Chapter 244: Uprooting the Drooping Willow
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
From that moment on—
Jiang Yun Jin could no longer face Lu Yan Shu, nor could she face Madam Xu.
At that time, Madam Xu had no daughter of her own.
She had treated Jiang Yun Jin, betrothed since childhood, as half a daughter.
Any good thing she acquired, she would eagerly send over, cherishing her deeply.
But ever since Lu Yan Shu’s accident, Madam Xu’s smile had vanished.
When she saw Jiang Yun Jin, only politeness and distance remained.
Lying on her bed, Jiang Yun Jin let a silent tear slip down her cheek.
“I was just too afraid… afraid he would die because of me… that I wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility…” Even she could not fully comprehend her own thoughts back then. She only knew—
She could not let anyone discover that Lu Yan Shu had drowned because of her.
Jiang Yun Jin clenched the shattered jade pendant in her hand.
Madam Xu had once held her in high regard, willingly supporting her. For years, she had lived in glory.
And Madam Pei?
Before marriage, she had treated her as though she were her own daughter.
On the day of the wedding, however, she coveted her dowry.
Jiang Yun Jin’s regrets were endless.
Meanwhile, Madam Xu sighed with emotion.
“I never imagined she would still come looking for you. I had thought she would never appear before you again.” Madam Xu exhaled softly.
“She was your betrothed. You saved her—I had no complaints.”
“But because of her selfishness, after being rescued, she refused to call for help, leaving you submerged for too long. I cannot deny that I once harbored resentment…” How could she not?
“But later, I thought… she was just a little girl—ignorant, timid. She must have been terrified…”
“I just never imagined… she would become like this.” Madam Xu’s eyes reddened.
“A life-saving grace—how did it turn into hatred?”
“Because she cannot repay the debt.” Lu Chao Chao braided Windchaser’s fur while speaking.
[Besides, calling her timid? That was sheer selfishness.]
[A stranger who witnesses someone drowning would still cry for help.]
[But my brother, in order to save her, nearly drowned. And she, fearing blame, hid away to escape responsibility. That was pure selfishness!]
Lu Chao Chao’s heart was unreserved in its critique.
Madam Xu wiped her tears. “Yan Shu was delayed in his marriage. Now that he is growing older, he must begin looking for a suitable match.”
“We and Jiang Yun Jin… have no fate.” Madam Xu whispered.
“Mother, it is she who lacks the fortune.”
“Yes, yes, our little Chao Chao speaks the truth. It is she who lacks fortune…” Madam Xu, through her tears, broke into a smile.
Those years had been a nightmare for her.
Night after night, she dreamt of Yan Shu drowning.
Countless times, she woke up in tears, stumbling into her son’s room, only resting easy after feeling his breath.
She had feared that the weight of it all might drive her eldest son to despair.
These years had been heavy with burden.
Thankfully, she had Chao Chao.
“Once the Sunshine Festival passes, Eldest Brother’s results will be out…” Lu Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
A faint smile graced Lu Yan Shu’s lips.
“Enough, you all should rest. I still have preparations to make for tomorrow’s Sunshine Festival.” Madam Xu’s eyes crinkled with warmth.
The Sunshine Festival was a day to honor the gods.
Early in the morning, pigs and sheep were slaughtered, pastries prepared, and servants folded gold ingots for the offerings.
Madam Xu personally molded the pastries, pressing them into floral patterns and arranging them neatly.
“Mother, let me have a bite…” Lu Chao Chao stretched out her small hands.
Madam Xu shook her head. “That won’t do. Only after offering them to the gods can we eat. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful.”
“It is said that the Sunshine Festival marks the birthday of a great deity—the teacher of the celestial gods. Of course, that is but a legend. How could we mortals know the affairs of the heavens?”
“Now, off to bed with you. Staying up late will stunt your growth.”
Lu Chao Chao sniffed the sweet fragrance in the air, reluctant to leave.
She lay on her bed, a bright smile curling on her lips.
[So, they still celebrate my birthday…]
The little one was overjoyed.
That night—
Zhou Shu Yao dismounted lightly, sneaking into the manor.
“Has my mother gone to sleep?” she whispered to the maidservant.
The little maid at the door lowered her head, too afraid to speak.
“What? Do you think I’ll eat you?”
“Why must you always be so unruly?”
“Can’t you behave yourself? Back then, you made a name for yourself by thrashing Jiang Yun Jin and her mother. That single battle made even marriage proposals difficult for you. And now… you’re still sneaking off to Plain Cloud Hall?!” Rong Zhen Zhen’s eyes were red with anger.
She was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, her eldest son already married with a grandchild of his own.
Yet her daughter—still unwed.
Official Zhou was her father-in-law.
When Lu Chao Chao came collecting debts, the first to be targeted was her father-in-law.
Zhou Shu Yao grinned sheepishly. “Mother, I won’t go anymore. I swear, never again.”
Oh, please. Plain Cloud Hall had switched to selling ducks—what was there to visit?
Madam Rong sighed. “I named you Shu Yao, hoping you would be gentle and graceful. And yet, you turned out the opposite.”
“Look at other girls—faces like lotus blossoms, waists as supple as willows swaying in the wind… And then look at you…”
Zhou Shu Yao glanced at herself. “What’s wrong with me? I look full of life.”
“Besides—”
“Mother, you underestimate me. I may not be a delicate willow swaying in the breeze, but I’m still connected to willows, aren’t I?”
Madam Rong raised a brow. “How so?”
“I can uproot a drooping willow tree. That still counts as ‘willow,’ doesn’t it?”
Madam Rong nearly fainted from anger, pointing at her speechlessly.
She sneered. “Other girls cherish flowers—what do you cherish?”
Zhou Shu Yao pursed her lips, eyeing her mother cautiously. “Mother… cracking open someone’s skull also counts as a flower, right?”
“I’m quite skilled at mercilessly crushing flowers…”
“Ow—Mother! Why are you pinching me?!” Zhou Shu Yao clutched her arm, face contorted.
Why did her mother have such a ruthless grip?
Madam Rong pointed at her, her anger surging.
“You and your cousin are truly a perfect match.”
“With who? He’s in his thirties, I’m only seventeen! What perfect match? Besides, he doesn’t meet my standards. I like handsome men!”
“Mother, don’t insult me.”
“Our family’s bloodline is already lacking in intelligence. If I marry into it, won’t our children be even dumber?”
“He’s looking to Shi Yun to elevate his lineage. Smart choice. Her family is filled with brilliant minds.”
Zhou Shu Yao’s disdain was evident.
“What use is being handsome? One must have talent and virtue!”
“Being handsome won’t fill your stomach!” Madam Rong fumed.
Zhou Shu Yao firmly disagreed.
“Mother, being handsome absolutely helps! Just looking at one makes you want to eat two extra bowls of rice!”
Back then, Jiang Yun Jin had scorned Lu Yan Shu for being crippled…
Yet she had been utterly smitten.
Regardless of talent or disability—that face alone, she could support him for a lifetime.
She’d even swear off Plain Cloud Hall.
But now, she dared not think further.
If Rong Che proposed to Madam Xu, then she marrying Lu Yan Shu…
Damn it, would that make Rong Che her stepfather?!
A bolt from the blue!
Madam Rong’s face was expressionless as she turned to leave.
“It’s late, where are you going?”
“I’m looking for my elder brother.”
“Did he chop trees, dig up graves, or fill a pond to curse your marriage?!!”
It’s over—her daughter might never marry.