Cui Qingshu followed her mother into the apartment.
The room Lin Weihua lived in alone was barely twenty square meters.
The first thing Cui Qingshu noticed upon entering was the table standing in the middle of the room. It looked strangely out of place—almost like an altar table.
And she knew it truly was one.
Lin Weihua secretly worshipped Buddha. In this era, that counted as feudal superstition.
There had originally been a Buddha statue on the table. Whenever visitors came, Lin Weihua would hurriedly hide it away.
Cui Qingshu knew this from the original owner’s memories. The original owner had visited her mother once before, but she had disliked the idea that her mother’s behavior might implicate her father. After that, she never came again.
Lin Weihua’s attention was completely fixed on her daughter’s face as she repeatedly questioned her.
“How did you get hurt this badly? How did your father take care of you?”
The moment the words left her mouth, regret flashed across her face. Her daughter had always favored her father. Speaking like this would probably upset her.
Just as Lin Weihua was about to explain herself, Cui Qingshu didn’t seem bothered at all.
She pulled her mother down onto the wooden stool in front of the altar table, then threw her arms around her and burst into tears.
“Mom… Mom, I only have you now.”
Lin Weihua’s expression shifted.
“What? Cui Yuanwei died?”
Cui Qingshu nearly broke character and laughed.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could swear there was a trace of delight in her mother’s tone.
Shaking her head quickly, she replied, “No, he’s not dead.”
Lin Weihua sounded disappointed. “Oh. Then what happened? Did your father bully you? Did he hit you?”
Cui Qingshu relaxed inwardly.
With her mother reacting like this, convincing her to divorce Cui Yuanwei would probably succeed.
She carefully recounted how Su Ranyue had pushed her down the stairs, emphasizing how Cui Yuanwei had blindly protected the culprit.
As she spoke about all the grievances the original owner had suffered over the years, Cui Qingshu cried even harder.
“Mom, Dad lied to me. He said he adopted Su Ranyue to keep me company because he didn’t want me to be lonely.
But what happened in reality? He treats Su Ranyue better than me, his own biological daughter. He even lets her steal my jewelry.
In Dad’s heart, maybe Su Ranyue is the real daughter.”
“Waaah… Mom, you’re all I have left now. Don’t abandon me too.”
Hearing her daughter’s sobbing confession shattered Lin Weihua’s heart.
Her already pale face flushed faintly with anger as she hugged her daughter tightly, allowing her to cry against her lap while gently stroking her long hair with thin fingers.
“My good girl… how could Mom ever abandon you? You’re all I have left too.”
As Lin Weihua looked at her daughter, warmth rippled through her eyes. Even those once lifeless, indifferent eyes slowly brightened.
“But you’re different, sweetheart. You’re still young. Your future is long.
It won’t only be your mother who loves you. Your future husband and children will cherish you too. There will only be more and more people who care about you.”
She paused briefly, darkness settling deep into her gaze.
“And your father too. You’re his only daughter in this lifetime. How could he possibly not love you?”
Cui Yuanwei had no sons. Everything in the Cui family would eventually belong to their daughter.
And with her daughter engaged to the soldier Shen Ziming, her future should have been stable and secure.
“It’s not good at all. Shen Ziming wants to break off the engagement.”
The moment those words fell, Lin Weihua’s expression changed drastically.
“What?! How dare he?”
She had been the one who saved Shen Ziming.
He had knelt before her personally to beg for this marriage arrangement.
She had even chosen the military path for him herself. Given her daughter’s background, marrying a soldier should have guaranteed her a peaceful life.
As she listened to Cui Qingshu explain everything in detail, Lin Weihua’s face darkened repeatedly.
She had truly misjudged him.
Shen Ziming was actually such an ungrateful wretch.
Suddenly, Lin Weihua pulled her daughter tightly into her arms, her body trembling slightly as fear surged through her heart.
She had nearly destroyed her own daughter with her own hands.
“I’m coming back with you.”
Lin Weihua spoke decisively.
She no longer had the heart to hide alone in this tiny room worshipping Buddha.
She was going back.
She was going to protect her daughter.
Cui Qingshu had come specifically to seek an ally.
But hearing her mother say this, she suddenly hesitated.
“Mom… are you going back to live at the Cui house? Then…”
She trailed off uncertainly.
Her mother and that old bastard Cui Yuanwei were still husband and wife. If her mother returned, wouldn’t she have to share a room with him again?
That was far too unfair to her mother.
Lin Weihua froze, her heart sinking instantly. She looked at her daughter suspiciously and asked carefully,
“Does my girl not want me to come back?”
Realizing she had misunderstood, Cui Qingshu panicked and quickly shook her head.
“No! I was just thinking… if Mom comes back, can you sleep with me?”
The disappointment in Lin Weihua’s eyes vanished immediately.
“Of course. Mom will stay with you.”
Lin Weihua packed only a few simple things in the room—just two changes of clothes—before leaving with Cui Qingshu.
She originally wanted to ride the bicycle and carry her daughter, but seeing how pale and thin her mother looked, Cui Qingshu firmly refused.
Instead, Cui Qingshu rode the bike while carrying Lin Weihua toward the Cui residence.
The sun was setting, and it was already dinner time. Cui Qingshu was starving, so she pedaled especially fast.
Lin Weihua held tightly onto her daughter, her eyes glowing with long-lost vitality. Throughout the journey, a faint smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
Standing at the gates of the Cui residence, Lin Weihua felt dazed.
How many years had it been since she left?
