Chapter 153
Upon seeing Gu Xi, who had come to pay her New Year's visit, Jiang Huijun was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Xi Xi!"
At that moment, she also saw Gu Xi holding the hand of a child who was over three years old. The child looked like a miniature version of Gu Xi, making her feel as if she were seeing Gu Xi when she was three years old.
If her child hadn't been switched at birth, perhaps Gu Xi, who was raised by her, would have been just like this child at age three—beautiful, well-behaved, and lovable.
“This is… a candle, right?” Jiang Huijun said happily.
Gu Xi gave a curt "hmm" and looked down at the child beside her, saying, "Zhuzhu, this is Grandma Jiang."
Shen Zhuzhu said very politely, "Grandma Jiang, Happy New Year."
Jiang Huijun's face froze instantly. She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
She is Gu Xi's biological mother and also the child's maternal grandmother, but she adds her surname before "maternal grandmother," making it sound like she's calling someone an outsider, which also shows Gu Xi's attitude.
However, no one present spoke.
They didn't know what to say, and even Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang, who were standing next to Jiang Huijun, didn't say anything.
Jiang Chengye and his family looked at each other in bewilderment.
Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Tang Fengzhen quickly said, "Oh dear, please come in and sit down! Shuwang, Rourou, go and pour tea for your Aunt Feng, Xixi, and Mingrong."
Jiang Shuwang and his wife Li Rou exchanged a glance. The couple decided to ignore what had just happened and help greet the guests.
Once everyone was seated, Gu Xi finally looked up at Jiang Huijun and the other two.
Five years later, Jiang Huijun looked twenty years older. Her temples were white, her face had many wrinkles, her skin was sallow and dull, and she could see some sunburn spots.
She looked exactly like a sixty-year-old woman, with tired eyes and a weathered face.
She's actually over fifty years old this year.
Jiang Huijun used to dress elegantly and confidently, and she was also proud. She valued her reputation more than her life. So she felt very ashamed that her biological daughter had been switched at birth. She also disliked that her biological daughter had been spoiled by the country folk. She was dark-skinned, thin, illiterate, stupid and dull, unlike her adopted daughter who was generous, elegant, and talented, and who made her look good when she took her out.
The changes are so drastic that it's almost unrecognizable.
Gu Xi couldn't help but glance at her again; it seemed that she had had a very difficult five years.
Sitting with Jiang Huijun were Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang.
Judging from their appearance, they must have had a tough time these past few years. Their skin is tanned and rough, showing signs of sun and wind damage, clearly indicating that they have worked a lot in the fields.
The bright and flamboyant look in their eyes had faded, replaced by quietness and silence.
Moreover, Gu Yuanzheng had some unknown trouble, but he had a deep scar on his face. The scar ran down from his right eyebrow, like a hideous centipede coiled on the side of his face, almost injuring his eye.
Perhaps afraid of frightening the child, Gu Yuanzheng would subconsciously turn his face to the side with the scar, turning it away from where no one was.
Gu Xi was unmoved by their fate and quickly looked away.
Perhaps time really can heal all wounds and allow people to let go of those painful past events—not to forgive, but to prevent those negative, hateful emotions from affecting their future lives.
She has been doing very well these past few years, with a loving partner, the best sister in the world, like-minded friends, and adorable children...
She has moved on from the past and will no longer be trapped by it.
Moreover, she already knew the fate of the Gu family. She knew it in advance but chose not to do anything, so seeing their current miserable state was entirely expected.
Since we already knew this, there will be no change in our minds.
She wouldn't regret anything; she wasn't kind enough to help those who had hurt her change their bad fate.
Gu Xi will not forgive those who hurt her, but she has chosen to let go and find peace.
She didn't intend to let the grudges of her past life affect the next generation, so she told Zhuzhu to greet people as if they were unrelated elders she met at a relative's house. A polite child would naturally greet people.
Parents are role models for their children, and she doesn't want the well-behaved child she raised to become an impolite and bad one.
-
Feng Min had already started chatting with Tang Fengzhen and Jiang Chengye.
Jiang Shuwang brought over the brewed tea, and Li Rou handed some sugar cakes to Chen Zhuzhu. She then called over her two children and asked them to greet people and play with their younger brother.
The two children are nine and seven years old, a brother and sister.
