Back To The 80s-Chapter 471 - 482: Mother_1

Only then Zhuang Shuxian came back to her senses, rushed over to hug Ou Ruoshui, who was crouching on the floor, wailing, "Xuerong, it’s really you! Heaven has looked kindly upon us, you’re not dead! Where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you come back to us? Oh, I thought we would only meet again in the afterlife. Look, Jiadong, our girl Xuerong is back..."

The more Zhuang Shuxian cried, the more desolate she seemed, her cries becoming incoherent as she alternated between calling for Xuerong and Jiadong.

Ou Ruoshui was also crying, her heart ached so much, especially when she heard Zhuang Shuxian call out Jiadong’s name. Her heart seemed to be frying in a frying pan, the pain nearly suffocating her.

Jiujiu stood at the entrance of the bedroom, gasping for breath between sobs. Gu Xiaobei gently pulled her towards him.

Zhuang Shuxian lifted her tear-filled eyes to look at Ou Ruoshui, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch Ou Ruoshui’s face, her voice shaky, "Xuerong, my dear, where have you been suffering all these years? More than ten years, where were you....why didn’t you come home? Why didn’t you.."

Ou Ruoshui was now sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face continuously. As she looked at Zhuang Shuxian’s graying hair and kind face, she felt a deep sense of connection, as if a floating weed had finally found its roots. Uncontrollably, she fell into Zhuang Shuxian’s arms, crying.

Gu Xiaobei, holding Jiujiu tightly, watched the two sobbing women and couldn’t help his own tears from falling either.

Zhuang Shuxian cried for a while, one arm clung to Ou Ruoshui, the other mopped up tears. Because of her long sobs, her words were somewhat unclear. "Xuerong, look, here is Jiujiu, your daughter with Jiadong...." As she finished her sentence, she called out to Jiujiu standing beside her, "Jiujiu, come, here is your mother, your mum." Then she started crying again.

Ou Ruoshui lifted her eyes to look at Jiujiu. Daughter? No wonder her heart ached so when she heard Gu Xiaobei speak. So this was her own flesh and blood. As she looked at Jiujiu’s tear filled eyes, she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, she was scared Jiujiu would not recognize her. She was not a competent mother, having forgotten her own child.

Gu Xiaobei gently nudged Jiujiu, which roused her from her crying stupor. With tears streaming down her face, she looked at Ou Ruoshui, speechless and motionless. Just when Gu Xiaobei started worrying about what was going through Jiujiu’s mind, Jiujiu suddenly lunged towards Ou Ruoshui and cried out, "Mom..." The single word "mom" carried all her grief and bitterness.

Ou Ruoshui mechanically hugged the child who was clinging to her. Hearing Jiujiu calling her mom permeated her with a pain that caused every cell in her body to explode. It was a type of pain she hadn’t experienced ever before. Her arms tightened uncontrollably, clutching Jiujiu, her world, closer to her.

Zhuang Shuxian, watching the mother and daughter embracing each other, couldn’t resist joining them in their hug and cried along with them.

Chen Gang stood at the entrance of the room, teardrops rolling down his cheeks as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him, his heart filled with self-reproach and guilt.

After a long time of crying, Gu Xiaobei managed to help the three women off the floor and onto the couch, then headed to the bathroom to fetch two damp towels for Zhuang Shuxian and Ou Ruoshui.

Ou Ruoshui took the towel, gently wiping Jiujiu’s face, feeling a bit more fullness seeping into the emptiness that had been in her heart.

Zhuang Shuxian, using the wet towel to wipe her face, turned to Gu Xiaobei, her voice hoarse from crying, to ask, "How did you end up meeting Xuerong?"

Gu Xiaobei quickly summarized the encounter, then turned to look at Ou Ruoshui who had just finished wiping Jiujiu’s face and was once again cradling Jiujiu silently in her arms, sobbing. He said, "Auntie, sister Xuerong doesn’t remember her past, so..."

Before Gu Xiaobei could finish his sentence, Zhuang Shuxian started to cry again, sitting down by Ou Ruoshui, chokingly saying, "I was wondering why you didn’t come home. How have you been these past years? How much have you gone through..."

Ou Ruoshui was hugging Jiujiu, her face drenched with tears yet the corner of her mouth curving up to smile in contentment as she said, "It wasn’t hard, not hard..."

Zhuang Shuxian didn’t dare to ask any more, fearing it would sadden Ou Ruoshui. It was good enough that she was back.

Gu Xiaobei left the three women to talk in the living room, calling Chen Gang to the kitchen to make food.

Looking at Chen Gang, his eyes reddened as he peeled onions and garlic, Gu Xiaobei sighed, "Now that Jiujiu’s mom is back, do you feel guilty again about Jiujiu and her mom?"

Chen Gang nodded, his voice was weak, "If it hadn’t been for my father, Jiujiu and her mother wouldn’t have been separated, and Jiujiu wouldn’t have suffered so much."

Gu Xiaobei said, "It’s not your fault. This all happened in the past generation. If you still feel guilty, you should strive to become stronger in the future and protect Jiujiu and her mother."

Chen Gang lifted his head, his eyes determined, "Auntie, don’t worry, I will definitely protect Jiujiu well in the future."

Gu Xiaobei smiled and patted his shoulder, "Okay, let’s start cooking."

Gu Xiaobei took out some rolls from the fridge to heat them up, then stirred up two dishes, hot and sour potato shreds and stewed white cabbage with noodles. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Once the lunch was ready, Zhuang Shuxian and Ou Ruoshui had calmed down a bit. Only Jiujiu was still holding onto Ou Ruoshui’s hand, occasionally letting out a sob.

This was the most satisfying and happiest meal Ou Ruoshui had had in the last eleven years. She was even more eager to know about her past, wanting to be a complete person. She put down her chopsticks, softly asking Zhuang Shuxian, "Do you have a photo of Jiujiu’s father? I would like to see it."

Zhuang Shuxian paused, looking at Gu Xiaobei, not sure whether to reveal the photo or not, fearing that it might be too much for Ou Ruoshui.

Gu Xiaobei lightly nodded, perhaps this stimulus could trigger her memories from her past.

Zhuang Shuxian led Ou Ruoshui into her room, took out one of the photo frames from a stack in her cabinet, under its glass pane were photos of Jin Jiadong.

Ou Ruoshui took the photo frame, afraid to look up, and said to Zhuang Shuxian, "Can I look at this alone?"

Zhuang Shuxian nodded, left the room, and gently closed the door behind her.

Ou Ruoshui sat in a chair in front of the writing desk, gently placing the photo frame on the table, looking at small black-and-white photos in the frame.

There were only ten photos in the frame, mostly of Jin Jiadong before he joined the army. Only one, at the very bottom, was a half-body shot of him in his military uniform, his handsome face beaming, his gaze projecting both intensity and warmth.

Ou Ruoshui traced her fingertips over each picture, feeling a warm familiarity with the man with the gracious and warm smile in the photos.

As she touched the last photo, images flashed through Ou Ruoshui’s mind. The pain seeped from her fingertips to her heart.

"Rongrong, I am going to the military. You need to take care of yourself. Wait for my return."

"Rongrong, let’s take a picture. That way, I can look at your picture when I miss you."

"Rongrong, you are as beautiful as the pomegranate blossom outside our barrack. Every time I miss you, I look at the pomegranate blossom."

"Rongrong, once I return from the battlefield, I will discharge from the military and we will get married. You have to wait for me."