Chapter 482: Chapter 481: Pain
Madam Wu’s words were like nails, one by one, piercing fiercely into Lian Family’s heart.
Nails that left her heart riddled with holes, bleeding profusely.
Lian Family’s body was stiff as she stood motionless, gazing at Madam Wu, unable to shed tears, her eyes unfocused and lost.
No one is immune to the possibility of dying on the battlefield.
This sentence echoed repeatedly in Lian Family’s ears.
"Madam..." Lian Family whispered.
Madam Wu, with a heavy gaze, sighed and said, "The pain of losing a husband and a son, look at me, look at several of your sisters-in-law, we’ve all gotten through it over the years."
The back of Lian Family’s neck suddenly turned ice-cold, and her body softened as she collapsed to the ground.
She had witnessed firsthand the suffering of Madam Wu and several sisters-in-law.
When Mrs. Lu received the sudden bad news, her unborn child was lost, filling the small courtyard with a thick smell of blood, and when Aunt Qiao saw the formed boy, the breath she had been holding in gave way, and she fainted.
At that moment, even Lian Family felt the pain, a pain that pierced to the core.
The cries of Mrs. Lu and Aunt Qiao’s breakdown still appeared vividly in her mind to this day.
Though the pain of that time gradually faded over the years, Lian Family neither thought about it nor dared to think about it.
It was also from that year that Mu Yuanmou plotted to seize the title from the long house.
All subsequent developments were within Mu Yuanmou’s plans: the deaths of the Old Marquis, Mu Yuance, and Mu Yuanming in battle, Mu Liankang’s disappearance, everyone in the family was heartbroken, and even though Lian Family shed a few tears, there was no pain in her heart.
She had long been prepared, how could she feel pain when the time came for success?
But until this moment, when everything began to deviate, and her son died on the battlefield, Lian Family instantly tasted that kind of pain.
It was as if all those years of suffering tasted by Madam Wu and her sisters-in-law suddenly fell upon her, striking her over the head.
After the stars cleared from her eyes, there was a pain that reached the bone.
What is this?
Is this her retribution?
Lian Family shook her head vigorously, she didn’t believe it, she absolutely didn’t!
"My, my Lian Yu would never leave me, there must be some mistake!" Lian Family trembled as she spoke, "Madam, if he’s alive, I want to see him, and if he’s dead, I want to see his body, I don’t believe it, as long as I don’t see him, I won’t believe it."
Madam Wu sighed.
Mu Yuanmou lifted his head, forcing back his tears, and said hoarsely, "Lian Cheng, take your mother back first."
Mu Liancheng lowered his eyes and agreed.
Lian Family had lost her strength, and Mu Liancheng coaxed, persuaded, and pulled her away.
Mu Yuanmou took a deep breath, slightly calming his mind, and said, "Mother, Lian Family can’t accept it right now, she was rude in front of you, please bear with her, don’t blame her."
"Who can bear the pain of losing a child? Yuan Mou, I lost three sons, all these years have passed, and I still feel pain when I think about it," Madam Wu, her tears blurred, looked at Mu Yuanmou sitting beside her, her emotions complex, "I won’t blame her rudeness, it’s not really a big mistake, I’m just thinking, my whole life, my good fortune with my descendants is really too shallow, except for you, Yuan Ce and the others are gone, Lian Kang is finally back, and now Lian Yu is gone again..."
Mu Yuanmou’s heart was pounding, tears in his own eyes as Madam Wu’s eyes were cloudy, and he couldn’t discern what other emotions might be in his old mother’s eyes.
Was Madam Wu implying something with her words, and how much did she know about the plans of the second house?
Thinking of this, Mu Yuanmou’s heartbeat quickened slightly, and he instinctively looked up at Mrs. Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou, with furrowed brows, sat beside him, her face full of sorrow.
Was this sorrow genuine, or was it feigned?
