Chapter 351 Letter from an Outsider
"You said my mother is worried about something?" Jiang Hongyu's face was full of surprise.
"Yes, I noticed some time ago that Mom spit out the medicine when we weren't paying attention. During this time, I kept an eye on her, and she didn't have a chance to spit it out. Her illness got better, but she started refusing to take the medicine. She only drank a small amount each time, and she always looked worried."
"I've asked the doctor, and he said Mom will recover if she takes her medicine properly. But she's been in a very bad state lately. I think she must be having some emotional issues that are causing her a lot of distress, and she can't resolve them right now."
"I think it has something to do with you. Every time I talk about you, she hesitates to speak. You can try asking mom."
Ye Mingzhu told Jiang Hongyu about her discovery and gave him an idea.
Jiang Hongyu thought for a moment and went into the backyard and to Aunt Jiang's room.
Ye Mingzhu did not follow them. She went to the kitchen and asked Yunniang to prepare food and hot water. After Jiang Hongyu finished talking to Aunt Jiang, they could eat and wash up.
After she had made all the arrangements, she sat outside Aunt Jiang's room. At first, there were only some unclear voices in the room.
Ye Mingzhu did not listen to what was said inside, but instead moved away and found excuses to send Ye Yunan and Lu Dou away when they came.
About a quarter of an hour later, Aunt Jiang's crying could be heard from inside the house, accompanied by sobs and some unclear words of comfort.
Ye Mingzhu guessed that Aunt Jiang must have expressed her worries.
Another quarter of an hour later, the door opened and Jiang Hongyu came out with a tense face. When he saw Ye Mingzhu, his expression relaxed, like the warm sun in winter, making people feel warm.
"I'll go get some hot water for you. After you've washed up, I'll bring you some food that's easy for you to digest."
"Okay, I'll go tell Yunniang." Ye Mingzhu said as she was about to turn around.
"I'll go, you stay here for a while and listen to the movements in the house." Jiang Hongyu's request was a bit strange. He actually asked Ye Mingzhu to wait outside the house.
Ye Mingzhu nodded as usual without asking any more questions.
Jiang Hongyu wanted to tell Ye Mingzhu what had just happened in the room, but he didn't know how to say it, so he could only go and arrange water and food for Aunt Jiang first.
After Jiang Hongyu left, Ye Mingzhu listened for some noise outside. When she didn't hear any unusual sounds, she sat outside with peace of mind.
"Mingzhu, is Mingzhu outside?" Aunt Jiang suddenly spoke from inside the house.
"Mom, I'm outside." Ye Mingzhu didn't know why Aunt Jiang wanted to call her, so she answered and went into the house.
She soon noticed that Aunt Jiang's condition was different from before.
Aunt Jiang used to be like a wilted eggplant, wrinkled and dry on the outside, and she looked much older. So when the doctor came two days ago, he called her old lady.
Aunt Jiang now has a smile on her face, and she looks much softer, no longer having that gloomy feeling.
"Mom, Hongyu is going to bring you hot water and food." Ye Mingzhu said proactively.
"Yes, I know," Aunt Jiang nodded. "Please sit down and let's talk."
Ye Mingzhu obediently sat on a small stool in front of the bed, so that she could hear clearly what Aunt Jiang said without touching each other.
"Mingzhu, I'm not Hongyu's biological mother." Aunt Jiang waited for Ye Mingzhu to sit down and suddenly spoke.
Ye Mingzhu could hardly hide the surprise on her face.
This is Aunt Jiang’s heart knot.
Aunt Jiang looked up into the air and her voice was a little vague when she talked about the past.
"My half-sister and I are only one year apart in age. Her aunt died young, so my father raised her with my mother. She has a good relationship with Xiao Song, who lives next door, and has always said she wants to marry him since she was a child."
"But unexpectedly, on the eve of their engagement, Xiao Song fell ill and died within a few days. My half-sister is a very good doctor. She felt that it was because she delayed Xiao Song's treatment that she became unhappy."
"I had been married for several years and still hadn't gotten pregnant. My father asked a female doctor to examine me and she said it was my own health problem and I would never be able to have children in this lifetime. I was heartbroken at the time and didn't pay much attention to my concubine sister's situation."
"Half a month later, when I returned to my parents' home, my father suggested that my step-sister give birth to a child for me, and that I take care of her in the future. My mother firmly disagreed. My step-sister had been raised by my mother since she was a child, and my mother wanted her to marry off in a proper manner."
Aunt Jiang paused and sighed deeply: "I didn't know at that time that my concubine's sister had no desire to live anymore."
"I don't know what my father and my step-sister discussed. One time, when my husband came to take me back to my parents' home, they slept together. My husband wanted to marry my step-sister, but she firmly disagreed."
"Later, it was discovered that my concubine's sister was pregnant. My husband, feeling guilty, agreed to have the child registered under my name."
"My concubine sister lived in my house, and I pretended to be pregnant to avoid the sight of the mansion."
"But I really didn't expect that my concubine sister would hide the medicine. After she gave birth to the child and confirmed it was a boy, she took one look at it and told me that it was my child, then she swallowed the medicine directly."
Aunt Jiang had a bitter smile on her face. "I saw her bleeding profusely and hurried to find someone, but she pulled me away, saying she didn't want to live anymore and wanted to find Xiao Song. She asked me to agree to bury them together."
"I sent my concubine sister back to her parents' home. My husband suspected that I had killed her. No matter how I explained, it was useless. Later, I simply gave up explaining and just raised Yu Ge'er well."
"Although I didn't drug my concubine sister, she died giving birth to my child. I feel so sorry for my concubine sister."
Aunt Jiang's eyes were filled with tears. "Mingzhu, I have always felt sorry for my concubine. If it weren't for giving birth to my child, she might not have died so early."
It turns out that this is Aunt Jiang’s heart knot.
Ye Mingzhu did not express any opinion. She just listened quietly, just like a few days ago when she first heard that Jiang Hongyu was not his biological son. She just acted as a quiet listener.
"I felt that I was the one who killed my half-sister, so when my husband doubted me and refused to listen to my explanation, I didn't blame him."
"Yu Ge'er and I were exiled, and I have always protected him. He is the memory left to me by my half-sister."
"But I'm afraid he'll think I killed his half-sister. I've already let his mother down, and I don't want to, and I don't dare, see his resentful eyes."
"Brother Yu said that my mother had told him about these things a long time ago. She also told him not to resent me and his mother. We all had no choice."
"Over the years, I haven't dared to have too much contact with my parents' family. Not only am I afraid of dragging them down, but I'm also afraid that he won't understand the truth and will become estranged from me."
Ye Mingzhu waited until Aunt Jiang finished speaking before comforting her: "Mom, you raised Yu Ge'er, you have to trust him."
"Yes, I believe him." Aunt Jiang repeated, her face looking more relaxed.
At this time, Jiang Hongyu brought in hot water. Ye Mingzhu wanted to help Aunt Jiang wash her face, but she refused. She washed her face herself and drank a bowl of porridge. She looked much better.
Jiang Hongyu asked her to lie down for a while and take the medicine later.
Ye Mingzhu and Jiang Hongyu walked out the door together. Jiang Hongyu said, "I received a letter from my maternal grandparents."
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