MQSP - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
"Mother! You're here!" Baiye was in the yard lighting a bonfire when she heard footsteps nearby. As the figure approached, she couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
She hadn't seen Xia Nan for over four months. The last time they met was before she went traveling with Auntie Lin.
She quickly ran to Xia Nan and threw herself into her arms. "Mother~ I missed…"
"Stop right there. You're just good with sweet words. I haven't seen any sign of you missing me!"
"Oh, but I did, I really did~" Her little head nuzzled against Xia Nan's cheek, incredibly affectionate.
"Mother, let me introduce you. This is Auntie Jiang and Teacher Lu. You probably haven't met them yet, have you?"
Just as Baiye was about to make the introduction, she saw Lu Qing get up and dash behind a large tree. As if by magic, she dragged out Lin Yuqing, covered her face, and forcibly turned her around by the shoulders. "I told you it's bad luck to see each other before the wedding! You can't even wait two days? Go on, get out of here!"
"I…"
"Not another sound."
"…"
Baiye's heart ached. She had overheard the aunties chatting these past few days. Her Auntie Lin was really being bullied terribly.
"Teacher Lu…"
Lu Qing shooed away the unwanted person, clapped her hands, and turned to glance at the little one. "Look at you, so spineless," she chided.
Baiye pouted. What's the use of having a spine? You can't eat it.
"Mother, let me introduce you. This is Teacher Lu, and this is Auntie Jiang. They're both good friends of my two mothers. I've mentioned them to you before."
"Mm." Xia Nan nodded at the two of them. Xiao Ye always mentioned them on the phone, so she already knew a little about them.
"Hello. I've often heard Xiao Ye speak of you. I know you're a very devoted mother who adores her. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jiang Boyan." Jiang Boyan shook Xia Nan's hand. She wanted to thank Xia Nan for taking care of Xiao Ye, but saying it out loud would feel a bit distant and might make Xia Nan uncomfortable, so she swallowed the words.
"Hello to you both. I've also heard her mention you often, saying she has a group of aunties who dote on her. She's almost forgotten about me, her own mother."
"That's not true…" the little one pouted.
Xia Nan glanced at her with a smile. "I know you all dote on Xiao Ye, so let's not be so formal. Besides, it's only natural for me to take care of my own daughter. There's no need for everyone to thank me."
Jiang Boyan smiled. "You're right." Then she paused. Everyone came to thank her? Who else had thanked her?
"Let's go inside first." Baiye pulled Xia Nan towards the house.
"The wedding is the day after tomorrow, right? How are the preparations coming along? I just went to see the venue. It's decorated so beautifully. You can tell a lot of thought went into it."
"Huh? I haven't seen it yet! Auntie Lu hasn't let me go down the mountain these past few days. She said it's bad luck to see Auntie Lin before the wedding." As Xiao Ye spoke, she felt quite wronged.
"Well, you'll have to properly thank that Flower Witch."
"Godmother decorated it!?" Baiye was surprised for a moment, then her expression turned to one of anticipation. "I really want to go see it!"
"Eh? You've already met Godmother?"
At this, Xia Nan shot her a look. "Getting a godmother is the kind of thing you don't even think to mention to me."
"Um… it was a bit rushed at the time. Next time, I'll definitely tell you next time!"
"There's a next time!?"
"Er… hehe, no, there won't be~"
"What godmother? How come you never mentioned one?" Lu Qing was very curious. How could she not know where this godmother had suddenly appeared from?
"She's an auntie I met here. She's very good to me, so…"
"The way you say that, are we not good to you?" Lu Qing expressed her dissatisfaction.
"No, no, you're all very good to me too." Baiye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I can't just get a dozen godmothers, can I? Forget me, Auntie Lin would go crazy first!
The group entered the house. Xia Nan looked around, walked to the photo wall, and examined the pictures. Most of them were taken during Xiao Ye and Lin Yuqing's travels. In the photos, both of them were smiling happily. This little rascal never smiled so freely when she was with me. It's true what they say: a daughter grows up and leaves her mother's side; a married daughter is like water splashed out.
The surroundings of the wooden house were nice and very peaceful, and the decor was exquisite. No wonder the little one was so happy she'd forgotten all about home. She really knew how to enjoy life.
Seeing this environment, Xia Nan could finally put her heart at ease. She had always worried that Baiye wasn't living well here, that food, water, and electricity would all be inconvenient. Now it seemed she had been worrying for nothing.
The thought that in two days, Xiao Ye would completely become someone else's bride was still a little hard for Xia Nan to accept. She hadn't even gotten married yet and she'd already cast her mother to the back of her mind. Once she was married, would she forget she even had a person like her in her life?
"Sigh…" Xia Nan couldn't help but sigh.
Baiye heard her and turned her head to look. "What's wrong, Mother? Look how nice it is here. I'm very comfortable living here, you don't need to worry."
"Yes, it is nice. But you can't just live here forever. You still have to return to society, interact with more people, and experience new things."
