Chapter 723 - 685: You Were the Ones Who Abandoned Me First

Chapter 723: Chapter 685: You Were the Ones Who Abandoned Me First

Li Huairu once again turned her gaze towards Second Lang’s wife.

Second Lang’s wife felt a bit guilty under her stare, so she hid behind Wen Wan and quietly asked Wen Wan, "Why is Sanyang calling someone else ’mother’?"

Wen Wan, sharp-minded, had already discerned from Li Huairu’s gaze that she had recovered her memory, and within this brief moment, she had made her choice.

Isn’t it obvious? She didn’t give her biological mother a chance, but the contrast between her birth mother and adoptive mother was too stark. A young girl could only judge based on instinct who treated her well and who did not, and she naturally gravitated towards the one who treated her well.

At Sanyang’s age, she didn’t understand what enjoying wealth and glory meant, had no grasp of greed. She chose someone who could offer her motherhood.

Clearly, Second Lang’s wife hadn’t even spoken to her daughter yet, and she had already completely lost.

Or to put it another way, back then in Ningzhou, when they decided to save the son and abandon the daughter, this child no longer belonged to them. The only connection now was that indelible blood bond.

...

After Yun Cai brought clear porridge and fed Li Huairu, Li Huairu gained some spirit and leaned against a soft pillow at the head of the bed.

Wen Wan walked up to her and gently asked, "Sanyang, have you remembered everything, right?"

As if deliberately avoiding this question, Li Huairu lowered her head, clutching the quilt with both hands, without uttering a word.

Wen Wan said, "Don’t be afraid. Even if you’ve remembered everything, no one will force you. Back then, the family’s neglect and hardships they put you through were indeed wrong, but now that you’ve remembered, whatever you wish to say, just say it. No one will blame you."

Mrs. Yao listened to this, feeling her heart tighten.

Li Huairu was silent for a long while and then asked Wen Wan, "Can you bring him here too?"

"Who?" asked Second Lang’s wife instinctively.

Wen Wan guessed the girl was referring to her biological father and softly replied, "Second Master went to the government office for duty and will only return at night. Whatever you need to say, you can also tell our Second Madam."

She deliberately avoided using terms like "parents" because she had earlier read Li Huairu’s gloomy expression, fearing that it might upset her if mentioned.

Li Huairu closed her eyes and, without looking at Second Lang’s wife, spoke to her, "That night in Ningzhou, I screamed until my voice was hoarse, but no one turned back. I thought I was going to die in that earthquake. Fortunately, I was saved by a kind uncle. I barely escaped death and survived by begging from day to day, unsure if I could live to see the next day. But I didn’t want to die. That day at West Mountain Temple, I was so hungry that while the servants weren’t watching, I tried to steal snacks from the carriage. I got caught, and the person who caught me ended up becoming my best friend, treating me as her own child."

At this point, tears welled in the girl’s eyes as she cried, "You didn’t want me back then. I don’t want you now. Why are you looking for me again? Do you want to abandon me once more?"

Second Lang’s wife felt like her heart was being pierced with knives over and over as she listened, "Sanyang, I’m sorry. Mother was forced back then."

This was the most hurtful and frustrating phrase.

Li Huairu, while crying, began to laugh coldly, "Yes, you were forced, so you abandoned me to fend for myself. Since you were determined to let me die, why are you looking for me now? Just consider me already dead."

"Sanyang..."

"I am not Sanyang; I am Li Huairu!" The girl screamed her final stubbornness, perhaps pushing too hard, causing the wound on the back of her head to burst, leading her to twitch in pain.

Mrs. Yao felt excruciating heartache and turned to glare at Second Lang’s wife, "The child is already like this, and you as her biological mother still don’t know the severity? Although it’s not my place to say, as an outsider, I did raise her for a few years. From an adoptive mother’s perspective, Ruru is right. When you didn’t want her, you left her alone in disaster. Now that you want her, you try every means to bring her back. You think you’re compensating her, but it’s just hurting her again. The better you treat her now, the more it reminds her of how cruel you were back then."

