Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 21.2

Chapter 21.2: Meng Zhengyue gently pressed her finger against Yun Zhixue’s lips.

Chi Ruishou hesitated, because she was also waiting for someone. “Let’s just buy it nearby, Big Sister.”

Meng Zhengyue went to a nearby store to buy water. Chi Ruishou whispered to Yun Zhixue, “I should follow you and say ‘Mommy’ too, but ‘Mommy’ is a term of endearment that belongs only to you.”

“Of course, you’ll want to call her ‘mom’ in the future too.”

Yun Zhixue didn’t understand. Was there a difference?

“Because you’ll want to be possessed by her.”

Yun Zhixue frowned. The water in her hand was cool and cold, seeping into her fingertips. She thought seriously. What did “possession” mean?

She was about to ask again, but Chi Ruishou left Yun Zhixue and ran away. Meng Zhengyue, who had just finished buying the water, looked confused and asked, “What’s wrong with your friend?”

Yun Zhixue was about to say that her stepmom had come, but she held back a couple of words and said, “Her family came.”

Meng Zhengyue’s umbrella tilted toward her, leading her forward. Yun Zhixue was playing with the prayer beads on her neck. Meng Zhengyue said, “I got ripped off with these prayer beads. They said they were cinnabar, but I don’t think so. Play with them for a while, then take them off. I’m afraid they’re poisonous.”

Yun Zhixue took them off and said, “Don’t buy them next time.” Meng Zhengyue said, “But she said they can ward off sickness and disaster and stop children from crying at night, so it’s worth it.”

Yun Zhixue held the beads and felt that it didn’t matter if they were poisonous.

Meng Zhengyue casually picked a leaf, rubbed it lightly with her fingers, and smelled the scent. She also let Yun Zhixue smell it. “It smells like a green apple.”

“It really does.” Yun Zhixue sniffed it twice more. “Sweetgum tree, Hamamelidaceae, Liquidambar.”

Meng Zhengyue looked at her. “You know all that?”

Yun Zhixue nodded.

“That’s amazing.”

Yun Zhixue continued, “The fruit is a capsule. The Chinese medicine name is Lu Lu Tong. There’s another tree whose leaves also smell like apples, an Oleaceae, Ligustrum. It blooms with white flowers in the summer.”

“Lu Lu Tong. That has a good meaning.” Meng Zhengyue picked a leaf and placed it in Yun Zhixue’s hands. Yun Zhixue held it with both hands. “Thank you, Mommy.”

Meng Zhengyue sometimes wondered why she was so good to this child. It was because her feedback was so pure. No matter what you gave her, she would treat it as if she had received a treasure.

Perhaps the initial impulse was… the little girl leaving her her will… So, from the beginning, she felt sorry for her.

Actually, she didn’t plan on coming today, but she was a little worried. This child was a liar, pretending to be fine when she hadn’t done well on the test.

The shadow of the sweetgum tree flowed over Yun Zhixue.碎 Sunlight passed through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on her porcelain-like skin. A summer breeze swept by, lifting a few strands of her hair—so young, fresh, and pure.

Yun Zhixue tilted her head and looked at her. “Mommy, can I go to the temple with you next time? I can get up very early too.”

“Hmm? You want to go for fun?”

The faint sandalwood scent on Meng Zhengyue was so pleasant. Yun Zhixue sniffed twice and whispered, “I want to pray for you too.”

Meng Zhengyue thought for a moment.

Could they pray together after what they did that day?

It was more like two people repenting together.

“I’ll pray for you. A long life, peace, happiness, and to get rich.”

Meng Zhengyue was amused by the last part. The corners of her lips curved. She put her hand on her shoulder and pinched her cheek. “Okay.”

Yun Zhixue tilted her head and rubbed against her palm. It was a little itchy. Meng Zhengyue couldn’t say where it was itchy, but a tingling sensation went into her skin.

They got into the elevator at the hotel. Yun Zhixue really wanted to ask her if she was coming tonight.

The elevator opened on a middle floor. In the corner, two people were hugging each other. The one who was being hugged was crying. Then she looked up and kissed the other person’s lips. The other person resisted a little but didn’t push her away. Her fingers tensed, then she closed her eyes and let her continue.

They were standing in the corner, well hidden.

Meng Zhengyue asked, “What’s wrong?”

After the elevator closed, Yun Zhixue said, “Someone was kissing.”

Meng Zhengyue retracted her thoughts of looking outside. It was a hotel, it was inevitable.

Yun Zhixue’s face was flushed. She was still quite shy. Meng Zhengyue really wanted to laugh. If it were her old self, she would have held Yun Zhixue’s face and made her blush even more.