They had good upbringing and obediently played with their younger cousin. They found that their younger cousin was not like some naughty children who liked to cry and make a fuss, but was very well-behaved. So they took him upstairs to their room to play chess.
Seeing the three children run away, Li Rou called out, "Take good care of your little brother, and don't bully him!"
"Okay, we'll take good care of our little brother."
Seeing the three children leave hand in hand, the adults smiled and continued chatting.
Tang Fengzhen asked Gu Xi how he had been doing in the army these past few years. Although they corresponded, they couldn't say much in their letters.
She glanced at Jiang Huijun and could tell that her sister-in-law actually cared a lot about her daughter, but because of Gu Xi's previous attitude, she didn't dare to speak up, lest she be shut down by Gu Xi again like before.
Gu Xi gave a brief explanation. Having written articles for several years, when she talked about her life in the army, it was like she was writing a story—warm, interesting, and captivating to the listener.
Li Rou smiled and said, "I heard that my cousin has written a lot of articles in the past few years, and they have all been published. No wonder she talks like she is telling a story. It is really interesting to listen to her."
I never knew life in the military was so interesting. Although it was far from the city, it had a kind of fun that city dwellers could never experience. It wasn't as monotonous and arduous as I had imagined.
This also shows that Gu Xi has been doing well in the army these past few years, because when she talks about these things, her expression is bright and cheerful, without the slightest gloom or depression.
It was better than the five years I spent at the Gu family's house.
Everyone present could see it, because whether a person is doing well or not cannot be hidden.
Feng Min listened with a smile. Although she had heard it before, she still liked it when Gu Xi said it now. She couldn't help but look at Jiang Huijun and saw her sitting there blankly with regret and bitterness on her face. She sneered inwardly.
People are always like this; they don't know how to cherish what they have until they break their children's hearts, and only then do they start to regret it.
What's the use of regret?
Not all parents can be forgiven. If parents don't love their children, how can the children possibly love their parents? Relationships are mutual and require nurturing; they cannot be sustained if only one side is making an effort.
Feng Min didn't think there was anything wrong with Gu Xi's coldness. Just like when Gu Wenmao had his accident, the Shen family did nothing, which also showed their stance.
They loved their child so much, yet the Gu family never treated her well. Why should the Shen family help her?
If they help, wouldn't that be them forgiving the Gu family for all the harm they've done to Gu Xi over the years? That would actually be a form of harm to Gu Xi.
Gu Xi said modestly, "I just write casually to earn a living. There aren't many jobs in the military, and many family members are unemployed, so I can't just sit around doing nothing all day. With the help of a friend, I tried writing a story and submitted it to a publishing house. I didn't expect the publishing house to accept my article, so I naturally continued writing..."
"You're amazing!" Li Rou exclaimed. "I heard from Shuyin that you've published quite a few books in recent years, and you've also done a lot of illustrations and paintings, which are quite beautiful... It seems like our family is going to produce a great writer and painter."
Jiang Chengye and Tang Fengzhen also looked very happy.
"Xixi is a lot like your grandmother in this respect. She was also a good writer and painter back then. We still have some of her paintings at home. I heard that she participated in some revolutionary literary societies when she was young and wrote articles criticizing the Japanese invaders..."
The more Jiang Chengye and his wife talked, the happier they became, and the more they felt that Gu Xi resembled Old Madam Jiang.
She seems to have perfectly inherited the best qualities of Madam Jiang, not only her beautiful appearance, but also her intelligence and talent.
Sitting across from her, Jiang Huijun listened silently, a bittersweet feeling slowly welling up in her heart.
She belatedly realized that the daughter who had made her feel ashamed back then was actually the most outstanding child, and the child who most resembled her admirable and praiseworthy mother.
If... back then, the baby hadn't been switched at birth, this child would have been raised by her, and she would have nurtured her daughter from a young age. Her biological daughter would have been more outstanding than her adopted daughter, and she would have been proud of her daughter...
But what did she do back then?
She actually looked down on her biological daughter, who had just returned from the countryside, as being less outstanding than the adopted daughter who had been raised by the Gu family for over a decade?
Where does she get the nerve?
A bitter feeling spread through her heart, so bitter that she wanted to frown, to shout, to... talk to her daughter and tell her that she regretted it.
