The nurse’s face paled and flushed by turns as she spoke softly, "I know I’m inconsequential and my next words might offend you, but as an outsider, I truly believe your twilight years could be very good. Many people are kind to you; they all want to visit you. Here, many elderly keep hoping for their relatives to co, but those relatives are unwilling to visit, and they just wait every day without hope. You are pushing away other people’s kindness, thinking everyone has an ulterior motive."
"You understand nothing. Each one of them has an agenda!" Mada Chu’s eyes reddened, yet no tears fell. "If I were of no value to them, they wouldn’t bother with at all. The nicer they are to , the more valuable they consider what I possess."
The nurse was left speechless by the rebuttal.
She was just an outsider, after all. Mada Chu was her client, and all she needed to do was take good care of her without interfering in her decisions.
Mada Chu’s chest heaved, still affected by the nurse’s words.
Was she truly luckier than the other elderly?
Early the next morning, Fu Bing and Wu Shi arrived at the nursing ho, bringing along a dicinal al specially cooked by Aunt Ning.
Mada Chu had just gotten out of bed and was sitting in the yard while the nurse combed her hair.
To be precise, the nurse was combing her hair for her.
Mada Chu glanced at Fu Bing.
Fu Bing was wearing a double-sided embroidered dress, its exquisite embroidery depicting a lakeside scene.
Mada Chu had initially glanced casually, but her eyes paused instantly upon seeing the dress.
"Who embroidered your dress?"
"A master from Ya Garden."
"What’s their na?"
"My clothes are all delivered by people from Ya Garden. If you need to know, I can inquire."
Mada Chu’s gaze still lingered on her dress. "Such embroidery can’t be done without decades of experience; it must be the work of a highly gifted master."
"Indeed, Ya Garden does have many skilled masters." Fu Bing didn’t ntion that she had embroidered it herself.
Great-grandma is very suspicious. Anything I say, she’ll assu has a hidden aning.
Mada Chu stared for a long while before her gaze finally shifted. She remarked, "Aren’t you ashad to have such an ugly freak by your side all the ti?"
"Appearances aren’t that important. Besides, I’m already quite beautiful. Many people pale in comparison when they stand next to . Wu Shi’s unconventional approach suits him better."
The corners of Wu Shi’s mouth, hidden under his mask, involuntarily lifted. He liked her confident deanor. She was indeed very lovely! There was no one more beautiful than her!
The nurse couldn’t help but give Fu Bing her silent approval; Fu Ying was truly adorable and mischievous. She just feared that the old lady would chase her out with a walking stick. Would she then support Fu Ying or Mada Chu?
As expected, Mada Chu touched her walking stick.
Fu Bing’s eyes were also fixed on the stick, ready to dodge at any mont.
Mada Chu rely touched it, then said coldly, "Quite shaless."
"I just have a clear understanding of my own appearance," Fu Bing said with a smile.
She waited for Mada Chu to finish having her hair combed before she set the dicinal al and longevity noodles on the table.
"When my mother was alive, she would make a bowl of longevity noodles every year on this day and put them on the table, yet she never ate them. I asked her many tis, but she never explained. Only after learning of your existence did I rember this detail."
Fu Bing placed chopsticks next to Mada Chu’s hand. "Though she’s gone, I’ll make up for the companionship she missed. Don’t panic, don’t rush. You can make any decision according to your mood and feelings. Being old gives you the right to be capricious."
Mada Chu stared at the bowl of noodles.
The bowl was celadon-glazed Ru ware, holding plain noodles topped with a fried egg and garnished with so fresh green scallions.
Fu Bing poured broth from a thermos into the noodle bowl. "My cooking isn’t as good as my mother’s, but please give it a taste. If there’s anything unsatisfactory, I’ll strive to do better next year."
Mada Chu trembled as she picked up her chopsticks; she could barely take more than one bite.
"Did she... teach you?"
"Yes." Fu Bing sat down beside Mada Chu. "She rarely cooked, only on special occasions."
Mada Chu’s voice was hoarse as she said, "She was talented in many things, but she found no interest in anything."
Fu Chan and Yunhui’s car stopped at the courtyard entrance. Spotting the iconic pink car, they exchanged a look. Both exited their vehicle but didn’t enter the yard.
Fu Bing nodded. "She was a very special mother."
"Did she really not teach you embroidery?" Mada Chu asked doggedly.
"She did."
Mada Chu’s eyes instantly brightened. "Did you learn it?"
"I learned embroidery because her health was poor and she couldn’t complete the orders. Later, after entering the entertainnt industry, I never picked up a needle again."
The disappointnt in Mada Chu’s eyes was exceptionally apparent.
Fu Bing softly said, "Eat your noodles first. When you’re done, I’ll tell you about her life these past years."
Mada Chu had no appetite, but she still lowered her head and ate half a bowl before setting down her chopsticks.
Fu Bing poured her a small bowl of dicinal broth. "This is a dicinal broth Aunt Ning specially made for you; please drink a little."
Mada Chu looked down at the dark broth; it was unattractive but didn’t have the unpleasant sll she rembered.
She braced herself to take a sip and was surprised to find it tasted quite sweet.
Mada Chu slowly finished the small bowl of dicinal broth.
"You can talk now. How has she been these years? What hardships has she faced?"
"From my perspective, I don’t think my mother suffered. Let show you her photos." Fu Bing took an album from her bag. "These are photos of her and ."
Mada Chu opened the album, her hands trembling more and more as she flipped through it.
The Fu Ya in the photos was unlike anyone she had ever seen: her features relaxed, her smile bright.
Her dresses had beco regular ones, occasionally adorned with a little embroidery.
The style was exactly like Yunhui’s. I taught Fu Ya, but she completely overturned it, instead rembering Yunhui’s unpresentable embroidery style. Embroidery should be elegant, appreciated by a select few, not placed on so nondescript clothes.
Heartbroken, Mada Chu slamd the photo album down. "How could she hurt like this?"
Fu Bing bent down to pick up the album, looking at Mada Chu calmly.
She was wearing a traditional cheongsam, its embroidery exquisite and bearing the traces of ti. Her handcrafted high heels featured equally fine embroidery. Her hair was styled in a bun, secured with an expensive jade hairpin. Elegant, yet clearly marked by the weight of years. It was a beauty steeped in ti, deeply moving.
Fu Bing said, "I understand your feelings. To you, embroidery is sacrosanct, deserving only reverence. Your viewpoint is correct and admirable."
"You may require those who share your vision to follow the path you desire, but not everyone understands embroidery as you do. I don’t think my mother’s and Yunhui’s understanding of embroidery is wrong; they simply wanted sothing different from what you wanted."
"Their embroidery is trash that shouldn’t be seen in public!"
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