Yun Zhixue had another test in the afternoon. When she got to the room, she took out her math formulas to memorize. Meng Zhengyue went to wash a green apple. The water droplets flowed down Meng Zhengyue’s fingers. It was so beautiful. Yun Zhixue secretly looked at it.

She thought of how Meng Zhengyue would wash her hands in the same way after touching her lips. She washed slowly, and the water made a gurgling sound.

Meng Zhengyue brought it over for her to eat.

Yun Zhixue took a bite from her hand.

Meng Zhengyue asked, “Is it sweet?”

“Mm.”

Meng Zhengyue went to cut the apple into pieces. Yun Zhixue thought that at this moment, if she ate Mommy’s finger, it would taste like apples.

“What are you thinking about?” Meng Zhengyue flicked a water droplet from her finger onto her forehead.

“I’m thinking about… the test.”

“How did you do on your essay?” Meng Zhengyue didn’t plan on asking her, thinking that she would throw away each test after she finished it. But her phone sent a notification about the Chinese essay. When she saw how everyone was writing it and what they were debating, her eyes went black.

She was really afraid that Yun Zhixue would write “12345” and then write up to “100” on it.

The marker would probably be so mad at her.

Yun Zhixue said, “I wrote a lot. It was good. I can write.”

Meng Zhengyue wanted to ask for more details, but she didn’t dare to hear the essay she wrote. She was so conflicted that she even forgot that the apple Yun Zhixue had bitten was in her mouth.

Yun Zhixue felt a little excited inside. Meng Zhengyue was still resting on the sofa in the afternoon. She looked at her phone for a while and then put her arm over her eyes.

Yun Zhixue lay in bed for a while and then got down. She squatted next to Meng Zhengyue and gently touched Meng Zhengyue’s hand.

Meng Zhengyue didn’t move. Yun Zhixue took Meng Zhengyue’s palm and took a deep sniff. It smelled like green apples.

She looked at Meng Zhengyue again. Meng Zhengyue’s arm was over her eyes, so she couldn’t see anything. Yun Zhixue’s lips gently touched Meng Zhengyue’s finger. The itchiness on her lips made her want to stick to it and abuse it.

Soon, she felt Meng Zhengyue’s palm close. She tentatively poked the base of Meng Zhengyue’s finger with the tip of her tongue and immediately felt the slight tremor of her palm muscles. But Meng Zhengyue didn’t pull her hand back, as if she were really asleep.

This indulgence was more lethal than any encouragement.

Yun Zhixue suddenly took her middle finger into her mouth, her teeth grinding lightly against the knuckle. A barely audible gasp sounded in the darkness. That hand suddenly closed, but when she retreated, it slowly loosened.

Yun Zhixue was wide awake, kissing Meng Zhengyue’s palm, while Meng Zhengyue pretended to be asleep, letting her lover’s daughter secretly kiss her palm. All the silent consent and indulgence became that one sentence… “Don’t tell your mom. I can’t tell your mom either.”

She knew she was “stealing,” and she knew she was pretending to be asleep.

Yun Zhixue gently touched the cheongsam on her body, wanting to bite it, but finally put her face on her thigh, and went to sleep, not feeling completely satisfied.

Meng Zhengyue thought with a headache, “When this little girl is better, I need to see her less. Otherwise, this child will really see me as her mom, and her feelings will become distorted.”

Meng Zhengyue waited for Yun Zhixue to fall asleep before she went downstairs. The elevator opened on a middle floor. She saw Chi Ruishou holding a woman’s hand. Chi Ruishou’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

Meng Zhengyue was a little confused. She had looked fine just now. She asked, “Little one, what’s wrong with you?”

The woman looked up. A white shirt made her look particularly elegant. There was a polite smile on her lips, and the curve of her eyes had a gentle glow. The whole person was like she was soaked in the warm summer sun.

Chi Ruishou first introduced the person next to her. “She’s my good friend’s mommy.” She then explained to Meng Zhengyue that the person next to her was her own mom.

“Hello,” Shen Zhuoyu said.

The elevator was about to close. Meng Zhengyue immediately pressed “open” and waited for Shen Zhuoyu to come in. Chi Ruishou was reluctant, her mouth pouting. Shen Zhuoyu pursed her lips, took a step forward, and waved at Chi Ruishou. “Goodbye. I’ll… I’ll make time to see you.”

“Mm, okay,” Chi Ruishou said, choked up.

Meng Zhengyue stood quietly, thinking to herself, “This is what a proper mother-daughter relationship looks like.”

The elevator door closed. Shen Zhuoyu looked at Meng Zhengyue and said, “Are you her new friend’s mommy?”

Meng Zhengyue nodded.

