Ah Qiao

Part 8

12

Meng He Shu, drenched from the rain, fell ill upon returning home.
Bai'er cried so hard he nearly made himself sick, begging me to come back and check on him.

When I returned, I found Miss Yu Zhe sitting by his bedside, her belly rounded with child, on the verge of tears with worry.

Meng He Shu, delirious with fever, kept murmuring:

"I'm sorry..."

Miss Yu Zhe sat by the bed, glaring at me with hostility:

"How could you let Brother Meng, such a good man, get soaked in the rain?

"I'm here now—Brother Meng doesn't need you."

With someone there to look after him, I figured he wouldn't die alone and unnoticed.
I placed the porridge on the table and turned to leave.

But Meng He Shu struggled to rise from the bed and tightly embraced me from behind.

His body was burning hot, but the tears that fell on my neck were cold.

His arms tightened around me as he pleaded in a low, desperate voice:

"Ah Qiao, please don't leave. Stay with me, please...

"I only want you with me. I don't want anyone else...

"I had already sent her away, but I was too sick and confused, and she came back...

"...I don't want her. I only want my Ah Qiao."

Yu Zhe looked at him in disbelief, tears streaming down her face:

"Brother Meng, what are you saying? Are you going to abandon me?"

Meng He Shu didn't even glance at her.

Bai'er chimed in from the side:

"Auntie Yu Zhe, my father has already written a letter to the Lu family. They said they'll come to pick you up tomorrow."

Yu Zhe jumped to her feet, crying out:

"I won't go back! I don't want to go back! That wretched woman is standing between Lu Yan and me!
"The Lu family sides with her! She's going to take my child! Take my husband!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed stunned by her own words.

"But my relationship with Brother Meng is different. We've been close since childhood, and you once said you would marry me."

"That was a long time ago when we were children. From now on, we should have no contact, and you shouldn't call me Brother Meng anymore," Meng He Shu stated coldly, making it clear he wanted to sever ties. "Are we supposed to take seriously what was said when we were six years old?"

Yu Zhe stood there, her face filled with embarrassment and awkwardness.

She looked at me for a long time before finally realizing the unresolved feelings Meng He Shu had harbored for her all these years:

"Then I will divorce Lu Yan. Brother... Meng He Shu, in the past, I failed to see your true worth and didn't recognize your goodness. From now on, the two of us..."

Meng He Shu stared at her icily:

"Miss Yu Zhe, please respect yourself."

"I, Meng He Shu will have only one wife in this lifetime, and that's Ah Qiao."
Her face flushed red with shame, and she couldn't utter another word.

The heavy rain poured outside as she ran out the door, crying.

Meng He Shu, panicking, reached for my hand:

"Ah Qiao, I'll never let you be hurt again..."

"That's a matter between you and her; it has nothing to do with me."

His cutting ties with Miss Yu Zhe was his way of finally resolving the lingering issues in his life.

He was Meng He Shu, and he could never spend his life being someone's "Brother Meng" or anyone's second choice.

He took that step, breaking free from the toxic relationship like overcoming an addiction.

It was something he should have done long ago but failed to do until now.

It's not something I should feel moved by.

When I returned, Ah Hu didn't fully understand and cautiously tugged at my sleeve:

"Mother, are you still mad at Uncle Meng?"

I crouched down and gently patted Ah Hu's head:

"Mother isn't angry.

"But Ah Hu, remember this: if you spend too much time feeling sad over someone, the spring vegetables won't wait for you, and neither will the summer melons. Missing out on good things when they're in season is such a pity.

"Though with fruits and vegetables, you can always buy them fresh next year. But with people, once you miss the moment, there's no turning back."

Ah Hu, frightened, moved closer to me and said:

"Ah Hu doesn't want to be the kind of person who misses out on good things forever."