Her mother had always said that her younger brother would inherit their stepfather’s position—that he had a bright future ahead and would become her support.
Fang Manping had always believed this.
But now…
Her brother was suddenly no longer her brother.
And her real brother… was dead?
“Mom, don’t be sad. There was nothing we could do. It’s all because of those damned R people,” Fang Manping comforted her mother, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
But to Fang Wanrong’s ears, this was no comfort at all.
She abruptly raised her head. Despite her age, her face, still elegant and beautiful, was streaked with tears. Yet now, she glared at Fang Manping with a vicious light in her eyes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Do you realize what it means that your brother is gone?”
“Do you think that just because he’s gone, you can inherit the Sheng family now?”
“Tell me—have you always been jealous of your brother? Are you happy now that he’s gone?”
Fang Manping stared at her in disbelief. “Mom, I’ve never thought that way.”
“Yes, you have! You must have resented me for favoring your brother all along! You’re just like Sheng Zexi—you wished for A’Rui to disappear! Yes, that must be it!”
Facing her mother’s accusations, Fang Manping felt as if a piece of her heart had been hollowed out.
She never expected her own mother to think of her this way.
She admitted that there had been times when she envied or even resented her brother for receiving their mother’s favoritism.
But she had never once wished for him to disappear.
All she had ever wanted was to figure out how to earn her mother’s attention and approval.
That was why, all these years, she had worked so hard to become outstanding.
One reason she wanted to marry Li Tingxuan was that she loved him—but another was that if she became the matriarch of the Li family, her mother would surely see her as accomplished and take pride in her.
Today, upon hearing the news, she had rushed home on leave, afraid her mother wouldn’t be able to bear it. She had come back to comfort her.
Yet instead, she was met with her mother’s suspicion.
Now, under her mother’s gaze, Fang Manping’s heart truly ached.
In the past, Fang Wanrong might have noticed her daughter’s distress and softened her tone.
But now, her entire focus was on her son.
She couldn’t even bother maintaining her gentle facade in front of Sheng Xinhao anymore—let alone in front of her daughter.
Perhaps she knew her words had been too harsh. Perhaps she knew her daughter might not have harbored such thoughts—that she had been wrong.
But she had no energy left to console her.
Her mind in turmoil, she shoved Fang Manping away abruptly, covered her face, and retreated to her room.
Leaving Fang Manping alone in the living room, staring at her mother’s retreating figure, her head bowed as silent tears fell onto the back of her hand.
…
“What’s wrong? Did Comrade Hua say something to you?” Gu Jianing was holding Xingxing, feeding her, when she looked up and noticed Sheng Zexi’s unusual demeanor after he returned from answering the phone.
At this, Grandma Sang and Yao Chunhua turned to Sheng Zexi in confusion.
His lips moved slightly before he finally spoke. “Zhenrong told me… the military has taken Sheng Zerui away. They said he’s from the R Country!”
“What?! R Country? How could he be from the R Country? Wait—who’s Sheng Zerui?” Yao Chunhua exclaimed.
Grandma Sang, however, knew exactly who Sheng Zerui was—wasn’t he Fang Wanrong’s son?
But to think he was actually from the R Country? This truly shocked her.
After Sheng Zexi explained, Grandma Sang and Yao Chunhua finally understood the situation.
“Good heavens! Those R people are absolute monsters! To swap babies—separating them from their parents—is already evil enough, but to actually kill them? Those poor children…” Yao Chunhua’s voice was thick with disgust for the R people.
Or perhaps, as a citizen of Jiaguo, there was no one who didn’t despise R Country.
Every single atrocity committed by R Country was utterly inhuman.
“No matter what national grudges or personal hatreds exist, the child was innocent,” Grandma Sang sighed.
Though, because of her daughter and grandson, she had never liked Fang Wanrong—she always thought the woman was cunning and manipulative.
In fact, much of the conflict between Sheng Zexi and Sheng Xinhao had been fueled by Fang Wanrong’s scheming.
But in the end…
As a mother herself, she understood the pain of losing a child.
So, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh or gloat over the situation.
…
Gu Jianing only returned to work at the hospital half a month after her postpartum confinement ended.
Meanwhile, Yao Chunhua, who had stayed at the Northwest Military District for over a month, was due to return home.
With two relatively easy-to-care-for babies and Grandma Sang looking after them, it was manageable.
But back in Huaihua Village, Yao Chunhua was in charge of the village’s pig farming operations and couldn’t stay away for too long. Besides, she was the backbone of the entire Gu family.
So, no matter how reluctant she was, Gu Jianing had no choice but to buy her mother a train ticket.
Today, Sheng Zexi drove them to the train station to see Yao Chunhua off.
“Mom…” Faced with separation, Gu Jianing could no longer hold back. She threw herself into her mother’s arms, her eyes reddening.
“Mom, I don’t want you to go,” her voice trembled.
Yao Chunhua stroked her daughter’s hair, her own eyes welling up. “Silly child, I don’t want to leave you either. Who knows how long it’ll be before we see each other again?”
Now that they were parting, the next possible reunion would likely be during the New Year.
But Jianing had just given birth to twins—even by New Year’s, the babies would only be a little over six months old. Could they endure such a long train journey?
If they couldn’t even return for the New Year,
then the next opportunity would probably have to wait until the children were older.
This was the downside of a daughter marrying far away.
Even a simple reunion became difficult.
“Mom, don’t worry. If there’s any chance at all, I’ll come back.”
“I miss not just you, but Dad, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and Grandma too.”
“Good, good.” Yao Chunhua patted her head. “I know. My Ningning has always been a filial child.”
“Ningning, remember—even when I’m not by your side, you must eat well and dress warmly. And even after having children, don’t pour all your energy into them, understand?”
“To your parents, even our grandchildren can’t compare to our precious daughter.”
Yao Chunhua’s words shattered Gu Jianing’s composure.
She clung tightly to her mother, burying her face in her shoulder as sobs wracked her body.
“Mom, I know. You and Dad must take care of yourselves too. If you need anything, write to me—I’ll send whatever you need. You mustn’t skimp on spending, okay?”
Gu Jianing also carefully reminded her.
Perhaps only after becoming a mother herself did she truly understand a parent’s hardships—and the endless worry they carried for their children.
“Yes, yes, I know. Mom understands.”
“Oh, and Mom—the red-string talismans I gave you, you must wear yours. The others are for the rest of the family—one for each person.”
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