"I never expected..." Zhou Ran began, her face calm.
She had remained silent all along; what Miao Xiu recounted matched her own past experiences almost perfectly.
Miao Xiu said, "Xu Mengxi mentioned in the recording that perhaps heaven wanted her to spend more time looking at her daughter. Yet, she would never again have the chance to hold her like before, to soothe her to sleep."
"Even up until her death, she longed to see her daughter. Many times, she even considered stepping out of Qing City to come to C City to find her. But her conscience told her she couldn't do it—doing so would violate her past promise and betray Madam Zhou; secondly, it would surely disrupt Mrs. Shen's peaceful life; thirdly, she feared her daughter would resent her and accuse her of failing as a mother."
"After weighing it repeatedly, she chose to remain in Qing City." Miao Xiu said.
"Mumu wouldn't hate her." Shen Chi spoke, his heart stirred.
