Chapter 25 Mother and Daughter Connected She hugged Shen Qinglu tightly, "Ali..."
*
A servant passed by not far away.
One was an old woman specifically responsible for cleaning this area, and the other was a lowly maid passing by; the two were clearly acquainted. From their positions, they couldn't see the people behind the artificial hill, but they could see Yu Qingxue and Yu Liuzhu.
The old woman, perhaps being quite old, couldn't see clearly and asked doubtfully, "Who is the person embracing the young lady? They don't quite look like the madam to me?"
“It’s the eldest aunt.” The maid replied, “I thought it was the madam just now. I never expected that the young lady and the eldest aunt would be so close.”
"My eldest aunt has had a hard life, having such a daughter. If it weren't for my cousin, with my eldest aunt's looks and talent, she wouldn't have to live such a poor life. My eldest cousin is kind-hearted and must feel sorry for my eldest aunt."
"A niece is like her aunt, and also like her aunt; the old saying is always true."
The comment that a niece resembles an aunt was like a thunderbolt to Shen Linlang. She couldn't control her unease and scrutinized Shen Qinglu's features again and again.
Shen Qinglu let her look at her, her gaze filled with adoration.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she realized her lapse in composure. Her mind was still in turmoil, like a tangled mess. Looking left and right, she realized that Shen Qinglu must have gone out alone, without even a servant by her side. She subconsciously frowned.
"Ali, wait here. Your aunt will take you home later."
Shen Qinglu nodded obediently, listening to her perfectly.
She suppressed the myriad thoughts in her mind, straightened her clothes and hair, and walked towards the two people embracing each other.
The two men were so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them noticed her. The closer she got, the deeper the thorn in her heart felt, as if it were about to pierce through her entire being.
"Qingxue, Tang'er?"
Upon hearing her voice, Yu Qingxue immediately released Yu Liuzhu, wiped away her tears quickly, and said somewhat awkwardly, "It was all Ali's fault today. Tang'er almost suffered. I was really worried, so I came to check on her."
If it were before, upon hearing Yu Qingxue's words, she would have thought that her sister-in-law was sensible. But now, she couldn't help but ponder: as a mother herself, if she were in her shoes, would she have gone to such lengths to belittle her own daughter for the sake of her niece?
Unexpectedly, the image of Shen Qinglu looking at her pitifully flashed into her mind, and her heart, which had been stung by the pain, was torn apart for no reason, and it kept contracting in pain.
"Ali's personality is incomplete, but she is simple and innocent. She says whatever she sees. What's wrong with that?"
"What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. It is precisely because A-Li is not fully sensible that Tang'er does not hold it against him. Otherwise, if such words were to spread, it would ruin Tang'er's reputation, and my daughter and I would be sinners against the Yu family."
As Yu Qingxue spoke, she revealed a look of extreme fear, her face full of self-reproach as she looked at Shen Linlang. "Over the years, thanks to your care, sister-in-law, Ali and I have been able to find a place in the Yu family. Now that Ali is older, she's a bit too much to handle, which is why she's caused some trouble. Mother takes pity on her and lets her stay with her, but I'm really uneasy, afraid she'll cause some more trouble. Could you please talk to Mother for me and ask me to take her back?"
Anyone who heard such words would say she was sensible.
Shen Linlang was inwardly turbulent, but she tried her best not to show it on her face. "I know about this. I will definitely mention it to my mother when I have the chance."
Yu Qingxue breathed a long sigh of relief, thanked them repeatedly, and left.
Yu Liuzhu watched her retreating figure, feeling even more sorry for her. "Auntie's whole life has been dragged down by Sister Ali. If it weren't for Sister Ali, would she have ended up like this?"
"Tang'er!" Shen Linlang heard the deeper meaning in her tone and immediately frowned, her tone involuntarily carrying a hint of sharpness. "Shortly after your aunt returned home, she became pregnant. Your grandmother and I both advised her to abort the child. But she couldn't bear to part with it and insisted on giving birth to the child."
“Of course Auntie can’t bear to part with her own flesh and blood.” Her expression changed, and she turned away somewhat defiantly. “Mother, do you feel sorry for Ali just like Grandmother?”
A cool breeze blew by, calming Shen Linlang down considerably.
She felt somewhat annoyed, annoyed by her own wild thoughts, and somewhat regretful, regretting that her thoughts were in disarray and her words were incoherent. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't control herself; the thorn stuck in her heart kept pulling at her.
"Tang'er." She softened her tone and tried to hug Yu Liuzhu.
Yu Liuzhu avoided her, turning her face away and refusing to look at her.
She felt a pang of sadness and withdrew her hand. "How have I taught you since you were little? I told you to have less contact with them, so that the deeper your feelings would become, the harder it would be to sever ties later, and you would suffer as a result. You used to be very obedient, what's wrong with you lately? Why are you so close to your aunt?"
All the grievances I suffered in my past life are now coming flooding back.
Yu Liuzhu also wanted to ask why his mother, who claimed to love him the most, didn't even show her face when he was going through the most difficult time.
"That's because my aunt is good to me!"
Shen Linlang was shocked. She had just withdrawn her hand and was still a little at a loss. But after hearing these words, she clenched her fist and dug her nails deep into her palm.
Suddenly, something occurred to her, and while her mind became even more confused, reason compelled her to ask, "Was it in your dream that your aunt helped you?"
Yu Liuzhu remained silent, her eyes gradually reddening.
"Then where is your mother? Where was she when you were wronged?" Shen Linlang asked anxiously, completely oblivious to the sharp pain coming from her palm.
For a long time, she didn't receive a reply from Yu Liuzhu, or rather, this was the answer.
If that dream held some hidden meaning and was a premonition, then why wasn't she there when her daughter needed her most? Why wasn't she there? Instead, her sister-in-law was?
She loved her daughter so much that even when she was too sick to get up, she would still crawl to her side. It was impossible for her not to be there, unless…
"Tang'er, tell your mother, what exactly did that dream mean?"
"It's just a dream, what's there to say?" Yu Liuzhu clearly saw her pain and felt an indescribable pleasure, as if hurting her could make up for the grievances she had suffered. "Mother, I'm tired. I'm going back to rest. You can go now."
After saying that, as if he couldn't see her swaying figure, he walked away without looking back.
Granny Yu came over and helped her up.
She clutched her chest, overwhelmed with grief.
Suddenly, she gripped Granny Yu's hand tightly, wanting to ask something but afraid to ask. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Granny Yu comforted her, "The eldest young lady was just being temperamental. She knows best how much you love her. She'll be fine once she calms down. A mother and daughter are of one heart; there's no such thing as holding a grudge overnight..."
Hearing the words "mother and daughter are of one heart" made Shen Linlang feel as if she were being stabbed by needles and knives. Suddenly remembering something, she pushed away the hand that Yu Mama was supporting her and hurriedly walked behind the rockery.
Behind the rockery with its jagged bluestone, Shen Qinglu remained in the same position she had been in, lying there obediently, counting the ants crawling around on the rockery.
When I looked up at her, she suddenly smiled, like peach blossoms blooming overnight, incredibly radiant. The joy that emanated from her heart seemed to be a deep-seated intimacy.
"I was very good, I didn't run around..."
Upon hearing this, she broke down emotionally for some reason and hugged Shen Qinglu tightly.
“Ah Li…”
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