Chapter 184 Call Me Mother (Second Update)
"Come in," Zhen Ping said with an awkward smile, stepping aside to lead the way for Yao.
Yao's carriage was parked at the entrance of the alley; she hadn't even brought her maid, Fang Mama.
She stepped into the courtyard.
If she didn't come, Zhen Ping was uneasy; if she did come, Zhen Ping was even more uneasy.
The reason is simple: the courtyard is just too rudimentary.
However, there was no change on Yao's face.
If he knew that Madam Yao had been to an even more humble courtyard, where her biological daughter, son-in-law, and son had all lived, he would understand why Madam Yao was so calm.
Zhen Ping welcomed Yao into the main room, saying nervously and excitedly, "There's no hot tea left. Wait a moment, I'll go and have Yuexiu brew a pot."
"Is her name Yuexiu?" Yao asked, looking at him.
Zhen Ping was taken aback, not realizing that he had blurted out his wife's name. He felt it was inappropriate, but since he had already said it, there was no going back.
He forced himself to say, "Yes, Yuexiu is not from the capital. She is from out of town and came to the capital to do business."
"He's a very nice person," Yao said.
Zhen Ping didn't know how to respond to this, and stood there awkwardly for a moment before suddenly remembering the important matter. He said to Yao Shi, "My mother is in the next room. I'll take you there. My home is really simple, please forgive my inconvenience... I didn't expect you to actually come... I'm so glad you're here..."
Zhen Ping was speaking incoherently.
Yao wanted to tell you not to be nervous, but then she thought that she might feel the same way if she were in your shoes.
Zhen Ping lifted the thick curtain and let Yao Shi into the room first. Yao Shi bent down slightly and walked under the curtain he had lifted.
This was the first time in more than ten years that the two had been so close. Zhen Ping could smell her scent all over his nose, but he did not lose his composure. He tried his best to keep his head high so as not to touch her.
After Yao entered the house, he also entered.
The room was filled with a strong medicinal aroma.
He had a stroke before the Lunar New Year and had been bedridden for so long, so he was likely to develop an unpleasant odor, but there was none in this room, which shows that the couple took very good care of him.
Madam Zhen lay on the sickbed, her hair white, her face pale, and she looked emaciated.
Yao's memory was suddenly pulled back to more than ten years ago. Old Madam Zhen was a very shrewish person. She was stronger than a man when she worked. Who could have imagined that one day she would be lying on the sickbed, on the verge of death?
She groaned intermittently, clearly enduring immense pain.
Yao dared not look at it a second time, and quickly lowered her eyes, her nose stinging with tears.
Zhen Ping came to the bedside, bent down and gently touched his mother's forehead, saying, "Mother, look who's here?"
"Hmm..." Old Madam Zhen looked in the direction Zhen Ping was pointing, her eyes suddenly flashing with delight, "Yao'er... Yao'er..."
Madam Yao took a deep breath, held back her tears, and walked over with a calm expression, smiling slightly as she said, "Madam, it's me."
Madam Zhen reached out her hand, wanting to sit up and take a good look at Madam Yao.
Madam Yao sat down on the edge of the bed, moved closer to her, and said, "Please don't get up. It's snowing today, and it's very cold."
"Yao'er still cares about me the most," said Old Madam Zhen in a hoarse voice. Her speech was somewhat slurred after her stroke, but you could tell she was very happy.
Yao married into the Marquis's mansion at the age of seventeen, gave birth to Gu Jiao and Gu Yan at the age of eighteen, and fifteen years have passed. She is only thirty-three years old now.
Time has been exceptionally kind to her, leaving few traces on her face, except that the innocence and naivety of her youth have faded from her eyes, but these are no big deal to Madam Zhen.
Madam Zhen took Yao's hand, her joy like that of a child: "You and Ping'er are married?"
Yao was taken aback, turned her head, and looked at Zhen Ping with confusion.
Zhen Ping whispered, "My mother has dementia. She has mixed up many things, or she can't remember them at all."
Yao understood; it's true that people tend to be like this as they get older.
Looking at the expectant eyes of Old Madam Zhen, Madam Yao nodded: "Yes, we are married."
Zhen Ping felt a pang in her heart, and her eyes reddened.
Madam Zhen immediately smiled like a child.
