kvmb Chapter 781 The Warmest Day
Chapter 781 The Warmest Day
But at this point, Sheng Yunruo's expression became somewhat agitated, and her voice trembled.
"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it! She's only three years old, only three years old! How could she, how could she, how could she get upset with a kitten! My Pearl has been with us for years, and I never knew, never knew there was such a taboo. I panicked. I wanted to ask my mother to stand up for me, but Aunt Yu persuaded me not to. How could I ask my mother to stand up for me? My mother has had a hard life; she's already done enough by never shortchanging me. How could I tell her with unfounded suspicions that I suspect Sheng Yunzhu hurt my cat? My mother has lost her child..." For three years, I was heartbroken and devastated. I overheard my father and grandmother talking; they said that they had let my mother give birth to Xiao Wu after she had just recovered somewhat, hoping it would help her forget the lost child. They had hoped that if she had a daughter, perhaps she would recover and slowly emerge from the shadow of that event, but instead, she gave birth to a son. For years, my mother never smiled; she was always frowning. Only when Sheng Yunzhu returned did a smile return to her face. So how could I ask my mother to make decisions for me based on my own suspicions?”
Sheng Yunruo's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip tightly: "I didn't expect this, I really didn't expect this. I've given up on getting an explanation for myself. I was thinking of changing Pearl's name, but Pearl is too expensive. Mother Yu said that a humble name is easier to raise. We discussed changing Pearl's name to something more ordinary, like Pingping or An'an. I will find a suitable family to give her away. I just hope that she can live a peaceful life for the rest of her days. I contacted a friend of mine. She said that her aunt is widowed and is looking for a cat to keep her company. Although Pearl has a disability, she has a rare gentle temperament. Her aunt will definitely like her. Her aunt is very kind-hearted. She even asks people to bring leftover food to the stray cats in the garden. My friend and I went to visit that lady in person. Because it was our first visit, we were afraid of not following the proper etiquette, so we left Pearl at her house for now. If she is interested in adopting Pearl, I will bring her to visit again next time."
"That lady was very kind. She held my hand and talked to me a lot. She said that I must bring Pearl to see her next time, and she would definitely take good care of Pearl. I was very happy, really happy. I kept telling Mama Yu that the lady was kind and that I might be able to see Pearl often in the future. Even if I couldn't be with her day and night like before, I would be satisfied knowing that Pearl was alive and well. I was happy all the way back, but when I got back to the courtyard, it was quiet. I didn't have time to think much. I happily called out Pearl's name and ran to the house to look for her. I didn't see Pearl. I only saw dinner on the table. The maid who came to deliver dinner from the kitchen hadn't left yet. She told me that it was soup that my mother had given me and that I must drink it. I was surprised that my mother would suddenly think of giving me soup, but I didn't think much of it and took a sip. It was very fishy. I spat it out before I could even swallow it. I was about to ask what was wrong with the soup and whether it had gone cold when I heard Sheng Yunzhu's laughter."
"She was behind me, smiling, and asked me if the soup made with pearls was good. I was so scared that I immediately threw up. I hadn't eaten much that day, and what came out was all bitter liquid. Then she threw a skinned cat in front of me and said, 'Big sister, do you look familiar?' She said she not only made soup but also cooked meat, but the meat smelled terrible. No wonder no one in the countryside eats it. I thought there was something different about the cats in the city, but this little beast is quite fat!"
Sheng Yunruo gripped Yu Mama's clothes tightly with her fingers, tears streaming down her face. "She kept laughing and laughing. I rushed up to hit her, but before I could even touch her, she ran away crying, shouting, 'Big sister is going to kill me!'—That afternoon, Mother was in a rare good mood since Sheng Yunzhu returned home. Father was taking a walk in the garden with Mother. Sheng Yunzhu, heartbroken, threw herself into Mother's arms, crying that her eldest sister wouldn't tolerate her, that she shouldn't have come back, that she had no sisters, that she just wanted to play with her eldest sister, but her eldest sister was shouting that she was going to kill her..."
