Сохраним красоту - Глава 108
"Now it's a daughter again?" Both the real and fake Feng Ning were furious, each retorting with a curse: "Why didn't you think of a daughter when you poisoned her?"
Long San remained calm. He said to Qiao Li, "I don't care whether my father-in-law believes me or not. I just promised Feng'er that I would find out the truth. Besides, I've seen everything. Do you think he'll believe me?"
Qiao Li was shocked and her face paled: "What do you mean?"
Long San took a step back, clearing the line of sight, and turned his head to indicate the direction. Qiao Li could clearly see that in the small house that Feng Ning had taken her to earlier, Feng Zhuojun was leaning against the door of the next house, looking at this place with his eyes filled with tears.
The author has something to say: Actually, everything should be clear by now, but there are still some minor details, such as Feng Ning's biological mother and Xiao Wu's master. The next chapter should cover everything.
Bao'er, Long Er, and others should also make their appearance in the next chapter.
I need to think about the ending carefully, so I won't be updating tomorrow. The finale will be the day after tomorrow. Thank you everyone for staying with me until the end, thank you for your support!!
81. The Truth (3) - The Finale
"Feng Lang!" Qiao Li was either terrified or acted stupidly. After calling out, she froze on the spot, staring straight at Feng Zhuojun.
Feng Zhuojun seemed to have suffered too much, leaning against the door frame without moving. The two of them stood like stones, gazing at each other from afar.
Xiao Wu was impatient. She clenched her fists, wanting to punch that wicked woman, Qiao Li. But just as she was about to move, Long San grabbed her wrist. Xiao Wu pursed her lips, somewhat displeased: "I didn't want to fight, I just wanted to stretch my arms."
Long San's face darkened: "What did you promise me?"
What did she promise? She promised a lot, otherwise Long San would never have agreed to let her impersonate Feng Ning to trick Qiao Li into revealing information. She promised her no running, no jumping, no eating or drinking anything, and that if attacked, she should not fight back but retreat first and wait for Long San to come out and deal with the situation, among many other things. Fortunately, her disguise was very successful, and Qiao Li fell for it.
Xiao Wu's outburst seemed to have brought Feng Zhuojun back to his senses. He walked over with trembling legs, his eyes filled with pain, and asked Qiao Li in a deep voice, "You killed A Ling and my child?"
Qiao Li stared at him intently, then smiled and said, "No, Feng Lang. My sister entrusted the child to me, telling me to come see you whenever I had the chance. I thought she was just in a bad mood, but I never expected her to suddenly set the house on fire and burn herself to death. I followed my sister's instructions and traveled thousands of miles to bring the child to see you. I want to take care of you and the child for her. You know all of this, and you even came back to Xia Kingdom with me, didn't you?"
She spoke with such conviction, as if nothing had happened. Her eyes were somewhat unfocused, but she spoke clearly. Long San frowned, while Feng Ning and Xiao Wu took a step back in unison, both thinking how terrifying this woman was.
Unaffected, Feng Zhuojun continued, "How could you be so cruel? A-Ling treated you so well. Your parents passed away early, and A-Ling raised you. And there's the child, still so young. How could you do this?"
"Fenglang, you don't know, my sister has a terrible temper. Look, even after you two got married, she still makes so many demands on you, doesn't she? She doesn't want you to come back for revenge, and she wants you to listen to her in everything. How selfish she is! I wouldn't be like that. If you want revenge, I'll help you. If you want to rebuild the family business, I'll help you. I'll help you with everything, from your business dealings to everything at home. How can you live without me? You can't live without me, right?"
Feng Zhuojun stared blankly at her, seeing her nonchalant and honest expression, and his heart turned ice-cold. Qiao Li took two steps forward, reached out and held his hand, and softly called out, "Feng Lang."
Feng Zhuojun felt as if he had been stabbed, and abruptly shook off her. Qiao Li stared blankly at her hand that had been flung away, then looked up and smiled after a long while: "Feng Lang, my sister asked me to bring the child to you. Since you left, she has been depressed and restless. Later, she found out she was pregnant. She cursed you and herself every day. After giving birth, she became seriously ill. I never expected her to have suicidal thoughts. No wonder she entrusted the child to me. Feng Lang, you are the child's father, and I am her aunt. We are her last relatives in this world. We must raise her well, don't you agree?"
Qiao Li looked at Feng Zhuojun with anticipation, just as she had when she appeared before him exhausted, holding her child, and said the same words. Feng Zhuojun looked at her as if he had never known her before, the woman who had shared his bed for twenty years, the woman who had helped him solve his problems, offered advice, and taken care of him both at home and outside for over twenty years—he actually felt like he didn't know her.
"Feng Lang." Qiao Li called out again, and Feng Zhuojun suddenly covered his face and cried, "A Ling, A Ling, I'm so sorry, why did I leave you? I'm a bastard, I'm a bastard! I shouldn't have left, I shouldn't have left. You're right, I'll definitely regret leaving. Now I know how much I regret it. I'm such a bastard. I hurt you, I hurt our child. I even got it wrong who to hate and who to cherish. Why was I so stupid? Why was I so stupid?" He collapsed to the ground, crying and calling out "A Ling" between sobs.
Qiao Li was somewhat bewildered. She knelt beside Feng Zhuojun, patted his shoulder, and said, "Feng Lang, what's wrong? My sister is dead. She burned herself to death. Don't be sad. It's not your fault. She couldn't think straight. She was sick. I tried to persuade her for a long time, but I couldn't change her mind. She entrusted her child to me. Shall we raise her together?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhuojun burst into tears, heartbroken. Xiao Wu, watching from the side, suddenly said to Long San, "Your family said I was faking madness back then, but look, this one really is. I really want to kick her a couple of times. What's she pretending for?"
