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Until now, An Shaojie still did not know the status of Xu Wen and Qinglan.
In the past six years, he had rarely, no, almost never dared to inquire about Qinglan.
Although he managed to get abroad through Su Hailu's connections, he did not follow the agreement made with Su Hailu before leaving, where all expenses would be covered by Su Hailu's family. He refused their money and supported himself by taking multiple part-time jobs in addition to his studies. To save money, he also limited the number of calls he made to his sister, An Shaomin, back home. During the occasional calls, he focused on the most important topics, mainly asking about Bai Cuifang's health.
Bai Cuifang lived in the countryside and had never used a mobile phone; there was also no landline installed at home. During his years abroad, he had almost no contact with her. Therefore, during his few calls with Shaomin, he mostly inquired about Bai Cuifang's health and family matters.
Then there was Shaomin.
In this world, apart from worrying about Bai Cuifang, the second person who occupied his thoughts was his sister. He worked hard, drawing all his motivation from Bai Cuifang and An Shaomin. He hoped that through his success, he could relieve their difficulties. Especially for Shaomin, the pain she endured had once been the greatest sorrow in his heart.
Thus, he had no time to ask about Qinglan. Moreover, he believed that without him, she should be living well. Wasn't that so?
With Xu Wen by her side taking care of her, how could she not live well?
However, later on, during a phone call when he asked about Liu Family Village, An Shaomin hesitantly shared a little information about Qinglan.
In fact, An Shaomin did not know much about Qinglan either; not only her but everyone in Liu Family Village knew very little and lacked a thorough understanding of her situation.
For someone they saw every day, everything was laid out before them, including her daughter being born out of wedlock. Everyone knew this, yet they still felt like they were looking at Qinglan through a fog—unable to truly understand her.
Whose daughter is Qingmei? No one knows.
What is the relationship between her and Xu Wen? It has always been a mystery.
There were once speculations that Qingmei belonged to An Shaojie, and even Bai Cuifang and An Shaomin had guessed so. However, this speculation was later almost universally denied, including by Bai Cuifang and An Shaomin, who no longer believed that Qingmei was An Shaojie's.
If Qingmei were An Shaojie's, would Xu Wen care for her so meticulously? Not only did he give up a superior life in Beijing, but over the years he came to Liu Family Village, remaining devoted to Qinglan and treating Qingmei as if she were his own. It was clear to everyone that Xu Wen came to Liu Family Village primarily for Qingmei.
Even Liu Xiuzhen and Qing Shusheng were almost convinced that Qingmei belonged to Xu Wen, let alone others.
However, if the child belonged to Xu Wen, the villagers would be even more puzzled. One is an unmarried woman, and the other is an unmarried man; they have a child together but remain unmarried while traveling thousands of miles together. It is not just a mystery; it truly baffles everyone.
Thus, An Shaomin could only lightly state that Qinglan had a child and that Xu Wen had always been with her, but Qinglan had never married him.
This conclusion was the surface phenomenon that everyone observed, so An Shaomin could only describe it this way.
Since An Shaojie broke up with Qinglan and went abroad, Qinglan had hardly set foot in An Shaojie's home again. Even when Shaw Min returned, she no longer bounced into their home like she used to as a child or found various excuses to linger at their doorstep until Bai Cuifang or Shaw Min invited her in. She would slip into their home without caring about Liu Xiuzhen's discontent.
She had been close with Shaw Min since childhood, but now they intentionally distanced themselves from each other. Even when Shaw Min returned and actively sought her out or encountered her on the road wanting to sit down and chat about their lives like before, Shaw Min indeed had many things to say and ask her—questions swirling in her heart like a fog—but it seemed Qinglan had no intention of chatting with her. She either hurriedly greeted her before walking away or deliberately avoided Shaw Min. There was more politeness towards An Shaomin but less warmth; her once lively and mischievous personality had changed, leaving An Shaomin somewhat perplexed. Eventually, Shaw Min's desire to inquire about her heart gradually faded.
It was fine not to inquire; knowing wouldn't change anything. Her life in Liu Family Village had undergone tremendous changes in the eyes of the villagers. The golden phoenix that flew out of the mountains had fallen and was injured; it returned to the mountains where a grounded phoenix is no better than a chicken. Now she could no longer fly away. This was the villagers' perspective.
What exactly had she experienced? Although everyone felt unclear about it, Shaw Min understood that regardless of what she went through, judging by the surface phenomena, An Shaomin knew that Qinglan must have faced something even more humiliating than what she experienced back then. Her heart must have endured far more pain and suffering than what she felt years ago.
Back then, she at least had Jian Ming by her side, who never left her side.
What about her?
This is the most puzzling thing for Shaw Min. She has always had Xu Wen by her side, who has never left her, yet why can't she let go and be happy?
Isn't the person she loves Xu Wen? That can't be true, right? She remembers that when Liu Dezhou passed away, it was Xu Wen who accompanied her back. Even if the person she loves isn't Xu Wen, after all these years of Xu Wen's unwavering support, even a piece of ice should have melted by now; even a piece of iron should have warmed up.
Why does her heart still feel like it has a block of ice frozen for thousands of years?
Could it be that the person she loves is still An Shaojie? If that's the case, she really is a foolish girl.
An Shaojie has already gone abroad with another girl; why is she still holding on to him? She should have her own life!
Even though Shaw Min and Bai Cuifang are both dissatisfied with An Shaojie's behavior and decisions, what can they do about it? They feel unhappy and want to ignore him, but they cannot sever their familial ties.
For example, whenever Shaw Min returns and An Shaojie is mentioned, Bai Cuifang sighs and grits her teeth as she recounts all his faults. However, after expressing her grievances, she starts to nag about when he will come back, how that girl is doing, and if he disappoints her again, she will never forgive him, and so on.
Unfortunately, this is the heart of a mother; she hopes for her children to be simple and good-natured while also wishing for their happiness. Thus, a mother's heart must follow her own wishes to love all things pure and beautiful while also respecting her children's desires to love everything they cherish.
A kind-hearted and simple mother can only act this way! Kind-hearted and simple people can only do the same.
So, since Qinglan is unwilling to speak, Shaw Min will no longer ask. Let her heart be at peace! Let her heart find tranquility! Why bring up the scars on her heart again, even with good intentions?
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