Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 182
Chapter 182 - A Failing Mother
Yun Chu handed Luo Zhan over to Mistress Luo.
She hurriedly boarded her carriage, instructing the coachman to drive toward the Prince of Pingxi's estate at the fastest possible speed.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, she leaped out of it. Only when her feet touched the ground did her frantically pounding heart finally begin to return to its proper place.
It was also at this moment that she slowly calmed down enough to process what had happened.
On the night Xie Jingyu died, even before the mourning rites were officially announced, the Prince of Pingxi already knew that Xie Jingyu was dead. From this, it was clear that the Prince of Pingxi had been keeping a close eye on the Xie family all along.
Was he keeping an eye on the Xie family, or was he keeping an eye on her?
That burning gaze from that night had already made her sense that the Prince of Pingxi held unusual feelings toward her.
She had previously assumed those feelings had arisen out of nowhere.
As it turned out, as far back as all those years ago, the Prince of Pingxi had already...
Yun Chu pressed her lips tightly together.
She did not know what kind of emotions she should use to face such a truth.
She had always believed that the Prince of Pingxi was different from everyone else, which was why she had gone to him late at night to ask for his help regarding the Marquis of Xuanwu.
Could it be that he was no different from the likes of Xie Jingyu and Qin Mingheng?
Should she use the same methods she used against the Marquis of Xuanwu to deal with the Prince of Pingxi?
Even if she possessed such an ability, she had no way of carrying out a plan like that.
Because—
He had raised two children.
If not for the fact that he accepted two children of obscure origins, if not for the fact that he scoured every direction for miraculous doctors for their sake, could two premature infants have ever grown up this large?
No matter from which angle one looked at it, that man was a qualified father.
And she was a failing mother.
Combining both of her lifetimes, she was simply unworthy of being called a mother...
She truly felt grateful to him for raising the children...
"Madam Xie!"
As Cheng Xu walked out and saw Yun Chu standing dazedly at the main entrance, he trotted over hurriedly.
"Is there something Madam Xie needs our Prince for? I shall go inside and report it right away."
Yun Chu hurriedly spoke, "A new restaurant has opened on the street, and they have Changsheng's favorite eight-treasure duck. I wonder if it would be convenient to let the Young Heir and the Princess accompany me out for a trip?"
Cheng Xu beamed with smiles. "Convenient, of course it is convenient. Please follow me inside, Madam Xie."
Yun Chu stood unmoving. "I will just wait right here."
Once she crossed that gate, she would inevitably have to see the Prince of Pingxi, and she did not yet know what mindset to use in facing him.
Nor did she wish to ponder that matter right now.
She only wanted to see her two children.
Cheng Xu cupped his fists in salute. "Then please wait a moment, Madam Xie."
Yun Chu did not have to wait very long at the estate's entrance before she quickly heard bright, cheerful voices.
"Auntie Yun!"
Turning her head, she saw the two children leaving the servants far behind as they sprinted toward her. She hastily squatted down and caught both her son and daughter in her arms.
As she gazed at her two children, her throat tightened, and her eyes suddenly turned red.
"Auntie Yun, why are you crying?"
Chu Hongyu was startled and hurriedly began to wipe away her tears.
"Did someone bully Auntie Yun?"
Yun Chu grasped his small hand and shook her head.
She was simply too happy—so happy that she could not control herself, and the moment joy welled up, she wanted to cry.
She felt along the bones of her two children, stroking from the tops of their heads all the way down to their knees, wishing she could pat their tiny feet as well.
How wonderful it was that every single inch of the children's skin and bones was safe and sound... She must be the luckiest person in all the world.
"Mother..."
Chu Changsheng called out in a soft, low voice.
Chu Hongyu quickly covered his younger sister's mouth. "Changsheng, there are too many people here. You cannot just shout like that."
A crowd of nannies, maids, and guards had followed them out and were gathered right behind them. If anyone overheard, it would bring trouble for their mother.
Yun Chu took her two children by the hand and stood up straight. Looking at the head nanny, she said, "Nanny Zheng, I will be taking the Young Heir and the Princess out for a while. You all do not need to follow."
