"Big sister, just pretend you didn't hear that, and keep walking!" Bai Yumei said in a low voice, her voice trembling.
These two have a story! Tao Wanniang couldn't help but turn around for another look. The man was neither tall nor short, but rather thin, and his clothes were faded, old, and patched.
"Yu Mei, is that you?" The man rushed to Bai Yu Mei. "Everyone said something happened to you, but I know you're not that kind of person. All these years, I've been waiting for you to come back, and you've finally returned."
"You've mistaken me for someone else." Bai Yumei covered her face and kept her head down as she walked forward.
"Young man, you're going to scare people like this." Seeing Bai Yumei's insistence, Tao Wanniang stepped in front of her to protect her. "Didn't you see we have a child here?"
Upon hearing this, the man immediately took a step back, but still looked at Bai Yumei anxiously.
"Yu Mei, it's me, Chen Liansheng. Why won't you see me? Where are you living now? Is it inconvenient for you to see me? Can I come find you later?"
“I’ve already told you you’ve mistaken me for someone else. You’re really going to scare the child,” Tao Wan’s mother reiterated. “If you still insist that this girl is the one you’re talking about, then come to my house.”
Tao Wanniang revealed the address of the house, and the man was immediately so shocked that he took a few steps back.
"You... how come you're still there?"
Seeing the man's shocked expression, Bai Yumei quickly walked forward, and Tao Wanniang, pulling Xiao Qiao'er along, immediately followed.
"No, that house has changed hands several times; it's no longer Master Huang's." The man behind him suddenly realized this and muttered to himself.
Tao Wanniang almost laughed when she heard this. "Is he a simpleton?"
But Bai Yumei walked quickly, so she ran alongside, and Xiao Qiao'er could only keep up.
After walking for a while, Tao Wanniang made sure the man behind her wasn't following, then grabbed Bai Yumei and said breathlessly, "Slow down, Yumei, why are you walking so fast?"
"Big sister, I... I don't want to see people from the past in this state!" Bai Yumei said with a bitter face. "Of course I recognize him, but I didn't expect that after so many years, he would still recognize me."
"Let's go home first. If you're willing, you can tell me about it. If not, I won't force you." Tao Wanniang had seen too many entanglements, and she didn't really want to know about Bai Yumei and that man. They were all bound to go through the same hardships that lovers face.
Bai Yumei didn't answer, only thinking about getting home quickly. Brother Asheng would never dare to go to that house.
Back home, her two sons had already prepared the chickens and ducks. Since it was still early, Tao Wan's mother sent her sons and daughters-in-law to buy some things.
"Big sister, if he comes, do you think I should see him?" Bai Yumei, who had calmed down after returning home, asked with some worry. She still hoped that Chen Liansheng would come.
"If you have something to say, then say it," Tao Wanniang said calmly. If she could help, she wouldn't mind lending a hand.
"Qiao'er, go back to your room first. I want to talk to your Aunt Mei." Seeing that Bai Yumei was still hesitant, Tao Wanniang said to Xiao Qiao'er.
"Yes, Mother!" Little Qiao'er was also sensible; it wasn't appropriate for her to listen to adult matters.
"Big sister, Brother Asheng is three years older than me and lives next door. He took good care of me when I was little." After Xiao Qiao'er left, Bai Yumei sighed and spoke slowly.
“I have a father who loves to drink and gambles, and a mother who is sickly but domineering. He used to say that he would marry me when I grew up,” Bai Yumei said with some bitterness. “But his mother doesn’t like me.”
“Ah Sheng’s family had some money in the early years, and he attended a private school from a young age. But when he was fifteen, his father passed away, and the family business gradually declined. In the end, only he and his mother were left in the family. When I was sixteen, Ah Sheng wanted to propose to my family, but his mother disagreed and threatened to kill herself, forcing Ah Sheng to get engaged to a girl.”
"When they got married, I also entered the royal family as a concubine, and I never saw them again after that."
"So, what did you think of your meeting today?" Tao Wanniang asked without much emotion.
"I...I don't know either. I just feel like I don't want him to see me like this," Bai Yumei said with a bitter smile. "Whether I become a concubine or there are rumors that I eloped with my lover, I just feel ashamed to face him."
"What are you saying? Have you done anything wrong?" Tao Wanniang advised, "Being someone's concubine was something you had no choice but to do. That's how the world is, it's not your fault. You were hurt, your face was disfigured, and your reputation was ruined, but that's all in the past, Yumei. Now you are doing things with integrity, and you are a free person. What do you have to hide?"
"So what if you saw him? It didn't cause you any trouble." Tao Wanniang smiled. "Yu Mei, perhaps seeing him made you start thinking about the future?"
"I..." How could she say no? Bai Yumei bit her lip. Seeing an old friend suddenly stirred up ripples in her heart! If she could, wouldn't she want to go back to the past?
"You, I used to think you were naive, but now you're overthinking things?" Tao Wanniang sighed. "Didn't you say he's already married? When we meet again, just treat it like old neighbors bumping into each other. Why are you overthinking it?"
"I..." Bai Yumei still couldn't speak. Yes, why was she thinking so much?
"Sister, let's not talk about it anymore. So many years have passed, his children must be all grown up by now," Bai Yumei said with a wry smile.
"That's the right way to think about it. If that guy comes, you can treat him like an old friend and catch up. At least you'll let others know that you didn't elope with your lover."
Tao Wanniang said, "If you don't admit it, people will think that you, Bai Yumei, have eloped with someone!"
At this point, Bai Yumei felt angry. She had suffered so much, yet she still ended up with a bad reputation!
"Alright then, if he comes and asks, I'll tell him." Finally, Bai Yumei said, her mood slightly calmed down.
Chen Liansheng's arrival was unexpected for Tao Wanniang. She had heard from Bai Yumei that Chen Liansheng was already married, and thought that this man was probably just excited to see his childhood sweetheart.
But he already has a family, and given their previous relationship, what is he doing here?
"Yu Mei, if you're afraid of feeling awkward, I'll stay with you," Tao Wan Niang said to the nervous Bai Yu Mei.
"Big sister, stay with me, I... my heart is pounding, I don't know why I'm so nervous," Bai Yumei said with a pained expression.
"Isn't it just seeing an old flame?" Tao Wanniang thought to herself, without uttering a word of teasing.
Chen Liansheng found out that the house no longer belonged to Master Huang. Seeing Bai Yumei, whose face was half-covered, coming out with Tao Wanniang, he excitedly stepped forward.
“Yu Mei, it’s you. I knew it was you the moment I saw it.”
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