Chapter 163 - 160: Eating Dumplings on the Kitchen God Festival
Time flew by amidst tranquility and fulfillment, and in the blink of an eye, it was already close to the Lunar New Year. Simeng Beauty Salon was scheduled to begin its one-month trial operation on February 25th, after consulting a fortune teller to pick the date. The official opening would be March 25th.
Li Si wasn’t someone who believed in these things originally. But one of the newly recruited beauticians, Zhang Qian, was an interesting young woman whose family was knowledgeable in this area. So, Li Si decided to err on the side of caution—after all, it was just spending a little money, why risk things being unlucky?
On January 22nd, the day of the Little New Year, thanks to the small amount of diluted river water Li Si had secretly added to Mrs. Su’s cup and adjusted carefully, Mrs. Su’s complexion gradually improved, and she finally regained consciousness.
When she saw her daughter standing right in front of her, alive and well, she cried out loudly, "My daughter! Why didn’t you come back sooner? If you had, your father could’ve left this world in peace!"
Since Mr. Su’s death, she had been crying every day. Before long, she developed dementia, her memories becoming fragmented—sometimes she was lucid, sometimes confused, living in a daze.
Su Meng hugged her mother, sobbing uncontrollably. If she could choose again, she would have cherished her parents instead of sacrificing the peaceful life she could have had all for so-called love.
"Mom, Meng Meng is back now. I’ll never leave again! It’s all my fault. Mom, please forgive me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face, not telling her mother what she had been through. Why let her heart ache further?
People have to look forward in life—the past is best treated as a nightmare that has finally ended. When you wake up, it’s a new beginning.
Mrs. Su alternated between pounding her daughter’s shoulders and gazing at her with a heart full of affection. The lively and spirited girl she once knew was gone, replaced by a daughter marked by the traces of hardship. Saddened, she murmured, "How could I blame you! When your father was alive, he always said, as long as you came back alive, we wouldn’t blame you for anything you did. My daughter, your father and I have missed you so much!"
"Mom, I missed you too..." Su Meng finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably as she recounted the longing she’d felt all these years.
Li Si couldn’t help but cry along with them. In life, of the disappointments people face, nine out of ten can’t be shared; of the remaining ones that can, only one or two ever are.