Chapter 21 Lies If one day, mother can no longer always be with you...
It was quiet, the hour of midnight had passed.
The servants who went out to look for people returned to the Jiang Mansion one after another, but all found nothing.
As time passed, Song Baoyuan's heart could not calm down. She paced the courtyard repeatedly, unable to hide her worry.
Jiang Keyu's identity is unique, and if she gets involved in a complex case, she's very likely to be in danger. She'd once faced an assassination attempt on her way home, and although she managed to escape, who knows if it would happen again.
"Madam, it's cold outside, please go inside and wait." Qiao Yue came out holding a cloak.
Song Baoyuan shook her head and walked out to the gate of the mansion, looking around at the door.
“Isn’t that Lu’an?”
Qiao Yue pointed to the distance and saw a carriage slowly approaching.
Liu'an, who was driving, saw so many people at the door, scratched his face, and said loudly, "My dear, it seems that the lady is waiting for you at the door."
Jiang Keyu, who was feeling tired in the carriage, was about to fall asleep. When she heard this, she was suddenly startled and suddenly opened the curtain.
My heart suddenly started beating faster and I felt extremely panicked.
"It's my husband!" Qiao Yue confirmed.
Jiang Keyu jumped out of the carriage before it stopped. "It's so cold outside, why is Madam standing here?"
He walked towards me, reeking of alcohol and... a faint scent of powder.
Song Baoyuan's worried heart suddenly stopped beating, and the feeling of suffocation came quietly, making her speechless.
"My dear, you came back so late without even sending a message home in advance. I have been waiting for you outside for at least two or three hours. I am so worried!" Qiao Yue said dissatisfiedly.
"I……"
Jiang Keyu's normally quick brain suddenly stopped working, and she stuttered for the first time, "Sorry, I..."
The hand hidden under the cloak quietly tightened. Song Baoyuan, hoping for a chance, asked, "You, went to drink wine?"
"I, I had a sudden social event with my colleagues today, so, so I drank a few more glasses." Jiang Keyu's mouth was dry and her heartbeat was uncontrollable. "It was just a few more drinks, and I didn't expect it to be so late. I, I forgot to ask Liu'an to come back and tell you. I'm sorry."
Song Baoyuan turned her face away and said, "I see."
She strode back, "I'm glad you're okay."
She was getting farther and farther away from him. Jiang Keyu's mind went blank. He suddenly felt panicked about losing something important. He grabbed her hand as if in fear.
"Are you angry?"
His palm was burning, Song Baoyuan felt it was scorching, and she couldn't wait to pull it away.
"No, you have a lot of work to do, so you have to socialize with your colleagues. I know that." Song Baoyuan pulled the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile, and naturally broke free from his palm. "Drinking so much must be uncomfortable. You should get some rest early."
She suddenly felt a little cold.
*
After a sleepless night, Song Baoyuan lay on the bed with the quilt covering her head, covering herself tightly.
It seems that this can provide some comfort.
But what filled her ears were the nanny's words, the crying of Chengcheng and Suisui, and the discussions of outsiders... It seemed as if they had dragged her into a whirlpool.
Influenced by her family at home, Song Baoyuan has been sensitive to the smell of alcohol since she was a child.
In the past, Jiang Keyu drank alcohol for two reasons: socializing and gatherings with friends. The drinks at social events were usually chosen by her superiors, and they were always different. But when she was with friends, the drinks she drank were always her own preferences, and they were relatively simple.
This time, it's clearly the latter.
He lied.
Tears slid silently from the corners of her eyes, salty, but made her know what bitterness tasted like.
On the other side, Jiang Keyu stayed in the bathroom for half an hour, but when she came out, she still smelled of alcohol.
The left side leads to the bedroom, and the right side leads to the study. He stood there for a long time, unable to move.
Deliberately not telling would obviously lead to such a consequence, but why did he still do such a stupid thing?
He suddenly didn't understand himself.
Finally, he walked towards the study.
The next morning, when Song Baoyuan opened her eyes, she saw nothing but white. It took a while for her vision to become clearer.
