Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: That night, Meng Zhengyue came again.
That night, Meng Zhengyue came again, bringing Yun Zhixue a meal. She took her to the school’s supermarket to buy milk, fruit, and snacks. The once-single dorm room instantly became crowded and full.
Meng Zhengyue asked her, “How many candies did you eat?”
“Seven,” Yun Zhixue said obediently.
“Eat a little less,” Meng Zhengyue said. “There are vitamins and calcium supplements in the bag. Take one a day. The candy is for when you’re in a bad mood.”
Yun Zhixue nodded. She finished all the food she brought, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. She kept looking at Meng Zhengyue while she ate.
Meng Zhengyue’s fingers ran along the back of her neck. “Don’t always look down. Drink some water.”
“Okay.”
Meng Zhengyue had work to handle. She told her to message her if she needed anything. When Meng Zhengyue left, she was still worried. She cleaned her room again and made sure there were no knives or anything before she left. Yun Zhixue took the vitamins and calcium supplements. She never lacked food; a nanny cooked for her at home. She was thin because she had no appetite and wouldn’t eat, and no one would coax her.
Once, her world was like a desolate ruin, with no grass and garbage everywhere. At this moment, she unfolded the note and copied the words on it, stroke by stroke—so she could be a pure white backdrop, and she could become someone’s favorite color.
On the crumbling walls of the past, a new world was being given a dazzling new color.
Late at night, Yun Zhixue tossed and turned. She stepped barefoot on the cold floor and silently pulled open the closet. Among the layers of clothes, a flash of purple stood out in the darkness, like a cluster of dancing purple flames.
Her fingers moved between the layers of clothes. The moment they touched it, a shiver ran through her nerves—Meng Zhengyue had worn this.
She hugged the nightgown tightly to her chest, greedily smelling the scent on it like a newborn craving mother’s milk. This almost pathological dependence made her toes curl in shame, but she couldn’t resist.
“It’s okay,” she buried her flushed face in the soft fabric. “I’ll be fine tomorrow…”
Yun Zhixue had never had mother’s milk. When she was little, a nanny told her that she was sent to a different villa as a baby and was raised there. She didn’t cry or fuss and lived well without her mother’s care.
She was weaned quickly, so she wouldn’t be addicted. Soon, in just a few days, she could break the habit.
…
After the heavy rain, the scorching sun returned, and the remaining moisture in the air evaporated quickly.
Meng Zhengyue messaged her, asking what she had eaten and if anyone had bothered her. At that time, Yun Zhixue was a well-behaved child. She answered truthfully, including the fact that a girl had come up to her and sat next to her during lunch.
The girl was very friendly and was in the same class as Du Mingxiao.
The girl was a chatterbox and cursed at Du Mingxiao. After cursing, she cleared her throat and continued to talk. Yun Zhixue didn’t respond. The girl then said, “I was the one who led your sister to your dorm building that day.”
Yun Zhixue corrected her, “She’s not my sister.”
“Then who is she to you? Is she your aunt? She’s so pretty.”
Yun Zhixue gave her a deep look.
“Don’t tell me she’s your stepmom?” The girl lowered her voice. Yun Zhixue felt a wave of irritation and frowned. The girl moved closer. “My mom is also my stepmom.”
Yun Zhixue saw her name tag.
Her surname was Chi, and her name was Chi Ruishou.
Yun Zhixue quickened her pace. The girl thought she had a lot in common with her and kept following her and talking. It was so annoying. So annoying.
“Our stepmoms are not the same at all,” she thought.
“She hasn’t even married my mom yet.”
Yun Zhixue’s tone turned cold. “She’s not like your stepmom.”
The girl didn’t seem to notice. She said, “Ah, I thought she was like my stepmom. She came to find me specifically yesterday and asked me if I had many friends. She said I was a very enthusiastic child and told me to ask you to eat with me. She was also worried that you would be bullied and wouldn’t tell her, so she added my WeChat and told me to come to her directly if anything happens.”
Yun Zhixue was stunned. She turned around and looked at her seriously.
After a moment, she bit her lower lip and asked, “Are you thirsty? I’ll buy you a drink.”
In the afternoon class, Yun Zhixue’s mind was filled with Chi Ruishou’s words. She was also thinking that Meng Zhengyue would suddenly appear at school to find her, what clothes she would wear, and what she would say.
The head of the grade and the teacher called Yun Zhixue to the office several times to mediate and try to quell the storm.
Yun Zhixue remained silent. When she returned, she was a little excited and quickly opened the chat with Meng Zhengyue.
Her gaze fell on the simple profile picture—a bird shadow on the wall made with hands. It was a shape made by two hands placed opposite each other, not overlapping, but they formed the wings of a flying bird.
The name was ZY.
Meng Zhengyue arrived very quickly. The head of the grade was looking for Yun Zhixue. When he reached the door, he saw Meng Zhengyue and immediately turned around and went back to the office.
Children with a mommy are different. It doesn’t matter what your background is. When a mommy stands there, you have to fear her.
Meng Zhengyue came and didn’t leave. She sat by the fountain, waiting for her to finish school. She told her to pack two books and took her out for dinner.