Since everything was laid out, Mrs. Yao decided to speak frankly, "I had an agreement with Mrs. Song earlier that if Ruru woke up and regained her memory, she could choose whoever she wished to stay with, and I would respect her choice. If she didn’t remember, she would go back with me. Now that she’s remembered and made her choice, Second Madam, as you’ve seen, Ruru doesn’t want to acknowledge you as her birth mother. In the future, just consider you don’t have this daughter. Let her stay in our family. Although the Li Family has declined, there is still some ancestral wealth left. We won’t fail to provide for a girl. Rest assured, she will only have a better life with me, and when she grows up, I will prepare a dowry and marry her off with honor. What do you think?"

Second Lang’s wife did not answer, only looking tearfully at Li Huairu, "Sanyang, do you really not want your parents anymore?"

Li Huairu’s eyes were red, and she clenched the quilt tightly, "How many times do I have to say it? You were the ones who didn’t want me first!"

"Second Sister-in-law!" Wen Wan frowned, "Now that it’s come to this, don’t provoke her more."

Second Lang’s wife covered her face and cried, "I know it was wrong back then to abandon her, but now you want me to personally give her away; how can I do that?"

Wen Wan quietly sighed, patting her shoulder, "Don’t cry. I think the best way forward is to let Sanyang stay with the Li Family. In the future, if you miss her, you can visit. You were bound by circumstances, and she should be allowed her own thoughts."

Second Lang’s wife did not reply, still crying.

Mrs. Yao didn’t really want the Song Family to disrupt Ruru’s life again, but she feared Wen Wan would suddenly change her mind and stop Li Huairu from returning with her.

Second Lang’s wife was clearly short-sighted and easy to deal with, but this Princess Yong’an held a higher status and was always uncompromising in her words and actions. Going against her might mean digging their own grave, so it’s better not to risk it.

So, Mrs. Yao chose to remain silent.

"Mom, let’s go. I don’t want to stay here anymore." Li Huairu reached out, clutching Mrs. Yao’s arm, tears still hanging by her eyes, looking so fragile and pitiful it made Mrs. Yao’s heart ache terribly.

Mrs. Yao gently wiped away her tears and softly agreed.

With things as they were, Wen Wan had no intention of stopping them. She immediately ordered a soft sedan to be prepared, personally helped Li Huairu out of bed, and had a servant woman carry her out.

It wasn’t until they sent her out the Hanging Flower Gate and watched her board the sedan that Wen Wan withdrew her gaze. Returning to the East Wing, she found Second Lang’s wife sobbing uncontrollably.

"Second Sister-in-law, she’s already gone." Wen Wan looked at her for a moment before speaking.

Earlier, in Mrs. Yao’s presence, some things were hard to say, and it was only now that Second Lang’s wife poured out her grievances, "Everyone blames me. When I couldn’t bear a son, it was my fault. When I finally had a son, disaster struck. In that situation, if I’d turned back to save her, our whole family would have died. What could I do? I had to save my son, preserve our lineage. Now that she was saved by kind people and blames me, I understand. But, I just feel like being a woman is too hard. Everything is my fault. You tell me, Sister-in-law, why is my fate so tragic, stuck with such a family and such troubles?"

"In that situation, you must have had your difficulties." Wen Wan did not blame her entirely: "Since you already made the choice, let her go now. For us, her being alive and well is already the greatest blessing."

"Wuwuwu..." Second Lang’s wife couldn’t stop crying.

Granny Song heard the commotion and sent someone to inquire about what had happened. Second Lang’s wife, with swollen eyes, personally went to Rong’an Hall to explain to her mother-in-law.

Granny Song frowned tightly after hearing, "So you’re saying that child won’t come back in the future?"

Second Lang’s wife looked ashen, "With a mother as incompetent as me, why would she come back?"

Granny Song initially wanted to scold her a bit, but when she looked up and saw how haggard she was, she swallowed back her words and sighed long, "If she’s not coming back, so be it. As long as she’s safe and well, that’s good enough. In the future, if there’s a chance, go visit her and show her more care."

Second Lang’s wife nodded blankly.

Granny Song, afraid she’d be overly upset and do something rash, asked her maid, Yun Xia, to escort her back.