Chapter 25 Expostulating with Shui Ruolan in Family Temple
“The girl was good-hearted but had bitter fate!” Speaking of Shui Ruolan, the Old Grandma sighed again and turned pale.
“Grandmother, did you talk to Aunt Shui?” Qin Wanru asked cautiously.
“Your Aunt Shui… After all, she could not get over it in her heart!” The Old Grandma shook her head. She did not know how to explain it because of lacking for evidence.
“Grandmother, I’ll go and expostulate with Aunt Shui!” Qin Wanru said.
“You?” The Old Grandma looked at the little granddaughter in front of her, who was still a little child. She was not convinced by her appearance.
“Yes, grandmother, let me try! I like Aunt Shui.” Qin Wanru took the old lady’s hand and shook it a few times. Her face became gloomy suddenly. She said on purpose, “It seems that my mother doesn’t like me… I also want someone to love me!”
She bit her red lips in an aggrieved way. The sad expression on her small tender face made people feel sorry about her. Her eyes were so black and wet with expectations as if they were dyed with ink, which made people reluctant to refuse.
The Old Grandma’s heart melted and gave her permission, “OK, OK, and then you can have a try!”
“Grandmother, I’ll go and find Aunt Shui now!” Upon hearing the Old Grandma’s promise, Qin Wanru stood up excitedly.
“Go!” said the old lady, kindly.
“I’ll see you later, grandmother!” Qin Wanru saluted Old Grandma. When she saw the old lady nod to her, she turned away.
“The girl…was a poor girl. Mrs. Qin was so cruel-hearted to destroy the girl. No wonder this girl wanted to find another elder to love her!” Looking at her back, the old lady sighed. She really loved the child.
“Mrs… Mrs. Qin did that for Miss Yuru! Nanny Duan remade a cup of tea and said scrupulously.
“Could she trade Zhuozhuo’s reputation for Yuru’s? She should consider that if it had not been for Zhuozhuo’s own father, Huaiyong would never have survived. Zhuozhuo’s father lost his life in exchange for her high position and great wealth. But now she pretended not to know old friends, even let Zhuozhuo be the payment of her daughter’s debts.”
The Old Grandma snorted coldly and said. She knew that Mrs. Qin was not really nice to Qin Wanru. She just wanted to show her false kindness. They would harm Qin Wanru again and again for Qin Yuru’s benefits. Before she thought they only mistreated her in material life and gave injustice to her grandchild, but she would make up for her grandchild’s lost to compensate her.
It was unexpected that she had such a vicious thought this time.
“Mrs. Qin has gone too far!” Nanny Duan, who knew Qin Wanru’s whole story, could not help sighing at this time.
There were other people in the mansion who knew that Second Miss was not Mrs. Qin’s own kid, but they all thought she was just an orphan who was picked up. They didn’t know that Second Miss’s father saved the General’s life. Otherwise, the General would have been dead, which meant there would be no glory of General Ningyuan’s mansion.
It could be said that now everything of the General’s mansion was gotten from Second Miss’s own father who obtained everything at the cost of his life. Mrs. Qin still treated Second Miss so badly, which was mean and ungrateful.
“If Zhuozhuo can persuade Ruolan this time, Ruolan will be given a good position in any case. Mrs. Qin really thinks she is the boss of the General’s mansion and she can scheme and take anyone’s reputation she wanted to take!” The Old Grandma snorted coldly with a harsh gleam in her eyes.
She was the legitimate mother, so she was inconvenient to say some words to Qin Huaiyong. She had to see Mrs. Qin’s feigned look and couldn’t meddle in affairs too much. However, if Mrs. Qin really did that, she would have to perform her responsibility for being the legitimate mother.
The family temple was located in the northwest corner of the backyard of General Ningyuan’s mansion. That place was so remote that no one came to it at all. The so-called family temple was just a small yard.
Qin Wanru pushed the door of the courtyard, and then she smelled the aroma of fireworks. She lifted the corner of her skirt and went in. Then she saw Qionghua, the maid of Shui Ruolan, cleaning the courtyard. Qionghua put down her broom and saluted Qin Wanru when she saw Qin Wanru coming to her.
“Where’s Aunt Shui?” Qin Wanru looked around and asked.
“She is offering incense to Buddha in it!” answered Qionghua. “I’ll go and inform Miss!”
Qin Wanru shook her hand. “No, Qionghua, I have something to ask you!”
“Second Miss, please say!” Qionghua said.
“On that day… Where did you go on the night of the accident? You were supposed to be accompanying with Aunt Shui, weren’t you?” she asked and didn’t enter the room in a hurry to persuade Shui Ruolan.
“I had loose bowels that night since I ate something bad. Young Madam saw me being uncomfortable, so she didn’t let me keep watch at night.”
Qionghua lowered her head with her eyes turning red. Her lady was now affected by so much injustice and had to hide in the family temple. Qionghua felt she had a great deal of responsibility for the whole incident because she didn’t keep her safe. If she hadn’t had a stomach and hadn’t left, the General would have been stopped when he broke into the room.