She had gone away when her daughter was ten.
Now, in the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.
The moment Cui Qingshu stepped through the courtyard gate with her mother, the rich aroma of food drifted toward them, making her even hungrier.
Entering the house, she immediately saw a table completely filled with dishes.
Chicken.
Braised crucian carp.
Braised pork.
Everything imaginable.
Cui Yuanwei sat proudly at the table, his face full of gratification as he looked at Su Ranyue.
And Su Ranyue sat opposite him with flushed cheeks, gazing at him with admiration and affection.
What a warm, harmonious scene of fatherly love and filial devotion.
By comparison, the newly arrived Cui Qingshu and Lin Weihua looked strangely out of place—like unnecessary intruders.
But Cui Qingshu looked at the table full of food and had only one thought:
Thankfully, they had returned in time.
A smile appeared in her eyes as she covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise.
“Oh my, little sister specially prepared such a feast to welcome Mom and me home? How thoughtful of you.”
There was unmistakable superiority in her tone.
Su Ranyue’s face instantly darkened.
“Mom, hurry and take the main seat. These are all your favorite dishes.”
Only then did Cui Yuanwei and Su Ranyue snap out of their shock.
The chopsticks in Cui Yuanwei’s hand clattered loudly to the floor.
“Lin Weihua… y-you… why are you here?!”
The shrill pitch of his voice made Cui Qingshu instinctively rub her ears.
It sounded so high and unpleasant—like a eunuch.
Lin Weihua looked at him coldly.
“Cui Yuanwei, this is how you’ve been taking care of my daughter?”
Seeing Cui Qingshu staring at him with blatant disgust, Cui Yuanwei immediately understood.
This troublesome daughter had gone crying to her mother.
What confused him was that she had always disliked Lin Weihua.
So why had she suddenly dragged her back now?
Before he could finish processing the thought, Lin Weihua suddenly rushed forward.
Without hesitation, she struck him twice across the face—hard and fast.
The sharp slaps echoed loudly through the room.
“Dad! Aunt Lin, how can you hit Dad?!”
Su Ranyue hurried over to Cui Yuanwei’s side, fussing over him anxiously.
Even Cui Qingshu had been startled by how quickly her mother moved.
She immediately rushed forward and shielded Lin Weihua behind her.
Her mother looked far too weak and sickly. If Cui Yuanwei lost his temper and hit back, she would definitely suffer.
Looking at her daughter standing protectively in front of her, the light in Lin Weihua’s eyes grew even brighter. Love nearly overflowed from them.
“My girl, don’t be afraid. I’m fine.”
Her voice was so gentle it could melt a person alive.
Meanwhile, Cui Qingshu stared at Cui Yuanwei warily.
His eyes churned with irritation, fury, and venom.
But in the end, he didn’t dare retaliate.
Only after relaxing slightly did Cui Qingshu suddenly hear her own stomach growl loudly in the silent room.
“My girl must be hungry. Let’s eat first.”
Without sparing the other two another glance, Lin Weihua took her daughter’s hand and walked directly to the dining table.
Following Cui Qingshu’s lead, she calmly sat herself down in the head seat.
Looking over the dishes, Cui Qingshu realized most of them suited her tastes. Cui Yuanwei had fairly ordinary preferences.
Since Su Ranyue had spent the whole day cooking this feast, Cui Qingshu naturally had no intention of being polite.
She sat down and immediately began eating heartily.
Lin Weihua constantly added food to her bowl.
“Eat more.”
Nodding happily, Cui Qingshu said, “Mom, this tastes really good.”
Lin Weihua cast Su Ranyue a calm glance.
“If you like it, she can cook again next time.”
Then Cui Qingshu brought a bowl of porridge over to her mother.
“Mom, drink more porridge. The peanut almond porridge is cooked perfectly. It’s delicious.”
Smiling faintly, Lin Weihua nodded.
“Alright.”
The mother and daughter ate comfortably and contentedly.
Meanwhile, Cui Yuanwei stood there clutching his burning, swollen cheek. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
In the end, he said nothing.
Turning around, he slammed the door and stormed out.
Su Ranyue looked at one person, then the other, feeling as though her heart was bleeding.
Being praised for her cooking brought her no joy whatsoever.
She had spent all day preparing this meal to please Cui Yuanwei and strengthen her claim to the Cui family inheritance.
Yet neither she nor Cui Yuanwei had eaten a single bite.
Instead, the feast had benefited the two people competing with her.
Furious, Su Ranyue clenched her fists tightly, forgetting about the cut she had accidentally made while cooking.
Pain shot through her fingers, making her suck in a sharp breath as her face turned green.
Cui Qingshu frowned and glanced at her.
“If you’re not eating, why are you standing there? You’re ruining people’s appetites.”
Lin Weihua’s gaze settled on Su Ranyue.
So this was the “playmate” Cui Yuanwei had found for her daughter.
Though Su Ranyue wore an ordinary Lenin-style outfit, Lin Weihua’s sharp eyes immediately spotted the silk undergarment peeking out beneath the collar.
Mockery curled across Lin Weihua’s pale face.
“Cui Yuanwei certainly raised you delicately.”
Panicked, Su Ranyue hurriedly covered her collar and lowered her head. A flash of resentment flickered through her eyes.
The Cui family should have belonged to her in the first place.
Why shouldn’t she be allowed to wear silk?
“Tell Shen Ziming to come here tomorrow.”
Su Ranyue’s head snapped upward in shock.
Shen Ziming…
He was back?