“I chased after her, knelt on the ground, trying to explain, trying to say no, but Madam Yu covered my mouth tightly. I didn't understand, but when I looked up, I saw my father's eyes, which were cold, like looking at a dead person. I was so scared that I couldn't say a word. Madam Yu was kowtowing frantically, saying that the Third Miss had misunderstood, that my cat had eaten something wrong outside and died from poison. I was terrified, that the Third Miss had misunderstood, that the cat was left by my aunt, and that I was just too scared to understand. My mother was soft-hearted, and seeing that I was really scared, she said she would call a doctor to take a look, but she held Sheng Yunzhu tightly in her arms, as if afraid that I would hurt her. My father said coldly, “It was just a little beast, it’s dead, so what? It had no manners at all. I’m going back to copy the ‘Precepts for Women’ a hundred times. If I don’t finish copying them, I’m not allowed to leave the house.”
“I was only seven years old that year. After my father finished speaking, I saw Sheng Yunzhu smiling at me, as if to say, ‘See, even if I kill your cat, you can’t do anything to me.’ When I got back to the courtyard, I developed a high fever. My mother, Yu, was afraid that I would be sad, so she secretly found a place to dig a hole and buried the pearl. I was sick for more than a month before I recovered. My mother hugged me and said, ‘This matter must be kept to yourself. You must not tell anyone, not for the rest of your life.’ I didn’t quite understand then, but I understood later. If I had said a single word in front of my father that day, none of the people around me would have survived.”
"For many years afterward, anything I liked or coveted, she would snatch away, even things she had thrown away. Just one glance at them was considered a sin. In the early years, I could manage in the manor, but after my elder brother left for the border, many of Sheng Yunzhu's people gradually took over. My household could barely afford monthly stipends. All other allowances were cut off. A young maid, dissatisfied, went to the steward to cause trouble, but was caught by that wet nurse He and beaten to death. After that, all the maids and servants in my household ran away, leaving only Yu Mama and Ping'er. My household never received a single penny again, and we had to rely on..." I supported myself and my mother with embroidery. I thought things would get better after I got married, but I never imagined she would be so intolerant of me that she would even interfere in who I married. She carefully selected several sickly men for me—either terminally ill or physically disabled, and often the type to kill people. My fourth sister, being well-informed and not on good terms with her, would point out problems with the man whenever someone mentioned my marriage to my mother and grandmother, or encourage my second aunt to say so. As a result, my marriage was delayed for a long time. I understood that she had ulterior motives and didn't want me to have an easy time. Even if I got married, I wouldn't escape that cage.
“I’m not reconciled, I’m really not reconciled. I’ve endured so many years, living a difficult life in that family. I’m the eldest daughter of the Duke of Sheng’s mansion, but my life is worse than that of a maid. I don’t even have a couple of sets of clothes to wear. And no one can stand up for me. I dare not ask anyone for help.”
"Until my elder brother returned home with his friends from the army, I overheard that Huo Lin came from an ordinary background and held a position in the army. I became interested in him and deliberately bumped into him. At that time, I was desperate and knew that my fourth sister's well-informed connections wouldn't help me for long. Sheng Yunzhu would always find a way to send me away. So I took a bold step and went to Huo Lin, asking him if he would marry me. Fate finally smiled on me at that moment, and Huo Lin agreed. Then I went to beg my elder brother, asking him to grant me this favor and let me choose my marriage. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live. My elder brother had someone investigate my situation in the mansion and found out that my courtyard's monthly allowance had been embezzled for several years. He dealt with the person in charge swiftly and personally went to see my mother, saying that she hadn't managed her subordinates well in recent years and that such a joke had happened. My mother apologized to me with red eyes, saying that she was sorry for not noticing these things. Then she gave me a lot of money and said that she would take good care of me in the future."
"At the time... I'm not afraid to admit it, but I was actually very scared. I was afraid that things wouldn't go well and that I would be resented by Sheng Yunzhu again. Fortunately, my elder brother was incredibly quick. He probably understood that Sheng Yunzhu might have been behind this, but no one would offend her and expose her. So he only took a month to get everything done, including transferring Huo Lin to Qingzhou and using his new post as an excuse to move up the wedding date, so that Huo Lin could take me away from the capital."
"The day I left Beijing was the warmest day of my life."