But she didn't dare.
Jiang Huijun dared not, fearing that she would be coldly stared at by those beautiful eyes, just like her young mother's.
**
At noon, Feng Min and the others had lunch at the Jiang family's house.
Since it was a rare occasion for them to come, and it was also during the Chinese New Year, Jiang Chengye and Tang Fengzhen warmly invited them to stay for a meal and wanted to treat them well.
Unsurprisingly, the youngest member, Shen Zhuzhu, won the favor of everyone in the Jiang family.
Not only adults liked him, but his older cousins also liked him. They would fight to sit with him at mealtimes, and the siblings would sandwich Chen Zhuzhu between them, serving him food and trying to feed him.
The adults found it amusing. They had been worried that without adult supervision, the three-year-old might not eat enough because of his poor table manners. But to their surprise, the child was able to hold the spoon and eat by himself, although he still spilled some food, he finished his meal very diligently.
When his older siblings serve him food, he will thank them sincerely.
Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanzheng, sitting opposite, were both very envious.
For Jiang Huijun and Gu Yuanzheng, Gu Xi's child was their grandson and nephew, their family. Seeing how much the child resembled Gu Xi, their feelings were naturally complicated, but also affectionate.
After finishing her meal, Gu Xi felt a bit full and went for a walk in the garden.
Tang Fengzhen accompanied her, mainly because she had something to say to her.
“…In the past few years, your mother has been renting a place to live alone. Occasionally, she will do volunteer work with the people from the neighborhood office to take care of some elderly people living alone, and she will take on some handicrafts to earn money…” Tang Fengzhen sighed softly, “She really went too far back then. I can tell that she regretted it a long time ago.”
Gu Xi remained silent.
"And your dad, he's had a tough time on the farm these past few years, and he might have to stay there for a few more years..."
Tang Fengzhen couldn't help but sigh as she recounted this.
In recent years, people have been exonerated one after another, and she thought that Gu Maowen might also be exonerated. But there was no news. Later, she asked around and found out that people involved in the corruption case back then would not be exonerated. After all, it was undeniable evidence. Even if Gu Maowen was implicated, he would only be sent to a labor camp instead of being executed.
At least he's still alive. If he can hold on for a few more years, he might be able to come back from the farm.
Gu Xi listened silently, thinking to herself that if she stayed on the farm for a few more years, by the time she was able to return to Beijing, her health would have completely collapsed, and she would have died within a month.
However, none of this concerned her; she would just listen to what her aunt wanted to say.
"...The educated youth returned to the city, and Yuanzheng and Yuanxiang were finally able to come back, but Yuanhui couldn't. He still had to continue his labor reform, and I heard he had another ten years to go." Tang Fengzhen continued to sigh.
How many decades does a person have? By then, Gu Yuanhui will be in his thirties.
Seeing that she had no expression, Tang Fengzhen smiled and said nothing more.
Although she had long known that there was no longer any affection between Gu Xi and the Gu family, she couldn't help but worry that the child would regret it in the future whenever she saw her. So she thought it was better for her to be a little long-winded, knowing that the child would listen to what she said.
As for whether she will forgive the Gu family, that's none of their business.
After strolling around the garden, Gu Xi went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
When he came out, he ran into Gu Yuanxiang, and he could tell at a glance that she had waited for him there on purpose.
Gu Xi looked up at her. "Is something the matter?"
Gu Yuanxiang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xixi, congratulations! I didn't expect you to be so talented, actually becoming a writer... I saw the book you sent to my cousin Shuyin; the story is very well written, and the illustrations are beautiful too..."
Gu Xi politely thanked her and calmly said, "It's nothing. I'll go find my Zhuzhu first. The child is still young and can't be left alone."
With that, he turned and left, bypassing her.
Gu Yuanxiang stood there, watching her greet the three children playing in the living room.
When the beautiful child saw her, he happily rushed into her arms. The mother and son's similar faces pressed together, their smiles were very alike, both light and cheerful, and they looked very happy.
Just as Gu Xi had said before about her life in the military, she had lived a very good and happy life over the years.
On the contrary.
They were very unhappy.
Gu Yuanxiang regretted it. She regretted her choice back then. If only she had listened to her older brother's arrangements and hadn't stubbornly chosen to go to the southwest to work in the countryside...
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