Deceased Mother's Inheritance - Chapter 3
Chapter 3: A Humid, Sultry Summer.
One year ago, on a humid, sultry summer day. It was sunny and bright in the morning, but in the afternoon, the sky clouded over and the rain began to fall nonstop.
Yun Zhixue came home from school.
The sealed bathroom was filled with the scent of pomegranate and milk. If you paid close attention, you could also smell the fragrance of mature tuberose. The sound of water was fierce, as if a wild and unrestrained affair were taking place.
Instantly, Yun Zhixue understood. Her mother’s girlfriend was taking a shower, in her bathroom, using her body wash.
Meng Zhengyue was surprised to see her when she came out of the room. Her eyes met the fierce glare outside.
Meng Zhengyue’s first impression of Yun Zhixue was that she was pale and had very long hair. She looked a bit like Rapunzel, with her hair braided down to her waist. Perhaps it was a stereotype, but Meng Zhengyue had always believed that girls with long hair were gentle and patient, as dealing with hair was a daily chore.
The girl’s brows and eyes were sharp, her pupils dark. Like a beast guarding its territory, she glared at her. She looked like a high school student, but it was hard to tell if she was an adult.
Meng Zhengyue asked her, “Do you live here?”
The girl didn’t speak. She just pursed her lips tightly, and her face went pale.
Considering she was just a child, and dressed in only a thin outfit, Meng Zhengyue didn’t press for more information. She opened the bathroom door and said, “Go take a shower. We’ll talk later.”
Meng Zhengyue was wearing her purple satin camisole nightgown, which clung to her body. The once-empty neckline was now full. She wasn’t wearing a bra; two clear points of a cherry were visible. Her own underwear probably didn’t fit, so she chose not to wear any.
She had arrived naked and was leaving just as brazenly.
The scent in the bathroom was intense, as if a master perfumer had added one more drop of an essential oil bomb before sealing the bottle. All the restraint had turned into vivaciousness. The tuberose scent hooked her nostrils. The fresh pomegranate scent was tragically marked and consumed.
…
In the bathroom, a black V-neck camisole, belonging to a mature woman, was hung on the wall, wet. A black lace bra hung halfway down, one cup turned inward and one outward. One could imagine how her full body was contained and shaped by it.
The sense of invasion was extremely uncomfortable. Yun Zhixue reached for it. As soon as her hand touched the fabric, a strange, electric current seemed to suck at her fingertips. Her nerves tingled sharply.
Yun Zhixue had a bad relationship with her mother. Their affection was cold, maintained only by her mother providing for her living expenses. Only at important family gatherings would she appear as the academically excellent daughter.
Her mother was emotionally distant, cold, and a severe and unfaithful woman. She went through girlfriends very quickly. Yun Zhixue couldn’t understand what charm this woman had to make her mother so eager to bring her into the house.
Yun Zhixue chased the other woman’s scent out of her space. After a quick shower, she scrubbed her hands in the sink, then sprayed them with an alcohol disinfectant.
Rain slanted against the French windows. The woman was on the phone, a smile on her lips. Her wet hair was now tied up, revealing her slender neck. She held a cigarette in one hand, flicked her finger, and the cigarette and its embers fell. She said to the person on the phone, “It’s like she’s insane. That little girl is beautiful and very likable. Truly perverted.”
She listened to whatever the other person said, then let out a laugh. “Yes, I know I’m an immoral person. My hobby is being immoral, so don’t say another word. Right now, I’m so hard I feel like I’m going to overflow.”
She was being playful and talking immorally.
Yun Zhixue’s hands, which she had scrubbed until they were red, felt hot. She could see the beautiful profile of Meng Zhengyue, as well as her high, elegant nose.
What was this woman saying? She liked me? She was crazy… what was going to overflow? No wonder Yun Jing liked her and publicly called her her girlfriend. Her mouth could easily stir the desires at the bottom of a person’s heart.
If you asked Yun Zhixue what kind of woman she liked, it would be a beautiful, clean, and academically excellent one. Yes, academically excellent. Certainly not one who smoked and wore very little clothing. But she wasn’t worldly; she had a… a difficult-to-describe feeling about her.
The woman continued to chat, her smile unfolding on her red lips, a bewitching sight like rose petals steeped in venom. At that moment, the woman noticed her, tilted her head, and said, “Go blow-dry your hair.”
