Chapter 32: Swapping Brides

When the morning light arrived as expected, the rain had ceased. The chill of spring lingered with the dampness, feeling even colder than the previous two days. Yu Liuzhu stood beside the water pavilion, gazing at the chilly surface of the pond; no one knew what she was thinking. When familiar footsteps sounded behind her, she did not show her usual joy, and a flicker of resentment rose in her eyes.

She did not turn back, and thus could not see that the way Shen Linlang looked at her had also changed. It was no longer the unfeigned affection of the past, but something obscure and complex—a mixture of scrutiny and inner turmoil. By the time Shen Linlang reached her side, however, she had composed herself, her expression shifting to one of heartache tinged with guilt.

"Tang'er, Mother was in the wrong last night. I simply couldn't stand to see your aunt being so harsh toward Ali, which is why I spoke a bit severely. You aren't angry with me, are you?"

She had not slept well all night, her mind filled with a jumble of memories from both past and present lives. She was not merely angry; she was resentful. She resented Shen Linlang for neglecting her in their past life, and for raising her voice at her for the sake of another in this one. It had not been like this before; they had once been a mother-daughter pair envied by all. Why had it come to this? What unsettled her even more was a persistent, nameless anxiety.

"I am not angry with you, Mother. I just feel pity for my aunt. Cousin Ali is so oblivious; I fear my aunt will have to toil for her sake for the rest of her life."

She kept her head partially lowered, not wanting Shen Linlang to see the trepidation in her eyes. But she did not realize that Shen Linlang was even more desperate to hide her own unease. For the first time in their lives, mother and daughter were both concealing their true thoughts.

In such cold weather, Shen Linlang’s tightly clenched palms were sweating. "Mother knows you are only willing to be close to your aunt because of that dream. Your aunt is pitiful, but all of this is her own choice; she cannot blame anyone else."

"How can she not blame others? If it were Cousin Ali, she would certainly be faring much better than she is now. It is bad enough that Cousin Ali is oblivious and ungrateful, but she also causes trouble everywhere..."

"Don't say that. I find that Ali is much better than before. Perhaps she will be no different from a normal person in the future, or perhaps she is destined for good fortune—a life of wealth and prosperity. Did you see any of that in your dream?"

"How could she possibly be well?" Yu Liuzhu’s already uneasy heart seemed further agitated, and for a moment, she felt overwhelmed by panic. She softened her tone, casting a cold glance toward the frigid pond. In her past life, none of this had happened, for she had only learned on the day of the Awakening of Insects, after sending off all her friends, that someone had fallen into the water and perished.

Someone who should have died but was still alive—even if she were a simpleton—was a source of dread for her. "Mother, do not get too close to her. I fear it will bring you misfortune."

Shen Linlang sensed the gravity in her expression, and her heart sank. "She is just a child; what could she possibly do to me?"

"She may not be able to do anything, but her fate is ill-omened. I am afraid she will bring calamity upon you."

"What do you mean by ill-omened? Tang'er, tell Mother quickly, so I can be prepared." Shen Linlang struggled to keep her composure, feigning alarm.

"She died. She drowned." Each word from Yu Liuzhu was sharp and biting. The word "died" was the worst possible outcome. Shen Linlang’s body went limp—not with relief, but with a hollow despair. After a long while, she recovered enough to sigh with regret, "What a pitiful child."

"If you want to speak of pity, it is my aunt who is pitiful. Ali is dead, but my aunt finds no release, weeping for her day and night, refusing to even see people."

"Enough, let us not speak of them. Let us go see your grandmother." Shen Linlang tried to make herself appear as usual, but she felt like an empty shell, a walking corpse, unaware of what she was doing or what she was saying.

Yu Liuzhu noticed her odd behavior and felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that her mother had been frightened and would surely distance herself from certain people in the future. Yet, upon arriving at Ruian Residence, she told Yu Liuzhu to go pay her respects to Lady Xie first, then muttered, "I am going to check on your cousin Ali," and headed straight for the West Wing without looking back.

