readsfreenovel Chapter 252
Chapter 252
She moved almost without pausing, but after a casual glance, she turned and got into the carriage.
Jingchi was unwilling to show himself, and she didn't force him. She was waiting, waiting for him to take that step, waiting for his choice.
As soon as she entered the carriage, she saw Liu Qingxu sitting upright with a firm gaze. When she saw her come in, Liu Qingxu's expression softened for a moment, and he moved aside slightly before handing her a cup of hot tea.
Nalan Jingwen glanced down and saw Liu Qingxu staring straight at her. The faint light in his eyes was hard to ignore. It was so faint that it made him seem alive, no longer as lifeless as before. His eyes were dark and gloomy, like a deep, silent pool of still water, unable to stir up the slightest ripple.
If a person cannot see hope, every minute and every second is too unbearable.
Nalan Jingwen took the tea she offered. A hint of anticipation and nervousness appeared in Liu Qingxu's eyes. Nalan Jingwen realized something, took a sip, and found that the tea was not as good as the one brewed by the person next to her. It was slightly inferior, but it still left a lingering fragrance on her lips and teeth. She commented casually, "Not bad."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tension in Liu Qingxu's eyes vanished, and the faint light in them shone even brighter.
She was actually very grateful to Nalan Jingwen and wanted to do something for her, but she had nothing at the moment. After thinking it over, she asked the servants around Nalan Jingwen to teach her how to make tea when Nalan Jingwen couldn't see her. As a rich girl, she had always been pampered and had never learned these things, so the process was inevitably difficult. Fortunately, she was not stupid and made some progress.
Nalan Jingwen's indifferent gaze fell on her hand. Liu Qingxu keenly noticed this and subconsciously hid her hand behind her back. Then she smiled at Nalan Jingwen.
Nalan Jingwen did not respond, and the atmosphere inside the carriage became heavy and oppressive. Liu Qingxu's smile became stiff and gradually collapsed, and he lowered his head like a child who had made a mistake.
A very soft sigh came from above her head, and a hand with distinct knuckles appeared in her field of vision, pulling out her hand that was hidden behind her back. The icy touch landed on her hand, and Liu Qingxu suddenly looked up, her expression surprised.
When she was learning to brew tea, she carelessly poured scalding hot water on her hands, causing large red marks and blisters. She didn't pay much attention to it and treated it casually, which has left her with scars on her hands now, making her already scarred hands even more hideous.
Actually, she doesn't care whether her hands are pretty or not. After all, no one will judge your ability by your hands, so it doesn't matter if they're ugly or not.
So when she saw Nalan Jingwen applying medicine to her hand, she was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, repeatedly refusing, "No need, Your Highness, it's just a minor injury."
Nalan Jingwen was very strong, and Liu Qingxu couldn't pull her hand away, so she could only let Nalan Jingwen apply the medicine for her.
Liu Qingxu looked at her, the faint light pouring down from the gaps in the pearls falling on her indifferent eyebrows and eyes. Her movements were very light. In a daze, she seemed to see that familiar face. Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and she hurriedly turned her face away.
From the time she could remember, her mother never smiled at her and demanded that she do everything perfectly. She had no father, but she heard from the servants that her father and mother had known each other since childhood, were childhood sweethearts, and naturally got together after growing up. They had not experienced any hardships and had a very good relationship.
My mother loved my father very much and, despite all the objections, married only him.
The only hardship was because of her. Her father had been in poor health since childhood and needed to take medicine and be cared for every day. Because of her father's health, her mother did not plan to have children. She originally planned to adopt a daughter from the ancestral hall, but unexpectedly she became pregnant with her.
Mother loved Father dearly and couldn't bear to see him suffer any harm, so she didn't want to keep her. However, Father threatened to kill himself and forced Mother to keep her by going on a hunger strike and stopping his medication. Mother couldn't resist and had no choice but to compromise.
During the time she was pregnant, her mother was even more careful, not letting her father leave her side for even a moment, for fear that he might bump into something. She used the best medicine to help her father take care of his body so that he would suffer less pain during childbirth. Even though her mother never believed in ghosts or gods, she would often go to the temple in the mountains outside the city to pray for her father's safety.
But fate was unkind; her mother's daily fervent prayers went unheard.