Madam Zhen was not actually dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law Yuexiu. Over the years, Yuexiu had been a good wife and mother, serving her parents-in-law without complaint. Although she was a bit dull, her conscience was impeccable.
However, since Madam Zhen knew Yao first, she never expected that her son's marriage to Yao would be so drastically changed. She had long considered Yao as her daughter-in-law.
In addition, one year, Madam Zhen fell off a ladder and was seriously injured. At that time, Zhen Ping was taking the provincial examination. In order not to distract Zhen Ping, Madam Yao secretly came out of the Yao family every day to take care of Madam Zhen.
The two are not mother and daughter, but their relationship is closer than that of mother and daughter.
Later, the Yao family came and broke off the engagement, which made Old Madam Zhen even more upset than her son.
This matter became her unfulfilled wish. She usually kept quiet about it, but after developing dementia, she couldn't help it anymore and kept talking about Yao'er. Why haven't you married Yao'er yet?
“Then you can’t call me ‘Old Madam’ anymore, you should call me ‘Mother’!” Old Madam Zhen said like a child, with a serious expression.
Madam Yao nodded, her voice choked with emotion: "Yes, Mother."
Zhen Ping turned his back and wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
"Oh!" Old Madam Zhen smiled happily.
Madam Yao placed her withered old hand under the blanket: "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"I'm not cold," Madam Zhen said with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she laboriously raised her right hand to turn over the pillow on her left side.
“What do you need? I’ll help you,” Yao said, standing up.
“The box, there… there’s a box pressed down on it,” Old Madam Zhen said with difficulty.
A simple movement almost drained all her strength.
Yao leaned over and took out a small, flat box from under the left end of the pillow.
This box is quite old; the carvings are from more than ten years ago, and the paint on it has peeled off, showing that Madam Zhen often takes it out to look at it.
Madam Zhen took the box.
Her hands were trembling, but even so, she insisted on opening it herself.
Inside was a pair of gold bracelets.
The quality is excellent.
The design is outdated.
Old Madam Zhen picked up the bracelet tremblingly, took Yao's hand, and because she was trembling so much, she couldn't put it on for a long time.
Yao noticed that beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.
“Mother, let me do it,” she said.
"Alright." Old Madam Zhen finally put the bracelet on Yao's wrist. "I told you it was for your wedding. We're not well-off, so I'm sorry to have to make do with it."
Zhen Ping failed the provincial examination and was devastated. He failed the exam for many years. Later, he came to his senses and gave up on the path of the imperial examination.
This headdress was prepared by Madam Zhen more than ten years ago. She took all her dowry headdresses to a shop to melt them down and made a pair of gold bracelets, which were engraved with Yao's maiden name - Yao.
This bracelet has been lying beside Madam Zhen's pillow for more than ten years. Madam Zhen would take it out and touch it from time to time.
Zhen Ping had always known that his mother had a very precious box, but he didn't know that it contained a wedding gift for Yao Shi.
Of course, when Yuexiu married into the family, Madam Zhen did not mistreat her; she lent Yuexiu money to buy her a gold headdress.
The meanings are simply different.
Yao had been holding back her tears since she entered the room, but now she couldn't hold back anymore. She hugged Old Madam Zhen's hand and tears streamed down her face.
Madam Zhen was terrified: "Yao'er, why are you crying? Don't you like the bracelet? Mother, Mother will buy you a new one!"
Madam Yao shook her head with tears in her eyes: "No... I like it very much... I really like it... Thank you, Mother... I'm just so happy..."
Madam Zhen waved her hand: "Sigh, what's so great about a bracelet? When Ping'er passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, I'll make you a scholar's wife and give you lots and lots of jewelry!"
Madam Yao then chatted with Old Madam Zhen for a while longer.
Old Madam Zhen was sleepy and fell asleep holding Yao's hand.
Madam Yao stayed in the room until Old Madam Zhen started snoring, then she gently took her hand out and tucked the blanket around Old Madam Zhen.
Throughout the entire process, Zhen Ping was completely ignored by her mother.
"Let's talk outside," Yao said to Zhen Ping, wiping away her tears.
Zhen Ping lifted the curtain to let Yao Shi go out first, and then followed her out.
The two entered the main room.
There was hot tea in the main room, but no one was there.
