0076 Paper Kites (Part 4)
Shufu was sitting in the west room, with two sheets of paper placed side by side on the table.
One of the invitations was sent by Li Miao a few days ago, inviting her to a celebratory banquet at Fanchuan Villa.
The other one was handed to her by Mr. Luo this morning when he specially summoned her to Yunxian Residence.
After handing her the note, Madam Luo took the hot tea from Granny Li, skimmed off the foam with the lid, and instead of drinking it, looked at Shu Fu through the steam: "Shu Fu, take a look. This is a visiting card from the Liang family's young master. He said he would come to pick you up in two days to go boating on Qujiang Pool."
Shu Fu's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately thought of what Luo had told her in the carriage on the way back from Xiangji Temple that day, that he would find another opportunity to take her out.
At that time, she vaguely guessed that Madam Luo still regarded her as a member of the Liang family and was trying every means to hope that she and Liang Zhiyan would reconcile.
But since that day, Liang Zhiyan has never visited again, and Madam Luo has never mentioned the trip. She almost deceived herself into forgetting about it.
At that time, she wanted to explain to Madam Luo that she was going to stay at Li Miao's villa for a few days and would not be able to travel with Liang Zhiyan. Unexpectedly, Madam Luo complained of a headache again and half-forced her to press Liang Zhiyan's visiting card into her palm.
Shu Fu had no choice but to take the note back to Chunwanlou.
Right now, she faces two choices.
First, she could refuse Li Miao's advances and go on a trip with Liang Zhiyan, then slowly work out the matter of breaking off the engagement. In this way, she could still barely maintain her mother-daughter relationship with her mother.
Secondly, she could go to Fanchuan with Li Miao as usual. When Liang Zhiyan came to visit but refused to see her, her mother would understand the situation clearly.
Knowing all of her plans, she still defied her, which was tantamount to defying her authority as a mother. At that time, she would lose face, and the already strained mother-daughter relationship might slide into an even more embarrassing situation.
Shu Fu stared at the two pieces of paper placed side by side for a long time, her eyes unblinking, and a dry, sour feeling gradually rose in her heart.
"Hey," Zhan Yaoguang said, sitting on the roof beam watching her from afar. He picked up a sprig of apricot blossom from somewhere and threw it onto her table with a snap. "Why are you crying again?"
Upon hearing this, Shu Fu subconsciously closed her eyes, and sure enough, they stung and watered, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The boy jumped down from the roof beam, sat opposite her, picked up a flower branch from the table, turned it around, and gently brushed her cheek with one of its soft petals: "Don't cry. If you're having any troubles, tell me, and I'll do it for you."
Shu Fu felt a slight tickle on her cheek, and looked at him, saying softly, "Feifei, this morning my mother called me to her room."
Zhan Yaoguang hummed in agreement, not interrupting, and waited for her to continue.
“She gave this to me,” Shu Fu pushed Liang Zhiyan’s visiting card in front of Zhan Yaoguang. “This is Liang Zhiyan’s visiting card. He said he wanted to take me to Qujiang, but I know in my heart that he wants to use this opportunity to beg me for forgiveness, to ask me to let go of the Spring Festival banquet, and to obediently marry him as his wife from now on. Mother must know this too, but why does she still ask me to go to the appointment?”
"Because your mother wants you to continue marrying this person."
Shu Fu's mouth felt dry, and tears immediately fell: "Why? She clearly knows that this person is untrustworthy and of bad character, so why does she still side with outsiders to bully me?"
Her scalding tears fell onto the back of his hand. Zhan Yaoguang's heart tightened. After a moment, he still said, "Because in her heart, this marriage may be of great use."
Some recurring old wounds require a firm hand to peel them off in order for them to heal properly and form a new scab.
"Is she more important than me, her own daughter?"
Zhan Yaoguang looked directly into her eyes: "Afu, in this world, as long as there are people, it is inevitable that there will be distinctions between close and distant relatives and those in urgent need. For example, my grandmother... I haven't told you yet, have I? I am not the young master you think I am. The real heir is actually my cousin..."
The boy rested his hand behind his neck, his tone seemingly nonchalant, but his eyes were already dark and cold: "When I was little, I also felt that she cherished me deeply. She gave me a nickname and personally told me the myth of the Butterfly Mother. I thought that was love. But later, when I got older, I realized that the only person she would take to the sacrifice was my cousin. And for example, this time with the alliance with Dali, the only person she wanted to send out for the marriage was me..."
“Ah Fu,” he called her again, “we may be somewhat important to them, but not that important. There are always some people who come before us.”
The room fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the wind passing through, which quickly blended into the blue sky and sunshine.
“That’s your grandmother, not my mother!” Shu Fu avoided his eyes, glanced at the clear sky outside the window, and suddenly said, “What a cool breeze… I remember now, Mother said she had a headache, maybe she caught a cold again? That’s why she didn’t let me finish speaking…”
“Shufu,” he interrupted her before she could even finish speaking, “do you even believe what you're saying?”
Shu Fu's eyes widened in surprise, and she stared at him blankly.
He had almost never called her by her full name, so this was a wake-up call.
She wasn't stupid; she could sense whether her mother's illness was genuine or not, she just—didn't want to believe it.
That was her biological mother, the person she relied on most in the world. Suddenly one day, this person she relied on wholeheartedly became the one who pushed her into the abyss. She was in so much pain that her heart felt like it was going to shrink back.
So she could only make excuses for her mother again and again, trying to convince herself that her mother wasn't neglecting her, but simply didn't know the truth, was unwell, or...
At this moment, Zhan Yaoguang bluntly shattered her countless self-deceiving thoughts.
Shu Fu's face gradually paled, but her eyes became red, and tears streamed down her cheeks one by one.
Zhan Yaoguang suddenly felt breathless, her eyes reddening as she spoke in a hoarse voice, "Don't cry..."
Shufu's eyes were blurred with tears, making it impossible for her to see his expression, yet she stubbornly stared at him, trying to hear a few words echo from his lips—
For example, say that your mother still cares about you, or something like that, or just give two absurd examples to prove it.
But the boy only held her hand and did not grant her wish.
Zhan Yaoguang was not a cold-hearted person to begin with, and he could be said to have no temper at all in front of Shu Fu. At this moment, her face was pale and tears were falling incessantly, which made his heart clench as if it was about to shatter into pieces.
He almost couldn't resist saying something false but comforting enough, but after much hesitation, he finally managed to hold back.
If she wants freedom, then she should not be bound by anyone. She should be independent and resilient enough that no mountain or valley can diminish her courage to move forward. No mortal or worldly person is worth her self-pity.
After a long standoff, Shu Fu finally looked away, hastily wiped away her tears, took out a pair of engraved silver scissors from a drawer, cut Liang Zhiyan's visiting card into several scraps, and scattered them into the incense burner in the corner.
Black smoke billowed up, causing her to cough slightly.
Zhan Yaoguang got up and took two steps toward her. Before she could even utter the word "Afu," she saw Afu walk straight out of the room without turning her head.
Zhan Yaoguang stared in the direction she had left, a sense of emptiness washing over her, and she gradually realized—
It seems the two of them had a fight.
———
I, Ge Hansan, am back! o(*////▽////*)q
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