The conversation was a bit awkward. Meng Zhengyue thought about her identity. It should be different from hers. The other person was open and honest… After saying hello, Shen Zhuoyu didn’t even look at her, but it wasn’t because of her personality. It was because she felt that the other person was doing the right thing, and she herself… was a little dirty in comparison.

When they got downstairs, Meng Zhengyue saw Shen Zhuoyu taking out her phone, probably to call a taxi. She took out her car keys and said, “Where are you going? I can give you a ride. It’s on my way.”

Shen Zhuoyu said, “I’m very close. Just at the hospital nearby.”

“Oh, you’re a doctor.”

“Yes. What about you?”

“I’m a musician. I’m not very famous.”

“Hey, don’t call a taxi. It’s so hot, and the traffic is bad around here. I’ll give you a ride.” Meng Zhengyue helped her open the car door. “It’s on my way. Are you at the first hospital? It’s good to know someone there in case I need to go there in the future.”

“Mm.” There were no taxis taking orders nearby. After thinking, Shen Zhuoyu got into the car and sat in the back seat.

Meng Zhengyue said, “Does your little one have any plans for the summer break?”

Shen Zhuoyu replied, “We haven’t planned yet. What about yours?”

“Mine…” Meng Zhengyue had asked politely. Being asked back, she was suddenly a little embarrassed, but she couldn’t correct herself and say that she was just her mother’s girlfriend and not married to her. “I’m taking her on a trip.”

“We… are a little busy with work. We have a vacation coming up, so we’ll probably go on a trip too.”

At this point, both of them were thinking about whether to add each other’s contact information so the two children could communicate when they played. After thinking about it, they both stopped the idea.

…

In the following days, Meng Zhengyue didn’t show up. She was busy with work. She would reply to Yun Zhixue’s messages, asking her about her exam.

Yun Zhixue tidied up the clothes on the balcony. She was still the same as before. She would hug Meng Zhengyue’s clothes to sleep. She wasn’t hugging the two that she had hand-washed. The scent on them was gone. So she could only hug the other two…

This made her feel incredibly ashamed.

But she was also incredibly hopeful for Meng Zhengyue to appear again.

Sometimes, she also wondered if she was going too far, but she really couldn’t control herself.

It was very hot for the three days of the college entrance exam. The last day ended in the afternoon. The school gate was blocked by a few reporters, ready to interview the first student to come out of the school.

The first one to come out was a boy. Yun Zhixue was in the back of the first group. A reporter glanced at her and thought she was pretty and wanted to interview her.

Yun Zhixue stepped back, dodging the camera. But a few other reporters also saw her and quickly chased after her. She was waiting for someone to pick her up, so she had no choice but to retreat back into the school.

Yun Zhixue panted and called Meng Zhengyue. Meng Zhengyue answered quickly and asked her, “Didn’t your mom come to pick you up?”

Yun Zhixue said, “Ah,” and asked in confusion, “Why would she come for me?”

Meng Zhengyue asked, “She didn’t call you either?”

Yun Zhixue hummed into the phone and said, “I’ll just take a taxi home later.”

“What about the family driver?”

“He went back to drop something off and never came back. Maybe he’s stuck in traffic.”

“You didn’t go to the hotel?”

“It’s the last day today, so I checked out.”

“What about your friend?”

“Her mom picked her up and left. I didn’t feel comfortable going with her.”

At the school gate after the college entrance exam, private cars and buses were stuck in a gridlock. There were no traffic police to direct traffic, and horns were honking one after another. It was very crowded. The drivers also lost their patience with the high school students, and many were cursing with their windows down.

After hanging up, Meng Zhengyue called Yun Jing. She didn’t get a response. She sent a message to Yun Zhixue: “Wait for me for a while.”

Meng Zhengyue was annoyed. She had already told Yun Jing beforehand, but this person was still so unreliable. When she left her studio, she remembered Chi Ruishou’s stepmom, who was a very competent person.

She sent a message: “Stand in a shady spot.”

Yun Zhixue was already walking to a less crowded area. The sun was too bright. After seeing the message, she went to stand under a shady tree.

It was really jammed.

After almost forty minutes, she received a message: “Turn around.”

Yun Zhixue turned around and saw the person standing under the sweetgum tree, her phone in her hand, wearing a black tank top and jeans.

The moment Yun Zhixue’s gaze fell on her, Meng Zhengyue put away all her impatience and gave her a gentle smile.

Most of the people at the school gate had left. She was the only one still standing there, her face flushed from the sun, with a pink shoulder bag on her back.

Yun Zhixue was sensitive. She recalled the conversation just now. “…Were you thinking that my mom would pick me up?”

She was testing if Meng Zhengyue had left her. Meng Zhengyue took off the hat on her head and put it on Yun Zhixue’s head. “After the college entrance exam, you should want to be encouraged by your family, right? Don’t you really need your mom’s company?”