Meng Zhengyue carried her books. Yun Zhixue turned her head to look at her from the side and asked, “Did she… ask you to come see me that day? Or did the teacher find you?”
Meng Zhengyue smiled. “Can’t I come on my own?”
Yun Zhixue didn’t understand. “But… you were so angry that day.”
“So I only planned to take one look at you and leave.”
So it wasn’t Yun Jing or the teacher. She came on her own. Because she was injured, she stayed up all night for her.
“I was waiting for you downstairs at the teaching building at noon that day, planning to take you out for lunch. I waited for a long time and you didn’t show up. In the evening, I asked your classmate and found your dorm,” Meng Zhengyue changed her story. It wasn’t just to take one look at her.
Yun Zhixue was speechless for a long time. Meng Zhengyue parked the car in front of a restaurant. She had made a reservation in advance.
When the food was served, she filled a bowl of porridge for Yun Zhixue. She waited for it to cool down and then handed it to her.
Yun Zhixue asked, “You’re not eating?”
“I have a dinner party tonight. I already ate with some colleagues.”
After that, Meng Zhengyue looked out the window, lost in thought.
The restaurant’s neon lights cast a hazy halo on her face through the glass. A wisp of hair that wasn’t tied up properly brushed her cheek, as if it had given her profile a light golden edge.
She noticed Yun Zhixue’s gaze and raised her eyebrows.
Yun Zhixue wiped her mouth.
“Are you full?”
“Mm.”
Meng Zhengyue ordered a fruit tea for her.
In the car, Yun Zhixue sat in the back. Meng Zhengyue didn’t start the car immediately. She took a sandalwood box from the center console, turned around, and handed it to Yun Zhixue in the back seat.
“Open it and see if you like it.” Her voice was a little softer than usual.
A delicately woven red string lay quietly on the red silk lining. It was strung with a small golden statue of Wenchang Dijun and a piece of mutton fat jade in the shape of a ram. The jade glowed with a gentle luster under the car’s lights.
Meng Zhengyue said, “It’s to ward off evil spirits.”
Yun Zhixue lowered her head and traced the delicate patterns on the surface of the jade pendant. She put it back in the box and picked it up again, secretly glancing at Meng Zhengyue. She stealthily tied the red string around her wrist. The red string made her slender wrist look even fairer.
“It also keeps you safe, helps you get good grades, and wards off illnesses and disasters.”
Yun Zhixue had never worn anything like this. The jade on it was hot from being held in her hand. She looked at Meng Zhengyue seriously. “When did you buy this?”
Meng Zhengyue turned the steering wheel and drove onto the main road. “…I went at four or five in the morning.”
Yun Zhixue was shocked. “That early? It wasn’t even light out.”
“You have to go to the temple to have a master bless it. You have to be the first one there, or it won’t be effective, honey.”
Yun Zhixue held the bracelet, her heart pounding violently, her palms sweating. She looked at her seriously. No wonder she was dressed so formally today, a white shirt with trousers…
She let her imagination run wild for a moment.
A woman with her palms together, kneeling, sincerely praying for her wishes. She didn’t pray for herself; she prayed for Yun Zhixue… May she be safe, may she be healthy, may everything go smoothly for her…
She had seen her classmates wear things like this before and knew that only people who were very close would give them as gifts. Meng Zhengyue gave it to her.
Yun Zhixue’s body trembled as if she was cold, and goosebumps rose on her skin. She couldn’t help but steal glances at Meng Zhengyue over and over again. “Why… did you get this for me?”
She didn’t get a response, so she said again, “You… are so nice. Are you only nice to me?”
It was rush hour, and it was loud. Meng Zhengyue didn’t hear her. She glanced at her in the rearview mirror, seeing the smile on her face. Her cheerful spirit had returned, and Meng Zhengyue curled her lips.
The red string and Yun Zhixue’s slender wrist were a perfect match. She had never worn any jewelry before. No one had ever cared about her or worried about her, let alone prayed to gods for her protection.
When they entered the villa community, the car stopped at the gate and didn’t drive in.
Both of them noticed the unusualness at the same time. The entire house was brightly lit. Meng Zhengyue’s action of unbuckling her seatbelt slowed down significantly. The sound of the metal buckle springing open was a little harsh in the quiet garage.
The caregiver had left on the day Yun Zhixue went to school. Meng Zhengyue always ate out, so there was no one in the villa besides her. Now, the whole building was lit up.
Meng Zhengyue closed the car door much more slowly.
Meng Zhengyue didn’t rush inside. She took the red string that Yun Zhixue was holding in her hand and put it on her. She curved her finger and touched the back of her hand. “What are you afraid of? You have me. If there’s a ghost in there and it wants to eat someone, it will eat me first.”
The moment they stepped into the foyer, a chill hit them.
A woman with shoulder-length hair was sitting on the main sofa in the living room. Her facial features were sharp, and her tailored black suit made her look menacing. The secretary next to her was holding a tablet for her.
The cold gaze from behind the glasses swept over them. It was as if they had caused trouble, and she was here to clean up the mess.
Yun Zhixue’s breathing stopped. The pulse under the red string on her wrist suddenly beat violently.
At the same time, an unfilial and disgusting thought flashed through her mind.
Her birth mother had come to her and Meng Zhengyue’s home.