Fu Xiaotang pursed her lips and sighed softly, “Xiao Ying, I’m really happy now, like I’ve been given a second chance at life. Your brother is getting engaged today, marking a new beginning. From now on, we really have no connection anymore.” Song’s mother felt a pang in her heart, “Xiao Tang, you know how much I like you. Regarding you and Li, it’s too late for me to say anything now. If I could have seen you earlier, perhaps today would be different.” “Auntie,” Fu Xiaotang bit her lip, recalling a time when she almost saw Song’s mother as another Aunt Min. She had lost her mother young, and when she finally had the means to do something for Aunt Min, she was gone. She really wanted to treat someone like a daughter, to care for them, but who could have guessed that Aunt Li turned out to be Song Li’s mother? “Auntie, I shouldn’t have said that we should act as if we never met last time. Please, keep coming to Tang Li. It’s fine, I still want to see you, even if I can’t visit you, you coming to see me is the same. If you don’t mind, treat me as Xiao Ying’s sister, as another daughter of yours. And Xiao Ying, I won’t ignore you again. Let’s be like we used to be, okay?”
“Good child,” Song’s mother felt a mix of joy, regret, and sadness. She was happy that Fu Xiaotang could set aside past grievances and reconnect with them, regretful that such a good girl could not become her daughter-in-law, and sad because Fu Xiaotang’s reluctance to see them before indicated she still had feelings for Song Li. Now, appearing radiant at her ex-husband’s engagement party and saying such words, she must have moved on or was trying to. But since they were destined not to be in-laws, being like mother and daughter wasn’t bad either. Observing Fu Xiaotang with the man, though she couldn’t hear their conversation, it was clear they were in a sweet, intimate moment. Song’s mother forced a smile, genuinely happy for Fu Xiaotang, and covertly sized up Fang Junjie as if he were her son-in-law, laughing, “Xiaotang, is that the young master Junjie that the proprietress mentioned? He’s indeed a talented man, just as reputed. Our Xiaotang deserves someone like him.”