“I want Mommy’s company.”

She opened the car door and let Yun Zhixue get in. Yun Zhixue didn’t get in immediately. She said, “Can I sit in the passenger seat?”

“Otherwise, who would I have opened it for?”

Yun Zhixue quickly got in. When she closed the door, she saw a bottle of cold yogurt on the door. Meng Zhengyue had prepared it for her.

She reached out to grab it, but then she paused and looked at Meng Zhengyue, her eyelashes slightly lowered. “Mommy, has anyone sat here before?”

“What kind of nose do you have?”

Only Shen Zhuoyu had been in the car in the past two days. “Chi Ruishou’s mom was in it. It probably smells like disinfectant. Her mom is a doctor.”

“Oh… Where did she sit?”

“Alright, I didn’t say that you smell like milk either,” Meng Zhengyue explained again. “…In the back.”

“Did Mommy smell my scent?” Yun Zhixue felt a little ashamed and a little inferior. “Does my milk smell good?”

Meng Zhengyue didn’t chit-chat with her. She turned sideways and pulled the seatbelt buckle over. She looked at her bag and said, “What’s in it? Put it in the back seat.”

She helped Yun Zhixue buckle her seatbelt. Looking at the scene in the rearview mirror, the two people were very close, as if they were kissing intimately.

Yun Zhixue reached out to grab the seatbelt buckle, and she accidentally touched Meng Zhengyue’s hand. In just half a minute, she had broken out in a light sweat.

The car started.

The traffic was bad today. They were stuck in traffic. Meng Zhengyue had a very good temper, but she was also showing some anger.

The lights in the villa were off. It would probably be just the two of them tonight. Meng Zhengyue got out of the car first. Yun Zhixue was slow, still carrying that pink bag on her shoulder.

Meng Zhengyue closed the door and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yun Zhixue’s eyes were red, and her voice was a little sour. “Mommy… you didn’t come to see me these past few days. I thought you were mad.”

“No, that’s not true,” Meng Zhengyue comforted her. “I was thinking that your mom would come to pick you up. Shouldn’t you want her to be with you more at this time?”

Yun Zhixue shook her head.

She looked up, and tears were about to overflow.

Yun Zhixue grabbed her clothes with both hands, then awkwardly let go. Her voice was getting softer and softer. “But. She’s not good to me. I, I want to be with you.”

Meng Zhengyue sighed.

She was thinking that she couldn’t continue being so intimate with her. Yun Zhixue would develop a distorted dependency, and she wouldn’t be able to tell who her mother was.

What if she and Yun Jing broke up?

The child didn’t understand anything. It was not good for her.

The little girl used to be able to endure it, but this time she was crying with such a sense of brokenness. It might also be because she was naturally beautiful, with fair skin and long hair. When the corners of her eyes turned red, it made people feel sorry for her. Not to mention the subtle trembling of her body when she sobbed.

She thought, “This is fine for now. After the little girl’s oral stage is over, I’ll adjust her emotional transfer to me.”

Under the streetlight, Meng Zhengyue’s eyes gently blinked at Yun Zhixue. She opened her arms to her. “Don’t you want to hug Mommy?”

Yun Zhixue looked up at her, hugged her waist, and boldly, arrogantly, ended her adolescence, embracing her spoils of war.

Meng Zhengyue said, “I should have hugged you right after your college entrance exam, but I thought you would need Yun Jing more, and that she would praise you for being so smart.”

Now, she whispered in her ear, “Congratulations on finishing your college entrance exam, little one, and for starting a new chapter.”

Yun Zhixue leaned on her shoulder.

She thought, “This is good enough.”

Yun Zhixue didn’t get better. For some reason, her body was trembling slightly. Meng Zhengyue’s hand on her back gently tightened, holding her in a tight embrace. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Meng Zhengyue let her hug her for a while. She then used her fingers to wipe away her tears from under her eyelashes and led her into the villa.

At night, Yun Jing, who had been silent, called Meng Zhengyue. Meng Zhengyue leaned against the headboard and answered lazily. Her tone was not very good. “Calling me this late? Are you crazy?”

Yun Jing said, “I just missed you.”

“Alright,” Meng Zhengyue said. Her fingers were itchy. She couldn’t ignore the sensation on her fingers. She said, “A sudden burst of love is like a guilty conscience after you’ve been fooling around.”

Before she could finish, she was bitten hard. She hissed, and Yun Jing on the other end heard it clearly. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?”

The sound of sucking and swallowing water came from her ears. She was afraid that Yun Jing would hear it, so she put her palm over the receiver. At the same time, she put her finger down, holding her tongue. “Is it that good?”

Meng Zhengyue turned her head to look.

“Your daughter is biting my finger.”