162 Mother, Qiao Qing
Qiao Xuan could tell that Qiao Yue needed to figure out where to start, so he took the initiative. “When Auntie left home, I was young and inexperienced. But in my memory, Auntie was a very gentle person.”
Hearing Qiao Xuan’s words about her mother, Qiao Yue’s eyes brightened, and she revealed a beautiful smile. She looked at Qiao Xuan, hoping he would say more.
A soft smile touched Qiao Xuan’s lips as he recalled his few memories of his aunt. Even though he did not remember much because of how young he was, this aunt of his left a profound impression on him. She was a woman in love.
His aunt, Qiao Yue’s mother, was just like her name. There was a warmth to her that few could compare. She was like the sun on an early summer’s day, and all who met her basked in her afterglow.
Qiao Yue’s mother was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, so much so that he had unconsciously compared all the girls who had appeared by his side to his aunt. It was not that he had feelings for his aunt beyond family, but after seeing the sea, streams, and lakes, he would always think of her. Such was the impression she left on him as a child.
Qiao Yue listened to Qiao Xuan’s story, and her eyes grew dim with a bitter light. Ever since she returned to the Qiao family, she had heard slanderous words, painting her mother in the dark robes of villainy. As much as she wanted to call them out for slander, she could not, which ate away at her heart.
It was unbearable.
“Big Brother, did my mother steal something and get kicked out of the house, or did she run away? Who was the person she eloped with?” Qiao Yue’s red-rimmed eyes pleaded with earnest hope as she spoke to Qiao Xuan.
Qiao Xuan was stunned by Qiao Yue’s question. He opened his mouth and closed it again as if he was considering his words.
“I don’t know much about this matter. Auntie left with her lover and returned to the family a few years later. It was only afterwards that rumours spread of things being stolen.”
“Rumors?” Qiao Yue latched onto Qiao Xuan’s words like a bloodhound tracking its prey.
Qiao Xuan nodded. “Grandpa said that Auntie did not steal anything.”
The facts aligned insofar as their grandfather telling them the same things. Since that was the case, it was likely to be the truth.
“Big Brother, you said my mother left with the person she loved, but you never mentioned that she eloped. What do you mean? Why would Grandpa kick her out of the house if she didn’t elope or steal anything?” Qiao Yue asked in confusion.
Qiao Xuan sighed. This was a topic he had a little more knowledge of. On the day his aunt left, his grandfather locked himself in his room for a long time, and when he came out, his eyes were red and puffy.
He remembered asking his grandfather if his aunt would return, but he did not answer. Instead, the old man said, “Don’t speak of your aunt anymore. Just treat it as if she disappeared!”
Although he was still young at that time, he could still hear the reluctance and helplessness in his grandfather’s voice. It was not that his grandfather had driven his aunt away but that his aunt had no choice but to leave to save the family from trouble.
Qiao Xuan told Qiao Yue everything he knew. Silence fell upon the room.
“Big Brother, have you seen my father?” Qiao Yue asked after a long time.
Qiao Xuan shook his head slightly. “I’ve never met your father.”
The confirmation of something she had known all along caused Qiao Yue’s heart to sink into the abyss. Her father was too mysterious, and if he were who she thought he would be, then it was not an identity she dared believe to be real.
While she had never really thought about her father, she still hoped he was alive. It was a strange combination of factors that derailed her investigations. Now, she did not dare dig further into his identity. She was afraid of the truth she would have to confront. Qiao Yue comforted herself with the knowledge that the likelihood of her father being alive was infinitesimally small.
“Xiao Yue?” Seeing Qiao Yue’s dazed silence, Qiao Xuan could not help but call out.
Qiao Yue returned to her senses, looking up at Qiao Xuan with her red eyes. Qiao Xuan was stunned. He subconsciously got up to comfort Qiao Yue but did not know what to say. After all, Qiao Yue had not said anything.
After a long while, Qiao Yue spoke in a hoarse voice, “Thank you, Big Brother.”
“N-no need to be so polite.”
The longer Qiao Yue remained silent, the more uneasy Qiao Xuan felt. Even the usually mild-mannered and calm Qiao Xuan could not help but feel flustered.
Having seen Qiao Yue’s mischievous smile, it was hard to reconcile the image with the young woman seated before him. For such a carefree person to suddenly look so cynical… It left him at a loss.
Qiao Yue smiled faintly even as she tried and failed to dispel Qiao Xuan’s concerns. She could not make any other expressions right now.