It must have been Yuexiu who brewed the tea; she put it down and left.
Zhen Ping took a deep breath and said to Yao Shi, "Please sit down."
Yao shook her head: "I have to go now, here you go."
As she spoke, she took off the bracelet from her wrist.
Zhen Ping quickly grabbed her hand, intending to stop her, but realizing his actions were inappropriate, he quickly let go: "I'm sorry... I..."
"It's nothing," Yao said, shaking her head slightly.
She knew him well; he wasn't a frivolous person.
Zhen Ping said, "The bracelet is a gift for you, so please accept it. My mother will be at ease if you do. Otherwise, give it back to me, and if she finds it at home, she'll be upset again."
After thinking about it, Yao decided not to insist any further.
"I'll see you off." Zhen Ping sensed her intention to leave.
“No need,” Yao said.
Zhen Ping smiled and said, "No, the bolt is broken. Even Yuexiu couldn't open it, so you probably can't open it with your strength either."
Yao did not refuse again.
The two of them stepped onto the corridor and headed towards the front yard.
The house was very quiet.
Zhen Ping suddenly spoke up: "Actually, I didn't expect that my mother always longed for me to take the imperial examination. She told me back then, 'If you don't want to study, don't force yourself. We don't necessarily have to study to make a living.' I thought she meant it..."
Only after hearing my mother's words today did I realize that her deepest wish, besides not being able to marry Yao as her daughter-in-law, was also not to see her son pass the imperial examination with flying colors.
He felt very guilty.
Yao asked, "What did you do after you stopped going to school?"
Zhen Ping smiled and said, "I've done all sorts of things. I've been a teacher in a private school, an accountant in an inn, and a porter at the docks... Now I'm making a living selling tea."
As he spoke, he scratched his head and said, "Actually, life isn't as hard as it seems. Business has been good these past two years. I rented a house on East Street and will be moving there next month."
“That’s wonderful,” Yao said.
Then, there was another silence.
Madam Yao opened her mouth: "My eldest brother back then..."
Zhen Ping waved his hand, interrupting her with a smile: "It's all in the past."
Yao said with remorse, "I'm sorry."
The Zhen family only had one son, Zhen Ping. One can only imagine the heartache she went through when Zhen Ping was rejected by the Yao family and had his legs broken by Yao Yuan and his men.
But after she developed dementia, she forgot all of that.
She forgave him.
Yao felt another wave of pain in her throat.
"We've arrived," Zhen Ping said. He glanced at Yao Shi, whose eyes were also red, and quickly lowered his head. "I'll open the door."
Neither of them said a word that they shouldn't have.
This might be the last time they ever meet.
Some things, once missed, are missed forever.
There's no going back.
However, just as Zhen Ping was about to open the door latch, the sound of a carriage came from the doorway.
"here?"
"Yes! This is it! I heard that man say it with my own ears!"
It's Lord Gu and Gu Chenglin!
Yao's expression changed!
Although Zhen Ping did not recognize the two people's voices, he inexplicably felt that they were up to no good. He stopped pulling the door latch and turned to look at Yao Shi.
Madam Yao never expected that Gu Chenglin would overhear her conversation with Zhen Ping at the restaurant.
Moreover, Gu Chenglin even brought Lord Gu to catch his "adulterer"!
Yao suddenly realized that things might not be so simple.
She asked Zhen Ping in a low voice, "Why did you go to that restaurant today?"
Zhen Ping said thoughtfully, "A customer invited me to go there to discuss business, but strangely, I went there but never saw him."
Yao asked, "Is this a guest you've only recently met?"
Zhen Ping said, "That's right. What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that guest?"
If Yao Shi still couldn't guess that it was Aunt Ling's doing at this point, then there would be no excuse.
“I don’t have time to explain now. Is there a backdoor?” she asked.
We can't let Lord Gu see her here, or he'll kill Zhen Ping!
Zhen Ping said with difficulty, "Yes, but it's all piled up with firewood. We have to move the firewood before we can open the door..."
"Hey! Open the door! You inside, open the door now!" Gu Chenglin started banging on the door. "Huang Zhong, kick the door open!"
Yao's expression changed, and she was about to find a room to hide in when the door was kicked open with a bang!
Do you have a monthly pass?
The kind that can summon miracles.
(End of this chapter)
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