CHAPTER 54: 053: FAR-FETCHED (REQUESTING MONTHLY VOTES)

Old Mrs. Ye’s kindly expression froze, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes slowly gathered together, her eyes narrowing into slits. Ye He Ping shivered involuntarily, realizing that although he hadn’t figured out what he did wrong, his mother was already angry.

"Mom, Ye Qian is a kind-hearted child. That day, when she saw you leave in anger, she passed out from anxiety. Her face was as pale as if it had no blood. When she woke up, no matter how her mother and I insisted on taking her to the hospital, she refused, saying she was fine to save money, blaming herself all the while. Bai Xue and I didn’t take it seriously. I thought of arranging things at the company before coming to see you. Then, at the company, I heard from someone Bai Xue sent that Ye Qian refused to go to school, shutting herself in her room all day, calling herself a sinner, saying she wouldn’t go to school, and only letting her sister attend."

"Ye Qian is an obedient child and never disobeyed us as a kid. Bai Xue got angry seeing her like that and slapped her, but this child stubbornly refused to go to school." Ye He Ping sighed with a heartache thinking of his sensible younger daughter, "This child is just too kind, but unfortunately, she’s suffering from such an illness."

Talking about his younger daughter, Ye He Ping forgot to pay attention to his mother, lost in his own thoughts, completely unaware of the pain, regret, and disappointment that flashed across his mother’s face before it settled into indifference.

"He Ping, Mom has always said, I am doing well alone in the countryside, spending a lifetime here. I feel uncomfortable in the city like I’m sick, so I am more at ease in the countryside." When her son looked over, Old Mrs. Ye held his gaze for a moment before looking away, with a tone of indifference in her voice, "As for Ye Qian, go back and advise her well, tell her it’s not her fault. She doesn’t need to act like this. We know she’s kind, but outsiders might think she’s using it as a threat."

"Mom." Hearing his mother think this way about his younger daughter, Ye He Ping’s heart tightened. Realizing he was too tense, he quickly lowered his voice, "Mom, for the sake of my filial duty and my granddaughter’s intentions, why not come to the city with me? It’s been so many years; I haven’t been able to show you my filial piety properly. Please let me fulfill my duty as a son."

Remembering his younger daughter crying in his arms saying it was her fault, and how she had become so thin from not eating that she felt as light as a piece of paper, Ye He Ping couldn’t help but feel distressed. If he didn’t bring his mother back this time, how could his younger daughter endure the ongoing sadness and deterioration?

Looking up again at his mother’s silence, Ye He Ping steeled his heart, "Mom, even if you don’t go to the city for retirement, how about coming to stay in the city for a while and then returning? Would that be okay?"

After Ye He Ping’s words fell silent for a long time, his mother still did not speak.

So, he quietly called again, "Mom, what do you think?"

"Just for that daughter you’ve always cherished, you’re going to trouble your old mother? You talk about taking me to the city for retirement or for a while, but isn’t it all for that daughter? If she hadn’t refused to eat and go to school, would you even have come back? I don’t want to argue about this; you love the daughter you raised, and I won’t stop you, but is it right to trouble your mother who’s already halfway buried for the sake of your daughter? Do you think I’ve raised an ingrate all these years?" Old Mrs. Ye’s voice was filled with weariness, and her gaze pierced like a knife.

"Mom..." Ye He Ping couldn’t sit still, rubbing his hands anxiously while standing, hesitating to step forward only to be stopped by his mother’s gaze, urgently explaining, "You’ve misunderstood me. Even if I love Ye Qian dearly, I wouldn’t make trouble for you, right? Initially, it wasn’t Ye Qian who didn’t know about this, and I was planning to take some time off to see you..."

"So as soon as Ye Qian stirred up trouble, you rushed over, is that it?" Old Mrs. Ye interrupted her son, growing more irritated the more she listened to his explanations, "Do you really think I’m so clueless that I can’t see through this? Ask yourself, am I wronging you? When I saw you return, I was happy. At least you haven’t forgotten you have a mother. But the moment you stepped inside, you acted like Lingzi didn’t exist. She’s not a young child anymore; can’t she see? But I thought since you just came back, I didn’t want to make things confrontational, hoping to find a chance for you two to talk and rebuild some affection."

"But sadly, He Ping, you have really let Mom down. Mom can endure all sorts of grievances, but Lingzi is your own daughter. When you care for Ye Qian, don’t you consider Lingzi? Do you even know that since returning from the city, Lingzi hasn’t attended school, studying by herself at home, even fearing to use electricity at night? During the day, she works while studying and worries about earning money. A sixteen-year-old girl carries a basket to the platform, shouting to sell wild vegetable cakes. Meeting someone nice, she remains silent if they don’t buy, but when encountering someone unkind, she hears nasty comments. I’ve been silently watching, my heart aching with hers."

"But as her grandmother, I am powerless. She has parents who don’t care, relying only on herself. Otherwise, how could others point fingers at her like this?" Old Mrs. Ye wiped her tears with the corner of her garment, "If you came back today for us, the grandchild and grandmother, I wouldn’t say anything, but you know deep down why you really came back. Lingzi avoided you because she’s still holding a grudge. Now, there’s no need to explain anymore. Stay one night and leave tomorrow."

"Mom, you’re pushing me to the brink." Ye He Ping paced the room anxiously, not knowing what to do, pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag to calm his agitated mood, "I know because you didn’t let Lingzi go to school, you’ve always held something against Ye Qian, and you always say Bai Xue and I are biased. But aren’t you also biased? Ye Qian is also your granddaughter. Now she’s the one who’s ill. If we take good care of it, maybe with medical advancement, she could be cured; but if something unexpected happens..."

"Is that how you see me?" Old Mrs. Ye didn’t care about the concern over her younger granddaughter’s illness that her son mentioned; she only clung to his words, feeling something stuck in her chest, unable to breathe, pointing at her son, "You speak so..."

She managed to utter these few words before her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the kang bed. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)