Chapter 244: Pulling Up a Weeping Willow
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
From that moment on, Jiang Yun Jin could no longer face Lu Yan Shu or Madam Xu.
At that time, Madam Xu had no daughter of her own, so she treated Jiang Yun Jin, who had been engaged since childhood, as half a daughter. She would often send good things her way, treating her with deep and genuine affection. However, after Lu Yan Shu’s accident, the smile disappeared from Madam Xu’s face. Whenever she saw Jiang Yun Jin, there was only politeness and distance.
Jiang Yun Jin lay on her bed, tears streaming down her face. “I was just so scared… scared that he might die because of me, and I couldn’t bear that responsibility…” She couldn’t clearly explain her feelings at the time, only knowing she couldn’t let anyone find out that it was her fault Lu Yan Shu drowned.
She tightly clutched a broken jade pendant in her hand. Madam Xu had once valued her and was willing to support her, making her life glorious for those few years. But as for Madam Pei? Before the wedding, she acted as close as a mother to Jiang Yun Jin. On the wedding day, she eyed her dowry with greed.
Jiang Yun Jin’s regrets were her own, but at this moment, Madam Xu was also filled with emotion.
“I never expected she would come looking for you. I thought she would never show up in front of you again.” Madam Xu sighed. “She was your fiancée, and you saved her. I had no objections to that. But she was selfish, and after being rescued, she didn’t call for help, causing you to be underwater for too long. I did have some resentment in my heart… How could I not resent it?”
“But later, I thought, she was just a little girl, ignorant and frightened. She must have been scared out of her wits…” Madam Xu’s eyes reddened. “But I never expected… she would turn out like this. How did saving a life turn into a grudge?”
“Because she couldn’t repay the debt,” Lu Chao Chao said while braiding Chasing Wind’s hair.
[Besides, how can she be called frightened? That’s selfishness. Even strangers would shout for help when they see someone drowning. But she, to avoid being scolded, hid and shirked responsibility. That’s selfishness!] Lu Chao Chao harshly criticized in her heart.
Madam Xu wiped her tears. “Yan Shu’s marriage was delayed. Now that he’s older, he should look around more.”
“We just don’t have a connection with Miss Jiang,” Madam Xu whispered.
“Mommy, it’s her loss,” Lu Chao Chao said with the simplicity of a child.
“Yes, yes, our Chao Chao is right. It’s her loss…” Madam Xu smiled through her tears.
Those years were truly a nightmare for her. She had nightmares every night, dreaming of Yan Shu drowning. Countless times she woke up crying, stumbling into her eldest son’s room, only to feel reassured after checking his breathing. She was terrified that her son would buckle under the pressure and take his own life. She bore immense pressure over the years. Fortunately, she had Chao Chao.
“After the Sunshine Festival, big brother will get his results…” Lu Chao Chao said with a face full of anticipation.
Lu Yan Shu’s lips curved into a slight smile.
“Alright, you should go rest now. I still have to prepare for the Sunshine Festival tomorrow,” Madam Xu said with a smile.
The Sunshine Festival is a traditional festival to honor the gods. The family starts early in the morning, preparing pork, lamb, and pastries. The maids and servants fold gold paper for the offerings to be used in tomorrow’s rituals. Madam Xu personally packed the pastries into molds, pressing them into floral patterns and arranging them neatly.
“Mommy, can I have a bite?” Lu Chao Chao held out her little hand.
Madam Xu shook her head. “No, we have to honor the gods first. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the gods.”
“The Sunshine Festival is said to be the birthday of a certain deity, the teacher of all gods in heaven. Of course, it’s just a legend. How could we mere mortals know about the affairs of gods?”
“You should go rest. Staying up late will stunt your growth.”
Lu Chao Chao sniffed the sweet scent in the air, reluctantly leaving. The little one lay in bed, curling her lips into a smile. [So, everyone will celebrate my birthday too…]
The little one couldn’t be happier.
….
Nightfall, Zhou Shu Yao quietly dismounted her horse and tiptoed into the mansion.
“Is my mother asleep?” she asked the maid in a low voice.
The maid at the door hung her head, not daring to speak.
“Am I going to eat you?” Zhou Shu Yao quipped. “Why are you so scared?”
“You always get into trouble. You beat up Jiang Yun Jin and her mother, gained fame from that one fight, and now even marriage is difficult for you. And you’re still visiting the Suyun Pavilion!” Rong Zhen Zhen said, her eyes red with anger.
She was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, with a married eldest son and a grandson. Yet her daughter remained unmarried.
Lord Zhou, her father-in-law, was the first person Lu Chao Chao sought to collect debts from.
Zhou Shu Yao grinned sheepishly. “Mother, I swear I won’t go to the Suyun Pavilion again.”
As if that mattered, the Suyun Pavilion had turned into a duck restaurant now. What would she do there?
Madam Rong sighed. “The moon rises bright, a gentle maiden fair, but you, Shu Yao, are a constant worry. Your name means you should be gentle and beautiful, but how did it turn out like this?”
“Look at other girls, as delicate as lotus flowers, their waists like willows swaying in the wind… and look at you…”
Zhou Shu Yao glanced at herself. “I’m fine, brimming with vitality.”
“And besides…”
“Mother, you underestimate me. I might not be a delicate willow, but I do have something in common with willows, don’t I?”
Madam Rong looked at her, puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”
“I can pull up a weeping willow, isn’t that willow-related?”
Madam Rong was so exasperated she nearly fainted, pointing at Zhou Shu Yao but unable to speak for a while.
She coldly laughed. “Other girls love flowers. What do you love?”
Zhou Shu Yao pouted, looking at her mother cautiously. “Mother, isn’t knocking out someone’s brains also a form of appreciating flowers?”
“I’m quite good at ruthlessly destroying flowers too…”
“Ouch…”
“Mother, why hit me while talking?” Zhou Shu Yao winced, holding her arm.
Her mother sure knew how to pinch.
Madam Rong pointed at her, fuming. “You and your cousin are a perfect match.”
“With whom? He’s in his thirties, and I’m only seventeen. How can we be a perfect match? Besides, he doesn’t meet my standards. I like good-looking people!”
“Mother, please don’t insult me.”
“Our Rong family’s bloodline isn’t exactly known for intelligence. If I marry into his family, our children would be doubly dull.”
“He picked Shi Yun to elevate his bloodline. He made the right choice. Her family is full of geniuses.”
Zhou Shu Yao’s disdain was evident.
“Good looks don’t matter. What’s important is talent and character!”
“Good looks can’t be eaten as food!” Madam Rong was exasperated.
Zhou Shu Yao disagreed vehemently.
“Mother, who says good looks can’t be eaten? Looking at them makes me eat two more bowls of rice!” Back then, Jiang Yun Jin disdained Lu Yan Shu for being disabled…
She was actually quite infatuated.
Regardless of his intellect or disability, she could take care of him for a lifetime because of his face. She could even quit visiting the Suyun Pavilion.
Now, she dared not imagine.
If Rong Che proposed to Madam Xu and she married Lu Yan Shu…
She would have to call Rong Che ‘stepfather’?
Unbelievable!
Madam Rong looked at her without expression, then turned to leave.
“It’s late, where are you going?” Zhou Shu Yao asked.
“I’m going to find your uncle.”
“Does he chop trees, dig up ancestral graves, and fill in ponds just to ruin your marriage prospects?!”
It was over; her daughter would never get married.