught my eye was my aunt's face, which was paler than the last time I saw her. Her hair was slightly gray, and she looked several years older in just one month.
She gave a wry smile: "At a time like this, how can I ask you to apologize?"
Tang Yaoyao felt a pang of pain in her heart as she listened. She had said those things on purpose, but her third aunt was reluctant to open the door because she ultimately didn't want to face the truth of the past twenty years.
She said that saying sorry would make her third aunt feel guilty for her third aunt's husband, so she opened the door.
He didn't press her further, but asked softly, "Can I come in and talk to you?"
"Come in."
Then, Tang Yaoyao looked at Uncle Qin and said, "Wait for me downstairs, I'll be down soon."
Qin Song didn't want to say too much, afraid of upsetting Qiao Mingzhu, so he nodded and said, "Yes, Miss."
After going inside, close the door again.
Tang Yaoyao knew that the situation was very urgent and that she should keep it brief. She said softly, "Third Aunt, I couldn't get through to your phone, and I wanted to see you, so I came over so late."
Qiao Mingzhu looked up at her and felt that she looked very similar to her sister when she was young, as if they were made from the same mold.
After watching for a while, I was reminded of moments from my childhood when I was still living at home, and I suddenly became a little lost in thought.
Tang Yaoyao didn't hear her speak, so she spoke again: "Third Aunt, you look a lot like my mother. I haven't met my maternal grandparents yet. Who do you look like?"
These words brought her back to reality, and then she thought of an even more distant time when her father held her in one arm and her older sister in the other.
She uttered softly, "Like your maternal grandfather."
Tang Yaoyao smiled and said, "Grandpa must have been very handsome when he was young, right?"
"Yeah, he's handsome."
This conversation was Tang Yaoyao testing her.
She didn't know if her third aunt still resented her grandfather. If she did, it could only mean that there were some things she hadn't let go of.
Now it seems she no longer harbors resentment.
My maternal grandfather was also tricked back then, which led to the rift between father and daughter.
"Third Aunt, I've heard Mom tell me a lot about your past..."
Suddenly, she interrupted, "Yaoyao."
Tang Yaoyao raised her eyes and looked at her delicate, pale, yet still stunningly beautiful face: "Mm."
She said again, "I'm sorry."
Tang Yaoyao's breath hitched. She knew that what happened twenty years ago had caused her third aunt great pain, so she quickly moved closer to her and took her hand: "This is not your fault."
Qiao Mingzhu shook her head, her eyes slightly moist: "Over the years, I've treated Liao Mengyao like my own daughter, showering her with love and giving her the best. I've even taken over your parents and brothers. Yaoyao, what I owe you is more than just an apology."
Tang Yaoyao squeezed her hand, conveying her warmth: "Third Aunt, don't take all the blame. This has nothing to do with you. It's just that we encountered a heartless woman. Now that the truth is out, shouldn't our family be together happily?"
Qiao Mingzhu murmured, "A family..."
Tang Yaoyao nodded quickly: "Yes, we are family, Third Aunt. Mom has been very worried about you lately, and she was afraid that coming to see you would upset you. Also, Grandpa knows about this, and he feels very guilty."
“Yaoyao, since you have done something wrong, you should pay the price. You can’t forgive someone just because they are family. If your third uncle had chosen to confess after being tricked the first time, none of this would have happened. His selfishness has caused the Tang family so much pain.”
Tang Yaoyao shook her head, her eyes sincere: "It's not entirely his fault, Third Aunt. Let go of yourself, let go of the person you love. Back then, Meng Qingyue was determined to win every step for her sister. Who could have predicted that?"
He paused for a moment, then said, "Because the truth has come out, everyone thinks that Uncle should be rational and confess. But if the situation had happened to us, we might not have been so rational either. The culprit has already been brought to justice, so why torture yourself like this?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
