Chapter 34 The Truth "This is my mother, not your mother!" Shen Qing…
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Clang
The gate was finally smashed open, and the servants who had cleared the way poured water to extinguish most of the fire. Several people emerged from the embers and ashes, including Yu Zhiheng and Shen Linlang, as well as Yu Jingxian.
Ashes drifted in the air, and they all covered their faces, some coughing, others desperately trying to hold it in, as they rushed in all at once.
Shen Qinglu rushed forward and stood in front of Shen Linlang, her small face flushed red from the fire, her dark eyes filled with excitement, "Grandmother said that you are my real mother!"
Shen Linlang's gaze instantly turned fiery, yet also like embers, as she looked at Madam Xie, "Mother, is this true?"
“It’s true!” Yu Jingliang immediately answered, “Mother, I heard it with my own ears. Grandmother said that you and Father are Ali’s biological parents.”
The others were all stunned, their faces filled with disbelief, and they all stared at Madam Xie.
The smoke from the fire made Xie feel as if she had been rolling around in the flames, both physically and mentally. The torment she endured, along with the shame and self-reproach of regretting her actions, made her feel utterly ashamed.
She dared not look up, especially not face Shen Linlang.
Shen Linlang approached step by step, reason slowly rising above the embers. Grief-stricken, yet she forced herself to speak, "Mother, please tell me, what exactly happened?"
The word "beg" was almost squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying intense hatred.
Such hatred left Xie ashamed to face him.
Now that things have come to this, there's no turning back, no going back. All that's left is to try our best to make amends, and to face the inevitable accusations and embarrassment.
Her face was flushed an unnatural red, whether from the smoke or from shame, it was hard to tell. "...It was my fault. I thought Qingxue was pitiful, and her child was pitiful too. Back then, I was blinded by greed and switched the two children."
I had planned to wait until you had raised the child to a tender age before exchanging them, but the delays have only made things worse, and the longer it goes on, the harder it is for me to say it… It's all my fault; I've let you down, I've let Ali down.”
The suspicions and guesses became true, and Shen Linlang's emotions fluctuated violently. She leaned back and was supported by Granny Yu.
The servants were either putting out the last embers or cleaning up the mess, but everyone's attention was focused on the master. After hearing her admit it, they looked at each other with shocked expressions.
Those pairs of astonished gazes instinctively turned to Shen Qinglu, whether out of pity or envy, it was hard to tell.
The joy in Shen Qinglu's eyes gradually faded, leaving only an empty, dark depth of coldness.
As a few wisps of smoke drifted past, Yu Qingxue rushed in and threw herself in front of Xie Shi. "Mother, are you alright? How could there be a fire? I'm so glad you're alright, you scared me to death."
Shen Linlang finally came to her senses. Overwhelmed by anger and pain, she lost her mind and desperately wanted to find a way to break through. She quickly stepped forward, pulled the person back, and then slapped them several times.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
She was the daughter of a military general, and her strength far exceeded that of ordinary women. Even though she was content to stay at home and raise her children after marrying into the Yu family, and no longer practiced swordsmanship or martial arts, and tried her best to be a dignified and elegant official's wife, her fierce nature and temper remained.
After those few slaps, Yu Qingxue's face immediately turned red.
"Sister-in-law, you..."
"I'm asking you, did you already know that Tang'er was your biological daughter?"
Yu Qingxue was stunned by the beating, and when questioned by her, she was so shocked that her eyes bulged out.
Madam Xie explained with grief, "Linlang and Qingxue know nothing. What happened back then was all my doing, and she was kept in the dark the whole time. It's all my fault. I've ruined you all. I'm the one who has let Ali down."
Yu Qingxue understood the meaning behind those words. "Mother, what exactly happened? What are you talking about?"
"Qingxue, listen to your mother." Madam Xie deliberately avoided her gaze, though she was looking at her, her eyes were wandering. "There's something I've been keeping from you, don't blame me. Ali isn't your daughter, Tang'er is. I switched them without your permission back then."
"Mother, what did you say?" Yu Qingxue's heart clenched at first, then hardened. "How could Tang'er be my daughter? My daughter is Ali."
"It's all my fault." Madam Xie lowered her head, adopting a posture of atonement, her voice low and heavy. "When your sister-in-law was giving birth, you also had a miscarriage. By the time I arrived, you had already given birth to the child yourself and had fainted. I was really heartbroken for you, and I don't know why I had such inappropriate thoughts, so I decided to switch the two children."
