Chapter 553: Chapter 553: The Last Line of Defense
Madam Zhou was a bit incredulous; why did Wufu sound somewhat softer in her speech? She looked at her daughter with some doubt and was flabbergasted by her attitude.
"Wufu, you..."
"Mother, I understand from the bottom of my heart that you canât let go of Old Madam Zhou, your flesh and blood. If she really were in some trouble and came to you for help, this bit of silver, you can give it if you decide to give it; itâs not like we lack that small amount. Iâve always said it, and Iâll say it again, as long as your heart is at ease, thatâs all that matters."
Madam Zhou was extremely surprised, "Didnât you say not to have dealings with them? To sever this relationship?"
"Yes, I did. But can you do it?" Wufu lowered her eyelids and said, "You still remember what Old Madam Zhou said when she came to ask for our help last time, donât you? What she and her daughter-in-law talked about in the guest room? She has already agreed to abandon you. Now that Zhou Xuennian and them have come to pour out their grievances, you still softened your heart."
Madam Zhouâs face flushed with shame. She opened her mouth to say something but felt that anything she would say would sound pale.
"Mother, if you want to acknowledge Old Madam Zhou as your mother, I canât stop you. Otherwise, if anything happens later, you might blame me, your daughter. I donât want to hurt our mother-daughter bond over someone else."
When Wufu said this, there was actually a bit of estrangement. She spoke this way, mainly because she and Madam Zhou werenât truly mother and daughter at heart, and both were aware of it. Itâs just that no one had burst that tacit bubble.
So if something happened to Old Lady Zhou in the future, would Madam Zhou resent her for being an imposter?
For Wufu, Madam Zhou was the first sense of motherly love she felt in her two lives, and she didnât want to lose that. Hence, she let Madam Zhou act as she wished.
If she had been the original Wufu, there would be no taboo, and Madam Zhou couldnât blame her for anything, being her true birth mother.
Madam Zhouâs face stiffened, and she immediately grasped her daughterâs hand urgently, saying, "Wufu, it wonât happen. How could I, as a mother, grow apart from you for someone elseâs sake?"
This was her own dear daughter, a piece of flesh that fell from her womb. After enduring so much disdain over the years, she had persistently brought her up and fiercely protected her. How could she possibly grow apart from her because of somebody else?
Wufu looked at her steadily.
Under her calm gaze, Madam Zhouâs face turned paler by the inch, and finally, she showed a bitter smile, "I understand now."
Wufu didnât need to say anything. Her eyes had already said it all. But what if that âsomeone elseâ was Madam Zhouâs own mother? What choice would Madam Zhou make then?
The Madam Zhou of today had become a sandwich biscuit, emotionally worn. If such situations kept occurring again and again, would their mother-daughter relationship really remain unharmed?
Could Madam Zhou afford to take that risk?
No, she couldnât afford it.
The only thing she clung to for survival all these years was Wufu, her daughter. She was the lifeline upon which she depended for survival; how could she afford to lose her?
"From now on, I wonât see them anymore," Madam Zhou said with a forced smile.
Wufu didnât actually want to push her to this point, but if the issues with the Old Zhou family werenât fundamentally resolved, their mother-daughter days would be nothing but misery.
"Mother, if they pressure you, just say that I am the one in charge of everything in this house," Wufu put down her teacup, wrapped her arms around her motherâs shoulders, and said, "Give them a hundred guts, and they wouldnât dare to come and flaunt themselves before me."
This was the difference between a strong and a weak character. The Zhou family had always taken for granted Madam Zhouâs kind nature. Would they dare to challenge Wufu?
After having a heart-to-heart, Wufu instructed Qiu Xiang to tell the gatekeeper that if the Zhou family came to visit, apart from Old Lady Zhou, none should be let in.
Madam Zhou didnât say anything when she learned of it, knowing this was Wufuâs final bottom line.