Mu Yuanmou wiped away his tears, trying to see more clearly, but Mrs. Zhou stood up, twisting the handkerchief, and meticulously wiped Madam Wu’s face.
Mrs. Zhou kept her eyes downcast, and Mu Yuanmou couldn’t see through her.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious again.
It was like a chess piece losing communication, and he couldn’t grasp the situation of Mu Lianxiao at Shanyu Pass any longer, that feeling of being out of control crept into his heart, leaving Mu Yuanmou quite displeased.
Mu Yuanmou stood up, pacing back and forth in the room, his eyes gradually growing dim.
Lian Family was supported on either side by Mu Liancheng and Nanny Zhu, seeing her unable to move, Nanny Zhu quickly ordered a soft couch to be prepared.
Mu Liancheng settled Lian Family on the soft couch, and a group of them passed through the garden, encountering Mu Liankang, Mrs. Xu, and Mrs. Lu.
A little maid by Mrs. Lu’s side had gone to Baijie Hall to deliver something, heard about the bad news, hurried back to inform Mrs. Lu, who, shocked, alerted Mrs. Xu.
Zhuang Ke had to look after the two children, so the three of them went to Baijie Hall together.
Encountering them head-on in the garden, Mrs. Xu walked forward a few steps, half-bending and asked Lian Family, "Second Sister-in-law, are you okay?"
Lian Family’s eyes shifted, slowly raised them, stared at Mrs. Xu, then looked at Mrs. Lu and Mu Liankang, and said, "Your son came back, but my son is gone..."
Mentioning Mu Liankang’s matter, anger surged up in Mrs. Xu’s heart, and she gritted her teeth, "Is Second Sister-in-law blaming me? Lian Kang came back, what’s it got to do with Lian Yu? Or are you saying there’s really some connection between them?"
Lian Family remained silent, and Mu Liancheng said to Mrs. Xu, "Third Aunt, that’s not what Mother means..."
"It doesn’t matter what it means," Mrs. Xu straightened up, said lightly, "I’ve been there, I know that feeling, it’s like a thousand ants gnawing at your bones, it gets worse day by day, and slowly, you become numb, but when you recall it someday, that pain returns again, keeping you restless day and night. Second Sister-in-law, this is just the beginning, you have to hold on."
Lian Family’s body trembled heavily, Mrs. Xu’s words caused her whole body to ache, she almost cried out loud.
Mu Liancheng looked at Mrs. Xu, she didn’t seem to be comforting, but rather stimulating Lian Family, yet Mrs. Xu’s expression was sincere, tinged with pain and grief, leaving no room for reproach.
Urged to have the maids carry Lian Family back to Fengyu Courtyard, Mu Liancheng didn’t let Mrs. Xu continue speaking with Lian Family.
He pondered that perhaps Mrs. Xu had sensed the truth of Mu Liankang’s disappearance, or maybe the long-standing discord with the second house finally found an outlet, but it could only stimulate Lian Family a bit with words.
He wanted to advise Lian Family to let it go in one ear and out the other, but in Lian Family’s mental state, she probably couldn’t listen to anything.
Mrs. Xu watched Lian Family leave from a distance, turned to Mrs. Lu, and said, "Fourth Sister-in-law, see, this is karma, even Heaven couldn’t stand it and wants their second house to have no sons to send off."
Mist gathering in her eyes, Mrs. Lu patted Mrs. Xu’s shoulder gently.
Mu Liankang’s heart was heavy, he couldn’t even remember what his brother Mu Lianyu looked like.
He didn’t know about Du Yunluo’s dream, nor did he know about Mu Lianyu and Mu Yuanjing’s matters, he held no ill will towards the brother who was still young nine years ago, and felt some sadness for his sudden death in battle.
However, the pain of being gnawed by a thousand ants mentioned by Mrs. Xu pained Mu Liankang even more, for that was Mrs. Xu’s personal experience, the pain brought by the death and disappearance of their father and son.
As Mrs. Xu’s son, he felt even more pain for Mrs. Xu.