“Did you eat the rest of Aunt Shui’s dinner that night?” Qin Wanru asked. Maids had their own dinner. But when their masters did not eat much, they would give the rest to the maids since the dishes were better than theirs.
“No, I didn’t eat Miss’s dishes that day. I ate my own share!” Qionghua thought for a moment, shook her head, and then explained, “I didn’t want to take my share that day, either, but Miss didn’t have enough that day. A woman in the kitchen advised me to take my own share to prevent Miss from not having enough food!”
“Why did they provide Aunt Shui so little food which was only enough for herself?” Qin Wanru grasped the key and was sure that there must be something fishy.
“I also asked why they offered such little food that day. They said that they didn’t buy much food. In addition, Mrs. Qin ordered the same food with Miss Ruoshui, so they divided the food into two parts, which was only enough for herself.” Qionghua said.
Coincidentally, Mrs. Qin ordered the same dishes with Aunt Shui. In fact, even if she needed the same dishes which were divided into two parts, it couldn’t be so little for every dish. It was coincidental that she ordered the exact same dishes with Aunt Shui.
“You know the woman who advised you to take your own share, don’t you, Qionghua? Go and find out who she is? Can you do that?” Qin Wanru said.
“Don’t worry, Second Miss, I’ll go now!” Qionghua nodded.
Qin Wanru asked her to go and turned into the room, which was in the middle of the yard. This was the family temple of the mansion, and there was a lonely Buddha statue in the middle of it. The white smoke was coming out from the incense burner in front of the Buddha statue.
A thin figure kneeling on the futon in front of the Buddha was praying piously with her hands folded as if she didn’t hear the footsteps coming from outside.
“Aunt Shui!” whispered Qin Wanru.
The figure on the futon slowly turned around, who was a twenty-something pretty girl. Although she was wearing rough clothes, she was still very gentle, which made people feel relaxed.
“Aunt Shui!” Qin Wanru’s tears fell down, for she had not seen her Aunt Shui for a long time. This tender woman in her memory gave her maternal love which she needed. She had protected Qin Wanru wholeheartedly. Even if she was pregnant and couldn’t protect herself, she still defended Qin Wanru time and time again.
The previous life slipped like a dream, but only the feeling existed.
“Wanru, what’s going on? Who bullied you? Come over and let Aunt Shui see, what made you be so aggrieved!” Shui Ruolan stood up with her hands on the table. She almost fell down because she was in a hurry.
Qin Wanru stepped forward quickly to hold her up. Smelling the familiar smell on her body, Qin Wanru shed tears. She embraced Shui Ruolan suddenly and jumped into her arms.
It was great that Aunt Shui was not dead because of premature birth. She must protect the poor woman in this life.
Shui Ruolan almost fell down when Qin Wanru ran into her arms, and fortunately, she stood still after staggering, for there was an altar table behind her. But with her back getting a heavy hit, she could not help frowning in pain.
Feeling the stiffness of her body for a moment, Qin Wanru came to her senses and stretched out her arms to hold her back and kneaded her back, “Aunt Shui, have you gotten any pain?”
“No, you could not hurt me with such a little strength!” Seeing the girl’s black eyes with tears, Shui Ruolan’s heart melted. Shui Ruolan stretched out a hand to pat on her back and said gently, “I’m not so delicate and precious, and I’m OK!”
What a beautiful and well-behaved child she was! How wonderful it would be to have such a daughter! But even if she was not her daughter, Shui Ruolan was also willing to raise the child as her own children.
“Doesn’t it really matter?” Qin Wanru sniffed and said.
“Nothing serious, of course!” Shui Ruolan said with a soft smile.
“Aunt Shui, don’t lie to me. If nothing happened, why did you come here? Here… The house has been unoccupied, how can you live here?” Qin Wanru looked up at Shui Ruolan and said.
She knew that these days Shui Ruolan had lived here. She even didn’t allow others to visit her the other day.
“Here… In fact, the place is quite good and quiet. You know I always like peace!” Shui Ruolan thought she should not talk to a little girl about that thing so that she talked about it shortly and shifted the subject.
“No! It’s not a good place here!” Qin Wanru shook her head, wiped the tears from her eyes and said firmly, “Aunt Shui, let’s get out of here.”
“Wanru, don’t get upset, I think this is a good place. If you miss me, just come here to see me!” Shui Ruolan thought Qin Wanru lost her temper again and cajoled her gently.
“Aunt Shui, someone is hurting us. Grandma and I both need you!” Qin Wanru said, looking at Shui Ruolan in a calm voice which should not belong to a girl at her age. Her eyes looked sparkling and sharp, making people feel surprised and frightened and have to listen to her.
She wouldn’t allow Mrs. Qin to get what she wanted in any case. She made some crimes, and she deserved to pay for that. She doomed to pay for her crimes with karma
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