“It’s alright, your mother is doing well. We just saw each other yesterday during the day,” Mo Qingyan quickly reassured the startled young girl.
So much had happened since last night that he hadn’t had the chance to mention Zuo Ying, Zuo Yang’s biological mother.
Hearing this, Zuo Yang let out a long sigh of relief.
“Is it that Auntie…” Mo Qingyan’s words trailed off unfinished.
Seeing Zuo Yang’s reaction, he knew that something unfortunate might have happened to Zuo Ying as well.
Zuo Yang composed herself for a moment, then told Mo Qingyan about her mother Zuo Ying’s fate.
Upon hearing this, Mo Qingyan’s eyes darkened: “Yu Ning, let’s go to Auntie’s place first.”
Yu Ning also responded seriously: “Yes, President.”
This time Zuo Yang didn’t say anything more, nestling back into Mo Qingyan’s embrace looking completely dispirited.
While going to the Slums to find Feng Lin was important, she also needed to confirm her mother’s situation.
Her mother’s illness was psychological – as long as she saw her daughter had returned, she would surely recover.
“Mo Qingyan, will my sudden appearance scare Mom?”
“No,” Mo Qingyan rubbed the fluffy head under his palm, “Auntie will only feel boundless joy.”
Just like him.
“Thank you for taking care of Mom these past five years.” She knew Mo Qingyan had been very, very good to her mother.
Mo Qingyan shook his head: “It was Auntie who took care of me.”
During these five years without the young girl, Zuo Ying’s presence had truly been a great support for him.
…
Water Village Town.
A simple, single-story house with a courtyard.
This was the home of Zuo Ying and Zuo Yang.
Though not wealthy, the mother and daughter who depended on each other lived simply yet happily, with Zuo Ying always doing her best to give her daughter everything she could.
After Zuo Yang’s death, Mo Qingyan had originally wanted to bring Zuo Ying to live with him, but Zuo Ying refused.
The mother who had lost her daughter simply said softly: She wanted to go home, to keep guarding the home she shared with her daughter. This way, whenever her daughter missed home and wanted to return, she would see her mother waiting for her…
The car slowly stopped outside the courtyard.
Zuo Yang eagerly got out of the car, her small hands nervously fidgeting with each other.
Mo Qingyan, worried she might hurt her hands, quickly held them.
At this moment, the courtyard gate was open.
What greeted their eyes were flowers already in full bloom.
These were all flowers that her mother and she had planted together, one by one.
In one corner of the courtyard, a small vegetable garden had been cultivated.
The green vegetables and fruits were growing splendidly.
And there were the bamboo-woven chairs, the handmade table…
Everything was exactly as she remembered, nothing had changed.
Just as Zuo Yang was lost in thought, she saw a figure emerge from the house, carrying a blanket printed with cartoon patterns, murmuring: “The sun is good today, time to air out my Yang Yang’s blanket.”
The familiar words and actions instantly brought Zuo Yang to tears.
It was as if, in her mother’s heart, she hadn’t died but was still alive…
In the courtyard.
As Zuo Ying finished arranging the blanket, a small, tearful voice suddenly sounded behind her—
“Mom…”
Zuo Ying froze completely!
She bit her lip hard, her hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably!
She was afraid she had misheard, but how could she possibly mistake it!
That was her daughter’s voice!
“Yang Yang, my precious, my daughter… is that you? Have you come back to see your mother?”
Zuo Ying’s voice also became choked with tears.
But she dared not turn around, afraid that if she did, her daughter would vanish.
In the five years since her daughter had left, how she wished her daughter would appear in her dreams.
Yet for five years, this naughty girl hadn’t appeared in her dreams even once.
What a naughty girl she was…
“Mom, I’m Yang Yang, I’m back…”
Zuo Yang wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist from behind, pressing her body tightly against her mother’s back.
Zuo Ying’s body stiffened abruptly!
It was warm—both the small hands around her waist and the soft body pressed against her back were warm!
What mattered most!
Zuo Ying lowered her gaze to the small hands encircling her waist.
