Chapter 74: She Could No Longer Remember Her Mother's Face

Jiang Zao forwarded the video to Meng Qiaoyuan, and after quite some time, Meng Qiaoyuan sent another video back.

The video only captured the small dish in front of her, filled entirely with peeled hazelnuts. She reached out to take a few, and soon after, a pair of well-defined hands would add several more to the plate.

In the background, the voices of an elderly man and a younger man conversing could be heard.

The older man said, "Li Hongzhou's affairs back then became common knowledge. The canary he kept outside brought the son to the Li family, and his Russian wife, furious, took the child back to her country. The old master of the Li family was so enraged he spat blood on the spot, paid to send away the illegitimate child and its mother, and promised never to let that woman enter the house, barely holding onto the marriage. But that Russian girl was fierce as well—she agreed not to divorce, yet never returned, living with her child at her family’s home for many years."

The younger man replied, "Li Mingyi has never been shrewd or capable, and now the Li family is willing to bring back the illegitimate son, which shows they truly have no alternatives left. What a pity, though—such a good hand played so poorly. If Li Mingyi could realize the situation and focus on learning the business, there might still be hope. But these past months, he’s only concerned with marriage and nepotism, completely missing the point. He won’t be able to hold on."

The elderly man wholeheartedly agreed: "You're right. If the legitimate child had any promise, who would let an always-neglected illegitimate son return to take charge? The Li family's problems should have remained internal, but now the Zhou family is involved, and Li Mingyi himself has aired the dirty laundry, making the old master of the Li family furious enough to die."

The video ended.

Jiang Zao suddenly felt a craving. "Are the hazelnuts tasty?"

Meng Qiaoyuan replied in text, "Wild hazelnuts from relatives in the Northeast. They're delicious. I saved a lot for you—I’ll bring them to you on the third day of the new year."

Jiang Zao continued, "Your second brother has such beautiful hands. Would he be willing to be a hand model for me?"

A few minutes later, Meng Qiaoyuan replied, "He said, one thousand yuan per hour."

Jiang Zao: "…That's too expensive, I can't afford it."

After a few more minutes, Meng Qiaoyuan sent a voice message. When Jiang Zao played it, it was the young man’s voice from the video.

"Acquaintances get a fifty percent discount."

Jiang Zao also sent a voice message: "We've never met, so we can't be considered acquaintances."

Meng Qiaochong sent another voice message: "We've known each other in spirit for a long time. I offer home service."

Giving up on voice messages, Jiang Zao typed, "You’re welcome anytime."

…

New Year's Day.

Jiang Zao rolled over in her warm, soft bed, groaning about not wanting to get up.

Sister Hui had prepared breakfast early, but seeing that Jiang Zao hadn’t come out, she hesitated and decided not to knock. They’d watched fireworks on New Year's Eve, and had even gone out late at night in down jackets to play with sparklers, only sleeping in the early hours—she could rest a bit longer.

Just as Sister Hui was about to put away breakfast and warm it up in the kitchen, Jiang Zao emerged, dressed head to toe in bright red, holding another red wool sweater in her hand.

"Sister Hui, come try on the sweater I bought for you."

Sister Hui exclaimed joyfully, "This is for me?"

Jiang Zao smiled, "Yes, I got it for you when I went out a few days ago. Try it on—it's festive for the New Year."

Sister Hui happily changed into the red sweater and rushed to Jiang Zao, beaming with delight. "It looks great, the material is nice too, feels like pure cashmere. Miss Jiang, you’re too generous."

Jiang Zao, with her mouth full of breakfast, gave her a thumbs up. "Looks good! I picked it specially for you, so it’s not extravagant."

Sister Hui stood before the mirror, admiring her new clothes over and over.

After finishing breakfast, Jiang Zao approached Sister Hui. "As long as you like it. I've been immobile lately, and you’ve taken care of me all along. Giving you a gift is the least I can do."

Sister Hui lowered her head, her eyes slightly red. "My own children never buy me anything. Thank you, Miss Jiang. I'm truly happy."

Jiang Zao giggled and leaned against Sister Hui. "In the new year, please continue to take care of me. Come with me this afternoon, won’t you?"

Sister Hui wiped her eyes and nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zao watched Sister Hui tidy up, then went back to catch up on sleep.

It’s the New Year, and with nothing else to do, why not sleep?

Afternoon.

Jiang Zao carried a bouquet, placing it before her mother’s gravestone. Sister Hui stood not far away, quietly watching Jiang Zao pay her respects to her mother.

"Mom, I can no longer remember your face. Everyone says I look just like you, and recently, flipping through old photos, I see it’s true. But I’m not as beautiful as you, my hair isn’t as thick… I met someone, his name is Zhou Kuan. Many people have told me your stories, and I finally understand why you could forgive Father’s betrayal so decisively."

"You didn’t love him. Perhaps, you never loved Zhou Kuan either."

"While sorting out Zhou Kuan’s affairs, someone gave me a tape from his youth, with many things about you recorded on it. In his words, you were proud, cold, and unfathomable. Even that child was conceived by accident. He pursued you, but couldn’t bear the consequences of his actions. He took pride in it, boasting everywhere about his deep feelings, but never wondered if you cared for his affection."

"Before coming back, I visited Jiang Jingyuan in prison. He said he pursued you for years, knew you’d had a child, but still wanted to marry you. I despised his patronizing tone—he doesn’t deserve your gentleness and beauty."

"Mom, I’m about to become a mother myself. The baby is healthy and will surely be adorable. He’s different from me, from your other child—his parents both love him, though his father still doesn’t know he exists. But he will surely be the person who loves him most in this world."

"Mom, I… I won’t forgive Zhou Licuan for the hurt he caused me, but I also know I can’t escape. The Zhou family’s century-old legacy isn’t something a lonely girl like me can break away from and run off with a child without being found. Angry yet unable to truly distance myself—isn’t that rather shameless and disgraceful?"

"If only time could rewind. Then I could choose not to go to Zhou Licuan’s side."

"Mom, another new year has begun. I don’t want to let the past bury me here. I’ll fight—so what if it’s absurd? Everyone only gets one life…"

Jiang Zao remained silent for a long time. After three quiet bows, she left the cemetery with Sister Hui.

The Linshan Cemetery was perched halfway up the hill; it hadn’t seemed strenuous going up, but walking down, her legs felt weak and unsteady.

"Sister Hui, I can’t walk any farther. Let’s rest here for a bit."

Sister Hui looked around and pointed at the security pavilion not far off. "There’s a shelter over there, let’s see if there’s a shuttle bus or something."

With Sister Hui’s support, they opened the door to the warm shelter, only to see an unexpected acquaintance.

"Shen Mushi? What are you doing here?"