Old Mrs. Luo sat upright in the small Buddhist hall and chanted scriptures.
This small Buddhist temple was built with extraordinary tranquility. In the courtyard, a banyan tree, so tall that two people could hug it, cast its shade over half the courtyard. Going up the steps, one could see through the lattice windows the small lotus pond outside. It was the season when the lotus leaves were wilting. Faint sunlight filtered through the banyan tree's branches onto the bluestone slabs.
The small Buddhist hall was filled with fragrant mist, and a golden statue of Sakyamuni Buddha was enshrined in the hall. Old Mrs. Luo was kneeling on a cushion with her hands clasped together and her eyes closed.
Mother Zheng walked over.
Mrs. Luo opened her eyes and said calmly, "Mother Xu, go and close the door."
Mrs. Luo asked Mother Zheng to help her up and sit on the armchair next to her, and then asked Mother Zheng to sit down as well. She kept turning the Buddhist beads in her hand, but her tone was aloof: "I was hoping you would change your mind, but I didn't expect you to be so determined."
Mother Zheng remained silent.
Mrs. Luo said softly, "I've always wondered, why did you tell Yi Ning that you left to protect her?"
When Mother Zheng heard this, she raised her head sharply. How did Mrs. Luo know this? She immediately wanted to speak: "Mrs. Luo, I..."
Old Madam Luo shook her head, signaling her not to speak. She continued, "I have so many doubts. Minglan was always in good health. How could she die of heart disease? After Minglan died, all of you who served her left one after another. The two older girls married and moved to Shandong, and you returned to Baoding. Only Huijie and Yining were left. Huijie was only eleven years old at the time. You really have such a hateful heart..."
"But I don't see it that way now," Mrs. Luo continued. "You raised Qingqu, but her personality is completely different from yours. You loved her dearly and even taught her your medical skills. If you were truly cruel to Yining, how could you have kept her?"
Mother Zheng clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves.
She said calmly, "Old lady, why bother to get to the bottom of these things..."
"How could I not get to the bottom of this!" Old Lady Luo's tone hardened, tears welling in her eyes. "Today is Minglan's death anniversary. I was the one who asked for Chengzhang to marry Minglan. Back then, Old Lady Gu told me that she only had one daughter, and everyone in the family doted on her like the apple of their eye. She told me not to let her down, and I agreed. But after she married, Chengzhang acted like that. I've felt guilty for so many years, and now how many years do I have left? If you keep hiding this from me, are you going to make me die unwillingly?"
She spoke too quickly and then started coughing violently.
Ever since Yining's accident, she had spent too much energy in the past few months. Every one of them disappointed her: Luo Chengzhang, Mrs. Chen, and Mother Zheng. Old Mrs. Luo felt her body was rapidly depleting, and she didn't know how much longer she could hold on!
"You want to protect Yining? I may not want to protect her, though," Old Lady Luo said. "She was only six months old when Minglan died, and I brought her up single-handedly. She nearly died after falling into the water a few months ago, and I really wanted to follow her. Yining is just a child. If I hadn't protected her all these years, how could she and Lin Hairu have ever been able to defeat Aunt Qiao? You keep saying you were protecting her, but where were you when Yining was dying? Where were you when she had a high fever and cried out in pain?"
She looked straight at Mother Zheng: "I've been guessing, and I can only guess that it's Yining. Minglan is already dead, and you're leaving because of Yining. Just answer me, right?"
Mother Zheng's nose ached as she heard this, tears streaming down her face. She walked over to Old Lady Luo, held her hand, and spoke in a hurried voice, "Old Lady! I'm heartbroken, but there's nothing I can do! You've loved me for so many years, how can I tell you this?"
Old Mrs. Luo was stunned.
"How much do you love my sister?" Mother Zheng continued. "If it were another child, would you love her this much?"
Mrs. Luo looked at Mother Zheng and took a deep breath. She seemed to have realized what Mother Zheng was going to say.
This was so absurd that she never dared to guess so.
"Since you insist on hearing it, I'll tell you." Mother Zheng wiped away her tears and continued, "If you want to know, I'll tell you. Even if you don't want me anymore, it doesn't matter!"
Mother Zheng seemed to have suddenly made up her mind.
"If you don't want my sister anymore, I will take her back to Baoding. Even if we don't have the luxury of the Luo family, we can still live in a simple family. She can marry the son of a local squire. She can live a peaceful life there. She is the second wife's child, and I will not abandon her..."
"Zheng Rong!" Old Mrs. Luo interrupted her. She had never addressed Mother Zheng by her first name. She pinched Mother Zheng's hand, her lips moving slightly. "You...what do you mean? Why would I not want Sister Mei?"
Mother Zheng took a deep breath and stood up straight.
"I will take this matter to my grave. I told the old lady today, and now I feel at peace." Mother Zheng said, "I wonder if the old lady still remembers that when the Sixth Miss turned one year old that year, the Second Madam gave her two little maids to serve her."
Old Madam Luo held her hand tightly, not letting go at all. Madam Zheng continued, "Later, bruises were discovered on the Sixth Miss's body. Aunt Qiao came to you crying, holding her, saying that the two little girls had hurt her. The Second Master was furious when he heard this, and after hearing Aunt Qiao's words, you also became suspicious of the Second Madam. Seeing that you were also somewhat suspicious, the Second Madam sold the two little girls herself. Heartbroken, she once again retreated to the temple..."
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