Nanny Zheng immediately panicked. "The Young Heir is fine, but the Princess is delicate and requires this old slave's constant care at her side..."
The Young Heir was a boy with a sturdier constitution, and besides, he often slipped out to play and could survive a day without anyone waiting on him.
The Princess, however, was different; if she was away from those who cared for her, trouble could easily arise...
"I will take care of my sister, it will be fine..." Chu Hongyu patted his small chest and said with a grown-up air, "All of you go back, do not follow us."
Nanny Zheng still felt completely uneasy, but Cheng Xu stepped forward and said, "The Prince has given his word—just let Ah Mao tag along. Later on, the Prince himself will go to pick up the Young Heir and the Princess."
Yun Chu nodded, took her two children by the hand, and boarded the carriage.
Once inside and away from prying eyes, Chu Hongyu sweetly embraced Yun Chu. "Mother."
The corners of Yun Chu's lips curved upward. "Say it again."
Chu Hongyu's eyes lit up. In the past, whenever he called her that, his mother never seemed very pleased, but today seemed somewhat different.
"Mother!"
He shouted loudly.
Yun Chu's smile grew even more brilliant. "Ah—Yu'er, such a good boy. Say it again!"
Yu'er had been calling her mother even when he knew nothing at all.
She really should have realized it much sooner.
"Mother!"
"Mother!"
"Mother!!"
The two children crowded around her, calling out together.
Yun Chu tightly embraced her son and daughter. No matter how many times they called her mother, she would never find it enough. The four-plus years she had lost, she would make up for every single day.
Yet their father was the current Prince of Pingxi. Wanting to make the Prince of Pingxi's Young Heir and Princess into her own children—she knew without even thinking that this path would be extraordinarily difficult to walk.
However, even if this matter were harder than ascending to the heavens, she would still do it.
Since the other party held immense power and high position, she would simply plot and advance her plans step by step.
There would always be a way.
Chu Hongyu acutely sensed a shift in Yun Chu's emotions, and wrapping his arms around her neck, he asked, "Mother, did something happen?"
Yun Chu said gently, "Mother has bought a new courtyard. Would you like to go take a look and see if you like it?"
Chu Hongyu clapped his hands. "I like it, of course I like it."
"You haven't even looked at it yet and you already say you like it." Yun Chu playfully flicked the bridge of his little nose. "The carriage has stopped, we are here."
The carriage had stopped right in front of the new three-compound courtyard Yun Chu had purchased.
Yun Chu led her two children by the hand as they walked inside. The courtyard had undergone renovations and looked almost entirely brand new.
" Wow, it's a persimmon tree!" Chu Hongyu recognized it at a single glance. "The persimmons on top are turning red. Can we eat them now?"
This was a fruit-bearing persimmon tree that Yun Chu had spent a large sum of money to transplant. Heavy, plump fruits hung in clusters from the branches, making for a very pleasing sight.
Standing nearby, Ah Mao gave a nimble leap, plucked a persimmon straight from the branch, wiped it casually against his clothes, and handed it to Chu Hongyu.
The little fellow opened his mouth and prepared to take a bite.
Yun Chu finally understood why Nanny Zheng was so worried.
She reached out and snatched the persimmon back in a flash, instructing the servants to wash it clean before bringing it over.
Chu Hongyu took a bite, but immediately spat it out with a look of utter disgust. "Not good to eat, not sweet at all!"
Yun Chu smiled and said, "They won't be sweet until deep into autumn, so don't be in such a rush."
She pointed toward a small side courtyard nearby and said, "Changsheng, Mother has kept quite a few cats and rabbits in this courtyard. Would you like to go take a look?"
Chu Hongyu immediately chimed in, "Mother, Changsheng cannot touch cats, or she will break out in a rash."
"We won't touch them, we'll just look." Yun Chu led the two children toward that courtyard. "Have a look, do you like them?"
Chu Changsheng jumped for joy, and without anyone needing to teach her, she called out, "Cat... cat..."
Chu Hongyu squeezed through the fence, picked up a docile cat, and brought it closer to his sister. One of them teased the cat while the other watched, and the brother and sister were immensely happy.
Yun Chu's chest felt completely full, and the previously desolate world within her was filled as well.
Her life had never felt so complete.