Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 245
Chapter 245 - I Beg You, Mother
Xie Shiyun cried until he was entirely out of breath.
Limp and powerless, he slumped on the ground, clutching the hem of Yun Chu's skirt.
Yun Chu bent down to help him up: "Currently, your eldest brother is in charge of the Xie family. Since your eldest brother and grandmother have both decided not to go looking for her, he naturally has his reasons."
"No, Mother! We must look for her! We have to go look for her..." Xie Shiyun wept, completely breaking down. "I beg you, Mother, please! I can't be without my aunt..."
"You child, what are you crying out nonsense for?" Lady Lin had originally felt a bit soft-hearted; after all, he was only a four or five-year-old child, and he had once called her maternal grandmother.
However, Xie Shiyun's loud wailing thoroughly terrified Changsheng.
The little girl, who had just been walking obediently on her own, turned around and buried her head into Yun Chu's arms, her face turning pale with fright.
Lady Lin's heart hardened in an instant: "Xie Shiyun, from the moment Chuchu left your Xie household, she ceased to be your legal mother. Have you remembered that?"
Xie Shiyun stared blankly with tear-filled eyes, rendered speechless.
Even now, he still remembered how his mother had doted on him most half a year ago, always holding him in her arms and coaxing him gently.
From a young age, he knew that he was his mother's favorite child.
Yet for some unknown reason, everything suddenly changed.
His mother drove him out of her courtyard and never acted affectionately toward him again.
It was as though he had been abandoned just like that.
In the past, even if he was abandoned, he still had his aunt to love him, but now his aunt was gone... He was left all by himself.
Why was he so miserable?
He raised his head to look at the child in Yun Chu's arms.
It must be because Mother had another child! That was why she didn't like him anymore!
He stared at Chu Changsheng's back, his eyes filled with immense jealousy and hostility...
Yun Chu reached out, tucking her daughter's face into her bosom.
She spoke up, "Yun-ge'er, you must understand clearly that I am not a member of the Xie family now. I have no authority whatsoever to interfere in your Xie family's affairs. It is far too dangerous for a child like you to be out on the streets alone. I will have someone send you back, if only to fulfill the last bit of sentiment from our past bond as mother and son."
Xie Shiyun was not even five years old; he did not understand any of this. He only knew that his mother was unwilling to help him find his aunt.
He lowered his head, clutching his stomach: "Mother, I'm hungry..."
He had snuck out from home early in the morning. First, he looked everywhere for his aunt, and when he couldn't find her, he began searching for his mother's residence.
He searched high and low without finding the place. Just when he was on the brink of despair, he ran into his mother on the street.
He had thought that Heaven was helping him.
But he was wrong.
Yun Chu could not help but recall her previous life; it was none other than Xie Shiyun who had personally handed the bowl of poison into her hands.
Xie Xian had rushed over and knocked the bowl to the floor. Right after that, Xie Shiyun slapped Xie Xian across the face, presented a second bowl of poison, and forced her to drink it down.
The present Xie Shiyun and the future Xie Shiyun—the two faces gradually overlapped.
It was not that she was cold-hearted toward a child.
Rather, having tasted the bitterness in her past life, she would never again offer even a ten-thousandth of genuine sincerity.
Just as she was about to speak...
She felt the little girl in her arms suddenly raise her head, holding out a piece of pastry: "F-For you."
Only then did Xie Shiyun notice that this was actually such a beautiful little girl, and he was instantly dazed by the sight.
Yun Chu immediately pressed Chu Changsheng's head back down, hiding her daughter's face, and spoke up: "Qiu Tong, take Yun-ge'er to get something to eat, then personally deliver him back to the Xie household."
Qiu Tong accepted the order and took Xie Shiyun by the hand.
Xie Shiyun refused to walk, so Qiu Tong simply scooped him up and walked away.
"This Xie family..." Lady Lin shook her head. "Back then, I was truly blind."
Yun Chu smiled and said, "Mother, let us not think about those things anymore. Come, let's head to the cloth shop to see if there are any new fabrics lately."
The three of them walked toward the cloth shop together.
Before long, Qiu Tong returned to the Xie household with the fully fed Xie Shiyun.