Sui Sui's giggling sound came from outside, which seemed like an illusion, but also seemed not to be.
When she got up, she felt dizzy. She sat on the bed for half a minute before getting up, walking to the window and opening it.
In the courtyard, the father and his two sons were sitting around a stone table, eating breakfast in the open air.
Song Baoyuan was stunned by the sight. Jiang Keyu, dressed in a moon-white, wide-sleeved robe, looked gentle and modest. He was patiently feeding the dancing Jiang Suisui, while Jiang Chengyou, standing beside him, seemed to be under a spell, eating his breakfast obediently.
"mother!"
Jiang Suisui saw her first, and before he could swallow the food in his mouth, he shouted incoherently.
When Jiang Keyu turned around, Song Baoyuan had already left through the window.
After disappearing for a moment, he walked out of the room.
"I'm up."
"Yeah." Song Baoyuan came over and touched Jiang Chengyou's head, "How come you have time to have breakfast with them today?"
"I'm taking a day off today." Jiang Keyu continued to feed her daughter, "Tomorrow too."
Song Baoyuan nodded slowly, "Then why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
"I woke up when it was time."
Song Baoyuan sat down next to him and looked carefully, "Why is Chengcheng eating with his left hand?"
"Because..." Jiang Chengyou lowered his head and said seriously, "Because the teacher said that children who can use their left hand are smarter."
Jiang Keyu glanced at him and mercilessly exposed him, "Did the teacher say that, or did you say it yourself?"
Jiang Chengyou pouted and did not argue.
"Speaking of the Master, Master Zhuang left yesterday," Song Baoyuan said softly, "because you didn't come back, so he said goodbye to me."
"Yeah, I know."
Song Baoyuan raised her hand and wiped the flesh from the corner of her son's mouth. "Chengcheng has just started learning, and it's suddenly interrupted. Isn't it bad?"
"I've already arranged for a new teacher. I'll be at home these two days, so I'll continue teaching him."
Song Baoyuan's eyelids twitched. "You?"
Jiang Keyu felt strange when she heard her questioning tone. "I may not be as good as Master Zhuang, but I shouldn't have any major problems in the next two days."
"That's not what I meant." Song Baoyuan whispered.
Looking at Jiang Chengyou, I thought to myself, no wonder he was so well-behaved today.
"Jiang Chengyou." Jiang Keyu put down her daughter's empty bowl and said, "Come with me to Jingzhai after dinner."
"oh."
Jiang Chengyou stole a glance at his mother, looking pitiful.
Seeing him like this, Song Baoyuan hesitated to speak.
But until Jiang Chengyou finished his meal reluctantly and left with Jiang Keyu, she didn't say anything, but just signaled Qiao Yin to follow with her eyes.
Jiang Suisui, who stayed behind, lay on her mother's lap, watching her brother's tragic figure disappear. She asked curiously, "Mom, is going to school so scary? My brother hasn't been this scared even when setting off firecrackers!"
Song Baoyuan patted her head and said, "Brother, you're not afraid of going to school, you're afraid of Daddy."
"What's there to be afraid of, Daddy?" Jiang Suisui was puzzled, shaking her arms into a big circle, "Daddy is so good!"
Her daughter looked so innocent and lovely that she seemed to melt anyone's heart. Song Baoyuan was lost in thought for a moment, then she smiled and reached out, gently pinching her cheek.
The time after breakfast was spent in confusion and leisure. Song Baoyuan sat under the shade of a tree, not interested in doing anything, so she just watched Jiang Suisui and the maids playing quietly.
Near noon, Qiao Yin came trotting back, complaining aggrievedly, "My husband said I was spying on him, so he told me to come back and take care of his wife, and he wouldn't let me stay in Jingzhai."
Song Baoyuan was not surprised, "Did Chengcheng make his father angry?"
Qiao Yin shook her head, then nodded, unsure, and could only tell the truth: "The young master has always had a stern face, and the young master is quite obedient. But perhaps because he couldn't meet the young master's requirements, he was spanked several times."
