CHAPTER 281: CHAPTER 273: OLD WHITE LOTUS

Before Auntie could finish her words, Guiyuan, like a madwoman, rushed home, followed closely by Niu Sanxian, who was extremely anxious. He asked the Auntie to watch the restaurant and hurried after his daughter.

Sisi learned of the events from Niu Sanxian; that day, Guiyuan’s mother-in-law went out to pick Qingming grass, leaving her grandson who was napping at home alone. She just locked the door and left. When she returned after picking the Qingming grass, she discovered Junjun was missing. She was terrified and searched everywhere to no avail. According to people on the street, it seemed that a man and a woman were seen carrying a child towards the bus station.

The Niu family and Guiyuan’s husband’s Wang Family mobilized all their relatives and friends to search for Junjun, but there was no news. The last update was that a middle-aged couple with a foreign accent was seen boarding a bus to Sui City with a sleeping little boy, and after that, they were never seen again.

Sisi only knew about this a week after Junjun had gone missing. An aging Niu Sanxian came to the He family’s home to drink and brood, giving her a huge shock; could she really not believe that the little one who tenderly used to call her "big sister" was just gone?

The next day when she rushed to Guiyuan’s house, Guiyuan’s husband, Wang Quanzhong was also there, his face filled with sorrow, incessantly smoking while sitting in a chair. The room was filled with smoke, making Sisi’s throat itch. After comforting Wang Quanzhong briefly, she entered the inner room.

Guiyuan sat in the inner room like a puppet. According to Wang Quanzhong, she had been sitting like that for a week, only leaving her spot to drink some rice soup and use the restroom, ignoring everyone else.

"Junjun, please come back. Mama will never leave you behind again."

It had only been a week, but Guiyuan had lost so much weight that she was unrecognizable, her lips cracked and eyes lifeless, she kept repeating that sentence, a sight so heart-wrenching to witness.

Tears uncontrollably rolled down Sisi’s cheeks. She still preferred the chubby and loud Guiyuan of the past. Even though she was a bit brash, she was happy then, not like now, looking like a walking corpse!

"Sister Guiyuan, please don’t be sad anymore. If Uncle Niu saw you like this, he would be heartbroken!"

Guiyuan showed some reaction, lifting her eyes to see Sisi, her lips quivering. Suddenly, she started crying loudly, "Ah Nan, my Junjun is gone, he’s really gone!"

"I know, Sister Guiyuan, it’s good to let it out. Junjun will be okay, maybe those kidnappers sold him to big cities like Beijing or Shanghai. The family that bought Junjun will definitely be well-off. Junjun will lead a good life and have a promising future."

Sisi patted Guiyuan’s back while holding back her tears, comforting her without even knowing what she was saying. She just wanted to bring some comfort to Guiyuan; perhaps the biggest hope for a mother is hoping her child is doing well.

"Really? Will my Junjun really be adopted by a good family?" Guiyuan asked hopefully.

"Yes, Junjun is so adorable, he will definitely end up in a good family," Sisi said, though her heart wasn’t completely in it.

"But no matter how good that family is, it’s not as good as being by his own mother’s side. My Junjun only has eight teeth, he doesn’t like egg whites, hates fatty meat, and doesn’t like celery. His favorite food is the Xiaolongbao I make. At night Junjun likes to kick his blankets off, and he only sleeps comfortably by my side. Ah Nan, without me, Junjun will cry, my Junjun will be in pain."

Guiyuan’s tears flowed again, but perhaps being cried out, after a few sobs, she couldn’t cry anymore and wept silently.

"I don’t think so, Sister Guiyuan. Junjun will definitely be alright. You need to stay strong. If Junjun knew his Mama was so heartbroken, he would feel really bad."

Sisi felt suffocated by what Niu Guiyuan said. If, like she said, Junjun was lucky enough to find a good family, that would be fortunate. But if he was sold to a remote mountainous area or a circus, Sisi couldn’t bear to think further!

She was just an outsider and it was already so hard for her, let alone for Niu Guiyuan, Junjun’s birth mother. The pain in her heart must be unimaginable. At this moment, Sisi somewhat understood Mu Xiulan’s feelings, thinking about when Mu Xiulan had no choice but to abandon her; it must have been extremely painful.

With Sisi’s comfort, Niu Guiyuan finally cheered up somewhat, and managed to drink a bowl of light porridge. However, the reaction of the Wang family made Sisi feel uncomfortable. Logically speaking, the one who was most responsible for Junjun’s disappearance was Niu Guiyuan’s mother-in-law, yet looking at the old lady’s demeanor, she seemed to show no signs of sadness, her face still maintained that naive and honest look as usual.

Isn’t she his grandmother? Wasn’t it she who lost her grandson? Why is she so calm, as calm as if what’s lost was just a puppy or kitten?

Seeing Niu Guiyuan swallow a bowl of porridge, the old lady became happy and sitting next to Sisi, she said, "Guiyuan, it’s good that you’ve figured things out. You can have more children as long as you keep your health up!"

What kind of words are these? Does the old lady see her grandson as just a copy? If one is lost, just print a few more.

Niu Guiyuan ignored her, but the old lady continued, "I know you are in pain. Originally, Quanzhong had three older brothers, all lost when they were about Junjun’s age. I still survived and gave birth to Quanzhong. Guiyuan, listen to Mama, keeping yourself healthy, you can have children."

Sisi couldn’t stand listening anymore. Was this old lady heartless or just cruel? Why would she bring this up now? Could Niu Guiyuan endure this?

"However many you give birth to, none will be my Junjun. My Junjun is unique. My Junjun didn’t pass from natural disasters or accidents. He was lost by you, lost by you!"

Niu Guiyuan stared coldly at the old lady, speaking word by word.

The old lady’s expression darkened, apparently not expecting her daughter-in-law to say such things, and then she started crying, "Guiyuan, it wasn’t intentional, remember? Junjun is my grandson too, and it feels like slashing my heart with knives when he is gone. Saying this is like stabbing me in the heart!"

In the living room, Wang Quanzhong, hearing the old lady’s cries, walked in. He also blamed his own mother for losing his healthy son, but seeing how distressed the old lady was, his heart softened again. Ah, Mama didn’t mean it!

"Guiyuan, Mama didn’t mean it, please don’t blame her!"

"Quanzhong, stop saying that, it’s right for Guiyuan to blame me. It’s all my fault, I should have watched Junjun more carefully!" The old lady cried and blamed herself, adopting a "it’s all my fault, I deserve to die" attitude, which made Wang Quanzhong’s resentment towards his mother disappear as he walked over to gently comfort her.

Damn it!

She has been to the Wang family so many times and only now realized this old lady was actually a sneaky white lotus disguised as a sweet potato skin? Isn’t this "it’s all my fault, don’t blame her" trope just like the white lotus often depicted in dramas from her previous life?

She really thought this old lady was a naive and honest good mother-in-law? What blindness!