“Mother, are you mistaken? Look how much Ali looks like me, how could she not be my child?” Yu Qingxue clenched her palms and looked at Xie Shi with an almost obstinate gaze.
Xie was very familiar with that look in his eyes.
When she threatened suicide back then, she looked at her mother in the same way, incredibly stubborn and resolute, ultimately achieving her goal.
However, this time, Xie did not do as she wished.
“Qingxue, if I remember correctly, it’s not surprising that my niece looks like her aunt and Ali looks like you.”
"I don't believe it." Yu Qingxue bit her lip and shook her head desperately. "Mother, I know you pity Ali and want to help her make a future, but you can't make up such a story. It's not fair to my sister-in-law and Tang'er."
She turned to look at Shen Linlang, "Sister-in-law, you won't believe it, will you? Tang'er is such a good child, sensible and understanding, everyone praises her. And look at Ali, her temperament is really worrying. Forget about her future, it's embarrassing to even take her out!"
"Aunt, what makes you say Ali is shameful? She's my sister!" Yu Jingliang protected Shen Qinglu, glaring at her angrily. "I've always wondered why you don't like Ali but are so good to Tang'er? So you already knew Tang'er was your biological daughter. You say my sister is shameful? I think you're the one who's shameful!"
"Erlang, I am your aunt. How can you talk to me like that? Look at Tang'er and then look at Ali. How can you abandon your perfectly good sister and choose a fool as your sister?"
“Ali is not stupid!” Yu Jingliang sneered. “Just because you said she’s stupid, you can’t possibly be her biological mother.”
The fire had been completely extinguished, and countless ash particles floated in the air, some clinging to people's heads and bodies, some sticking to objects, and some falling to the ground. Though extremely light, they left clear traces.
The door, smashed open, lay on the ground, its exquisite carvings smashed and trampled, no longer serving as a shield. The pried-open window was also gaping open, letting in the cold night wind.
As the fire cooled down, the temperature gradually returned to the chill of spring. But amidst the embers and cold, the charcoal in the brazier still silently released its meager warmth, like a ray of sunshine in the dead of winter.
For Shen Qinglu, Yu Jingliang was that ray of warmth.
"Second brother, Grandmother has already said that she is not my mother, your mother is my mother. She just won't believe it. Does she suspect that Grandmother is lying?"
Madam Xie was the matriarch of the household, and she was known for her understanding, kindness, and wisdom. Even the servants in the household said that she was upright and honest, which is why she raised such an outstanding son and was respected by the daughters-in-law of a prominent family.
If she were to utter such a colossal lie, not only would she be disgraced, but her own son, Yu Zhiheng, the head of the household, would also be shamed.
Yu Zhiheng has respected and admired her the most since childhood. Even when his own daughter was switched, he couldn't utter a single word of blame.
"Mother, how could you..."
Then, looking embarrassed, she whispered to Shen Linlang, "Since things have come to this, we should do our best to make amends."
One of the ways that powerful families maintain their relationships is to keep their family scandals private and to minimize or eliminate major issues.
Shen Linlang comes from a prestigious family; how could she not know such a principle?
She didn't say anything, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
"Sister-in-law, I don't want to believe it's true either." Yu Qingxue dared not insist any longer, and her attitude changed drastically. "But what's done is done. Right now, the most important thing is not to damage the Yu family's reputation and let others gossip."
“Qingxue is right.” Yu Zhiheng frowned and said to Shen Linlang, “Both children will have the surname Yu, so we can raise them together from now on.”
This is not only about downplaying a major issue and then ignoring it, but also about trying to whitewash the situation and perpetuate the mistake.
The night was still dark, stretching endlessly.
The room fell silent as everyone stared at Shen Linlang.
One is her biological daughter, and the other is the adopted daughter she raised from childhood. How will she choose?
Before she could make a choice, Shen Qinglu pointed at Yu Qingxue and said, "She said that if anything happens to Grandmother, no one will know about this matter. Is that it?"
When did I say such a thing?
As soon as Yu Qingxue finished speaking, she saw Xia Chan step forward.
"Grandma, I overheard you talking by chance."
"You...you're spouting nonsense!"
"Why are you so angry, Eldest Aunt? I thought you were worried about the Old Madam, so I told you about it."
"The fire tonight was very strange; I didn't notice a thing and slept soundly," Shen Linlang finally spoke, looking at Madam Xie. "What's even stranger is that the main room was locked. Mother, in your opinion, who set the fire? Why would they want to kill you and Ali? Were they trying to silence us?"
