Chapter 53

Guo Yumei thought she had misheard. She looked up towards the fence.

She saw a woman in gray clothes standing outside the fence. She was smiling and beckoning her to come out:

“Yumei, what are you still doing there? Come out quickly, your daughter Qingning is back.”

This time, Guo Yumei heard clearly. The other party was indeed talking about her daughter Qingning’s name.

But there was no joy on her face, only surprise and panic. She ran out quickly.

“Where is she? Did she come back alone? Did she bring a suitcase?” Guo Yumei stretched her neck, looking ahead, and asked anxiously as she walked.

“She’s with Lu’s second son. I saw they only brought one bag.” The woman in gray clothes said.

Guo Yumei’s footsteps clearly paused when she heard the words “Lu’s second son.” The expression on her face relaxed.

“Qingning is really enjoying herself in the city. I saw her just now, and I couldn’t even recognize her. Her face is so tender, you could squeeze water out of it.” The woman in gray clothes said with envy.

Guo Yumei didn’t respond. She walked quickly. When she turned a corner, she saw a couple surrounded by a group of children, slowly walking towards her.

The girl was wearing a blue shirt and a long skirt. She must have walked a long way on the mountain road, her face was flushed, and she looked incredibly charming.

The young man beside her was tall and very handsome. He was wearing a white shirt and carrying a green bag.

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Was this really her daughter she hadn’t seen in three years? How could she be so different?

Until the girl walked to her side and softly called her “Mom,” she came back to her senses. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she nodded vigorously twice:

“Yes, yes.”

After agreeing, she quickly reached out to grab her daughter’s hand, but stopped halfway and finally retracted it.

Her rough hand, still covered in dirt, would dirty her daughter’s hand.

Xia Qingning looked at the woman in front of her. She was wearing a coarse cloth shirt with patches, and her eyebrows and eyes were similar to hers. Her back was a little bent due to years of hard work. She was very thin, but her eyes were bright. Seeing that she was about to retract her hand, Xia Qingning suddenly reached out and grabbed hers.

This small gesture made Guo Yumei’s eyes moisten again. She quickly said:

“You must be tired. Go back to the house and rest.” Then she looked at the man beside Xia Qingning. Seeing that it was indeed Lu’s second son, she was surprised and delighted:

“Jingzhe is here too.” Then she was about to help him take the bag.

“It’s okay, it’s not heavy.” Lu Jingzhe said in a steady voice.

The group returned home. Guo Yumei quickly took two high stools from the main room and placed them in the courtyard, beckoning Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe to sit down. Then she said to the woman in gray clothes:

“Jinhua Auntie, please go and call my sons, Qing Shu and Qing Cao, and tell them to come back quickly.”

“Okay.” The woman agreed and was about to go out. Xia Qingning came out of the main room, holding a cloth bag in her hand. Thinking that she was going back, she quickly stopped her:

“Auntie, wait a minute.”

Xia Qingning walked over, reached into the cloth bag, grabbed a handful of candy, and said with a smile:

“Auntie, have some candy.”

The colorful fruit candies looked even more dazzling under the sunlight. Jinhua Auntie took the candy and happily went to call Xia’s two brothers.

The countryside was different from the city. Fruit candies were rare. The children surrounding them all had their eyes wide open, staring intently at Xia Qingning’s bag.

In those days in the countryside, whenever someone came back from somewhere else, the children would surround them, hoping to get a candy or two. To give them a whole handful was something they had never seen before.

Under their eager gazes, Xia Qingning smiled and gave each child a handful. Seeing a fat aunt standing next to them, although she didn’t know who she was, she also gave her a handful.

The fat matchmaker immediately took it, her face full of shock. Her shrewd little eyes kept scanning Xia Qingning and Lu Jingzhe.

Knowing that they hadn’t eaten anything on the road, Guo Yumei welcomed them, asking them to rest for a while. Then she immediately went to the kitchen, boiled some water, opened the cabinet where the rice was stored, and saw four eggs on top of the rice. She didn’t hesitate and took them all out.

Xia Qingning finished distributing the candy and went into the kitchen to help Guo Yumei start the fire.

She felt that since she now occupied the original owner’s body, the original owner’s family was naturally her family. She would fulfill the responsibilities and filial piety that she should, so when she saw Guo Yumei for the first time, she didn’t feel awkward and directly called her “Mom.”

When Xia Qingning went in, Guo Yumei was busy making sweet egg soup. Seeing that she wanted to help her start the fire, she quickly stopped her, not letting her touch anything, afraid of dirtying her clothes.

Xia Qingning, who was pushed out, could only stand aside and watch her.

She noticed that although Guo Yumei looked older than her peers, her features were very good. She had big eyes and a high nose bridge. Her own body had inherited five or six points of her features.