Father was too weak to have children. He had a difficult childbirth, but he insisted that Mother save her and leave her with a child, a child that belonged to them.
Mother naturally refused, insisting that the doctor must save the mother. Little did she know that Father had foreseen this and had taken the medicine—a medicine that would draw nutrients from the father and transfer them to the fetus, making the fetus better and healthier. But Father's body was already exhausted and beyond saving; even a god could not save him.
They were husband and wife, like birds flying wing to wing, like trees with intertwined branches, like a rock and a reed, like the vast ocean and the Wushan Mountains, like the endless days and nights of their enduring love. That's why he understood her best.
Think what you want to think, desire what you desire, love what you love.
She was born safely, but her father remained forever on that bitterly cold night.
Actually, she had thought that her mother must resent her for taking away the man she loved most, so she should suffer the consequences.
Her mother was strict with her and not close to her. She always had a stern face, and if she made the slightest mistake, she would be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall, kneeling in front of her father's memorial tablet and reflecting on her mistakes all night.
That was the only time her mother was gentle with her.
When she was young, the children always liked to compare themselves to each other, comparing their family backgrounds and their parents. At that time, she was more mature than her peers, so it was difficult for her to play with them, let alone compare herself to them. But that's how children are; the more you ignore them, the bolder and more reckless they become.
They even mocked her, saying she was a child no one cared for and no father.
Look, the malice of a group of children is so blatant.
She, who was always gentle and never got into conflicts with anyone, got angry for the first time. The anger shot from her spine to the top of her head, her mind went blank, her whole body went numb, and before she could even react, she had already rushed over and knocked the person to the ground. When the child next to her saw that something was wrong, he immediately stepped forward and started fighting with her.
She was alone and quickly fell into a disadvantage, but she refused to admit defeat and fought back fiercely, pulling their hair, scratching their faces, and kicking their stomachs with all her might. Although her moves were crude, they were real and could make them suffer for days, which made her feel good.
There were so many people, and she was undoubtedly injured and disheveled, almost disfigured. She still remembers the gloomy face of her mother when she came to pick her up.
But she didn't regret it. Who told them to laugh at her for being a child without a father, to laugh at her for being unloved?
She's not.
Her mother made her kneel in the ancestral hall, and she knelt. She wasn't allowed to eat, so she refused. But when asked to admit her mistakes, she refused!
She did nothing wrong!!
Why won't you admit your mistake?!
Mother's face was extremely pale, and disappointment appeared in her eyes.
"I did nothing wrong, why should I admit it?!"
She retorted loudly, her eyes defiant.
With a "crack," the long whip fell, and she felt a wave of pain wash over her. She gritted her teeth and trembled, but she managed not to cry out.
Her small body struggled to suppress the trembling; her eyes were red-rimmed, but her expression remained stubborn.
"Have you forgotten what your mother taught you?! Did you listen to a single word?!"
"I have!"
“Mother said, don’t cause trouble, don’t act impulsively, learn to be patient, don’t compare yourself to others, don’t bully the weak, and be sensible. I have listened to Mother.”
The little man spoke each word carefully, tears welling in his eyes, yet his voice was strong and resonant, echoing in the silent ancestral hall and striking the woman's heart deeply.
"But I did nothing wrong! They said I was a child without a father, but they're wrong, not me!!"
The woman looked at the face that was exactly like hers, every part of it was exactly the same, but the stubborn expression was exactly the same as the person she longed for day and night.
The woman froze, instinctively looking up at the memorial tablet in front of her, her hand holding the long whip trembling slightly.
"I did nothing wrong. I'm not a child without a father, I'm not a child no one loves, I'm not..."
Her voice gradually choked up, and tears flowed uncontrollably, as if she had suffered a great injustice and was crying uncontrollably.
That was the first time her mother had been gentle with her. Her mother knelt down, hugged her in her arms, and patted her back gently without saying a word, but she cried even louder.
Later, after she had cried enough, her mother carried her away from the ancestral hall and took out some ointment to gently apply to her wounds. The candlelight flickered, casting shadows on her mother's indifferent eyes, making it clear that she could not discern any emotion. Yet, she felt that her mother was extremely gentle and extremely sad.
She then vowed never to make her mother angry again.
I want to take my father's place and stay by my mother's side for the rest of my life.