The moment the words "silence" were uttered, the atmosphere changed drastically.
Yu Jingliang gasped, glaring fiercely at Yu Qingxue, "It must be her!"
Yu Qingxue's expression changed. "Mother, what exactly is going on?"
Upon hearing this, Xie was visibly disheartened, yet she once again shouldered all the blame, saying, "I started this fire myself. I've made a grave mistake and have no face to live in this world. I want to end it all. Ali is an extraordinary child; her presence in this world is a burden to you all. I'll take her with me..."
Her gaze searched among the servants, and when she saw Qiu Lu, Qiu Lu quickly lowered her head.
Xia Chan went to greet her, nodded slightly, and then knelt on the ground.
“Madam, I locked the door. The old lady told me that she was afraid the young lady would wake up at night and run out, so she asked me to lock the door from the outside. I didn’t think much of it and didn’t know that the old lady was determined to die.”
An older servant, upon hearing this, quickly spoke up to confirm, "So, what I saw was indeed Miss Xia Chan. I was wondering what Miss Xia Chan was doing fiddling with the lock; it turns out she was locking the door."
This old woman was one of the people patrolling the manor at night; she had previously participated in putting out the fire.
Everyone in the household, except for the servants serving the masters, was considered to be Shen Linlang's person, and this old woman was no exception.
Some have admitted it, others have testified, and there is no longer any doubt that the fire was committed. The child was switched by Xie, and she set the fire; all the blame lies with her, and all the sins are hers, and no one else is to blame.
After the fire, what was revealed beneath the embers was not only the truth, but also the complexities of human nature.
"How did it get burned like this?" Yu Liuzhu's sweet voice rang out as she quickly entered the room. "Mother, what happened? How did the water get out?"
"This is my mother, not your mother!" Shen Qinglu hugged Shen Linlang as if asserting her ownership.
Upon seeing this, Yu Liuzhu momentarily forgot about the strange atmosphere and the odd looks everyone was giving her; her heart and mind were filled with dislike for Shen Qinglu.
This cousin is really pretending to be stupid!
“Ah Li, even if you are as childlike as a child, you can’t call me ‘mother’. You should call me ‘aunt’.
“No, this is my mother. Mother, isn’t it?” Shen Qinglu looked up, her previously empty eyes now sparkling with starlight, dazzling and radiant.
Shen Linlang felt a tightness in her chest and throat, and uttered a soft "hmm".
"Mother, Ali is talking nonsense, why are you playing along with her nonsense!"
“Ali isn’t talking nonsense, and our mother isn’t being unreasonable either.” Yu Jingliang sneered. “Ali is my own sister, and you are her daughter!”
Like Shen Qinglu, he also called Yu Qingxue "her" and pointed at her casually.
"Second Brother, don't talk nonsense!" Yu Liuzhu rebuked angrily, but inwardly she was flustered.
She finally realized that everyone was looking at her with utter disrespect, even contempt, as if they had all looked at her the same way in her past life, from top to bottom, in the Mu family!
"Mother, tell me, Second Brother is talking nonsense, isn't he?"
How could a mother-daughter relationship of sixteen years just disappear like that?
No one could know the pain in Shen Linlang's heart. Facing the child she had cherished and loved for many years, her contradictions and grudges kept colliding.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it! You're all just playing a joke on me, aren't you?" Yu Liuzhu, not waiting for her denial, tried to approach her as if seeking confirmation. "Mother, I am your Tang'er, how could you play such a joke on me?"
“Nobody’s joking with you, that’s what your grandmother said.”
Yu Jingliang's words shattered her.
She was flustered and at a loss, but then she suddenly remembered everything from her past life, and subconsciously realized why the people around her had changed their attitude towards her so drastically. It wasn't because of her miscarriage, nor because she and Mu Lin had a tantrum.
Instead...
No wonder her mother, who loved her the most, didn't go to see her; it was her aunt who went instead. No wonder... no wonder!
Why is this happening?
How could such a thing happen?
"I haven't been sleeping well lately, I keep waking up and having dreams. I must be dreaming. Yes, I am dreaming. How could I not be my mother's daughter?"
"I didn't wake you when I pushed Dujuan into the water. Today, with such a big fire, you, who lived the closest, arrived the latest. You didn't sleep poorly; you slept very well."
Shen Qinglu's childish words startled everyone, and their gazes toward Yu Liuzhu became even more peculiar.
