The old madam looked at Xu Miaoniang in disbelief, "Is what she said true? You used Gu techniques to harm me and Ah Nian?"
Xu Miaoniang gritted her teeth and nodded, "I didn't want to harm you. I just wanted the old madam to be on my side and fulfill my wish. I just wanted to be by the side of the young lord."
"Love is a matter of mutual consent. Ah Nian has no feelings for you. Even if you use any means to achieve your goal, you will only be the one suffering. Didn't you say you weren't fixated on Ah Nian? I also promised you that I wouldn't wrong you and would find a talented young man who matches you."
"But the old madam also said that I am the only granddaughter-in-law you favor the most," Xu Miaoniang shouted, her eyes wide with fury.
"Yes, I favor you. But what is the use if only I favor you? I can force Ah Nian for a while, but can I force him forever? I am half in the grave, with only a few years left to live. What will you do after I die?" the old madam said with heartache.
"Enough, enough. I have wronged you. If I hadn't brought you back, none of this would have happened," the old madam sighed. "You may leave now. Let's pretend we never met."
Xu Miaoniang looked at the old madam in shock, and after a long pause, she stammered, "Old, old madam, you don't blame me?"
"Not blame you? How could I not? It's just that you saved me once and harmed me again. The two cancel each other out," the old madam said slowly.
Xu Miaoniang felt bitter. She had lost her parents at a young age and lived a very difficult life. The hardships she experienced were something that no one who hadn't gone through them could truly understand. Later, after her medical skills had improved a little and she had helped some people, she began to feel some warmth. However, that warmth was not from the heart; it was earned by her previous good deeds. After she saved the old madam, the嬷嬷 (māmā - senior female attendant) by the old madam's side immediately gave her sufficient compensation. What she received was far more than what she earned by treating the common people. Therefore, when the old madam found her again and expressed her desire to take her in, she felt an indescribable emotion. She still remembered what the old madam had said that day—
"I have always longed for a granddaughter, but unfortunately, I don't have that fortune. Now that fate has brought us together, it is destiny. Are you willing to stay by this old woman's side?"
"I have some wealth. If you stay with me, at least your future days will not be so difficult."
"A young lady shouldn't be traveling constantly."
"Don't worry, I will treat you like my own granddaughter."
The old madam indeed kept her word, treating her like her own granddaughter, providing meticulously for her food, drink, and daily necessities, and ensuring her attendants were attentive.
At that time, Xu Miaoniang thought that since heaven had made her suffer so much, it was finally compensating her.
Later, Gu Sinian arrived to take the old madam back to the mansion. It was then that she realized the old madam possessed far more wealth than she could have imagined, and her status was beyond her wildest dreams.
That person, like an immortal banished from heaven, blew through her heart like a gentle breeze, stirring ripples.
Before this, the old madam had mentioned Gu Sinian multiple times. She had initially thought the old madam was like any other elder, believing her descendants to be the most outstanding. However, after meeting him, Xu Miaoniang felt that the old madam's praises were insufficient to describe Gu Sinian's excellence. After all, the old madam only spoke of his youthful exploits in battle and how he earned his official positions. These things did not have the same impact on Xu Miaoniang as seeing him in person.
Xu Miaoniang believed that Gu Sinian was heaven's compensation for her. Otherwise, why would she have coincidentally saved the old madam? Otherwise, why would the old madam have shown such favor to an orphan like her? All of this was meant to lead her to meet Gu Sinian. From that moment on, Xu Miaoniang felt in her heart that Gu Sinian would surely be hers.