Chapter 122: The Grace of Birth and Nurturing
Shang Qingmei’s attire today was quite lavish.
She wore a handcrafted qipao embroidered with peonies, adorned with jade all over her body. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she directed the driver to move things inside, various exotic supplements, each with a hefty price tag.
"Qingmei, what is this..." The old lady was quite puzzled about why her former daughter-in-law, who hadn’t visited since remarrying, had come with such a grand display.
Shang Qingmei merely instructed the driver to move the items. Grandma Xu returned to the house and brought out two cups of tea. By this time, the items had mostly been moved.
Grandma Xu invited them to have tea, but without Shang Qingmei’s permission, how could the driver dare to drink? Besides, the driver was perceptive enough to see that Shang Qingmei had something to say, so he quietly exited after finishing the task.
Shang Qingmei didn’t drink tea, and she didn’t even sit down. She stood upright, her chin slightly raised, looking dignified.
"Mother," she addressed, not calling her "Mom" like before, but also not disregarding her upbringing. The term "Mother" preserved the remnants of their past in-law relationship. "Technically, my name is no longer connected to the Xu family, but I’m not an unfeeling person. After living in the Xu family for nearly ten years, seeing you restrains my upbringing, and I can’t call you anything else."
"..." Grandma Xu listened but didn’t know how to respond.
"I know you’re living alone now, feeling lonely. Ronggui is your grandson, you miss him and want to see him to relieve your loneliness in your later years. I understand, so when Ronggui visited you behind my back, I turned a blind eye, pretending not to know. But while I empathize with you, could you also consider me? Life in the Su family hasn’t been easy for me. The Su family is large and established, and as a widow with a burden, getting married into it has been an enormous effort. Many young and beautiful girls out there are targeting these successful men, regardless of whether or not they are over fifty. Compared to them, I have no advantage anymore. I step carefully in the Su family every moment. Why do I endure all this difficulty? Isn’t it for Ronggui’s sake? I’m his mother, no one in this world wants the best for him more than I do. But you, as his grandmother, what have you done? Besides satisfying your desire to see your grandson every day, what else have you done?