Chapter 11 I want her to stare blankly at Yu Liuzhu, murmuring...
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The dark blue bed curtains made Xie's face appear even more somber. Suddenly, a bewildered, dependent, and joyful face appeared before her. When she came to her senses, she tried to force a kind expression, but it only came out forced and strange.
When Yu Qingxue came in, she was about to leave immediately, but for some reason hesitated for a moment. Perhaps she had doubts in her heart, or perhaps she wanted to prove something.
That moment of hesitation was like exploring an unknown secret.
When Yu Qingxue offered to comb Shen Qinglu's hair, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then she heard Yu Qingxue say those words.
If someone unaware of the inside story heard this, they would surely think that Yu Qingxue, as a divorced person returning home, was not only sensible but also knew her place. However, for someone who knew the reason, it was a completely different feeling.
This is not being sensible; it's having ulterior motives. It's not knowing one's limits at all; it's taking advantage of others!
Ignoring the astonishment and reluctance on her face, Shen Qinglu still looked at her with bright eyes, her dark eyes seemingly sparkling with colorful light, so pure and clean, the admiration and closeness in them making one's heart ache, and inexplicably want to shed tears.
"I've found my grandmother. Will she never abandon me again?"
"Ah Li, what's wrong with you... Mother, what are you doing here?"
Yu Qingxue thought Shen Qinglu had gone mad, but before she could finish speaking, she saw Xie Shi emerge from behind the bed.
Madam Xie pursed her lips and looked at her without saying a word.
She was startled, stunned, and in a daze.
Shen Qinglu seemed completely unaware of the current situation and was still enthusiastically looking for Granny Li and Xia Chan.
Before long, the two were also found.
Yu Qingxue looked at them, increasingly astonished.
What exactly happened? Was someone deliberately plotting against her?
She subconsciously looked at Shen Qinglu, only to see Shen Qinglu talking to Xia Chan. "Xia Chan, I found you all. Aren't I amazing?"
"The young lady is truly remarkable," Xia Chan praised softly, thinking that her teaching Shen Qinglu to prioritize Yu Liuzhu in everything was a sign of a loving mother's heart, and she was somewhat puzzled by the anger emanating from Madam Xie.
Granny Li was Xie's confidante and naturally knew about what happened back then, but she dared not show it on her face.
After a long pause, Madam Xie took a deep breath, instructed Xia Chan to take good care of Shen Qinglu, and then said to Yu Qingxue, "Come with me."
The mother and daughter went to the main room, and ordered all the servants not to follow them. Only after the door was closed could they tell the truth.
This time, Madam Xie was truly angry, her expression unusually sharp and displeased. "Qingxue, Ali has just awakened. How could you say such things to her? What do you mean she benefited from Tang'er's fame? You even told her to be grateful to Tang'er. What were you thinking? Didn't you feel guilty when you said that?"
"Mother, that's not what I meant." Yu Qingxue wouldn't admit her selfish motives and defended herself with a wronged expression, "Ali looks like me and is very beautiful. I was afraid that she would be arrogant and cause gossip in the mansion because of her looks, so I deliberately suppressed her."
“She is a girl from the Yu family. Who in the Yu family can suppress her?” Madam Xie’s chest heaved.
She raised her own daughter; how could she not know what kind of person she was? Even though she seemed to be quietly eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures all these years, she was a very strong-willed and ambitious girl in her younger years.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have threatened suicide to make that demand back then. Thinking about the thing she had been forced to agree to years ago, she was filled with deep regret.
"Qingxue, don't you know how your brother and sister-in-law have treated Tang'er all these years? No matter how biased you are, you should at least put yourself in their shoes. Once your sister-in-law finds out the truth, what do you think she'll think of you?"
“Mother, I know I was wrong.” Yu Qingxue cried. “I don’t know why I have ended up like this. You taught me to read and write since I was a child. I consider myself a well-educated and reasonable woman. But I never thought that God would play a trick on me and make me marry a traitor, and even implicate my own daughter.”
Upon hearing her mention marrying into the Su family, Xie's anger instantly turned into guilt and distress.
If I hadn't chosen the Su family back then, if I had been more careful, my daughter wouldn't have ended up as the wife of a disgraced official, living a life of hardship all these years.
"It's Mother's fault."
“Mother, you are not wrong, it is my bad luck. My life is ruined. I only hope that my daughter can find a good match and live a happy and carefree life.”
Madam Xie, out of love for her, took out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
"Don't worry, your sister-in-law loves Tang'er and will definitely take good care of her. In the future, you should pay more attention to Ali. If Ali gets better, you won't owe her too much."
With tears in her eyes, she nodded and reiterated her desire to take Shen Qinglu back to care for her personally.
Madam Xie hesitated for a moment, then said, "If Ali is willing to go back with you, I will not stop her."
