Author: Yǎ mèi / Sleeping Elegantly (雅寐)
Synopsis:
In his previous life, Mu Yixi, an illegitimate child, was taken back to the Mu family by Mrs Mu. Doing everything possible to deceive her and break her trust, he caused the Mu family to shatter into pieces. But in this life, he is truly sincere.
Chapter 1
“Mrs Mu.”
“Good day, Mrs Mu. Have you come to see the children again?”
“Mrs Mu is both beautiful and kind-hearted. To have married this kind of a wife, Mr Mu is really blessed…”
In a clean and bright corridor in the paediatrics inpatient department, Mrs Mu who was dressed in a Chinese-style gown walked gracefully and slowly. Her face didn’t have any make-up. Keeping a faint smile, she seemed to have just entered into her twenties. Only a pair of gentle and quiet eyes somewhat revealed her actual experience.
Behind her followed a gentle-looking middle-aged woman. She looked ahead at the mistress of the Mu family while walking, her expression filled with respect and reverence.
The doctors and nurses who saw them as they passed all simultaneously stopped working and humbly and politely nodded towards Mrs Mu. After they passed, a burst of whispers could be heard from behind them. As if unaware, Mrs Mu unhurriedly continued walking in the same pace.
She had barely entered the emergency room when suddenly, she heard a burst of urgent footsteps.
“Emergency patient! Please move aside, move aside!” A nurse was making way as several doctors and nurses hurriedly pushed the bed towards the operating room.
Mrs Mu and the middle-aged woman behind her gave way. They turned to see a small child lying on the hospital bed. He had thin and weak limbs which were bruised purple. His legs were twisted unnaturally. His weak chest rose and fell feebly.
Mrs Mu was used to getting along with the children in the hospital so she couldn’t bear to see such a tragic situation. Her eyes automatically moved to his face. Seeing him, her calm expression crumbled. Her legs became soft; she almost fell to the ground.
“Madam!” the middle-aged woman was shocked and rushed to hold her up.
“What’s going on? Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi!” Mrs Mu threw the woman’s hand away and staggered towards the bed.
“Mrs Mu, what’s wrong?” Mrs Mu who had rushed forward in her excitement was stopped by one of the nurses pushing the bed. She said, “This child’s life is in danger, he needs immediate surgery. Please calm down and don’t block the way.”
“He’s my son!” Mrs Mu grabbed her hand. “What is this? What happened to him?!”
The nurse’s expression turned strange. “He’s your son? Are you sure?”
Mrs Mu replied angrily, “Can I make a mistake in recognising my own son?”
The nurse was dumbfounded. “But he can’t be your son! His name is Hu Yixi. He’s a 6-year-old resident of Lane No. 3, Jiangcun Village and has no parents. He lives with his grandmother, Hu Lijiao…”
Mrs Mu’s delicate brows furrowed. When she heard that it wasn’t her son, her reason quickly returned. “Please, tell me more.”
The sound of medical equipment like ECG and oxygen detectors could be heard at regular intervals in the single-person ward, echoing in the stifling silence. Mrs Mu sat next to the bed staring at the child lying still on the bed, pale as paper.
He was a 6-year-old boy but looked more like a 3- or 4-year-old. He seemed so weak as if he could be crushed with a pinch. His face was almost identical to Mrs Mu’s son, Mu Yiqi; only slightly different. Before, Mrs Mu had been concerned about the situation and thought that he was Mu Yiqi. But now she could tell the difference as a mother.
Mrs Mu couldn’t help but think about what she had learned about the boy from the nurse.
A 6-year-old boy with an unmarried mother and an unknown father; his mother gave birth to him and gave him to Hu Lijiao, a woman with a rural background, and left. Without attending school for even a single day, he was often cursed by his grandmother who was prone to violence when she was drunk. Social workers had contacted him repeatedly to help but the little boy had been reluctant to leave his only relative. He came to the hospital often to treat the injuries which were the result of domestic violence.
This time was the most serious injury he had ever had in his life. He had a concussion, a broken leg, a broken rib and various other injuries, making him seem like a broken doll.
Mrs Mu was generally filled with love and patience for children. Otherwise, as a noble lady, she wouldn’t need to volunteer at the paediatrics department. Facing this child Hu Yixi, Mrs Mu’s heart was not only sympathetic but also some unspeakable emotion.
Guilt.
Because she didn’t know anything about this child.
Mrs Mu’s real name was Fang Zhen and her husband Mu Jiurong were married as a part of fostering business ties. At first, they had no deep feelings. Before marriage, Mr Mu wasn’t a playboy, but there was the occasional fling he had. A man had physical needs and Mu Jiurong’s busy and hectic schedule didn’t leave him with much time or energy to waste on relationships. Therefore, he vented his desires in a clear-cut manner, making it clear that they were all business transactions.
The Fang family expressed their understanding about this matter. Mu Jiurong cut off all such relationships before marriage in an eye-catching manner to show that he attached great importance to his marriage with Fang Zhen. The Fang family was very impressed, stating that this was a wonderful alliance.
It was a pity that Hu Qin, the last woman to have a relationship with Mu Jiurong, not only successfully schemed against Mu Jiurong and became pregnant with his child but also sought out Fang Zhen three days before the engagement ceremony was being held by the Fang and Mu families.
Born in a wealthy, noble house, Fang Zhen was not ordinary. A petty woman such as Hu Qin with her self-righteous and provocative speech which attempted to drive a wedge between her and Mu Jiurong was not worth much in her eyes. Fang Zhen had no qualms about holding Hu Qin down and handing her over to Mu Jiurong.
Mu Jiurong was a proud man and he never paid attention to his ‘bed-warmers’. He never expected that the wild goose he beat every day came back to peck him in the end. This woman was outrageous to such an extent, one could imagine the anger blowing up in his chest.
He knew that if he left the child alone, he would leave a hidden danger for Fang Zhen and his family. When he took Hu Qin from Fang Zhen, his first decision was to arrange for a doctor for her to have an abortion and send her away with a sum of money.
Hu Qin escaped from the hospital and there was no news of her ever since. Or even if there was news, it didn’t reach Mrs Mu’s ears. But knowing her husband, Hu Qin would never again benefit from Mu Jiurong and the Mu family. Mu Jiurong would avenge his grievance and his heart was as firm as iron. Hu Qin had repeatedly offended him and it was a big deal that he hadn’t actually killed her even though she eventually gave birth to his children. This innocent, ill-fated child, Mu Jiurong wouldn’t recognise and neither would the Mu family.
Mrs Mu hadn’t intended to think about the child but her inaction could lead to the death of a living being or the suffering of an innocent child, an idea that she couldn’t tolerate especially after her children, Mu Yiqi and Mu Yixuan were born. She was passionate about doing good towards the welfare of children not necessarily because she wanted to accumulate merit for her own children.
Now, six years later, she met Hu Yixi who had suffered so much. She didn’t need any evidence to figure out that he was the child Hu Qin had been pregnant with. Mrs Mu was moved by this thing called fate.
The cycle of cause and effect.
Mrs Mu felt suffocated looking at the face so similar to her own son’s and the scars on the child’s body.
She stretched her hand towards him with slight hesitation and gently caressed his little face. “I… I’m sorry…”
As if responding to her, the little boy trembled and slowly opened his eyes. In the dark, Mrs Mu’s face was reflected in his pupils. He called out in a small voice –
“Mom…”
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