CHAPTER 292: CHAPTER 292; SHE WAS DIFFERENT BACK THEN

"Oooh... They are in the Military Academy? Isn’t that a bit too early for them? They are still so young! Is this Huo Ting Cheng’s decision?" Mr. Xu asked, his tone cautious. He didn’t trust Huo Ting Cheng, finding his cold, emotionless demeanor unsettling, he seemed capable of anything.

"No, Grandpa. We just wanted to join it ourselves. It’s challenging, maybe even difficult to handle, but it’s good for our growth," Feihao quickly explained, not wanting them to misunderstand their father. Huo Ting Cheng may be distant, cold, but he was a good father.

"Oooh..." Mrs. Xu gave him a doubtful look but let the matter drop.

"Grandma, can you tell us a story about what mommy was like when she was young?" The children’s curiosity was natural; they wanted to know more about their mother, since they hadn’t heard much, and their father never told them anything much.

"Hehehe... okay, I will tell you." Mrs. Xu said warmly, happy to oblige. They settled into a comfortable position.

Tang Fei, who was coming from the kitchen, was led away by Xu Xie. "Fei Fei... let’s go upstairs," Xu Xie said, taking Tang Fei’s hand and gently leading her away. Twilight immediately trailed behind them.

Minghao, Tinghao, and Zhihao sat with rapt attention, while Qing Qing watched quietly. Qin Xinyu also felt welcomed in the warm family gathering.

"When your mommy was younger... she was really beautiful and adorable... just like a little princess everyone wanted to have..." Mrs. Xu began, her eyes twinkling with nostalgia.

Mrs. Xu’s voice softened as she recalled memories long tucked away. "She had this mischievous streak, you know, always getting into little troubles but somehow managing to charm everyone around her and always got away with it. Even as a child, she was clever and determined."

Minghao’s eyes widened, "Really? Mommy was mischievous?" She turned around and gazed at Zhihao, none of them seemed to carry their mother’s character.

"Yes, and stubborn too," Mrs. Xu chuckled. "Once, she tried to climb over the garden wall just to fetch a cat that had wandered in. Ended up with scratches all over her arms, but she didn’t cry, and neither did she say anything. Just smiled and said she’d do it again if she had to."

Tinghao laughed. "Mommy sounds kind!"

"Very kind indeed," Mrs. Xu nodded, her gaze softening as she looked at Feihao. "Even back then, she had a strong sense of responsibility. Always looking out for her younger cousins, making sure they were safe and happy. She had a heart that wanted to protect everyone she cared about."

Zhihao leaned closer, fascinated. "So... that’s awesome, Grandma, do you think she has gone through something years back?" As young as he was, he could still fathom most of the things. A kind person shouldn’t act the way she has been unless something did happen that was unforgivable.

His mother hated them, hated their father, and everything around her. What could have contributed to that? Could they have had some misunderstandings? Because, as much as she beat Huo Ting Cheng, he never did anything to her, he looked this helpless and lost.

Even when their mother attempted suicide several times, Huo Ting Cheng could only lock her up, but still, he felt like the things that happened back then could have contributed to her sudden change.

"Haha, I really don’t know how to phrase it, at one time, she was found by her family curled up with blood all over her hands and clothes, no matter how much they asked what had happened, she kept mum, the family members thought she had killed a puppy or something and they began saying she was having some psycho tendency..... No one knows what happened back then as she never said anything..."

"When Huo Ting Cheng married her, we heard they had been involved in a huge fire accident, and they were both severely hurt, but we don’t know what happened back then, and to what extent they were wounded!" The victims themselves never made a single statement, so no one knows anything.

The children exchanged uneasy glances. Minghao fidgeted with his hands, Tinghao’s brow furrowed, and Zhihao sat silently, trying to process the unsettling pieces of their mother’s past.

Even Qing Qing’s usually quiet demeanor seemed heavier, sensing the weight behind Mrs. Xu’s words.

"Grandma..." Zhihao whispered, his voice trembling slightly, "Mommy... she really went through all that?"

Mrs. Xu sighed, her gaze distant. "I wasn’t that close to her back then, and I just heard all these when we investigated; it’s just that it’s hard to confirm things about what had transpired back then." She actually didn’t know much, it’s just that she had heard her mental condition had shifted. She went quiet and mum about everything.

"Grandma, at one time I heard the guards saying, Mommy betrayed Daddy for some important information also causing their deaths, and this had caused Daddy to be seriously injured and in a coma for a long time... Could this be true?" At one time, Zhihao had heard the guards speaking to his Father, and probably Grandma would have a story.

Mr Xu and Mrs Xu exchanged glances nervously surprised because they didn’t know anything about this!

Mrs. Xu’s lips pressed into a thin line, and Mr. Xu’s hands clenched slightly in his lap. The air in the room suddenly grew heavy with unspoken tension.

"Zhihao..." Mrs. Xu began carefully, her voice measured, "Children hear things, and it’s normal. Sometimes stories get twisted, details are exaggerated... or they are completely false. What the guards said... I can’t confirm any of it. Not everything you hear is the truth, and sometimes you might not have heard the complete statement."

Zhihao looked down, his small hands clutching his knees. "But... Daddy seemed hurt... and Mommy... she... she was different back then."

Mr. Xu cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. "Your mother made mistakes, yes... but betrayal? That... that isn’t something I have ever seen her do. Sometimes people make choices in moments of fear or desperation, but it’s not the whole story. And your father... he’s strong. He survived because he never gave up."