"Things at home have been very turbulent recently. I know that some of my actions may have disgusted you..."
Xu Youlan sighed, curled up her dry fingers, and finally stretched them out weakly.
"Yaoyao, do you also think that I am getting old and confused? That's why I tolerate Rong Zhen in every way and even let him destroy the Rong family's foundation..."
Meng Yao's answer was very pertinent: "You must have your reasons for doing this."
Xu Youlan chuckled and patted Meng Yao's hand. It must be said that she had given Meng Yao a very difficult question to answer, and the other party did not express any subjective opinions. This answer was actually the most cautious and appropriate.
"When I was young, I had too many concerns. When I got older, I thought that the most important thing was to have a large family with children and grandchildren and to live in harmony with my family. I tried my best to make up for it, but in the end, I found that in the end, neither side ended up well."
"I often think about these issues in my spare time. In the final analysis, I made a mistake, even to the point where it cannot be made up. I have made a mistake before, and I should not make another mistake in the name of compensation."
Xu Youlan's expression was upright and solemn, like a sculpture. Her dry, wrinkled skin and gray hair were enough to show that she was no longer young, but had grown old.
"Maybe I shouldn't interfere so much when I'm older. Everything has a predetermined outcome, and there's no harm in letting it develop."
As if she had finally figured it out, Xu Youlan couldn't help but smile, with a hint of relief.
As she got older, her feelings became duller, but she was still able to detect the emotions and attitude changes of the people around her. She knew that she had broken the hearts of these young people.
Sometimes I think that maybe those practices were wrong from the beginning.
The faces of resentment, anger, or collapse in her memory did not fade away, and she always remembered that she was not an upright person.
Meng Yao nodded and responded: "Since we can't control it, we might as well let it go."
Xu Youlan took a candied fruit from the table and stuffed it into Meng Yao's hand, smiling: "I remember that you like these snacks very much. Fortunately, your Aunt Hong prepared them in advance."
"You must be bored sitting here for so long, so let me tell you a story."
"Because of a boring and common business marriage, two people who did not love each other were tied together. Their married life was relatively respectful to each other, without any quarrels, and they soon had a pair of lovely sons." Recalling the past, Xu Youlan had a faint smile on her face, and her smile suddenly disappeared the next second.
"The story is not peaceful. In the tenth year after their marriage, the man took home a four-year-old boy. The boy was very handsome but a little shy. The man explained to the woman that he was the son of his old friend, who died unexpectedly a week ago, leaving behind only this poor child. The woman accepted the child. Although she knew that he was the son of the man's first love, she knew that there was no blood relationship between the man and the boy, and she felt a little pity for the boy."
Meng Yao didn't say anything, just listened quietly.
She knew that what Xu Youlan needed most was someone to listen.
The story seemed to be developing in a good direction, but Xu Youlan's expression became more and more tense: "That girl is not an ordinary person. Her family's business is quite large and she is a well-known figure in the local area. The male owner originally felt guilty about the boy, but later he changed his mind after seeing his transformation and the benefits that a strong alliance would bring. He intended to hand over the entire family to that boy."
"Doesn't it sound ridiculous? With that unknown guilt towards his first love, he actually wants to hand over all the family business to someone who doesn't want to do it..." Xu Youlan said self-deprecatingly, but her voice was full of powerlessness.
"The hostess naturally disagreed. She had a big argument with the host but the matter ended in vain. As I just said, the girl's family business is very big. The girl's father is corrupt and cares about his reputation. He doesn't agree with their relationship. Then... the hostess followed the girl's father and broke up the couple."
Xu Youlan slowly closed her eyes, frowning: "The mistress's goal was achieved. The boy eloped with the girl. Their absurd behavior made the male master extremely angry. The male master gave up his previous thoughts, and the family inheritance rights finally fell on their eldest son..."
After the story was finished, Xu Youlan opened her eyes and smiled, showing the indifference of an outsider: "Is this story a bit boring? I think so too. It's hard for Yaoyao to listen to the nonsense of an old woman like me for so long. Maybe it's really because I'm old. I always remember the little things until now."
Meng Yao's eyes were clear and transparent. She opened her lips but still said nothing.
"You should have guessed it, right? The protagonist of the story is me, the little boy is Rong Zhen, and the girl..." Xu Youlan clenched her hands slowly: "She is your aunt. I hope you don't blame me for this."
"It's all over." Meng Yao said softly.
"I always feel that I haven't lived a good life. Although I seem to have a lot of glory, I am actually trapped in this established circle all my life. The old man and I didn't get along well, and we had a very unpleasant quarrel in the later period. I often regretted choosing a business marriage..."
Xu Youlan turned around and looked at Meng Yao kindly: "Yaoyao, do you know why I agreed to your marriage with Ah Ying?"
"Why?"
The Meng family fell into defeat several years ago, and the original owner's character was not well-known in the socialite circle. So why did Xu Youlan favor the original owner so much
"Just like me, family marriage does not necessarily bring happiness to people, and there is a high probability that it will even bring some misfortune."
Xu Youlan stretched out her hand, and Meng Yao lowered her head obediently, allowing the other party to touch her hair gently and intimately.
"When I first saw you, I knew you liked Ah-Yan very much. The way you looked at him was so bright. Ah-Yan is just a blockhead. I don't hope he can wake up in this lifetime. He may not care about his marriage, but I sincerely hope he can be happy. Marriage is a lifelong event."
"You are still young and may not understand these things, but it is a very happy thing to have someone who cares about you. I hope that Ah Ying's future partner can love him more so that he will not be so lonely, and Yaoyao, you are obviously the right person."
It doesn't matter if you don't understand the story, there will probably be a sequel about Rong Zhen later.
(End of this chapter)