"Hehe..."
An Yin’s bell-like laughter echoed in the hall, interrupting An Ying’s thoughts. Realizing her daughter was still hungry, An Ying shook her head, trying hard to shake off her worries. When she found it futile, she sighed lightly.
In less than half an hour, An Ying prepared two dishes and a soup.
Braised mountain yam, fried eggs, and stir-fried eggplant with green peppers.
When An Ying brought the dishes to the dining table, An Yin’s eyes lit up. She quickly got up and sat at the table, "It slls so good!"
An Yin’s drooling expression amused An Ying.
"If you’re hungry, hurry and eat." An Ying had already served her daughter a bowl of rice. Watching her daughter’s charming deanor, a trace of satisfaction appeared on her face.
"Mom is the best in the world!" An Yin looked at the bowl her mom handed over, grinning from ear to ear.
"You talk too much!" An Ying glanced at her daughter, "There’s no at at ho, I’ll go buy so fresh at early tomorrow."
There’s no way An Ying wouldn’t know that her daughter loves at.
"Tha...nk you, mo...m." An Yin said unclearly with her mouth full of food.
"Stop talking and eat first." An Ying got up and went to tidy up the kitchen.
This trip ho, An Yin was quite happy to see Ms. An trying to accept another man. This was a new beginning for Ms. An, and An Yin was very pleased.
Since An Yin could rember, Ms. An had devoted all her energy to her, with no ti to pursue her happiness. Sotis, An Yin felt that if she hadn’t delayed Ms. An, given Ms. An’s beauty, she would surely have found her happiness!
Clearly, over the years, she was just a burden to Ms. An!
The community they lived in was an old building, mostly housing forr workers with allocated hos from the factory. Most residents were elderly; the younger generation already moved out to new high-rise buildings.
Older people usually retired early to bed, so the entire neighborhood beca especially quiet and desolate compared to the outside world’s glitz and glamour at night.
This was a blessing for people who love tranquility.
Another downside to their building was poor soundproofing; a slight movent from any ho could be heard upstairs or downstairs. Thankfully, the An Family mother and daughter weren’t lively, so it didn’t bother anyone.
After a full al, An Yin freshened up and lay down in her bedroom, planning to play on her phone for a while before sleeping, when she heard a knock at the door.
"Yinyin, I’m coming in."
Since her daughter was young, An Ying had always respected her privacy and would give a heads up before entering.
"Alright." An Yin propped up her body and leaned against the headboard.
Watching Ms. An gracefully walking in, wearing a sky-blue cotton pajama set, and seeing her mother’s curvy figure, An Yin was montarily dazed.
"Why are you staring at like that?" An Ying, seeing her precious daughter gazing at her blankly, thought sothing was odd and lowered her head to check herself but found nothing unusual. She looked at her daughter curiously.
"Mom, you’re so beautiful!" An Yin genuinely praised her.
Since childhood, neighbors always praised that An Yin was a beauty in the making. Soone responded, "Indeed she’s beautiful, Yinyin inherited her mom’s excellent genes. But let’s hope her fate doesn’t mirror her mom’s..."
At that ti, she didn’t think much of it, taking it as a complint, and just smiled shyly.
As years passed, An Yin gradually realized the insinuation behind their words.
However, one thing was true: An Yin’s delicate face truly resembled An Ying’s, especially her pointed chin, thin lips, and high nose bridge, as if cut from the sa mold.
"My daughter is the most beautiful one." An Ying saw her daughter gazing eagerly and sat beside her after lifting the quilt.
Chuckling softly, An Yin noticed her mom gripping sothing and leaned over to point at her hand, "What are you holding?"
An Ying didn’t keep it a mystery. She raised her hand in front of her daughter, then opened her palm.
"A piece of jade." As An Ying spoke, she also stared at the jade with a look of inscrutable emotions hidden in her eyes.
An Yin’s gaze was drawn to the jade in front of her. It was strung on a plain red cord, but upon closer inspection, it seed anything but ordinary!
The jade’s color was rich, like a clear lake, deep and captivating. A subtle glance revealed a profound richness and noble beauty!
An Yin had never worn jewelry like this. Seeing her mom suddenly bring a piece of jade to her room, she hesitantly asked, "Did you buy this recently?" An Yin didn’t know much about jade, only finding it "beautiful."
At these words, An Ying paused and raised her head but didn’t answer her daughter’s question. Instead, she carefully put the jade around An Yin’s neck, "This jade can keep you safe!"
An Yin chuckled upon hearing this, "You must have bought it at a temple." She let her mom help her wear it, thinking it was just a common piece of jade.
In elentary school, she often saw classmates wearing various amulets their families got from temples—so on their wrists, so on their ankles, rarely on their necks. She always thought her mom didn’t believe in such superstitions, but unexpectedly, now that she’s grown up, her mom gave her this to wear!
Not wanting to disappoint her mom’s good intentions, An Yin, to reassure her, patted the jade on her neck, "Don’t worry, I’ll wear it often. I’ll definitely be safe in the future."
An Ying glimpsed the determined look in her daughter’s eyes and smiled gently, retracting her hand.
The jade hung around An Yin’s neck, the erald green jade complenting her pale skin, intensifying under the light. It appeared to be an antiquity with its deep color, sothing only those who understood could discern its true value!
"Don’t lose it," An Ying advised.
This was a rare imperial green jadeite. An Ying hadn’t told her daughter the truth to avoid burdening her, as carrying such a precious item would inevitably lead to anxiety. Letting her think it was just an ordinary jade would make her feel at ease wearing it!
The timing of taking it out stemd from a hint of selfishness on An Ying’s part.
From the mont her daughter tried to peek into the box’s secrets in her bedroom, An Ying knew so secrets can’t stay hidden forever. Without the courage to voice the past, she could only offer items carrying special significance to her daughter.
To An Ying, it was a form of solace!
This jade accompanying her daughter was akin to the missing fatherly love accompanying her!
"Don’t worry, I’ll wear it every day. I won’t lose it." Seeing Ms. An’s gaze fixed on the jade she wore, An Yin felt her mom was being overly cautious.
Reviews
All reviews (0)