Chapter 354: Mother and Daughter Reunited
“Click!”
The hospital room door was opened from the inside, and immediately, everyone saw Jiang Shiying emerge with reddened eyes.
She then approached Tang Xue and said slowly, “Xue’er, go in and see your mother. She…”
At that point, Jiang Shiying’s voice choked up so badly he could say no more.
“Okay!”
Tang Xue gave a soft nod and walked toward the hospital room.
The moment the door closed, Jiang Shiying suddenly collapsed to the floor, then bowed his head and wept silently.
He had spoken to his wife at her bedside for over half an hour, but she had not responded at all.
Jiang Shiying knew that this time, his wife was truly hanging by a thread; she was really about to give up.
They had grown up together in an orphanage during the war and had weathered the ups and downs of life together over the past few decades. It could be said that they had spent more time together than they had with their own parents.
He simply couldn’t accept the idea of her leaving him like this…
Li Yi fully understood Jiang Shiying’s feelings; only someone who truly loved her to the very core could feel such heart-wrenching pain.
In his past life, perhaps it was the loss of his beloved that ultimately turned him into the “White-Haired Butcher”—a figure who terrorized the land and struck fear into the hearts of corrupt officials.
Li Yi didn’t try to comfort his father-in-law; he knew full well that in this situation, any words would ring hollow.
He could only hope that the words he had imparted to Tang Xue would prove useful, awakening his mother-in-law’s inner will to survive.
Otherwise, today’s situation would be truly dire!
As for Tang Xue, upon entering the hospital room, she felt a mix of nervousness and fear, but above all, a deep sense of dread.
Ever since learning she wasn’t the biological daughter of Tang Jizhong and Li Hongmei, she’d been wondering what her biological parents looked like—and what they might think if they knew she was still alive.
She had already met her father—wise and stern, yet deeply caring toward her.
Although he was occasionally a bit impulsive, overall he was a wonderful man who fulfilled most of her fantasies and expectations of a father.
Now she was finally about to meet her mother. Li Yi had told her that when she was young, she looked almost exactly like her—the only difference was their style of dress.
He also said her mother was very gentle and had a particularly elegant demeanor.
So Tang Xue was especially looking forward to meeting her mother, but she never imagined that their first meeting would take place in a hospital.
At the same time, she was even more worried that her mother might be gravely ill, and that this meeting would become a final farewell.
With a heavy heart, Tang Xue approached the hospital bed.
Under the soft light, a frail woman lay in bed.
Her face was so gaunt it was barely recognizable; her dry, yellow hair had a dull, ashen hue, making her look much older than her forty years.
Even so, one could still vaguely tell that she must have been a great beauty in her youth.
Her arms were exceptionally thin, her skin somewhat sagging, with veins standing out prominently.
An IV drip was attached to her hand, and the fluid from the bag was slowly flowing into her body.
Looking at the woman before her, Tang Xue couldn’t help but shed tears.
She didn’t know why!
Logically speaking, she and the woman before her were nothing more than blood relatives.
Although she had known of her biological mother’s existence before this, she had never met her, so there should have been no mother-daughter bond.
Yet she simply couldn’t hold back her tears, letting them spill from her eyes like a flood breaking through a dam!
It took quite a while before Tang Xue finally managed to steady her emotions and slowly sat down in the chair beside her mother’s hospital bed.
She gently took her mother’s hand—the one not holding an IV—and placed it against her face, rubbing it softly.
“Mom… do you know how overwhelmed I felt when I found out you existed?”
“It turns out my parents weren’t those two scum who wanted to throw me into the fire. I have my own biological parents. They didn’t stop loving me—they just didn’t know I was still alive!”
“So I searched and searched… I went to the Xinjing Town Health Center where you gave birth to me, and to the cotton mill where you used to work. I even met Aunt Wang, who shared a dormitory with you…”
“But all I could find out was that your name is Ye Lingwan—after that, the trail went cold… Do you have any idea how anxious I was? I wanted to see you as soon as possible and tell you I’m still alive!”
