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Su Zhi listened to Lianhua with a hint of skepticism. After all, she wasn’t an expert in medicine. Judging from Zhao Yangshi’s spirited complaints, Su Zhi could only guess that the illness might not be as severe as it seemed. However, the potential severity of the situation was still unclear to her.
One tael of silver wasn’t a significant amount for Su Zhi at the moment. If Zhao Yangshi was genuinely ill, she would naturally provide the money. She couldn’t bear the thought of Zhao Xiaomei’s mother dying from illness. Right now, she felt a bit uneasy at the thought of being manipulated into giving money. She wasn’t stingy, and at times quite generous, but she preferred offering money voluntarily, not being pressured into it.
“Sister, you don’t think Mother isn’t really sick, and that we’re trying to deceive you, do you?”
Lianhua, seeing Su Zhi’s silence towards Zhao Yangshi, asked with some displeasure, “Sister, how can you think like this? Do you really see Mother in this light? Despite everything, Mother has been thinking about you all this time. If you still doubt her, you’d be quite heartless!”
At this moment, Zhao Yuanbao also entered, chuckling as he said, “Sister, Mother is truly ill. We’re not deceiving you.”
Su Zhi responded, “When someone is ill, it’s necessary to consult a physician. You can’t rely solely on one type of medication. I heard that if you take the same medicine for an extended period, its effectiveness diminishes, and you need to switch. Since I’m here now, out of filial duty, I’ll arrange to call for the physician. You won’t have to pay for the medicine. Shall we go and fetch the physician?”
“Hiring a physician will cost a lot! Just stick to this medicine! You, ungrateful child, have money to spare, so give it to him. Better yet, give it to me.”
Upon hearing that Su Zhi intended to call a physician, Zhao Yangshi immediately started pounding the kang, crying out in distress, then clutching her head and complaining of a headache.
“My life is truly miserable. I gave birth to an unlucky daughter, who had to be sent to a convent to be raised. My heart aches like being stabbed with a knife. Now, when I look at her, it’s evident she was raised outside and feels no closeness to me. I’m on the brink of death, and here she is doubting if I’m feigning illness. Oh Heavens, take me away quickly, so she can see if I’m faking it—”
Lianhua hurriedly tried to calm down Zhao Yangshi, then turned to Su Zhi with wide eyes and said, “Sister, are you trying to drive Mother to her death? You came back to visit her, not to upset her!”
Su Zhi felt the chaos in the room was overwhelming. With just Zhao Yangshi’s cries, it felt like the roof could be lifted off. Seeing the strength in her mother’s voice, Su Zhi was starting to doubt her illness. At this point, if they called her heartless, so be it. Even if she ended up giving them the money, she couldn’t let them think she was easily manipulated. For the sake of future peace, she had to be firm. Especially when Zhao Yangshi mentioned Zhao Xiaomei being sent to the convent when she was young, it only made Su Zhi angrier on her sister’s behalf.
“Mother, please stop making a scene. If you keep shouting, you’ll attract the neighbors, and they’ll mock me for being an unfilial daughter. Then I won’t have the face to come back. Don’t blame me if I don’t return.”
Upon hearing Su Zhi’s words, Zhao Yangshi immediately lowered her voice. She truly feared that Su Zhi might not return in the future. If Su Zhi came back, she would bring gifts. If she didn’t return, there would be no gifts.
Seeing her mother subdued by the threat, Su Zhi inwardly chuckled and continued, “Mother, you mentioned earlier that I had an unlucky childhood, which led you to send me to the convent. Later, when I fell ill, you deceived me into marrying into the Shen family. Yet, you never visited me once. If you and Lianhua hadn’t seen me in town, you probably wouldn’t have visited me for a lifetime, right? Despite all this, you claim to care for me like a knife in your heart? Are you joking? You still want us to be close? I don’t deny you now, and that’s already a lot. If you keep behaving like this, you’re pushing me away. Since you don’t truly consider me your daughter, just treat me as water under the bridge. Forget about me, and we’ll go our separate ways!”
Su Zhi let out her thoughts in one go, realizing that if she didn’t assert herself, they would continue to take advantage of her. Their supposed care and concern were just a facade for wanting money, weren’t they?
The Zhao family members were stunned upon hearing Su Zhi’s words.
Even Zhao Yangshi, forgetting her previous groans, stared at Su Zhi with wide eyes.
Old Man Zhao kept his head down, unable to say anything.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanbao hurriedly interjected, “Sister, please don’t say that. Our parents did what they had to do. It wasn’t easy for them either, was it? Who would treat their daughter like that willingly? Mother, please talk to sister. Father, don’t stay silent. We finally gathered as a family; let’s not ruin it with discord.”