The wild laughter instantly subsided and turned gentle. Yun Zhixue’s heart pounded, and she felt as if she was being choked by an invisible hand. This feeling was too exaggerated. She quickly turned her back and returned to her room.
The woman didn’t follow her. She let out a long breath. Her mind felt rusty and dull. She used a hairdryer on her hair. The woman knocked on her door again, reminding her not to forget to come out later.
Meng Zhengyue took out a second cigarette and held it between her fingers. She was still wearing the same nightgown, but the two points on her chest were gone, replaced by a fuller form. She had put on a bra, though Yun Zhixue couldn’t tell if it was hers or her mother’s.
A cup of hot milk was on the table. Meng Zhengyue placed it next to her hand. “Drink this. It’ll warm you up.”
Yun Zhixue ignored her.
Meng Zhengyue crossed her arms. “Are you a homewrecker, or am I?” She couldn’t accept that she was the other woman. Meng Zhengyue’s lips twitched. “I’m a three-month homewrecker.”
Yun Zhixue replied, “I’m a high school senior.”
Meng Zhengyue froze, her eyebrows twitching. “You’re a minor?” She put out the cigarette she had just lit in the ashtray. “I’m sorry. Are you really a minor?”
Yun Zhixue didn’t say a word. Her lips were tight and trembling. She was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, looking thin and delicate, as if she could be snapped in half. A high school senior, so she must be a minor.
Meng Zhengyue’s face changed. “You’re a minor, and you’re not studying hard? Why are you dating her?” She smiled at Yun Zhixue, maybe out of anger. It was a bit charming, with an obvious hint of seduction. “Dating her is a waste of time. You’d be better off with me when you’re older. By the time you grow up, she’ll be old.”
Meng Zhengyue didn’t continue the conversation. She tapped the table to remind her to drink the milk, then went to the French windows to call Yun Jing. Meng Zhengyue’s tone was serious. “Are you sick? You’re bringing a minor into your home. I’m disgusted by pedophiles.”
Yun Jing on the other end: “Did you meet my daughter?”
“Huh?” Meng Zhengyue looked at Yun Zhixue again. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds. This time, she saw the facial features clearly; there was a faint resemblance. She was in disbelief. “She’s your daughter?”
Yun Zhixue saw the twitch in Meng Zhengyue’s mouth, and a sense of revenge rose in her heart. She vigorously rubbed her fingers under the table.
“Yes. When we talked, you said she was a minor, but you didn’t say she was 17 years and 11 months. You timed it perfectly. I just got to your house, and she just turned 18.”
Meng Zhengyue let out an angry laugh. “You’re exploiting a loophole.” The corner of her eye lifted, glancing at Yun Zhixue. It was a little seductive.
Meng Zhengyue was undoubtedly a very beautiful woman. Even when she was angry, she was so pretty that you couldn’t look away. Yun Zhixue had met several of Yun Jing’s girlfriends. Her mother’s taste was consistent, but only Meng Zhengyue’s beauty was different. She wasn’t demure or aloof. Her voice was lovely, with a lazy tone that made it hard to tell if she was angry or joking.
Yun Jing: “She goes to school. She doesn’t come back often during the holidays. What’s the big deal?”
Meng Zhengyue: “You’re a liar.”
“Don’t you like liars?”
Meng Zhengyue talked to Yun Jing for almost ten minutes before hanging up.
Clearly, this woman was bothered that her girlfriend had an adult daughter, just like all of her mother’s previous girlfriends.
Meng Zhengyue sat back down across from Yun Zhixue. Their eyes didn’t meet. Meng Zhengyue was embarrassed. The self-introduction was no longer needed. She crossed her long legs and said, “My place is being renovated.”
To be honest, Meng Zhengyue didn’t mind being a mother, especially a painless one, but she did mind being a mother to an 18-year-old at the age of 26.
Yun Zhixue’s face turned pale. She pressed her hands tightly against her stomach. “Stomachache?”
Meng Zhengyue got up to replace the milk. When she turned her head, the person on the sofa was gone. She could sense the girl’s rejection and hostility toward her.
The rain was still falling that night. The lights in the living room stayed on. Despite the heavy wind and rain, it was still sultry inside.
Yun Zhixue curled up in bed. Her head felt heavy, and her muscles cramped. She was groggy from sleep, her throat raw and dry. She covered her lower right abdomen with both hands.