Snow-white, delicate little hands with adorable pink fingertips—exactly like her precious baby’s hands!
How could this be!
The overwhelming shock nearly made Zuo Ying faint!
But at this moment, all she wanted was to hold her daughter tightly!
Everything else, she didn’t care about at all!
Zuo Ying turned around and, upon seeing the face before her—though completely streaked with tears, still utterly adorable—could no longer hold back her sobs.
“My baby! My precious baby!”
Zuo Ying hugged the person before her tightly!
“Mom’s baby has finally returned! It’s Mom’s baby!”
Mo Qingyan, who had been waiting outside the courtyard, also came in.
Yu Ning, following behind, couldn’t hold back her tears at the sight.
The heart-wrenching pain of the past was finally over, replaced by a perfect outcome.
That was enough.
Mother and daughter cried for a long time, until they were utterly exhausted. Only then, out of concern for each other, did they finally stop crying.
Zuo Yang clung to Zuo Ying like a little koala.
Five years had passed—her mother had more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, from missing her and crying too much.
There were also many white strands in her hair.
She had grown thinner.
But her mother was still as beautiful as ever—time had never been harsh to a beauty.
Seeing her daughter so attached to her, Zuo Ying’s face was filled with smiles.
Since Zuo Yang’s voice had grown hoarse from crying, it was Mo Qingyan who explained the whole story to Zuo Ying.
Zuo Ying’s ability to accept the situation was no less than Mo Qingyan’s; hearing about the series of mysterious events that had happened to her daughter, she listened with great interest.
“Oh, my baby is so amazing,” Zuo Ying praised, kissing her daughter’s soft, chubby cheeks.
Zuo Yang giggled happily, like a contented fool.
Zuo Ying reached out and touched her daughter’s forehead: “Hmm, the fever has almost subsided.”
As for the faint marks on her daughter’s neck—so faint they were barely visible unless one looked closely—though it pained her, Zuo Ying didn’t say anything.
After all, Yu Ning’s reaction was understandable, and she had been apologizing remorsefully…
Zuo Yang nuzzled against her mother: “Mom, I’ll go with Qingyan to take care of business now. Wait for us at home, okay?”
Mo Qingyan said, “No rush. Spend more time with your aunt first.”
He knew that the mother and daughter had just reunited, especially for Zuo Ying—her daughter had finally returned, so of course she wouldn’t want to be apart.
But then the little girl waved her hands: “No need, no need. Mom will be fine as long as she sees me, right, Mom?”
Zuo Ying immediately laughed: “Yes, yes, of course! Mom will live a long, healthy life!”
A heart’s illness requires a heart’s cure.
In her dreams, Zuo Ying had died from pent-up sorrow, but now that her precious daughter had returned, her heart was healed, and she was completely fine!
Mo Qingyan watched the mother and daughter, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
Zuo Ying inquired in detail about Mo Qingyan’s situation, and the more she listened, the more tightly her brows furrowed.
“Hurry and go find someone then, don’t delay.” Zuo Ying began shooing them away. “Qingyan, be careful in all matters.”
Mo Qingyan replied, “Don’t worry, Auntie.”
While Zuo Yang went to the small vegetable garden to pick some fruits to eat, Zuo Ying didn’t forget to softly remind Mo Qingyan:
“Qingyan, Yang Yang’s situation is far too unusual. If outsiders were to find out, I’m afraid my daughter would be taken away for experiments.”
Initially, upon hearing the first part, Mo Qingyan had maintained a solemn expression, but when he heard the latter part, he nearly lost his composure.
He said with a smile, “Auntie, rest assured. This time, I will definitely protect the child.”
“I trust you. But the prerequisite is that you must first protect yourself. You can’t be like back then…” Zuo Ying couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence, only letting out a soft sigh.
Because that period of the past was simply too agonizing, worse than death itself.
Mo Qingyan certainly understood what Zuo Ying meant to say.
If it weren’t for that fire back then, if he hadn’t become a cripple, how could he and his darling have been separated by life and death?