Mencius' mother gripped her wrist tightly, her knuckles turning white, her breathing rapid as if she were about to suffocate, and her voice low and hoarse, almost broken.
Meng Qingluan shook off her hand, picked up a piece of chestnut pastry that was still free of dust with her fingertips, and ate it.
I frowned. It was a bit sweet, almost cloyingly so.
It doesn't taste like chestnuts at all; it tastes more like mung beans...
"I am nobody, I am Meng Qingluan."
Meng Qingluan stood calmly in place, showing no sign of panic.
"You're lying!" Meng's mother's eyes were red. "Luanluan doesn't eat chestnut pastries. She'll feel pain and discomfort after eating them. I know that."
Meng Qingluan nodded. "Indeed, you haven't forgotten."
"Of course I haven't forgotten! How could I forget? I'm her mother, I'm the one who loves her the most, you can't lie to me! Tell me now, where have you hidden my child?"
Meng Qingluan sat in the chair, frowning as she watched her frantic state, and smiled helplessly.
"I didn't hide anywhere. I am Meng Qingluan. Believe it or not, you said I can't fool you. If you don't believe me, take a good look for yourself."
"Fine! You won't admit it, huh? Today I'm going to expose your true colors. I'll take you to the authorities! If you're some kind of monster, I'll spend whatever it takes to hire a master to destroy you."
"what ever."
Meng Qingluan gave a slight smirk, as if laughing at her overestimation of her abilities.
Mencius' mother scrutinized her closely, her sharp eyes not missing a single clue.
Finally, her fingertips trembled as she pulled down Meng Qingluan's collar, and upon seeing the black mole on her collarbone, she collapsed to the ground.
Her legs gave way and she collapsed to her knees, all her strength drained by her emotions. Her hairpins were scattered, and her meticulously styled hair was disheveled.
She is no longer a noblewoman; she's more like a madwoman, completely lacking in decorum.
"I beg you, please give me back my child. I'll give you whatever money you want, okay?"
"I have money, I have lots and lots of money. I have all kinds of treasures from the Western Regions, things that even the emperor has never seen! I can even give you human flesh and blood if you want! Whatever you want, I'll give you, okay?"
Meng's mother was no longer arrogant and angry. All her sharpness was gone, and she knelt on the ground, hugging Meng Qingluan's legs and sobbing and begging.
"I beg you, I only have this one child! I only want her!"
Meng Qingluan pulled her leg away, stood up, and grabbed her neck with one hand without any mercy, tightening her grip suddenly.
Mencius' mother was forced to look up at her, large tears streaming down her face, her lips trembling from lack of oxygen.
"I want your life, will you give it to me?"
"Here... I'll give it to you, please give her back to us, okay?"
"Ha," Meng Qingluan released her and clapped her hands, "What would I do with your life? What's your life worth? Besides, even if you died, could you bring Meng Qingluan back to life?"
"What...what do you mean? What have you done to my child?" Meng's mother covered her neck, coughing and crying bitterly.
"You're asking me?" Meng Qingluan pointed at herself, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Madam Meng, why don't you ask yourself what you did to her?"
"us……"
"Do you want me to give you a proper introduction? After you left, she was all alone. She wasn't as strong as you imagined. In order to make life a little easier in such a difficult life, just a little bit... she followed behind those people who were like rats in the street. She ran errands for them and took the blame for them."
"Do you think she wants to? It's because you're not here that she's all alone in the village, and everyone can take advantage of her because she doesn't have parents. She gets bullied by thugs, but at least she doesn't have to endure those blatant scorn anymore!"
“You all know she wasn’t in good health! But there was no stove in winter, and she got frostbite all over her body. She had no one to support her, so she was timid and afraid of trouble. Even when she went to work, she was bullied and exploited. Where were you when she was dying?”
Meng's mother broke down; she covered her ears, trying to block out Meng Qingluan's words.
Meng Qingluan smiled and ruthlessly shattered her last glimmer of hope.
“She’s dead. You’ll never see her again, and you don’t deserve to see her.”
"No—" Meng's mother stood up, her emotions running high. Suddenly, she pressed Meng Qingluan to the ground and forcefully choked her neck with both hands.
"You're lying to me! My Luanluan couldn't be dead. She said she was waiting for me to come back, waiting for me to take her to the city to see the lanterns, to take her to the temple fair. We haven't even had a chance to do any of those things yet, how could she possibly be dead?"
Meng Qingluan was pinned down by her, but her smile only grew brighter, mocking her overestimation of her abilities and her self-deception.
"She is dead."
"ah--"
Unable to bring herself to do it, Meng's mother fell backward to the ground, her body drained of color and falling into complete silence.
If it weren't for the rise and fall of her chest, Meng Qingluan would have thought she was a corpse.
Meng Qingluan covered her neck and coughed violently, but she felt more relaxed than ever before.
The original owner forgave her, and she will not stop it.
But she wanted them to know that the original owner's death was absolutely related to them.
She had considered that her body would die along with her when she left, and she had originally intended for them to experience pain at that time.
But then I thought, why should I?
Meng Qingluan suffered the pain of unrequited love and waiting for more than ten years; why should they only have to endure the pain of separation by death?
"I'm sorry, I apologize for taking the liberty of doing this," Meng Qingluan thought to herself.
"Just kill me."
Mencius' mother, who was lying on the ground, suddenly spoke, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
Only in this way can she be reunited with her child.
"Why should I?" Meng Qingluan sneered. "If I kill you, I'll have to go to jail. If you want to die, then die yourself."
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