After some time, her neck was propped up, then her waist. She was lifted and placed in a soft embrace. The bitter smell of medicine filled her nose. She was annoyed and tried to push away, but her jaw was pinched. The bitter medicine was spooned into her mouth.
She tried to twist her body, and the movements stopped. “Why are you crying?” Meng Zhengyue looked at her.
Yun Zhixue slapped Meng Zhengyue’s hand away. Meng Zhengyue adjusted her face, placing her fingers at the corner of her eyes. “Stop crying.”
Yun Zhixue hated her closeness. Meng Zhengyue pulled her into a tight hug and used her long leg to press down on her thrashing waist. “Stop moving around. I’ll give you something sweet to drink.”
It wasn’t a gentle motion. She was fed a spoonful of honey water. Her dry throat felt much better. Then she was fed the medicine, spoonful by spoonful. “Swallow slowly. Don’t choke.”
Yun Zhixue gagged. The brownish, thick liquid dripped from the corner of her mouth. Meng Zhengyue took a tissue and wiped her lips again. Yun Zhixue’s body was weak and limp, her skin was cold and clammy. Her mind was trapped in a nightmare, a little confused. With a mouthful of bitterness and a mouthful of sweetness, she couldn’t tell which one she should push away.
As soon as Meng Zhengyue got up, the coldness immediately rushed in. Yun Zhixue curled up in the blanket, and the sharp pain in her lower abdomen started again. Before she could fully curl up, Meng Zhengyue returned. She pulled down the blanket, her hands resting on Yun Zhixue’s lower abdomen, gently stroking it. Her fingers were slender and bony. “Here?”
The warm palm covered the painful area, and the warmth seeped through her skin.
“Did you eat dinner?”
Yun Zhixue bit her lips tightly.
Meng Zhengyue’s thumb pressed on her lips, freeing the skin that had turned white from being bitten. “Do you want to die from the pain?”
Yun Zhixue’s eyes were red. She suddenly bit Meng Zhengyue’s shoulder fiercely. She bit so hard that she was trembling. A muffled groan escaped from Meng Zhengyue. But Meng Zhengyue didn’t push her away. She just sighed, enduring the pain, and held her in place. “Alright, be a good girl. Open your mouth and take this candy.”
An orange-colored candy was pressed against Yun Zhixue’s lips and gently pushed into her mouth. The sweetness instantly washed away the bitterness of the medicine.
Meng Zhengyue’s hand lightly covered her aching lower abdomen, and her other hand rested on her forehead. Yun Zhixue could feel the warmth and the rise and fall of the body pressed against her. Meng Zhengyue didn’t leave immediately. She touched something to Yun Zhixue’s forehead. Yun Zhixue wanted to push it away, but she didn’t even have the strength to lift her hand.
A warm towel was suddenly on her face. Meng Zhengyue gently wiped away her sweat, her fingertips accidentally brushing against her earlobe, causing a subtle shiver. “Rinse your mouth.” Meng Zhengyue took the candy out of her mouth and handed her a glass of water. Yun Zhixue accidentally spit some water on Meng Zhengyue’s arm, but the expected scolding never came. Meng Zhengyue just patiently wiped the corner of her mouth clean.
In a daze, her sweaty bangs were pushed away, and warm fingers gently pressed on her temples. Despite her inner disgust, Yun Zhixue knew clearly that they were her fingers.
“39.2 degrees. Your temperature isn’t going down.” Meng Zhengyue covered her eyes with her hand, picked up the phone beside her, and unlocked the screen.
…Was she delusional from the fever? She felt as if she was being carried. She couldn’t hear what Meng Zhengyue said.
When Yun Zhixue woke up again, she was in the hospital. Her vision was blurry, and her throat was uncomfortably raw. She tried to lift her hand but felt the IV needle on the back of it.
Meng Zhengyue was sitting beside her with headphones on. The smell of disinfectant had covered her fragrance. Yun Zhixue felt a tearing pain in her lower abdomen. She lifted the blanket to look. A white sterile gauze was taped to her lower right abdomen, and some yellow liquid had seeped through it. Her belly felt like it had been cut open, and a tube had been inserted. Her mind was numb. She felt like she hadn’t come out of a trance and couldn’t remember anything. Had she been kidnapped…
Meng Zhengyue took off her headphones, and her red lips slightly parted. She said slowly, “No need to look. I cut out your appendix.”