When they returned, Shen Qinglu could tell at a glance that they must have already reached an agreement. A faint hint of sarcasm flashed across her somewhat empty eyes.
Yu Qingxue stepped forward with red eyes, coaxing her, "Ali, your grandmother is old and can't take care of you anymore. You and your mother go back, and your mother will do whatever you want from now on, okay?"
Shen Qinglu didn't even look at her, ignoring what she said.
She pinched her palm and said in a gentler tone, "Mother knows I've neglected you before. Mother promises you, I will treat you well from now on. Come back with Mother, okay?"
As she spoke, she reached out to pull Shen Qinglu.
Like a child who has been bullied and has finally found a family member she completely trusts, Shen Qinglu looked at Xie Shi pitifully and asked, "Grandmother, don't you want me anymore?"
Xie felt as if her heart was being pierced by countless needles, and the pain was intense.
“Ah Li…”
"Little sister Ali, what are you doing?"
Yu Liuzhu's voice rang out from outside the door, and she quickly lifted the curtain and came in.
She resumed her usual attire, a vibrant pomegranate-colored skirt paired with a crabapple blossom on her forehead, like a bright splash of spring color. The only flaw was that her complexion was slightly poor, which somewhat overshadowed her clothes and makeup.
Shen Qinglu thought to herself, "They've come at just the right time."
If one path is blocked, she'll try another!
She stared blankly at Yu Liuzhu, murmuring, "Your clothes are so beautiful, and the flowers painted on your face are beautiful too."
Yu Liuzhu was taken aback when she heard her speak. She paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and stared at her. Even though she was dressed in a grayish-blue robe, and her injured forehead and the hair covering her forehead couldn't hide her extraordinary appearance.
Especially when she looked at him so intently, he felt ashamed and vaguely had an indescribable feeling, as if she would take everything he had away.
“Ah Li, you’re all better now, you can’t be as immature as before. Your aunt has suffered so much for you all these years, how can you hurt her feelings?” Yu Liuzhu frowned, her tone somewhat harsh.
She seemed not to hear a word, still staring at the other person's dress with eyes full of joy and envy, gradually becoming mesmerized, and even reaching out to touch it.
Before her hand could even touch him, Yu Liuzhu dodged her with disdain. Her infatuated face showed a look of bewilderment, along with a hint of grievance. She looked at Madam Xie helplessly and asked, "Grandmother, can't I touch him?"
Xie's distress deepened.
One was greyish-blue, with thick hair on its forehead and scars, looking rather pitiful. The other was pomegranate-red, with flowers painted on its forehead, clearly a pampered child.
It shouldn't have been like this; it should have been the complete opposite!
"Of course you can touch it. Be good, Ali, Grandma will have someone make you some new clothes right away."
Yu Qingxue pinched her palm and quickly dissuaded her, "Mother, Ali doesn't go out. If he dresses up too much, he'll only attract attention."
Xie looked at her, her eyes clearly showing disappointment.
But she is still his own daughter, so even when he scolds her, he does so in a tactful way.
“Ali has grown up and knows how to love beauty. I remember when you were her age, you would have seven or eight sets of clothes made every season, not to mention the rouge and powder. If your eldest brother hadn’t already entered officialdom and your sister-in-law hadn’t married into the family and valued you, how could you have had all those things?”
So who exactly received whose favor?
Shen Qinglu's dark gaze was still fixed on Yu Liuzhu, who felt a chill run down her spine from being stared at. The feeling of being watched made her increasingly uncomfortable.
What she found even more unbearable was that Shen Qinglu actually came closer, grabbed her clothes, and her dark eyes flashed with an eerie light. "I want clothes like these, and I also want flowers painted on my face."
The hollow voice sounded like a hungry ghost leaping for joy, as if it wanted to strip her clothes off and slash her face, making her almost scream in terror. When Shen Qinglu's icy fingertips touched the flower ornament on her forehead, she could no longer hold back and pushed the person away.
Once someone tries to extort money from another person, they'll do it again!
Taking advantage of her momentum, Shen Qinglu fell to the ground with a thud.
She looked at her hands in disbelief, then at Shen Qinglu sitting on the ground. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain herself, but found that she had no way to defend herself.
Having lived two lives, even though the current situation was unfavorable to her, she couldn't just sit and wait to die. She quickly went to help Shen Qinglu, "Sister Ali, it's all my fault for being careless. Are you alright?"
Shen Qinglu ignored her and looked pitifully at Madam Xie for help, "Grandmother, she won't let me touch her."
"Grandmother, it's my fault. I'll apologize to Sister Ali right away." She seemed to be condescending to Shen Qinglu, trying to appease her. "Sister Ali, I'll have someone send you two sets of clothes, is that alright?"
Of course!
But that's not enough.
Shen Qinglu pointed at her clothes and said without any politeness, "I want this one."
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