My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 116

Chapter 116: Letting Go

After the “White Day gift” incident, Jiang Xue was especially grateful to Xiao Luohan and Cang Ling.

Not to mention her girlfriend’s timely comfort, Cang Ling, although perhaps just watching the show and urging her along when she saw the hesitation, had still given her the courage to act. It was an unintentional good deed.

So the next morning, she brought food made by Sister Cheng to the Xie family’s home, planning to offer it to Cang Ling, who loved Sister Cheng’s cooking.

Xiao Luohan also went with her, bringing Cang Ling’s favorite fruits and “Intangible Cultural Heritage Brown Sugar Milk Tea” made with Dianhong tea.

As soon as Xie Xitong opened the door, Cang Ling, holding the white cat, came out, smelling the food. Seeing the lunchbox in Jiang Xue’s hand, her eyes lit up, and her voice rose a few pitches. “Korean bibimbap!!”

Three incense sticks were lit, and soon, the color faded from the bibimbap in the lunchbox, but Cang Ling, sitting at the dining table, picked up the bowl and started eating heartily.

“So, yesterday’s matter has been resolved?” Xie Xitong was still concerned about the follow-up, but since the two had brought offerings today, they must have talked it through.

“It’s resolved, it’s resolved!” At the mention of this, Jiang Xue wished she could disappear. “She even came to give me a welcome gift, but I scared her away…”

She had originally wanted to return the favor over the weekend, or invite Yin Yuan to dinner, but Xiao Luo had told her that Yin Yuan was a dedicated “weekend recluse,” so it seemed she could only ask Xiao Luo to bring her return gift on a school day.

A high school senior’s weekends during the last semester didn’t offer much time for idle chatter. After Cang Ling finished eating, Xie Xitong went to the Jiang family’s home to study with Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan.

Cang Ling also followed, holding the cat. She wanted to stay with Princess Zhemei.

The peaceful days quickly passed, and another half a month went by.

Xiao Luohan successfully passed the beginner-level guqin exam at the end of March, obtaining the Level 1-3 certificates. If she was lucky, she could try for the intermediate-level exam in August.

Jiang Xue was incredibly proud of her. After asking her older sister to make inquiries, she bought a new guqin for Xiao Luohan.

Out of her own selfish desires, she specifically asked the craftsman to carve two cats on the back of the guqin, a large white cat and a Ragdoll cat, both nestled among plum blossoms, sleeping soundly next to each other.

This kind of gift had to be prepared secretly. When Xiao Luohan received the guqin, she would “casually” remind her to examine it carefully, looking forward to Xiao Luo’s surprised and delighted expression when she discovered the “Easter egg.”

However, because it was a custom design, and she had high requirements for the details, the shop said it wouldn’t be ready until mid-April.

Jiang Xue felt that this delivery time was perfect. By mid-April, her final selection exam would be over, and then she only had to focus on Chinese, math, and English for the college entrance exam in June. She could relax a little, prepare for the “comprehensive evaluation admission,” and plan for the future.

The day after the agreed-upon delivery date was the Qingming Festival “short holiday” at the beginning of April.

Every year during this time, the Jiang family would return to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors, enjoy the spring scenery, and also gather some spring bamboo shoots, Indian aster, and shepherd’s purse. However, Sister Cheng wouldn’t be participating this time. She and the other two housekeepers were taking time off at the Jiang family’s home.

The two elders of the Jiang family had insisted on living separately from the younger generation due to “different lifestyles” a long time ago. When Jiang Xue was little, she would return to her hometown during summer and winter breaks, but now, even during holidays, it was usually Ms. Jiang and Ms. Wei who visited the elders.

Old people, always refusing to admit their age, especially the two elders, who had run successful businesses in their younger days, were now content living in their hometown, which they had invested in and built themselves, unwilling to let the younger generation see their frailty.

But during Qingming Festival, they were still happy to welcome the younger generation, especially after hearing that there was a girl from ancient times coming. They even called Ms. Jiang the night before and asked when they would arrive.

Unfortunately, the only way to get to their hometown was by car. The high-speed rail didn’t reach the mountains, so it was a two-hour drive.

But Jiang Xue had already asked Cang Ling for a motion sickness amulet in advance, and Grandma Xie’s “temple patches” were also very effective. As soon as she got in the car, she applied both the amulet and the patches.

Xiao Luohan also had an amulet, given by Cang Ling.

This girl had recently been studying modern traditional Chinese medicine with Grandma Xie, trying to integrate her own knowledge with modern knowledge, and would generously give them the things she made.

Jiang Xue, prone to carsickness, fell asleep as soon as she got in the car. She was initially leaning against the back of the seat, about to fall onto Xiao Luohan’s lap, when Jiang Mei pulled her over and let her use her lap as a pillow.

“Actually, I think our two mothers can definitely see through us,” Xiao Linghan said in her mind.

“I know,” Jiang Mei replied. “The journey back home is long. I’ll let Xiao Luo have her later, otherwise, my legs will be numb and it will be difficult to climb the mountain.”

She looked out the window and only entrusted the still-sleeping Jiang Xue to Xiao Luohan after they reached the forested area near their hometown, then asked Xiao Linghan, “Is this place, in the ancient world, really where Xiao Luo’s mother and Shizhu are buried?”