"Was it a severe blow?"
"It didn't look serious to me, and it didn't sound loud. But the young master was beaten so hard that his teeth were bared, but he didn't make a sound."
"Which hand did you hit?" Qiao Yue suddenly interrupted, looking a little anxious.
Qiao Yin spread out her hands and described the situation vividly, "Originally, I was going to hit his left hand, because the right hand was supposed to hold a pen. But not long after, the young master complained that his right hand hurt. My husband said he was lazy and made up a stupid excuse, saying he couldn't even write a complete word, so he hit his right hand three times."
"Ah?" Qiao Yue scratched her hands as if she had been hit.
Song Baoyuan saw that something was wrong with her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qiao Yue pursed her lips, seeming to be embarrassed.
After much hesitation, she finally confessed, "This morning, just after getting up, the young master and the young lady were playing in the room, and the young master accidentally got his hand caught in the door. I was the only one who saw it, but the young master said he was fine and it didn't hurt, and he didn't let me tell you, Madam."
"If he tells you not to say it, you really won't say it?" Song Baoyuan frowned and stood up and left.
Qiao Yue felt guilty for only a moment, "Where are you going, Madam?"
He quickly followed.
In Jingzhai, all the maids were sent away, leaving only the father and son sitting opposite each other, and there was not a trace of joy on either of their faces.
"Is this what Master Zhuang taught you? You can't even hold a pen properly!"
Jiang Chengyou didn't dare say a word. He held the pen in an odd way, and even after being told off, he didn't change. He poked the palm of his right hand with his left index finger and stole a glance at the ruler on the table.
Jiang Keyu noticed his little movements and picked up the ruler as if to intimidate him.
"I, I..." Jiang Chengyou suddenly spoke in a panic.
"What do you mean by 'you'?" Jiang Keyu became even more angry when he saw him shrinking back. "Lift your head up, don't hunch over!"
Jiang Chengyou immediately raised his neck and straightened his back, but he did not change the way he held the pen.
Jiang Keyu had no choice but to stand up and walk behind him, correcting him personally and teaching him step by step.
"Dad." Jiang Chengyou looked up, "My hand hurts."
"How long have you been holding the pen?" Jiang Keyu grabbed her son's ear with her free hand, "Are you crying out in pain already?"
Jiang Chengyou pouted.
After a while, hurried footsteps were heard from outside, which was hard not to notice.
The father and son looked together and saw Song Baoyuan walking towards them in such a hurry that she was almost running.
Jiang Keyu let go of her son's hand puzzledly and stood up straight. "What's the hurry?"
"Chengcheng!" Song Baoyuan ignored him, took the pen from Jiang Chengyou's hand, spread out his right hand, and examined it carefully, "Does it still hurt?"
Jiang Chengyou opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and he looked a little helpless.
Jiang Keyu was extremely helpless. "It's just writing a word. Don't spoil him too much."
Song Baoyuan felt as if her heart was blocked by a ball of cotton, and she felt itchy and suffocated. She looked at her son's aggrieved face, and suddenly her nose felt sore.
"We don't want to learn anymore." She picked up her son and turned away.
Jiang Keyu was not expecting this and was stunned for a moment, "Madam!"
When she was called, Song Baoyuan had already walked to the door. Although she stopped, she did not turn back immediately.
"It's okay if you spoil him on a daily basis." Jiang Keyu took two steps forward, feeling a little annoyed. "But you can't always give in to him. If you do that, he will..."
"Didn't you hear him say he felt pain?" Song Baoyuan turned around suddenly and clenched her palms where the other person couldn't see.
Jiang Keyu was stunned. Was it tears that flashed in her eyes?
"But……"
"You believe what others say, but not what your own son says!" Song Baoyuan couldn't help but tremble in her voice, "You're always like this!"
Jiang Keyu was confused, "How could I have that?"
Her eyes were red, and she seemed even more aggrieved than the day she was at Chang's house.