In the West Wing, Shen Qinglu was sitting before a mirror. She found the face in the reflection increasingly pleasing; it felt as though she was meant to look like this—vibrant, with striking features that carried an inherent sense of aggression. Her previous face had been too sickly and pitiful, as if it were a disguise or a mask rather than her true self. She smiled at her reflection, and the beauty in the glass became dazzling, showing no trace of dullness or simple-mindedness. No one would ever know whether the supposed loss of a soul was natural or man-made.

"Ali," Shen Linlang called, her figure appearing in the mirror.

"Look!" Shen Qinglu pointed at the two of them in the glass. "Our ears look so much alike."

Shen Linlang instinctively looked at her ears—small, exquisite, with rounded lobes like curled pieces of jade porcelain, and a mole on the helix. She looked at her own ears in the mirror; they were not only very similar but also had a mole in nearly the same position. Left and right, they looked like a pair.

"Aren't they alike?" Shen Qinglu beamed as if she had found a treasure. "I want to look like you."

The two of them in the mirror had entirely different features, yet for some reason, Shen Linlang felt a strange sense of familiarity in her brow—not like herself, but perhaps slightly like the Shen family.

"Ali, remember, do not go near the water alone. If you want to go, you must have someone follow you."

She harbored her own suspicions, but on the surface, she remained naive and nodded obediently. The wound on her forehead had not yet healed, so she continued to cover it with a ribbon. Clad in red, with a red ribbon, she looked vibrant and dazzling, her striking features either drawing admiration or inciting jealousy.

To Yu Liuzhu, however, it was worse than jealousy. Especially when she saw Shen Linlang personally lifting the curtain for her, she found her more and more of an eyesore, wishing she would vanish at once.

Lady Xie, having heard from Yu Liuzhu that they had not eaten breakfast, immediately ordered the meal to be served. There were two sets of dishes: one was originally meant for Shen Linlang and Yu Liuzhu, with refined and exquisite staples and side dishes; the other was for the Ruian Residence, adjusted to soothe Shen Qinglu’s digestion, with slightly more meat.

The group sat around the table in silence. Lady Xie took up her chopsticks first, followed by the others. Shen Qinglu, however, merely sat there without moving.

"Ali, is the food not to your liking?" Lady Xie asked, puzzled.

"Grandmother, I am afraid to eat." A hint of fear and dread flickered in Shen Qinglu’s eyes. "I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that she fed me something, and after that, I became a fool."

Upon hearing this, Lady Xie’s heart skipped a beat, her body trembling slightly as her chopsticks fell to the floor. Nanny Li rushed to pick them up and replace them with a clean pair.

Shen Linlang felt a sudden, sharp pain in her heart. "Ali, who is the 'she' you are talking about?"

Shen Qinglu leaned toward her, her dark eyes brimming with moisture like a wounded beast that had finally found someone to protect it. "The one you all said was my mother."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Yu Liuzhu’s face immediately turned cold. "Your aunt is your own mother. You have no idea how much she has suffered for you all these years. It’s bad enough that you are ungrateful, but to maliciously slander her—that is simply unfilial!"

"Tang'er!" Shen Linlang frowned with displeasure. "Ali was only frightened by a dream; how can you call her unfilial?"

It was only a dream; another person might not have taken it seriously, but she could not help but believe it, even delving deeper into the thought. She had seen the child at her full-month celebration, and she certainly had not been a simpleton then. If someone had truly drugged her and reduced her to this state, what were the intentions of the person who did it? At the mere thought of that possibility, she could not stop herself from trembling.

"If she were truly filial, she wouldn't have such dreams." Yu Liuzhu was angry that her mother was defending Shen Qinglu so strongly, her tone filled with dissatisfaction and resentment. "Mother, you cannot..."

"She likes you, so of course you think she is good." Shen Qinglu acted as if she were unconvinced, saying in a fit of pique, "Since you like her so much, why don't you let her be your mother instead?"

With that, she clung to Shen Linlang’s arm, her dark eyes sparkling like stars. "I want this mother!"

She then turned to Lady Xie and said, "Grandmother, how about I trade mothers with Tang'er sister?"