Chapter 230: She Knows the Pain of Losing a Son!

“Mom always said that my little brother would inherit my stepfather’s business one day, that he had a bright future ahead, and that he’d be my support.”

Fang Manping had always believed that.

But now…

Her brother—suddenly—wasn’t her brother anymore.

And her real brother… was dead?

“Mom, don’t be sad. There’s nothing we could’ve done. It’s all the fault of those damned R Nation people.” Fang Manping tried to comfort her mother, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

But to Fang Wanrong, these words were anything but comforting.

She suddenly looked up, her mature but still elegant face streaked with tears, now twisted with anger as she glared at Fang Manping, a fierce light in her eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do you know what it means for you to lose your brother?”

“Are you thinking that now that your brother’s gone, you can inherit the Sheng family?”

“Tell me, have you always been jealous of your brother? Now that he’s gone, are you happy?”

Fang Manping stared at her in disbelief. “Mom, I’ve never thought that way!”

“You have. You definitely have! You’ve always resented me for favoring your brother, so just like Sheng Zexi, you wished for Arui to disappear. Yes, that must be it!”

Facing her mother’s accusations, Fang Manping felt a hollow open up inside her.

She never imagined her own mother would think of her like this.

She admitted that she’d sometimes envied, even been jealous of, her brother for being their mother’s favorite.

But she’d never once wished for him to disappear.

All she ever wanted was to find a way to win more of her mother’s attention, to make her proud.

That’s why, all these years, she’d worked so hard to become outstanding.

One reason she wanted to marry Li Tingxuan was because she liked him, but another was that if she could become the mistress of the Li family, surely her mother would see her as exceptional and be proud of her.

When she heard the news today, she rushed home on leave, afraid her mother wouldn’t be able to handle it, wanting to comfort her.

She never expected to be met with suspicion instead.

Now, under her mother’s gaze, Fang Manping’s heart truly ached.

If it were any other time, Fang Wanrong might have noticed her daughter’s feelings and softened.

But now, all her thoughts were on her son.

She couldn’t even be bothered to fake gentleness in front of Sheng Xinhao just now, let alone in front of her daughter.

Maybe she realized her words were harsh, maybe she knew her daughter didn’t really think that way, that she’d misunderstood.

But she had no energy to comfort her. In her turmoil, she suddenly shoved Fang Manping aside, covered her face, and hurried back to her room.

Leaving Fang Manping alone in the living room, standing there by herself, watching her mother’s retreating figure, head bowed, silent tears dripping onto the back of her hand.

—

“What’s wrong? Did Comrade Hua say something to you?” Gu Jianing was nursing Xingxing when she looked up and saw Sheng Zexi returning from a phone call, looking unsettled.

Grandma Sang and Yao Chunhua also looked at Sheng Zexi in confusion.

Sheng Zexi hesitated, then finally spoke. “Zhenrong told me—the military took Sheng Zerui away. They said he’s actually from R Nation!”

“What? R Nation? How could he be from R Nation? Wait, who’s Sheng Zerui?” Yao Chunhua exclaimed.

Grandma Sang, however, knew who Sheng Zerui was—wasn’t he the son of Xiao Xi’s stepmother? But to think he was from R Nation… that really shocked her.

After Sheng Zexi explained, Grandma Sang and Yao Chunhua finally understood.

“My god, those R Nation people are monsters. To swap a newborn baby, to take him from his parents is bad enough, but to actually kill those children… poor things.” Yao Chunhua’s disgust for R Nation was clear.

Or rather, as a Jia Nation citizen, there wasn’t anyone who didn’t dislike R Nation.

Everything R Nation did was utterly heartless.

“No matter what grudges exist between nations or families, the children are innocent,” Grandma Sang sighed.

Because of her daughter and grandson, she didn’t like Fang Wanrong, thinking her a scheming woman.

In fact, part of the conflict between Xiao Xi and Sheng Xinhao was due to Fang Wanrong’s manipulations.

But in the end—

As a mother herself,

She understood that pain of losing a child.

So, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh, or to gloat.

…

Half a month after her postpartum confinement, Gu Jianing finally returned to work at the hospital.

Yao Chunhua had also stayed at the Northwest Military District for over a month and it was time for her to go home.

The two babies were easy enough to care for, especially with Grandma Sang helping out.

But back in Hua Hua Village, Yao Chunhua still had to oversee the pig farming, and she couldn’t be away too long. Plus, she was the backbone of the whole Gu family.

So, no matter how reluctant she was, Gu Jianing could only buy her mother a train ticket home.

Today, Sheng Zexi drove with Gu Jianing to see Yao Chunhua off at the train station.

“Mom…” At the moment of parting, Gu Jianing couldn’t hold back anymore. She rushed forward and hugged her mother, eyes red.

“Mom, I don’t want you to go,” Gu Jianing choked out.

Yao Chunhua stroked her hair, her own eyes reddening. “Silly child, I don’t want to leave either. Who knows how long it’ll be before we see each other again?”

Now, the next likely time they’d meet would be New Year’s.

But with Ningning having just had two babies, even by New Year’s, they’d only be a little over six months old. Could she really bring them on a long train journey?

If she couldn’t go home for New Year’s, then who knew when they’d see each other again—maybe not until the children were older.

That’s the downside of marrying a daughter off far away.

Even seeing her is hard.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll come home whenever I get the chance.”

“It’s not just you I miss—I miss Dad, my brother and sister-in-law, Grandma… all of them.”

“Alright, alright,” Yao Chunhua said, stroking her hair. “I know. My Ningning has always been a filial child.”

“Ningning, remember—even if I’m not by your side, you must eat well and dress warmly. Even though you have children now, don’t pour all your energy into them, understand?”

“To us, even a grandchild can’t compare to our precious daughter.”

Those words broke Gu Jianing’s composure.

She hugged her mother tightly, burying her face in her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Mom, I know. You and Dad have to take care of yourselves too. If you need anything, write to me and I’ll send it. Please, don’t scrimp and save.”

Gu Jianing gave her mother careful instructions.

Maybe only after having children herself did she truly understand a mother’s hardships and the constant worry for her children.

“Yes, yes, I know, I know.”

“And Mom, the red string talisman I gave you—you have to wear it. Give the others to the rest of the family, one for each person.”"