Zhao Yangshi finally regained her composure, realizing she had pushed Su Zhi to the edge. She quickly spoke, “You heartless child, how could you think like this about your mother? Even if I scolded and disciplined you, it was out of love. How could you think this way and consider cutting ties? Your heart has truly been devoured by wolves! When you were sent to the convent, it was necessary, as the master said you could return when you came of age. Your father and I visited you regularly, bringing you treats each time. We had to provide money to ensure the nuns cared for you. We almost depleted our savings for this. Now, you fall ill and forget everything, thinking we heartlessly abandoned you. How could you harbor resentment against us? You ungrateful child, I might as well not live!”
Zhao Yuanbao chimed in, “Sister, Mother is telling the truth. Both she and Father visited you regularly, always thinking of you. If you doubt it, ask around the village. Everyone knows this. We were entrusted to others just to see you.”
Lianhua pouted and remarked, “That’s right. Mother made beautiful clothes for you, and I didn’t get any. She truly favored you.”
Observing Lianhua’s expression, filled with genuine envy and resentment, Su Zhi wondered if the Zhao couple genuinely cared for Zhao Xiaomei. Could it be that they were harsh on her only because they wanted her to live well and be dutiful to her parents? It was a possibility.
Zhao Yuanbao added, “Deceiving you into marrying into the Shen family, not visiting you because we couldn’t afford your treatment—wasn’t it because we believed they were wealthier and could provide for you better? If we had visited and they sent you back, we still wouldn’t have had the means to care for you. Sister, our parents not visiting you was also out of concern and worry. Don’t blame them. Father, isn’t that right?”
Old Man Zhao, who had remained silent, suddenly looked up upon his son’s question, seeing Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an observing him. He quickly lowered his head again and nodded vaguely.
Zhao Yangshi began crying again, lamenting, “My life is so bitter. I poured my heart out to this child, yet she doubts me like this. I know now, she’s living comfortably and doesn’t want to help her family. She’s grown disdainful of us. We did all this for her sake, and now that she’s well off, she doesn’t even want to acknowledge her parents. It’s unfair—”
Lianhua, trying to mediate, said to Su Zhi, “Sister, look at how you’ve upset Mother. She simply sees that you are well off now and hopes you can support the family a bit. Why are you being so stingy?”
Listening to their arguments, Su Zhi felt like they made some valid points. However, deep down, she couldn’t shake off a sense of unease. She couldn’t truly feel genuine maternal love from Zhao Yangshi, despite their words. Although she had once affectionately called her “heart and soul,” she felt that the scoldings lacked sincerity. Yet, since they didn’t seem worried about her asking others if they had visited her at the convent, it seemed there was truth to their claims.
“Could it be that the Zhao family is just like this, even if they love their daughter, they still resort to scolding and rebukes?”
Su Zhi pondered, still not fond of the family. However, she realized she wouldn’t have to advocate for Zhao Xiaomei anymore. Instead of believing Zhao Xiaomei was abandoned by her parents, she preferred to think of the unfortunate woman passing away from illness.
“Let’s not dwell on the past. I can’t remember it clearly anyway. Let’s focus on Mother’s illness. If I said to call the physician, we will. If the physician comes and says we need to spend this much silver on medicine, even if it’s ten taels, I’ll pay for it. If we can’t see the physician and it only costs one or two taels, then it’s what I will pay.”
Having noticed the tension when Su Zhi seemed upset about their past, Zhao Yangshi, seeing her daughter calm now, was relieved that things had settled down a bit.
“Daughter, don’t call for the physician. Mother doesn’t want you to spend too much silver. Just give one or two taels. Besides the medicine, you can consider the rest as funds for Mother’s expenses. Will that work? Mother will feel distressed seeing that silver handed to the physician.”
Upon hearing her mother’s words indicating that the medicine wouldn’t cost as much, Lianhua realized it could seem like she had lied before. Avoiding Su Zhi’s gaze, she said, “Sister, the medicine won’t cost as much silver. Since we’re short on funds and my sister-in-law is nearing delivery, I thought it wise to keep some silver for emergencies. Please don’t be upset with me. I had no choice.”
Su Zhi, hearing their admission that less silver would be needed for the medicine, decided to let it go. Even though they weren’t her parents, they were Zhao Xiaomei’s. As long as they didn’t cross the line, she would consider fulfilling her filial duties as a price to pay for her involvement. This way, she could consider it fulfilling Zhao Xiaomei’s filial duty.