“Cang Ling’s divination is rarely wrong,” Xiao Linghan said. “But they were ordinary people, and their causality ended in that world. Unlike me and Cang Ling, they truly went to the underworld.”

Jiang Mei had already accessed this memory. The Ms. Wei of the ancient world had indeed been buried with Shizhu on a mountain overlooking Beiliao.

Both had lived long lives and had a peaceful latter half of their lives. It could be considered a good death.

“According to Cang Ling’s calculations, they haven’t reincarnated yet. Burning joss paper here, using a special talisman as a medium, can theoretically reach them there. I gave you the talisman before we left,” Xiao Linghan continued. “You… think carefully before deciding whether to tell Xiao Luo.”

She knew that her younger sister undoubtedly loved that mother, but it was precisely this strong love that made Xiao Luohan resentful.

—Being sent to another country by the person she cared about most, without any regard for whether she would die on the way or encounter the violent Crown Prince, who, before the marriage alliance, had already been confirmed as the one who killed Beiliao’s female general.

This desperate maternal love was too heavy a burden. Even now, even after hearing about her mother’s death, Xiao Linghan knew that her younger sister hadn’t completely let go.

“She’s always been against being kept in the dark, especially about matters related to her birth mother’s afterlife,” Jiang Mei said slowly. “I’ll tell her everything, but what she chooses to do is her own decision.”

“She’s already capable of making her own choices.”

The car passed the three-hundred-year-old camphor tree at the village entrance, accelerated up the slope, and stopped in the open threshing ground.

The two elders of the Jiang family had been waiting for a long time. Jiang Xue, who had woken up, hurriedly got out of the car, greeting “Grandma Jiang” and “Grandma Du” affectionately.

It wasn’t convenient to introduce Xiao Luohan outside, so they went to the elders’ home.

Passing by the small courtyard in front of the countryside villa, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

There was “vetch,” or “wild pea” in this world, currently in bloom, with many small purple flowers, like butterfly wings, scattered among the green leaves.

“It’s said that it was because of the ‘wei’ in Wei Mommy’s name that the two elders agreed to the marriage,” Jiang Xue whispered, noticing her gaze. “But that was just a minor reason. Mom and Mom considered many things before deciding to get married.”

Xiao Luohan simply replied with an “Mm,” but thought of her own mother.

The two elders truly liked Xiao Luohan and even prepared thick red envelopes, adding her on WeChat and transferring the money to her in person, watching as she accepted them.

Xiao Luohan didn’t plan to use this money, intending to find a suitable opportunity to return the favor with gifts.

“You’ve suffered so much over there, just listening to your story brings tears to our eyes!” Grandma Du said, holding her still-thin arm and sighing. “How many princesses sent for marriage alliance have a good ending?”

Although they felt sorry for her, they didn’t dwell on the topic. Since Xiao Luo had already come here, everything in the past was just a scar, best left unmentioned.

The two elders didn’t climb the mountain for the ancestral worship. In their words, “Let the old folks see their descendants.” Anyway, they lived at the foot of the mountain where their ancestors were buried, so they could see them every day.

Before leaving, while the two mothers were preparing the offerings, Jiang Mei took Xiao Luohan to her usual bedroom and told her about what had happened in the other world.

“I’m only telling you this because I think they’re your most important family,” Jiang Mei explained after seeing Xiao Luohan fall silent. “Whether you want to pay respects to neither, or just to Shizhu, it’s up to you.”

She deliberately didn’t mention the option of “paying respects to both.”

Xiao Luohan thought for a long time before finally speaking, “Is the joss paper… enough for two?”

“Yes, the elders always prepare extra every year, just in case,” Jiang Mei nodded. “Then I’ll tell Mother and Mother to leave two portions for you.”

As soon as she left, Jiang Xue poked her head in, took Xiao Luohan’s hand, and asked anxiously, “What did my sister tell you?”

Xiao Luo’s expression wasn’t good. Was it something very important? Or was Xiao Luo unable to climb the mountain with them?

“Mei-jiejie told me that this mountain, in the ancient world, corresponds to the mountain where my mother and Shizhu are buried,” Xiao Luohan said, looking at her. “According to Cang Ling’s calculations, if I burn joss paper for them on the mountain using a special method, they can receive it in the underworld.”

This was completely beyond Jiang Xue’s knowledge, but she trusted Cang Ling’s words and believed that people went to the underworld after death.

She thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “So… have you ‘let go’ of that matter now?”

The Ms. Wei in that world might not have had bad intentions, but the final result was that Xiao Luo had repeatedly brushed with death.

“Regardless, she always took care of me when I needed her most,” Xiao Luohan said, looking at her palm. “The only time she let go, the time that hurt me the most, was also when she was trying to find a way for me to leave the cold palace, to escape the fate of being humiliated and killed by the enemy after Beiliao’s defeat.”

She paused. “I still can’t forgive her for letting go of my hand, but now that so much time has passed, and she’s also been buried in the ancient world, I only hope that she can be reborn in a world that’s kind to women in her next life. That way, there won’t be any daughters resenting their mothers.”

This lingering resentment had already faded with the passage of time and her busy life in this world, and she was willing to pour wine and burn joss paper for her birth mother during the Qingming Festival.