Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 542: A Mistake? Missed?
As she was lost in thought, there came a knock at the door.

“Sisi, are you asleep?”

Outside, Liu Zhi’er’s knocking could be heard.

Liu Sisi hurriedly got up, threw on a piece of clothing, and opened the door: “Second Sister, we two sisters haven’t had a good talk in a while. Come in and we’ll chat.”

Although the sisters were living under the same roof, Liu Sisi had been busy with Ye Lei’s matters, and Liu Zhi’er was preoccupied with the dumpling restaurant’s business. Besides seeing each other at dinner, they hardly interacted in their day-to-day lives.

Liu Zhi’er obediently entered the room, her hands rubbing together a bit nervously.

“Indeed, we sisters haven’t had a proper conversation in quite some time.”

“Second Sister, come, let’s talk in more detail under the quilt.”

Liu Sisi beckoned Liu Zhi’er.

Even though it was already mid-February, the night’s weather was still cool.

The two sisters lay down side by side, their heads touching, sharing the same quilt, both silent.

“Do you remember the last time we two sisters shared the same bed, slept under the same quilt? It was when we were seven years old, wasn’t it? Time has passed, and I can’t remember for certain.”

“Isn’t that the truth? I remember that time too…”

Liu Zhi’er responded agreeably but suddenly stopped, abruptly sitting up and looking intently at Liu Sisi.

“Sisi, have your memories…returned?”

Liu Sisi didn’t intend to keep it a secret from her, nodding lightly: “Mhm! My memories came back when the accident happened last time. It’s just that they’re too scattered and fragmented, some even incoherent. So…”

Looking at the gently smiling Liu Sisi in front of her, Liu Zhi’er couldn’t describe the feelings welling up within her.

Slowly lying down again, Liu Zhi’er tenderly grasped Liu Sisi’s hand.

“Don’t worry, since you can remember these things, the rest should come back to you gradually. It’s probably just a matter of time.”

“Mhm, I’m not in a hurry either.”

Liu Sisi chuckled softly: “I still remember the last time we two sisters had a candlelit night talk. It was because the Zuo Family came with tokens, saying that the younger generation should fulfill the initial promise of the Close Engagement, right?”

“Sisi, it seems that your memory has truly recovered.” Liu Zhi’er had a joyful expression on her face.

Liu Sisi was filled with melancholy, her heart aching with indescribable feelings.

“I was young and didn’t know any better, just afraid of being alone. I heard that a husband could be a lifelong companion, so I set my sights on the lively young Zuo Xingyu. Despite our parents wanting to bestow him upon you, I forcefully took him from your hands. Who would’ve thought that he’d turn from a playful mud-covered child to the stiff man he is now?”

As she spoke, even Liu Sisi laughed at herself.

Liu Zhi’er’s smile was also a bit awkward, and after moving her mouth several times, she finally whispered.

“Ain’t that the truth! Back then, he was such a mischievous little scamp! As soon as he arrived at our home, he’d pull our hair…”

She too gradually got lost in the memories, a meaningful smile on her face.

“Speaking of which, I owe you an apology, Little Sister. If it weren’t for my interference, perhaps you and he would’ve been together, and everything might’ve turned out differently.”

Liu Sisi sighed and looked into Liu Zhi’er’s eyes, earnestly saying: “Although I snatched him away from you, I eventually lost him too. You can’t deny that fate has a sense of fairness.” Even though these events were actions of the original body, she still had to voice this apology.

“What are you even talking about? That was so many years ago.”

Liu Zhi’er chuckled helplessly: “At the time, I wasn’t very old either and threw a huge tantrum in front of our parents. I remember after you and Xingyu got engaged, you were severely beaten by Dad. If anything, it was me who brought you harm.”

As the elder sister, her memory was clearer than Liu Sisi’s, and she naturally filled in the details Liu Sisi couldn’t figure out.

“Yes! It was precisely because Dad beat me that I started to hate you after that.”

Full of emotion, Liu Sisi continued: “No, to be more accurate, it was envy rather than hatred. Though we sisters looked similar and I was younger than you, you were always everyone’s favorite. Especially Zuo Xingyu, who began to dislike me very much after that time.”

Now that she thought about it, it seemed that Zuo Xingyu had been secretly in love with Liu Zhi’er since they were young.

“No! He not only didn’t dislike you, but he also liked you a lot.”

Liu Zhi’er said earnestly.

Liu Sisi was taken aback and then reacted: “Pff! Stop joking around, why would he like me? If he liked me, why would he let me take the initiative to cancel the engagement? Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not spouting nonsense; he told me this himself! I…”

Liu Zhi’er suddenly raised her voice, but then stopped abruptly, biting her lip and turning her back to Liu Sisi, lost in thought.

Zuo Xingyu liked her?

Liu Sisi couldn’t figure out what the other party was thinking and couldn’t help blinking her eyes at Liu Zhi’er.

In the quiet night, the surroundings were silent, except for the occasional distant barking of dogs. Then, the sounds of the timekeeper’s wooden clapper rang again.

Clack, clack, clack! Bang!——

“Ring the bell and announce, close your doors and windows, and watch your candles carefully! Clack, clack, clack! Bang!——”

Accompanied by the timekeeper’s gradually receding voice, Liu Sisi let out a soft sigh: “It’s the third period of late night, let’s sleep.”

As she spoke, she also blew out the oil lamp, returning to the quilt and clutching the quilt corner tightly.

In the darkness, the sisters couldn’t see each other’s faces, both lying side by side. They were both silent, and their breathing was disordered, making it obvious that neither had fallen asleep.

“You know the situation with the Zuo Family. Xingyu was worried that you would suffer hardships with him and brought up the idea of canceling the engagement. But you ran away without letting him finish speaking.”

Was this the truth of the matter? Liu Sisi blinked in the darkness.

“The next day, you made our parents go and cancel the engagement. For several nights in a row, you cried and made a fuss in the house, but he was always guarding outside the door. These were things I heard Zuo Xingyu say himself…until later when the news about you and Zhang Shixin spread…that’s when he stopped coming.”

Liu Zhi’er’s melancholy voice echoed again.

Trying hard to go over the original body’s memories, it seemed…perhaps…that was how it was?

Maybe it was as Liu Zhi’er said that Zuo Xingyu had feelings for the original body after all? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited until the engagement was about to happen before asking her to initiate the cancellation.

“You didn’t even think that Xingyu is about the same age as our brother-in-law. If he didn’t have feelings for you, a simple age difference could’ve been enough to cancel the engagement with you and become engaged to me instead. There would’ve been no need for you going through all this trouble over the years. It’s a pity that you didn’t know happiness while in the midst of it and missed out on a devoted lover!”