Baiye pouted. She didn't want to leave yet. Not only because this place held her most unforgettable memories with Auntie Lin, but also because Godmother was here. If they left, she would be living alone again. Guarding this desolate mountain, how lonely she must be.
"What? Are you planning to live here permanently?" Xia Nan frowned. She couldn't indulge her in this. At her young age, she couldn't become disconnected from society!
Baiye lowered her head and thought for a moment. "I… I'll discuss it with Auntie Lin."
"I don't approve of living here long-term either," Jiang Boyan also spoke up. "Young people should have some drive and not just indulge in pleasure."
"Exactly."
"Okay, I understand…" Baiye nodded and reluctantly agreed. Three against one, she didn't stand a chance.
"I'll go prepare dinner. Boyan, let's call everyone over for a meal. Everyone's been working hard lately. It's a good chance for them to meet Xia Nan and discuss the specific details of the wedding together," Lu Qing suggested.
Xiao Ye's eyes lit up, but before she could speak…
"Everyone except Lin Yuqing. Let's get the bride's family up here and figure out how to deal with her, so she won't dare bully our Xiao Ye in the future~" Lu Qing gave a wicked smile.
"Mm, okay."
Auntie Lin… you'd better pray for yourself…
Meanwhile, Lin Yuqing walked down the mountain, sullen. When Lu Qing had shooed her away just now, she had felt quite wronged, gazing at the little one from a distance. That Lu Qing, I bet she's just jealous! What 'bad luck to meet before the wedding'? She's clearly doing this to mess with me on purpose!
Lin Yuqing descended the mountain but didn't return to her temporary residence. Instead, she headed straight for Xinran's manor.
A moment ago, under Fang Yi's repeated questioning, Lin Yuqing had surrendered and confessed. Fortunately, Fang Yi was a tight-lipped person and probably wouldn't say much to anyone else.
Right now, she was probably confirming things with Xinran.
Just as Lin Yuqing expected, Fang Yi was currently standing behind the Flower Witch, quietly watching her busy figure as she knelt in the flowerbed.
Nearly an hour had passed since Lin Yuqing left. The two of them had been busy with their own tasks, and neither had spoken to break the silence.
The Flower Witch wasn't pruning flower branches, but rather gathering blooming flowers to weave wedding rings. This bunch of careless fools hadn't even prepared something as important as wedding rings beforehand. It was only when Lin Yuqing was weaving a garland today that it had reminded her.
She recalled weaving a flower ring for Yilan back then. It had taken several tries before it gradually took shape.
Looking at the two flower rings lying quietly in her palm, she unconsciously recalled the way Yilan had taught her how to weave them, hand over hand. In truth, she had learned after watching just once, but she had wanted to see the earnest, focused look on Yilan's face as she explained it. She had craved the heart-pounding, delicate touch of her fair fingers on her own hand, so she had deliberately made mistakes.
But she hadn't been annoyed at all. She had explained patiently and meticulously, demonstrating over and over without tiring, until the ring was formed. Her smile had been even happier than her own.
She remembered that day, taking her hand and seriously, solemnly, placing that flower ring on her finger. Her fair, slender fingers were so beautiful. The shy, gentle smile on her face was more dazzling than the red sun rising slowly from the sea.
"Will you be with me, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to never part, bound in life and death."
Her ears were filled with the sound of waves crashing against the reefs, but mixed within it was an extremely pleasant "I do."
Gu Xinran closed her palm, pulling her thoughts back to the present. She tilted her head and glanced at Fang Yi, who was still standing behind her. Just like in the old days, she was always standing silently behind her, protecting her.
Fang Yi pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. "Do you… know who did it?" What happened back then had always been a knot in her heart. Especially the culprit who had destroyed Xinran's family—to think she had let them get away with it all this time, and to this day, she still couldn't even confirm who it was.
Gu Xinran pursed her lips, her hand clutching the rings unconsciously tightening into a fist.
Fang Yi noticed this small movement, and her heart skipped a beat. "You know? Who is it? This person… is one of us, right?" Although Fang Yi was unwilling to admit it, besides the people in their circle, she couldn't think of anyone else who would know Xinran's situation inside and out. She quickly ran through the few of them in her mind, but no matter how she looked at it, none of them seemed like someone who would do such a thing.
The three words were on the tip of her tongue. Gu Xinran opened her mouth several times, but silently swallowed them back down.
Should I tell her? If I do, she'll probably go after her with everything she has. They would lose a close friend, and Xiao Ye would lose an auntie she trusts. Moreover, that past I'm so unwilling to recall would be brought up all over again…
She couldn't forgive that person, but she also couldn't bring herself to say the name. More than a decade had passed. Everyone had finally managed to accept it and move on. How could she let them be hurt a second time?
It's enough that I'm the only one who knows.
After a long silence, Gu Xinran relaxed her hand and shook her head. "I don't know."
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