Qiao Li ignored all of this, she just kept holding Feng Zhuojun and talking nonsense. Feng Zhuojun couldn't hold back any longer, and pushed her away and shouted: "Get away from me! How can you be so nonchalant? Don't you have any shame?"
After he finished cursing, he looked up and saw his two daughters staring at them. Feng Zhuojun felt utterly ashamed and filled with guilt. He gritted his teeth and called out with difficulty, "Feng Feng..." He couldn't tell them apart, and he didn't even know what the other one's name was.
"What do you plan to do?" Xiao Wu pointed at Qiao Li, who was oblivious to him at the moment. She was pushed away by Feng Zhuojun but then clung back to him, hugging him like a fool.
Feng Zhuojun looked at Xiao Wu, then at Qiao Li, speechless for a moment. He had just learned the truth, and he had just witnessed his wife, whom he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, trying to kill his daughter. What was he going to do? His mind was a mess, how could he know what to do?
Long San came to Feng Zhuojun's rescue. He pointed at Qiao Li and knocked her unconscious, saying, "Feng'er, give your father some more time. Let's go back and discuss this further."
Feng Zhuojun looked somewhat bewildered, and Long San repeated, "Let's go back. Some things don't need to be decided immediately."
Indeed, some things don't require immediate decisions, but the indecisive Feng Zhuojun still couldn't figure out what to do even after returning to the Long family. Logically speaking, Qiao Li was the enemy who killed his wife and daughter, but she had been incredibly good to him for over twenty years; it was impossible to say that he had no feelings for her whatsoever.
Moreover, a fire killed Qiao Ling and her daughter, but now the daughter is still alive. What will become of Qiao Ling? Xiao Wu had absolutely no recollection of her. Long San sent people to Xia Kingdom to investigate, but they indeed couldn't find Qiao Ling. Now Feng Zhuojun was in a state of confusion again. Qiao Ling was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead, and Qiao Li was now insane. Feng Zhuojun was in immense pain. Was it hatred, resentment, or love? These thoughts tormented him so much that he couldn't eat or sleep, and he quickly became haggard and thin.
Feng Ning was somewhat depressed after this blow. She went to visit Lan Hu and told him what had happened. She told him about the incomparably precious treasure and the feud between her parents. She only asked him, "I just want to go with you. Are you willing?"
Lan Hu hesitated for a moment, "I..." Before he could finish speaking, Feng Ning turned and left, saying, "If there is any hesitation or procrastination, I will not force you. My father is already a living example of tragedy, and I do not want to repeat his mistakes."
Of all these people, the only one doing well was Xiao Wu. She knew almost everything. As for her memories and her family, she wasn't in a hurry. Now that she was pregnant, her baby had to be her priority. Back at the Long residence, she hugged and kissed her baby to her heart's content. Then she spent her days eating and sleeping with the baby, which made Long Er very unhappy: "It's one thing for you to be so lazy, but how did you manage to corrupt the baby too?"
“Sleeping, eating, and taking walks—which of these is a bad thing?” Xiao Wu was naturally unconvinced.
“Bao’er has homework to do every day.” Long Er crossed his arms and said in a very unpleasant tone, “You can’t just come back and teach Bao’er to be lazy.”
Upon hearing this, Bao'er shook her head vigorously, saying, "Bao'er doesn't slack off."
Long Er reached out his hand to Bao'er and said, "Bao'er, my good girl, it's time to draw today. The teacher said he'll teach you to draw beautiful flowers."
Without hesitation, Bao'er handed her little hand to Long Er, then obediently followed him with her short legs. Fortunately, when she reached the door, she remembered to turn back to Xiao Wu and say, "Mom, I'll come back to be with you after I finish my studies. By then, I'll be able to draw beautiful pictures, and Mom will be able to understand my letters."
The little girl was taken away. Feng Ning stared blankly at the door for a long time before she came to her senses. Her second uncle had clearly taught Bao'er to be stupid. Writing letters was supposed to be for practicing calligraphy, not drawing pictures.
When Long San returned, he was surprised to find Bao'er missing. His wife had been clinging to Bao'er ever since she came back, and now Bao'er was nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Wu pounced on him, ready to tattle, her movements so swift they startled Long San: "Hey, hey, slow down!" He carried the pregnant woman, whose belly was beginning to swell, back to bed, listening to her ramble on about how Long Er had snatched her baby, how he'd made the baby stupid, and what the baby had done that day—she went on for half an hour straight. Long San took care of bringing her water, massaging her feet, and putting cushions under her arm. Only when the lady finally tired of talking did it become his turn to speak.
“Qiao Li’s condition is indeed not good. Your father refuses to see her and hides in his room every day. Qiao Li keeps banging her head against the wall in the room where she is being held, and keeps saying irrelevant things.”
"Was he killed in the crash?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Of course not."
"Then she was just faking it," Xiao Wu said indignantly, then added, "I forgive you for doubting me back then. Anyway, I'm the same way now. I'll just say that bad woman was faking it, and that will make me feel better."
Long San chuckled and stroked her puffed-up face: "The doctor said that she might be in this state due to excessive fright. She is too obsessed with your father. For so many years, she must have lived in fear of loss every day. Now that she has poisoned her daughter and confessed to killing your mother, and your father has seen it all, it is only natural that she would break down."
“Then she is not wronged at all. She is so vicious. It’s just that being afraid every day is too easy for her. If my father pities her again, I will despise him for the rest of my life.”
“I went to see him, and he was like a different person. He didn’t say anything. I told him about Qiao Li’s condition, but he didn’t react. Go see him when you’ve calmed down.”
"No, I feel terrible whenever I think about how those two people harmed my mother." Xiao Wu became more and more unhappy, jumped off the bed, and went to the table to get some fruit to eat.