Chapter 590: 590: Why Not Do This Before

Chapter 590: Chapter 590: Why Not Do This Before

(Chapter Six)

In order to strive for a legitimate reunion of the three family members, Ling Ruonan had adhered to the restrictions placed upon her by her family for the past twenty years. She hadn’t visited Luo Xusheng or Luo Ziling, and she hadn’t even seen Luo Liansheng. When there was a need to contact them, she always sent someone else, and the matter was handled very covertly. She hadn’t only not seen Luo Liansheng and Luo Xusheng, she hadn’t even personally made a phone call to them.

She had Luo Xusheng’s contact information, and Luo Xusheng had her phone number, but the two had never called each other.

For Ling Ruonan, her actions were driven by two fears. Firstly, she feared their communication could be monitored, leading to the unraveling of many years of perseverance, infuriating the Yang Family and the Ling Family, resulting in even harsher punishment for them. Secondly, even if she made the call, she didn’t know what to say.

Luo Xusheng was always a man of few words. In the past, when they were together, it was Ling Ruonan who initiated conversation, and she often chided Luo Xusheng for being a bottled-up person.

In this regard, Luo Ziling was completely different from his father; he was quite talkative.

Ling Ruonan had initially worried that Luo Ziling, growing up in such a semi-secluded environment, would be even more taciturn than his father, since her own temperament was similar—proud and aloof, except for when in the presence of Luo Xusheng. Unexpectedly, Luo Ziling was far better in this aspect than either of them, lively by nature and with a good sense of humor and wit.

Ling Ruonan didn’t know that this was due to Luo Ziling’s frequent watching of television in the small village. Having seen many witty and humorous male protagonists in dramas, he had picked up these traits. Additionally, his encounter with Yang Qingyin had changed his personality.

The feeling of immediate kinship had made him unrestrained and shyless, but rather bold, and he naturally started to talk more.

It could be said that the presence of Yang Qingyin in Luo Ziling’s life was the real reason for the significant change in his personality.

However, Ling Ruonan knew that Luo Xusheng’s personality had not become more open; it had in fact turned even more reticent due to the great trauma he had experienced.

Ling Ruonan feared that if the two of them made a direct call and didn’t know what to say, the awkwardness would be too much, even leading to a deterioration of their relationship.

Many things do not have to be said aloud—with eye contact and body language, emotions can be felt. But over the phone, none of the other’s expressions can be seen. If both do not know what to say, it might lead to misunderstandings, hence both had naturally chosen not to call directly but to communicate through intermediaries.

In this way, not only would they avoid detection by the Ling and Yang families, but they would also avoid awkwardness that could ruin each other’s feelings.

Another reason why Ling Ruonan had not taken the initiative to call Luo Xusheng was because she hoped that he would take the initiative to contact her, to give her a surprise.

But it never happened, which was quite regrettable for her.

Because of this, she harbored a small grudge and stubbornly refrained from contacting him, almost as if she were sulking.

However, Luo Xusheng would often send her local specialties from his area through others, along with precious health supplements, handicrafts, and ornaments. It was these annual gestures from Luo Xusheng that prevented the build-up of resentment in Ling Ruonan’s heart. But now, with the current situation having taken such a turn and Luo Ziling disrupting all the calm, she no longer needed to adhere to her original promise, because it had lost its meaning.

Thus, she decided to secretly contact Luo Xusheng and inform him about the events of the day, to ensure that if any unexpected situations arose, Luo Xusheng would urgently come to their aid. After making this decision, Ling Ruonan planned to tell Luo Ziling more about the situation, but she would not share with him her intent to contact Luo Liansheng and Luo Xusheng.

“Ling’er, there is one thing I must remind you,” Ling Ruonan said to Luo Ziling with great seriousness. “Today, by challenging the authority of several elders, they are certainly prejudiced against you in their hearts. And you must understand something else; right now, Li Haiyang’s protection, Fang Zhonghua’s special regard, and the Ouyang Family’s treatment of you, are largely because they consider the possibility of you being accepted by the Ling Family again. If they learn you have been rejected by the Ling Family, the kindness they show you may soon be lost. Without the shelter of these people, your situation will become even more perilous, to the point where you might not even have the chance to continue studying at Yan University.”

“Mom, in the heat of the moment, I didn’t think so much,” Luo Ziling lowered his head, but then immediately raised it again. “But even if I had considered these consequences, if they still insulted me, I would have still stood up to them. A man can be killed, but not insulted. I will never allow them to dishonor us, and I will fight them with all my might at any time. If they change their attitude towards me for these reasons, then I don’t care.”

“Mom doesn’t blame you,” Ling Ruonan quickly clarified, then continued, “Mom only hopes you understand what is going to happen next. Besides this, the Yang Family will certainly intensify their retaliation against you once they learn of the circumstances, and the same goes for other people who have conflicts with you. Alright, let’s speak frankly, you’ve just arrived in the Capital and have made so many enemies, and you’ve destroyed your own protections. That is indeed reckless. But what’s done is done, and Mom doesn’t blame you. Mom will still stand with you to face whatever comes, we are not afraid of any difficulties. If it really comes to that, we can just hide somewhere and live our life in secret.”

After a pause, Ling Ruonan added solemnly, “At worst, we can all go back to the Northwest, or move to Yuezhou. Living a little poorly doesn’t matter, or perhaps, we can flee abroad.”

“Mom, why didn’t you think this way before?” Luo Ziling asked curiously and then explained the reason for his question, “If the three of us, plus Grandpa, hid together somewhere, or went abroad, we might already be living a good life now. With Grandpa’s, Dad’s, and your abilities, we could make a life anywhere.”

“Back then, Mom was afraid that your father would lose his life, because at that time, most of the Ling and Yang families wanted your dad dead. Also, Mom hoped that they would forgive us and we could return to the Capital and be accepted by the Ling family. At that time, Mom was proud and ambitious, also striving for some achievement in life, not wanting to live an inconsequential existence. Of course, the most important reason was that I never thought we’d be separated for twenty years. Back then I was young and didn’t look at things as far and thoroughly as I do now. If I had known things would turn out this way, I certainly wouldn’t have stayed in the Capital for twenty years, fighting for your chances to return.”

As she talked, Ling Ruonan’s tears began to flow.

Twenty years of separation, twenty years of youth lost just like that—naturally, Ling Ruonan was in pain. Even thinking and talking about these matters was enough to make her cry again.