Hearing this, Meng Qingluan, who had already walked out of the hall, stopped and turned around.
"You have your reasons? Just because you have your reasons, does that mean I should forgive you for abandoning me?"
"Don't you know who your uncle and aunt are? When you dumped me on them, did you ever think about how I would be treated?!"
Mencius's mother and father were both stunned. Their lips moved, but they eventually lowered their heads helplessly.
Not enough, still not enough. Meng Qingluan's anger was ignited, along with a great sense of grievance.
An anger that wasn't hers prompted her to continue questioning the two men.
“I had to go around begging for food from my neighbors in the freezing winter. My uncle and aunt wouldn’t give me any food, but they were afraid that my appearance would make them look bad.”
“They beat me up and locked me in their house. You had only been gone for two days! I had a fever, and I had a fever for three whole days. If it weren’t for the neighbor lady taking pity on me and feeding me rice gruel, I would have died.”
“Do you know how much I wanted to see you back then? I wanted you to come back, I wanted you to be by my side the moment I opened my eyes, feeding me medicine and seeking justice for my uncle and aunt.”
Meng Qingluan was emotional, and tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, flowing down to the corners of her mouth.
The salty and astringent taste filled my mouth and then flowed into my lungs.
She personally ripped open the old wounds, displaying them to the two of them in a bloody display, while simultaneously rubbing salt into their hearts.
Mencius's parents were heartbroken upon hearing this, and they wept uncontrollably.
How could they not have considered that Meng Qingluan might suffer hardships living alone? But they truly never expected it to turn out like this…
“Luanluan, if we had known it would be like this, your father and mother would never have left you alone at home.”
Meng Qingluan wiped away her tears, turned her head and sneered.
"Madam Meng, why are you playing the good guy now? Didn't I ask you two for help back then?"
“I cried and begged you not to leave, and I even secretly climbed onto your carriage. At that time, you went to great lengths to send me back the way I came.”
"..."
"Where are the letters you promised to send me? Apart from the three in the first year, have I received any more?"
“I thought you were dead… I even thought about going with you so that our family could be reunited. But I was afraid that you would suddenly come back looking for me one day, and that you wouldn’t be able to find me, so I endured it all and continued to live on.”
Meng's father choked up as he explained, "Luanluan, we wanted to send you a letter, but the environment in the Western Regions is too harsh, and the letters we sent could not be delivered to you..."
"Really? Not only did you not die, but you are living very well. Now you have a child late in life. Judging from his age, he should be about the same age as me. In such a harsh environment in the Western Regions, you were able to have a child, but you couldn't send back a single letter."
“Child, things are definitely not as you think. That child isn’t…”
"Alright, I don't want to hear anymore," Meng Qingluan interrupted.
"Luanluan, we..." Meng's mother lay on the ground, trying to crawl to Meng Qingluan's side, but then pulled back, afraid that Meng would find her contact annoying. "I know that the debts your father and I owe you cannot be made up for in a few words. Why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea and rest?"
"I need to go home; I shouldn't stay any longer."
As if she had caught something, Meng's mother hurriedly said with tears in her eyes.
"Where are you going back to? The refugee camp? Why don't you stay at home? I'll go and tidy up a room for you myself right now."
Meng Qingluan stood there indifferently, the three of them separated by half a hall, yet it seemed as if an insurmountable chasm separated them.
“No need.” Meng Qingluan turned around. “From now on, we will be separated by the vast road ahead.”
"No, please..."
Mencius' mother broke free from her husband's embrace and tried to chase after him, but she was too weak and fell to the ground.
“Shunuan, the child is angry right now. Let’s go find her another day, explain things to her properly, and then bring her back.”
Mencius' mother looked confused.
“Where will she go back to? You and I have been to those refugee camps before. They're a mixed bag of people. I'm worried about her.”
“Luanluan doesn’t look like a refugee…she might already be married,” Meng’s father boldly stated his guess.
Mencius' mother turned her head, and the disbelief in her eyes quickly turned into deep guilt.
"What... is that family nice? Let's hurry and go see the child. If that family isn't nice, we'll bring her back."
"Okay, you should get some rest first."
“I will get enough rest. How can I explain things to my child if I don’t get enough rest? I will tell her that everything we have worked so hard for will be left to her, including Xiao An…”
"Alright," Meng's father stopped her in time, "It wouldn't be good if Xiao An heard this. We'll explain it to Luan Luan later."
"Um."
"..."
Meng Qingluan walked out of the gate with her head held high and her chest out, only realizing that the cool liquid had slid down to her collarbone when she got into the carriage.
The throbbing pain in my chest still lingers, bitter and sore, gathering in my heart.
As the heat in Meng Qingluan's mind gradually subsided, her palm unconsciously touched her chest.
It took a while for the dull pain to subside somewhat...
Meng Qingluan leaned against him, her head bobbing up and down...
It seems the original owner's obsession with her parents ran too deep; the heartache she felt was far beyond what she could imagine. It was a pain that came from the depths of her heart, a pain so intense it felt like it was tearing her body apart…
Besides pain, there was also overwhelming grievance, but no hatred.
Back home, Meng Qingluan locked herself in her bedroom and didn't even go out for dinner.
Shen Yan finished his official business and returned just before dinner.
Upon entering the side hall, one sees a table laden with a dazzling array of dishes, but Meng Qingluan is nowhere to be seen.
Shen Yan asked, "Where is Madam?"
"Madam is feeling unwell and is resting in her room."
"Okay, I understand." Shen Yan ordered a few dishes from the table. "Heat these up and bring them directly to the bedroom."
"yes."
"..."
As Shen Yan walked to the door, he saw Mei Yuan standing guard at the entrance, looking worried.
Upon seeing him, a look of joy appeared on her face.
"Lord Shen!"
"Shhh."
Chen Yan put his index finger to his lips, signaling Mei Yuan to be quiet, afraid of disturbing Meng Qingluan's rest.
With a low voice and slightly reddened eyes, Mei Yuan hurriedly walked to a spot not far from Chen Yan to report the situation.
"My lord. After Madam returned today, she did not say a word, and her eyes were swollen as if she had been crying. We servants did not ask any questions when we saw that Madam was not in a good condition, and waited for you to return to report the situation."
Chen Yan frowned.
"Who did Madam meet this afternoon?"
Dollar thought for a moment, "Madam saw a play at the theater today and seemed to have run into the Seventh Prince... but she was fine when she left the theater, and after rescuing a young master and returning home..."
"I understand, you may leave now."
"yes."
Chen Yan quietly pushed open the door and carefully closed it.
Meng Qingluan was sleeping in bed. As Shen Yan approached, he noticed that her eyelids were swollen, clearly indicating that she had been crying.
Chen Yan brushed aside the stray hairs stuck to her forehead, not intending to wake her.
Meng Qingluan didn't sleep very deeply. She heard the sound when the door was pushed open, and then slowly opened her eyes.
“A sunken inkstone…”
Meng Qingluan called his name subconsciously.
"Hmm, are you hungry?"
Seeing that she was about to get up, Shen Yan raised his hand to support her back and help her up.
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