In a daze, Yu Liuzhu seemed to be standing in the courtyard of the Marquis's mansion again.
Still weak after her miscarriage, she shamelessly went to see Jiang Yingshui for some charcoal. Jiang Yingshui avoided her, leaving her standing outside while the servants gossiped and pointed at her.
What did others care about? Yu Jingliang had no burdens or feelings whatsoever. He loudly questioned her, "Tang'er, tell me, why are you so late?"
Her face was deathly pale, and she looked weak, helpless, and lost.
But the truth is that she did it on purpose because she harbored resentment towards the Yu family. That night she deliberately turned a deaf ear, and tonight she intentionally arrived late.
"Tang'er knows nothing, why are you treating her like this? Sister-in-law, you raised her, you know her character and morals best, how can you tolerate others speculating about her like this?"
Yu Qingxue's words plunged Shen Linlang into an internal struggle. Her heart was torn apart, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, causing her unbearable pain.
In this strange atmosphere, Shen Qinglu acted like an ignorant child, whispering in Yu Jingliang's ear without trying to lower her voice, so that everyone else could hear her clearly.
“She used to say that she flattered and treated Tang’er well for my sake. Now that Tang’er has become her daughter, why doesn’t she flatter and treat me well? She must have known all along that Tang’er is her daughter.”
Yu Jingliang wholeheartedly agreed, "You're right, she must have known all along!"
The two sang in harmony, oblivious to everyone else around them.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
After a few slaps, Yu Qingxue met Shen Linlang's eyes, which were filled with anger and pain.
"Did you already know this?"
"Sister-in-law... I really didn't know, otherwise how could I have agreed?"
"If you were unaware of the situation, why did you treat Ali so harshly?"
“She was born different from others, and I was afraid she would cause trouble. I have good intentions and hope that you will take care of her more in the future, considering that I am strict with her and she is relatively well-behaved.”
"Alright, all of you, stop talking." Yu Zhiheng sighed. "What's the point of dwelling on this now that it's already happened?"
"How can it not work?" Shen Linlang's eyes were full of disbelief. She could understand the need to save face for the Yu family, but why couldn't she pursue the matter? "Look at Ali, she is our daughter!"
Yu Zhiheng looked at Shen Qinglu, and when he met her slightly blank face and dark eyes, his brows furrowed even more, and there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes.
This child...
"My mother made a mistake in a moment of confusion, what can I, as her son, do?"
"At least you should know how she was switched and how she's been doing all these years?"
"She lives in the Yu family mansion and has no shortage of food or clothing. Even if she is raised by you and dressed in gold and silver, what does it matter? She doesn't understand anything. You can make it up to her later. Why make things awkward for everyone?"
Shen Qinglu almost laughed out of anger.
Some people are born without any kinship with you, not even your own family, not even the people who gave you life, like your parents from your previous life.
And the so-called biological father in front of me is the same.
As they stood at attention, Xie choked out, "It's all my fault, I deserve to die, I have no face to live anymore..."
The family is in disharmony, and the children and grandchildren are not on good terms; it's all her fault!
Is one mistake enough?
This isn't over yet!
A look of sorrow appeared on Shen Qinglu's blank face, her dark pupils were filled with sadness, and tears kept falling down like strings of beads.
She walked toward Xie, getting so close that she could see his reflection in her eyes.
"She treats me badly, doesn't give me good food, doesn't let me dress nicely, and makes me always give in to Sister Tang'er. She even hits me. You know all this, but you don't say anything."
“Ali…” Madam Xie choked up, almost speechless with guilt, “It’s Grandmother… Grandmother is sorry for you.”
Shen Qinglu also cried, but the grief didn't touch her heart. All she felt was coldness and a sense of pathos and absurdity.
This belated repentance cannot bring back the dead.
And she has no right to forgive!
“I thought my grandmother loved me, but I never imagined that all my suffering was caused by her. She switched me with my sister Tang’er. She has a mother who loves her, but I don’t. She has so many beautiful clothes, but I don’t. She can eat well every day, but I don’t. I have nothing, and you don’t pity me, but you want to take me with you to die.”
Each word and phrase was like a long, thin needle, piercing Xie's heart.
She felt regret, self-blame, and guilt as she reached out to Shen Qinglu.
Shen Qinglu took a step back to avoid him, then suddenly shouted, as if yelling or cutting, "You're in cahoots with the bad guys! I don't like you anymore!"
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