Lady Yuan had only just realized at this moment that Xie Shiyun was missing from the house, and she was so anxious that steam was practically rising from her head. Seeing the child returned, she let out an instant sigh of relief.
"Mrs. Xie, please keep a proper eye on the children in your household," Qiu Tong spoke without a trace of politeness. "Do not let him go looking for our miss again. If outsiders see this, they might think your Xie household and the Yun family still have some sort of connection. If it implicates your Xie household, our miss certainly cannot afford to take the blame."
The mockery in her words was entirely unshielded.
Lady Yuan wore an awkward expression: "I didn't know Yun-ge'er went to look for Chuchu either..."
Xie Shi'an stepped out from behind and spoke politely, "Sorry to trouble Aunt Qiu Tong for making the trip. Please rest assured, Mother; I will keep a close eye on Yun-ge'er and will not let him go to the Yun family again."
Qiu Tong turned around and left.
As soon as she left, Xie Shi'an asked with a darkened face, "Shiyun, what did you go to see Mother for?"
Xie Shiyun was terrified of this eldest brother, trembling as he said, "I want Mother to help me find Aunt! I can't be without Aunt..."
Xie Shi'an clamped a hand tightly onto his shoulder: "How many times do I have to tell you? Your aunt went to someone else's household and will never come back! Just pretend your aunt is dead!"
"No! My aunt isn't dead!" Xie Shiyun screamed loudly. "Aunt would never abandon me! No matter where she goes, she will take me with her!"
Having said that, he turned around and ran off.
Lady Yuan let out a sigh: "An-ge'er, are we really not going to care about Aunt Tingyu anymore?"
"The silver has already been accepted; what does Grandmother think?" Xie Shi'an's voice was very cold. "She betrayed Father, cuckolding him even in death. She is no longer fit to be a member of the Xie family. Now that she's gone, let it be. Grandmother, don't just focus on Shikang; keep a closer eye on Shiyun so he doesn't make another scene at the Yun family."
He did not want his mother to know that it was he who had forced Tingyu onto such a path.
His mother hoped he would be unyielding and upright, yet he used his own family members to seek personal gains.
He was afraid that his mother would be disappointed in him.
He raised his head and saw Aunt Jiang standing over there.
Meeting his gaze, Aunt Jiang shuddered violently, hurriedly picked up Xie Xian, and walked toward the back courtyard.
She was truly terrified of Xie Shi'an, terrified that he would target her next. A thought arose in her mind—this Xie household was likely a place she could no longer stay in.
Xie Shi'an curled his thin lips slightly.
Just as he turned around to head out, he heard someone knock on the main door.
Lady Yuan walked over without any guard up and opened the door, instantly freezing in shock: "Au-Aunt Tingyu, you..."
"Hush!"
Tingyu covered Lady Yuan's mouth, slipped inside at top speed, and shut the main door.
She was in a state of utter wretchedness, her face swollen all over, her entire body cowering: "Where... Where is Yun-ge'er? Hurry, call Yun-ge'er out!"
Lady Yuan asked blankly, "Didn't you become a concubine in the Hu family? How did you end up like this? What did you come back to the Xie household for?"
"Madam, I don't have time to explain so much! Quick, hurry and call Yun-ge'er out!" Tingyu gasped heavily for air. "I will take Yun-ge'er to lay low for a bit to avoid the trouble, and we'll come back in a while."
As she spoke, she made her way toward the back courtyard.
Xie Shi'an stepped forward and blocked her path: "Aunt Tingyu, Shiyun is blood of my Xie family. No matter where you go, you cannot take Shiyun with you."
"Yun-ge'er is my son! He is the child I carried for ten months and gave birth to! Wherever I go, he must go!" Tingyu shrieked in a near-breakdown. "Xie Shi'an, it's all your fault! If you hadn't forced me, I wouldn't have landed in such a plight! Move out of the way, I'm going to find Yun-ge'er!"
If not for Yun-ge'er, being a concubine in the Hu family would have been fine.
However, she could not bear being separated from her son; even overwhelming wealth could not compare to having Yun-ge'er by her side!
Not to mention, the Hu family was a den of wolves!
Thud, thud, thud!
The main door of the Xie household was suddenly pounded on violently.