“A few days ago, Li Yi rushed back from Beijing… Let me tell you this in confidence: Li Yi is my husband, and he’s also your son-in-law. He told me he’d found my biological parents and asked if I wanted to meet them!”
“Do you know what I told him? I said I wanted to meet them, because I know it wasn’t your fault or Dad’s. You’re a victim of this situation just like I am…”
At first, Tang Xue was a little nervous, and she did indeed speak exactly as Li Yi had instructed her to.
But since she was speaking from the heart, she soon became fully immersed in the moment, sharing her truest feelings with her mother lying in the hospital bed.
There were things she might not even have shared with others under normal circumstances, but in that moment, she poured them all out, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.
What she didn’t notice was that when she mentioned wanting to reunite with her parents, a single tear suddenly trickled down the corner of Ye Lingyun’s eye as she lay in her hospital bed…
Deep within her consciousness, Ye Lingyun felt as though she had reached a dead end.
She could vaguely sense some movement from the outside world, but it wasn’t very clear.
A moment ago, she had sensed that her husband had arrived; he seemed to be crying, and his tears felt cool as they fell onto her hand.
She longed to comfort him, but she was so, so tired—she truly couldn’t hold on any longer.
And just a moment ago, she sensed that the person beside her had changed.
This time, it seemed to be a young girl. Her voice was lovely, and she… she seemed to be calling her “Mom”!
Suddenly, Ye Lingyun realized something—this girl was her daughter.
That’s right—her daughter was still alive. It was her daughter who had come to see her.
No, I have to wake up!
Even if I really am going to die, I have to see my daughter before I go!
Ye Lingyun’s consciousness was struggling; her will to live had been reawakened, and along with it, her perception of the outside world grew clearer and clearer!
She could now hear every word her daughter spoke clearly. When she heard her daughter say she didn’t blame her for losing her, Ye Lingyun could no longer hold back her tears, and they streamed down her face.
At that moment, Tang Xue, who was pouring out her heart to her mother, didn’t notice any of this. She continued speaking her mind.
“Yesterday, Father and my cousin came to Nianzi Mountain Village to find me. Li Yi sent them… I saw Father. Even though he’s sometimes very stern, it’s strange—I’m actually not afraid of him!”
“Father said he’d bring me to see you today. I’m so looking forward to meeting you and being recognized by you. I want to call you ‘Mother’ with my own mouth, and I also want to tell you that I’m going to be a mother myself!”
“The doctor said I’m having twins. I really hope you’ll wake up soon so you can take care of me during my postpartum confinement. Will you promise me that…?”
“Okay!” a faint voice replied.
Lost in her own thoughts, Tang Xue didn’t notice anything amiss and continued, “Thank you, Mom…”
Suddenly, she realized something was wrong!
She looked up at her mother’s face and saw her mother staring at her with tears streaming down her cheeks.
In that moment, the world seemed to stand still!
After a long moment, Tang Xue suddenly grabbed Ye Lingyun’s hand and cried out, “Mother… Mother… Xue’er misses you so much!”
Outside the hospital room, everyone stood in silence, the atmosphere heavy and somber.
Although separated by a door, they could hear every word Tang Xue spoke clearly.
Hearing these heartfelt words, everyone outside couldn’t help but shed tears.
Whether they were from the Jiang family or the Ye family, as they wept, they all clenched their fists in anger.
Those despicable scum—not only had they ruined Shiying and Lingyun, but they had nearly destroyed this kind-hearted child as well.
This matter must be severely punished!
But just then, Tang Xue’s demeanor in the hospital room suddenly changed.
As everyone stood there in bewilderment, Li Yi—who had been prepared all along—walked right past the nurse at the door and pushed his way inside.
Seeing this, the others didn’t hesitate either; they all followed him inside.