Chapter 139: Chen Hao Ran (Part Three)
Chapter 139: Chen Hao Ran (Part Three)
Xiang Ling accepted the cup and immediately took a big gulp of the tea that almost burned her tongue. She quickly put down the cup and fanned her mouth to calm down the intense feeling of burn that overwhelmed her.
"Why would you drink it so quickly? Here, have some water." Hao Ran quickly handed her a cup of cold water and watched as she emptied it in one go. He took the cup from her hands and set it down on the table before he took out his handkerchief and handed it to his sister.
"Are you feeling better now?" he asked once Xiang Ling was done wiping her face. She looked up at his face and slowly nodded her head, allowing him to release a sigh of relief. Standing up, he returned to his seat and decided to observe his sister.
After several long moments, he finally asked, "What happened after our family moved out of the manor? Why are you behaving like this all of a sudden?"
Xiang Ling didn’t answer and just chewed on her lower lips as she tried to think of a nice way to voice out her story. However, she didn’t get to work too hard as someone else decided to help her out.
Fu Xiao moved forward and courtesy once again before she spoke, "Pardon me, First Young Master. Let me tell you everything as My Lady is taking a moment to calm down."
Hao Ran nodded his head in approval as he too noticed that his sister looked kind of lost as she sat there in complete silence.
Fu Xiao didn’t waste any time and quickly launched into explaining everything that happened ever since the day of Xiang Ling’s trip to the temple when she ended up in an incident that made her lose most of her memories.
She explained how her lady started changing slowly after they returned to the manor. How she went to Shengdu Village to bring Second Master Li back and also ended up helping the refugees there, and how she hired new servants to bring the Chen Manor back to life. Also, the part when she started treating her husbands better, and her recent visit to the Lin Family’s Village to help the villagers deal with the plague.
Fu Xiao made sure to tell every little detail that worked in favor of her lady. The more she spoke, the more shocked Hao Ran became. He kept staring at his sister who was busy staring at her hands. He was having a really hard time believing what he was listening to.
"... In the course of the past two months, My Lady has turned into a new leaf and she has been trying so hard to mend her past mistakes." Fu Xiao finished with these words and there was a satisfied look on her face.
Hao Ran was silent for a while and his gaze shifted between the two women. No matter how much he loved his sister, he was having a hard time believing that she had changed. "Has she really changed?" He asked Fu Xiao who didn’t even waste a second before she quickly nodded her head.
"First Young Master, even though I’m loyal to My Lady, you are aware that throughout the years of my stay in the Chen Manor, I have never lied to you, or the Master and the Madam. I’m not lying today either. My lady has really changed a lot and she has been even waiting to one day visit the Magistrate’s Office and ask for the entire family’s forgiveness."
Hao Ran suddenly found himself in a tight spot. A part of him wanted to trust Fu Xiao’s words and what his eyes were seeing at the moment - the true regret in his sister’s eyes. However, there was another part of him that forbade him from doing something as stupid as believing their story this quickly.
After a long silence, he finally nodded his head and turned his attention completely toward his sister. "Why wait for so long to ask for our parents’ forgiveness? Why didn’t you find them the first minute you realized all your mistakes?"
Xiang Ling finally looked up at his face and while looking straight into his eyes, she answered in the softest voice he might have ever heard from her. "After realizing how stupid I have been and getting a grip on all my mistakes, I lost my courage to face our parents... and even you. I was worried that an apology would never be enough for everyone to forgive me, and that you all wouldn’t believe in my words..."
Hao Ran suddenly felt ashamed when he heard the last words. It was exactly what he was doing at the moment - doubting her.
"... I thought a lot about it and finally decided to change my bad image first before coming to ask for everyone’s forgiveness. I thought, that as long as I had some merits under my name, you all would believe that I have indeed changed and would forgive me." Xiang Ling didn’t lie at all here. What she just told Hao Ran was exactly the reason she didn’t go to apologize to the original owner’s family the moment she entered her body.
Hao Ran let out a small sigh before he nodded his head in understanding. He could comprehend her reason very well and even agreed with them. "It’s alright. What really matters is that you have changed for the better. Also, don’t worry about our parents. They love you and will forgive you in no time."
Xiang Ling slowly nodded her head and silence once again took over the room. A moment later, Xiang Ling asked, "First Brother, where are you heading after this?" She suddenly thought about buying some good dishes and sweets for her first sister-in-law and niece.
Hao Ran seemed hesitant for a moment before he finally decided to tell the truth. "I am looking for a house to buy. The Magistrate’s Office isn’t a big place and all of us have been having a hard time these months while living in that little place. So, I have been trying to buy a new manor."