Xiang Yunduan shook her head, "Zhizhi, we are sisters, we are related by blood. My dad didn't mean to target you. He was just protecting me. Parents always worry about their children. He was afraid I would be chased by those creditors overseas..."
"To protect you, you're dragging the creditors into my hands. Isn't that a bit selfish?"
“Zhizhi, Zhizhi…you must believe me, my dad doesn’t have any bad intentions. My aunt had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to you, and she died. My dad was also very sad after she died. He also resented my uncle…so he has been holding a grudge all these years.”
Xiang Nanzhi was taken aback. "What did you say? My mother what?"
Shen Shixun couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on a woman, but Xiang Yunduan was so shameless that he couldn't help himself and pulled her away a little. "Please move aside."
Xiang Yunduan steeled his resolve and, with Shen Shixun between them, addressed Xiang Nanzhi.
"Grandpa originally wanted your mother to marry my father, but your mother liked your father. My father was furious. It was Grandpa who was biased first and married the woman who belonged to my father to my uncle. That's why my father has been resentful towards your family all these years."
“My dad has always had your mom in his heart all these years, but your mom passed away when she gave birth to you, and he didn’t even get to see her one last time. Do you think my dad wouldn’t be angry?”
Xiang Nanzhi stood there, "My mother had a difficult childbirth when she gave birth to me?"
All she knew was that her mother died of some illness not long after she was born; she had no idea it was due to a difficult childbirth.
“Everyone was afraid you would be in pain. Your uncle has been keeping it from you all these years, but the truth is that your aunt had a difficult childbirth, which is why my dad is very unhappy.”
Xiang Nanzhi felt enlightened. Shen Shixun helped her up, and she looked at Xiang Yunduan, "Zhizhi, we are family. We have the same grandfather and are from the same clan. We should help each other!"
"Can't we just let bygones be bygones? My dad already knows he was wrong, please help me... Please ask your uncle to help our family, he'll definitely agree as long as you ask!"
For the first time, Xiang Yunduan was so humble in front of Xiang Nanzhi, "I'll kneel down for you, please kneel down, I beg for your forgiveness!"
Xiang Nanzhi didn't look at her. "Kneel if you like. Your uncle has only himself to blame. I will never help him again."
"Xiang Nanzhi!"
Shen Shixun gave Xiang Yunduan a warning look, and Xiang Yunduan bit her lip, "Xiang Nanzhi..."
“Since you know Master Zhou, it’s very simple for you to say something to him, so that my dad won’t have to face paying a huge penalty for breach of contract.”
“Take responsibility for your own actions. I started my own business and relied on myself. If you don’t have the ability, don’t do it lightly. Why should you end up begging others to clean up your mess?”
Xiang Nanzhi's eyes were cold. "Xiang Yunduan, don't think too highly of yourself, and don't think too softly of me. You've been fooled once, but never twice."
She only learned about these things today: the feud between her father and uncle over her mother, and the real reason for her mother's death.
In her memory, her mother was always absent. Although she told Zhengyi that her mother had passed away from illness not long after she was born, when she later tried to retrieve this memory, she found that there wasn't even a single photo of her and her mother in the house.
Both her second and eldest brothers have photos with their mother, but she doesn't.
He lied to her about finding it, but ended up finding a composite one for her.
But by then she was older, and the photoshopped pictures couldn't fool her anymore. Even though she knew they were photoshopped, she pretended to be very happy and kept the photos because she was afraid her father would be too upset.
Now that I've heard what Xiang Yunduan said, everything makes sense.
"Southward, southward..."
Xiang Yunduan panicked and knelt down behind her. "I beg you to help my dad. He's just holding a grudge because of what happened back then. He's just strong-willed. He really didn't do anything wrong. If Grandpa hadn't favored my uncle back then, my dad wouldn't be like this!"
"Whenever something goes wrong, look for the cause within yourself. Don't blame this or that."
Xiang Nanzhi turned around, feeling a little touched, but not enough to soften her heart. "Your knees aren't worth that much. Our two families have always kept to themselves all these years, which is fine. Nobody owes anyone anything."
"Zhizhi!"
“You’re talking to me about the past. Those are matters between elders, and we should let them resolve them themselves.”
Xiang Nanzhi got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. Shen Shixun closed the car door.
Xiang Yunduan got up to follow, but Shen Shixun raised his hand to stop her. "I've already made myself very clear!"
"What business is it of yours how I talk to her?"
"She's my wife, and she rejected you."
"Shen Shixun, you think too highly of yourself. Do you really think she's serious about you..."
"Please leave."
Inside the car, Xiang Nanzhi remained unsettled for a long time, not uttering a single word after getting in.
Shen Shixun found a place to stop and took a tissue to wipe the strawberry juice off her shoes.
Xiang Nanzhi's belly grew larger, and the area covered by her black dress bulged slightly, but her ankles and limbs remained slender, easily grasped with a large hand.
The man bent down and wiped the strawberry juice off her shoes.
Xiang Nanzhi was still deep in thought, seemingly not yet fully recovered from Xiang Yunduan's words.
"Zhizhi, whatever happened before, it wasn't your fault, so don't hold a grudge."
"I just... I just never imagined that my dad and uncle had such a history, and my mom too..."
"People always have to face certain things, and they don't want you to know it's for your own good."
"I know."
But now that she's pregnant herself, she feels inexplicably scared. Touching her slightly protruding belly, she asked, "Will a difficult childbirth result in inheritance?"
"No, don't be afraid."
Xiang Nanzhi's hands and feet felt a little weak. "I have never met my mother, I have only seen photos of her, and I have no impression of her. But in the photos, she must have been very young when she passed away and gave birth to me."
Xiang Nanzhi's voice trembled slightly as she said this, "In those days, my father was relatively well-off, and medicine was quite advanced..."
Even in this day and age, there are still cases of death during childbirth.
Shen Shixun touched her face, his voice much gentler than usual, "Zhizhi, don't let others affect your emotions. You can't change what has already happened, so don't let it affect your mood."
"My mother did so much to give birth to me..."
Xiang Nanzhi lowered her eyes, and Shen Shixun wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Xiang Yunduan came to ask you for a favor, and when she couldn't get it done, she deliberately made things difficult for you. She doesn't consider other people's feelings when she does things, but you're all grown up now. You're an adult. If you're upset because of this, then all the efforts your family has made will have been in vain."
They kept it from her for so many years, and now an outsider has suddenly taken advantage of the situation.
Xiang Nanzhi leaned on the man's shoulder, "Will you come home with me tonight and stay with me?"
"Shim Sehun, I'm so scared being alone..."
A mother she had never met gave her life for her. Those who haven't experienced it can't understand this feeling. Now she's going to be a mother herself. How far can she go for her child?
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