"I, I..." Jiang Keyu didn't know how to argue, and seeing her like this, he was even more speechless.
Song Baoyuan suppressed the urge to cry, not wanting to appear cowardly in front of him, so she turned and left.
Jiang Keyu hesitated for a long time, but still chased out of Jingzhai, but was stopped by a weak voice calling "Daddy" from the corner.
"Sui Sui? Why are you here?"
Jiang Suisui, who had followed secretly, squatted in the corner, confusion written all over her little face, "Daddy."
Jiang Keyu stepped forward and picked her up. Jiang Suisui leaned on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Daddy, what happened to Mommy?"
Jiang Keyu couldn't answer.
*
Before returning to the bedroom, Song Baoyuan placed Jiang Chengyou on the stone table in the courtyard and carefully examined his right hand again.
"Mom, I don't feel any pain anymore." Jiang Chengyou was panicking, "Don't cry."
"Mom didn't cry." Song Baoyuan touched his face. "Your hand got caught in the door, and you didn't even tell Mom?"
Jiang Chengyou tilted his head and puffed up his face.
"Chengcheng doesn't even trust mother anymore?"
"No!" Jiang Chengyou denied anxiously, then immediately fell into a dilemma, his voice getting smaller and smaller, "Because, because Mom has been unhappy recently, so I don't want to cause trouble for her."
Song Baoyuan was stunned when she heard this, then raised the corner of her mouth, "Mother is not unhappy."
"Yes! Mom is just unhappy every day!" Jiang Chengyou started to cry as he spoke, "Mom has been unhappy since we came back from Uncle Chang's house. It's because I, I caused trouble for Mom that day, right?"
"No!"
Jiang Chengyou wiped his eyes carelessly, "It's because of me..."
"No, it has nothing to do with Chengcheng, don't think that way." Song Baoyuan denied it, but her eyes couldn't help but turn red, "I'm sorry, it's my fault, mother..."
Her heart ached like a needle prick, she was full of self-pity and depression, and she even caused her innocent child to be cautious and lose his childlike nature.
She is not a satisfactory wife, nor a competent mother.
Song Baoyuan's tears blurred her vision, and she didn't understand why she had made everything so bad.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault."
Jiang Chengyou became more and more at a loss, "Mom, I, I made you sad again."
"No."
Before tears overflowed from her eyes, Song Baoyuan hugged Jiang Chengyou in her arms and wiped her tears behind him, "It's not Chengcheng's fault."
Song Baoyuan felt like she was stuck in a quagmire. The result of sinking deeper and deeper was self-abandonment, being swallowed up, and never seeing the light of day again.
A myriad of thoughts converged into the idea of escaping.
"Chengcheng." Song Baoyuan's eyes were like a dead sea. "If one day, mother can't always be with you and your sister, what will you do?"
Jiang Chengyou raised his head and said, "Then mother, will you be happier than you are now?"
Song Baoyuan didn't know, so she said, "Maybe."
"Then I, I will take good care of my sister for mother and wait for mother to come back!"
He thought it was a perfect answer, so he raised his chin proudly, waiting for praise.
But Song Baoyuan bit her lips and was crying so hard that she couldn't respond, only her shoulders were shaking.
In the shade of the trees in the distance, Jiang Keyu stood quietly holding her daughter, looking at each other from afar.
Jiang Suisui blinked her big eyes in confusion, "Dad, did you make Mom angry?"
Jiang Keyu didn't understand either, so he said, "Maybe."
After a long silence, he lowered his head and asked, "Sui Sui will go and comfort mother later, okay?"
"Why doesn't Dad go himself?"
Jiang Keyu felt that the questions she encountered today were all so difficult to answer, "Because, Daddy doesn't know how to do it."
"Why wouldn't Daddy?" Jiang Suisui was puzzled. "Just kiss and hug, and then..." She rubbed against Daddy's chest, "Just beg Mommy like this, beg her not to be angry!"
Jiang Keyu's eyes were full of confusion.
"Daddy... not as good as Sui Sui. Daddy, I can't do it."
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