I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 320: Every Elopement Requires Capital

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: Every Elopement Requires Capital

But when that face appeared before her, He Xuerong, the young girl, couldn’t possibly maintain a cool, dismissive sneer and push her away.

So, she also cried.

The tears of He Xuerong fell like pearls cut loose from a string.

He Xiuyu said, "Let’s go inside, it’s too cold out here." He then busily took out a handkerchief to wipe Rongrong’s tears and said to the child beside her, "You all should go home, this auntie is Rongrong’s mother."

It’s only then that Liu Ge realized what was happening. She was also carrying a handbag, and hurriedly opened it to take out several beautifully packaged bags of snacks, all of which were evidently imported, then she handed out one bag to each family.

Li Mingguang, holding a snack he had never seen before, glanced at He Xuerong, then said to Dashun and Daji, "Let’s go home, we shouldn’t disturb them."

As the three children left, Qiao Qingyu had already heard the noise and naturally guessed who it was.

She opened the door, and there stood a foreign-looking, very beautiful woman dressed in a mink coat and black high-heeled leather boots at the front door, her eyes and brows indeed resembling He Xuerong’s.

Qiao Qingyu had also just overheard what He Xiuyu had said.

She smiled and beckoned them to hurry inside.

She did, however, glance at the man next to Liu Ge, pondering whether this could be the man that Liu Ge had eloped with?

Indeed, running away always requires some capital.

This man clearly appeared to be raised in a superior environment, carrying himself with an indescribable air of wealth and nobility.

He Xiuyu closed the main door, and they all entered the house.

The living room did not have central heating despite the winter’s chill, but a small stove was lit.

Inside, there were coal bricks, and the stove’s pipe extended out the window.

The house in winter seemed rather shabby, far removed from its tidy cleanliness in summer.

In Liu Ge’s view, the conditions were dreadfully poor.

She said nothing, just sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed intently on He Xuerong standing not far away.

Qiao Qingyu took off her hat and scarf, removed her gloves, and then switched her footwear to thick cotton slippers for indoor use.

The harsh cold from outside gave way as she took off her cotton-padded jacket and put on a woolen coat meant for indoor wear for He Xuerong.

Liu Ge was somewhat dazed; she of course knew who this woman was.

But the ease and naturalness of her actions—she almost never treated Rongrong like that herself.

Liu Ge felt her face grow warm and a deep discomfort within her heart.

He Xiuyu added a few more coal bricks to the stove.

Unavoidably, when he opened the stove lid, some flames and ash burst out.

For the family of He Xiuyu, Qiao Qingyu, and He Xuerong, this was commonplace, but for Wu Hong, it was his first time witnessing this.

He found it both novel and pitiable.

He looked at the young woman who, true to form, looked very much like his little aunt. Born later, he certainly hadn’t had the chance to meet Lin Wanjun, but he had seen photographs of her.

He Xiuyu introduced everyone, and Qiao Qingyu poured two cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table.

Liu Ge was good with words; she had noticed Qiao Qingyu’s unforced, practiced movements just now—actions that were evidently routine—and she could see that her daughter had been well taken care of, growing taller and becoming healthier and more lively.

Even though she felt uncomfortable, Qiao Qingyu still showed significant goodwill towards Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu also found out that this man was actually Wu Xiujie’s son.

To be precise, he was an illegitimate child.

Qiao Qingyu had long heard from her grandfather about Wu Xiujie’s scandalous affairs; it was said that even he didn’t know how many children he had.

But each of his mistresses was beautiful, and Wu Xiujie himself wasn’t bad-looking, so his illegitimate sons and daughters all inherited decent looks.

Liu Ge’s voice was hoarse as she wiped away tears and reached out her hand, "Rongrong, come to mom."

He Xuerong naturally didn’t move, even though she knew this was her mother, she didn’t know what to do. She looked up at Qiao Qingyu, her gaze pleading for help.

Qiao Qingyu spoke gently, "Liu Ge, go to my room. You should have a private talk with Rongrong now..."

Liu Ge nodded hurriedly.

So Qiao Qingyu took Rongrong’s hand, with Liu Ge following them to the western room.

Qiao Qingyu reached out to ruffle He Xuerong’s hair softly, saying, "Rongrong, your little aunt will step out first, you talk to mom."

As Qiao Qingyu left the western bedroom, Liu Ge threw herself at He Xuerong.

He Xuerong let her mother embrace her but furrowed her brows slightly. The embrace didn’t feel the same; her mother used to smell nice too but never this overwhelming and stifling.

He Xuerong felt a bit resistant and pushed Liu Ge away with her little fingers, saying, "Okay, no need for all this hugging, let me go first."

Liu Ge was stunned for a moment, but she knew her daughter was precocious and also knew that after she left, her daughter became autistic. Filled with guilt that was eating her alive, she couldn’t help but cry again.

He Xuerong sat upright on the edge of the kang, "Mom, if you’re so sad, why don’t you stay and live with me?"

Liu Ge was stunned for a moment, then earnestly said, "Rongrong, mom wants to take you with her."

"I won’t go with you. This is my home, but if you stay, maybe I will live with you."

Liu Ge, "..."

Make a choice?

For the sake of leaving, she had already become estranged from everyone; how could she possibly come back?

Wouldn’t she then become a laughingstock?

Liu Ge explained with difficulty, "Mom can’t stay, I have to go back to M country, mom has a home there too. You could come with us, that’s also your home; there’s a beautiful, big villa, there’s..."

"Stop!" He Xuerong interrupted her mercilessly, puzzled, "Mom, if you have to go back to M country, you shouldn’t be crying all the time. You can’t bear to leave me, but you’re leaving again, what exactly do you want to do?"

He Xuerong stared with her watery eyes, looking seriously at Liu Ge.

Liu Ge was taken aback, looking at her daughter’s soft little face, her own face turning red.

...

In the living room, Wu Hong placed a red sandalwood jewelry box on the coffee table and repeated exactly what he had just said to He Xiuyu to Qiao Qingyu.

Then he handed over the bracelet to Qiao Qingyu, who carefully examined it. Ha ha, forgive her, she didn’t recognize those three characters. She glanced at He Xiuyu, and he nodded affirmatively, "Indeed, it’s Wu Qianyun’s."

How had it come into their possession?

Oh, the matter was understood without words.

Qiao Qingyu asked Wu Hong, "Has anyone of you worn this bracelet?"

Wu Hong waved his hands hastily, politely saying, "We never wore it, as you know, people in M country aren’t that interested in jade, and besides, it has a name engraved on it. At the time, we had it looked at, and they told us these three characters are ’Wu Qianyun.’ We didn’t know at that time our older cousin was named that because no one had told us, but we got this from Wu Xiujie’s hand. We guessed it might be related to an uncle, so we just put it away."