The Third Lady had to leave, leaving Qingqing to talk with Mr. Liu. After a while, Mr. Liu finally spoke, “I heard that when you were just rescued by the Crown Prince, you were clutching that bracelet?” Qingqing looked up in surprise, realizing that Minister Lin had told Mr. Liu without informing the Third Lady, and nodded. Mr. Liu sighed and asked, “Why?” Qingqing lowered her head and said softly, “When I fell, I saw the bracelet sinking, so I reached for it without a second thought. Who would have guessed I’d be so lucky to actually retrieve it.” Mr. Liu exclaimed in surprise, “Is this bracelet so precious? You risked your life to retrieve it?” “This bracelet is indeed precious to me,” Qingqing said, lifting her wrist to look at the bracelet she had desperately retrieved. She continued, “It was given to me by my mother.” Mr. Liu looked at her with pity, his tone gentle, “Even if you lost it, she would at most scold you…”
“It’s not just because I’m afraid of her scolding; I value this bracelet more,” Qingqing shook her head. “Ever since I was born, I’ve brought endless troubles to my mother, yet I’ve never been able to repay her. If I can’t even keep something she gave me, I would feel guilty for life.”
Suddenly, there was a suppressed sobbing from the doorway, and Mr. Liu tentatively asked, “Is that the Third Lady outside?” The sound outside paused briefly, then slowly someone walked in; it was indeed the Third Lady. She had been outside the whole time. Seeing Qingqing’s bewildered look at her, tears began to flow even more fiercely. “Qingqing, you… you are so foolish…”
Qingqing had never seen her mother like this before and tears also fell from her eyes as she choked out, “I’ve always been a burden to you, Mother, I…” The Third Lady shook her head, “No, no… Having a child like you, I should be content…” She then walked over to Qingqing, hugging her shoulders in comfort. Mother and daughter shared a tearful smile.