Actually, Guo Yumei was a beauty in the surrounding villages when she was young. Many people came to propose to her. In the end, she married Xia Gensheng from the same village. They were a good match in terms of appearance, and their two sons and one daughter inherited their good looks.

Originally, they were a happy family of five. Who would have thought that Xia Gensheng would die saving Lu Lidong from drowning? The eldest son also became lame due to an illness. His daughter was not in good health, and his youngest son was still young. All the burdens fell on her shoulders.

Because she always had Xia Gensheng in her heart, she didn’t remarry. She raised her children alone. After years of hard work under the sun and rain, she had lost her former beauty. She even looked older than people her age.

Seeing her daughter looking at her, Guo Yumei felt a little embarrassed and touched her face, asking:

“Mom, I’ve gotten old, haven’t I?”

Xia Qingning looked at this thin but strong woman, and a sense of pity and admiration arose in her heart. She gently shook her head and said:

“You’ve worked hard all these years.”

Guo Yumei didn’t expect her daughter to say this suddenly. Her tears immediately welled up. She quickly reached out to wipe her face, trying to suppress the tears, but they still flowed down her cheeks.

“It’s not hard, it’s not hard. Mom is happy to see you doing well.”

Seeing her cry, Xia Qingning stepped forward and patted her back to comfort her. This comfort made Guo Yumei even more emotional. She grabbed Xia Qingning’s hand and sobbed:

“Mom misses you. You don’t let Mom go see you.”

When her daughter first left, she missed her so much. She was afraid that her daughter would suffer, so she took the bus to see her. Seeing that Lu’s father and son were both good to her, and Lu Lidong didn’t dislike her, she happily returned home.

She told everyone that Lu Lidong was a good person and hadn’t forgotten his roots. She said that her daughter was lucky and had gone to the city to enjoy a good life. But not long after, the Lu family sent word asking her to go to the city.

She thought her daughter was sick or injured and went there in a hurry. But when she arrived, she found out that her daughter had actually slept in Lu Jingzhe’s bed.

Her daughter had always been obedient and sensible, and she was very timid. How could she do such a thing? But no matter what she asked, her daughter said she didn’t know.

She felt like the sky was falling. Fortunately, Lu Baichuan was kind and didn’t say anything harsh. He still let her daughter stay in the city.

Later, her daughter turned eighteen, and Lu Jingzhe filed a report. They also got their marriage certificate, and her heart was finally at ease.

Over the years, she wanted to go to the city to see her daughter, but she felt embarrassed to see Lu’s family. Her son Qing Shu had been there a few times, but he came back and said that Lu Lidong’s mother had moved in and didn’t like them going to the Lu family’s house to visit.

The last time her daughter came back three years ago, she also subtly said that it was inconvenient for them to go to the city. So, for the past few years, her daughter hadn’t come back, and she hadn’t gone to see her either.

The mother and daughter hadn’t seen each other for three years. Seeing her daughter today and hearing her say such kind words, she felt both wronged and sad, and she couldn’t control her emotions for a moment.

Hearing Guo Yumei’s words, Xia Qingning’s heart was also touched. What mother wouldn’t miss her daughter? She had endured not seeing the original owner for three years, not because she didn’t miss her daughter, but because she didn’t want to cause her daughter any trouble.

“I was wrong before.” Xia Qingning gently hugged her:

“From now on, you can come whenever you want. I will also come back to see you often.”

Hearing this, Guo Yumei’s eyes were filled with joy. But she was also a little worried and asked:

“Can you? Won’t Baichuan’s wife make things difficult for you?”

Xia Qingning let go of her and said confidently:

“Don’t worry. That’s Lu’s house, not hers. She can’t make the decisions, and she wouldn’t dare to make things difficult for me.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Guo Yumei’s moist eyes finally had a smile.

After the mother and daughter finished their heartfelt conversation, the sweet egg soup was also ready. They were about to call Lu Jingzhe in to eat when they saw a group of people watching the commotion in the yard. They were chattering:

“That doesn’t seem like Lu’s eldest son. I think it looks like Lu’s second son.”

“Didn’t Qingning marry Lu’s eldest son? Why did she come back with Lu’s second son?”

“It’s impossible for the younger brother to accompany his sister-in-law back to her mother’s house. That’s a bit too… you know.”

“Then who did she actually marry, the elder brother or the younger brother?”

Amidst the women’s discussions, Lu Jingzhe sat silently, his face not exactly pleasant.

Guo Yumei’s heart sank. She was afraid that Lu Jingzhe would be uncomfortable and take it out on her daughter. She quickly walked out and said to the group of women watching:

“Everyone, go back.” Then she turned to Lu Jingzhe and said apologetically:

“Jingzhe, you must be thirsty. Go inside and have some water.”

Lu Jingzhe stood up, his face calm. He replied in a steady voice:

“Okay, Mom.”

His voice was steady and powerful, loud enough for everyone around to hear clearly.