Chapter 272: Chapter 264: Mother and Daughter Reunited
He Xuewen looked at his beautiful daughter, feeling the bittersweet realization that his child had grown up. Ah Nan was so big now, and he was getting old, sigh, why get entangled in these long-held affections! He should just devote himself to enhancing the He Family Wine.
Mu Xiulan had come with Qiao Ziqiang, but at this moment she deeply regretted letting Ziqiang come. She hadn’t expected at all that the person accompanying her daughter would be He Xuewen; the father and daughter had already reunited!
"Xiulian, why aren’t you going inside? You were hurrying me just a moment ago!" Seeing his wife standing still at the entrance, Qiao Ziqiang asked in surprise.
"Ziqiang, Tuantuan’s father didn’t die, he found Tuantuan long ago."
"What? He didn’t die? It’s good that he didn’t die, isn’t that what you hoped for?"
"Yes, it’s good to be alive, let’s go inside."
Mu Xiulan mustered her spirits, showing a perfect smile, and walked into the hall with Qiao Ziqiang. However, as soon as she saw Sisi, she couldn’t help but burst into tears, her lips trembling, "Tuantuan, it’s Mama! You’ve grown up so much."
Sisi didn’t expect that Mu Xiulan would bring her current husband along, tsk, this man couldn’t hold a candle to Daddy at all, it was like heaven and earth in comparison!
In Sisi’s heart, of course, she had a much deeper affection for He Xuewen. Therefore, she was very uncomfortable with the fact that Mu Xiulan had abandoned He Xuewen to marry this gangster boss.
"I’m not Tuantuan, I’m He Sisi, you can also call me Ah Nan." Sisi responded calmly, making a stark contrast with the emotional Mu Xiulan.
"Sisi, it’s a beautiful name, just like you."
The conversation between the mother and daughter was polite like that of strangers. Meanwhile, He Xuewen and Qiao Ziqiang sat face to face. Ziqiang was incredibly nervous, dammit, a man prettier than a woman, how ridiculous is that? No wonder Xiulian always thought about this pretty boy. How could this pretty boy be so lucky to be living well!
"It’s good you’re still alive, Xuewen!" Mu Xiulan said with a smile to He Xuewen, her heart as bitter as gall.
"Yes, we’re all alive, and that’s all that matters!" He Xuewen said calmly, visible only to Sisi, he was clenching his fists tightly under the table.
"Ah Nan, right, I’m your Uncle Qiao. If you stay in Hong Kong, Uncle Qiao will surely treat you like his own daughter, ensuring you live even more splendidly than the Governor’s daughter. In the future, you can study wherever you wish!"
Qiao Ziqiang said with great enthusiasm, and Mu Xiulan also looked at Sisi with anticipation. She truly hoped her daughter would stay, not just because she wanted to be with her daughter as she grew, but also because Hong Kong had better resources than the Mainland. Ah Nan could become an upper-class lady in Hong Kong, whereas on the Mainland she would only be seen as a despised capitalist’s daughter.
He Xuewen looked at Sisi anxiously. Of course, he didn’t want Ah Nan to stay, but it was her decision to make. Undeniably, Ah Nan would live more comfortably if she stayed in Hong Kong, but, oh, how he couldn’t bear to part with Ah Nan!
"There’s no need, thank you Uncle Qiao, but I want to go home. I will return with Daddy, where my grandparents, foster parents, siblings, and many friends are. I can’t leave them."
Sisi rejected the offer without a second thought. What was there to compare with the Governor’s daughter? In twenty years, the Governor would be gone.
He Xuewen was overjoyed inside; Mu Xiulan’s face was filled with disappointment, "Ah Nan, but Mama can’t bear to part with you. Once you leave, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again."
Mu Xiulan’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked at Sisi with such sadness. Perhaps it was the mother-daughter instinct embodied in this body that made Sisi feel sorry, as if rejecting Mu Xiulan was the wrong decision.
The unbearable feeling in her heart grew stronger, and Sisi sighed, saying, "How about this? Once the Mainland and Hong Kong can freely travel to and from each other, I’ll make time to come over every year."
"But when will that be? Maybe the Mainland and Hong Kong will never open up! Ah Nan, are you never going to come back?" Mu Xiulan said gloomily.
"That’s impossible. The Mainland is now thriving, and it will only get better in the future. It will never close off completely; opening up to Hong Kong is just a matter of time."
If she remembered correctly, Mainlanders would be able to go overseas to visit relatives in two more years, but she couldn’t say that out loud.
Mu Xiulan was still not satisfied. She truly wanted to make amends for the past decade and more of neglecting her daughter, but her daughter wasn’t giving her the chance. Mu Xiulan’s frown deepened, and it looked like she was about to cry again.
Qiao Ziqiang, who couldn’t bear to see her upset, quickly said with a smile, "It doesn’t need to take that long, you know. You can come over now. Whenever you’re free, Ah Nan, just give a heads up to the people by the sea. Uncle Qiao will send someone to pick you up. It’s really convenient!"
Sisi gave a wry smile, realizing that she had forgotten, the man before her, Qiao Ziqiang, is a big shot in Hong Kong, a person who can make the whole place shake with just a stomp of his foot, getting a few people to travel between Mainland and Hong Kong was a trivial matter for him.
"Then I’ll trouble Uncle Qiao when the time comes."
Sisi agreed straightforwardly. No matter what, Mu Xiulan was the biological mother of her current body, and had treated the original owner of the body well in the previous life. She didn’t want to see Mu Xiulan sad.
He Xuewen frowned slightly, expressing his disapproval, "But when we came here, we saw quite a few border soldiers by the sea. What if we get caught..."
"Mr. He, don’t worry, if Ah Nan loses even a single hair, I’ll chop off my head for you to sit on!" Qiao Ziqiang guaranteed, patting his chest.
"Daddy, don’t worry, with someone as powerful as Uncle Qiao taking care of me, I’ll definitely be safe!" Sisi also comforted He Xuewen, and gave him a sly wink.
He Xuewen understood, thinking that with the blessed land with Ah Nan, she would definitely be fine, and thus didn’t oppose the idea anymore.
Qiao Ziqiang was quite considerate. After sitting for a while, he took his leave early, giving the space back to the former family of three. However, the sourness emanating from him was thicker than vinegar, and he also had an extremely aggrieved look on his face, which was funny to see.
The two ex-spouses sat quietly, like wooden figures without making a sound for a long time, which made Sisi, sitting far away, feel anxious.
"Xiulian, does that Qiao Ziqiang treat you well?" He Xuewen was the first to speak.
"He’s quite good to me. Xue Wen, I’m sorry to you!"
"No, I don’t blame you. Back then, the most important thing was to survive. As long as you’re doing well, that’s all that matters."
"Xue Wen, do you want to stay in Hong Kong? With your intelligence and abilities, you’ll surely have great prospects here." Mu Xiulan tentatively asked.
"No, my roots are in Shanghai." He Xuewen refused decisively.
The two fell into silence again, without words to share, as if all their words had been spoken.