Tang Yuanxiao and Su Li's union was an arranged marriage. Years ago, Tang Yuanxiao's father had an accident and was saved by Su Li's father. Endlessly grateful, and knowing that the dying Mr. Su's only lingering concern was for his own daughter, Old Tang took it upon himself to arrange a marriage between Su Li and his son.
The two families lived in neighboring villages, not the same one, so Su Li and Tang Yuanxiao had never met before their wedding.
Tang Yuanxiao, who had no desire to take a wife, married Su Li out of filial piety. They met for the first time on their wedding day. He had returned in a hurry, taking only a few days of leave, and left right after the ceremony without even consummating the marriage.
Before he left, the only thing Tang Yuanxiao said to her in front of everyone was that she should honor and care for Father Tang and Mrs. Tang, and treat Little Tang Mo well.
Little Tang Mo was Tang Yuanxiao's son from his first wife. Tang Yuanxiao, a full eight years older than Su Li, had been married once before at the age of twenty-one. His first wife was a colleague from the city, the same age as him. Less than a year into their marriage, she died from complications while giving birth to Tang Mo.
Little Tang Mo, who was just four years old at the time, was raised by Father Tang and Mrs. Tang.
Su Li, only fourteen years older than Little Tang Mo, became his stepmother—a bona fide one.
Back then, Su Li was still naive and ignorant. Her understanding of what it meant to be a wife or a mother was shallow, and she felt as if she had been rushed into a role she was completely unprepared for.
Tang Yuanxiao never returned home after the wedding. To him, Su Li remained a stranger, and he felt not a shred of affection for her. The only feeling that developed later was hatred.
In Su Li's heart, Little Tang Mo, with whom she had spent a year, held a much larger place than Tang Yuanxiao ever did.
Little Tang Mo grew up without a mother, and his father was as good as absent. Old Tang was wise and reasonable, while Mrs. Tang was gentle-natured. They raised Tang Mo to be an innocent and lively child, a shy little boy who loved to smile.
His little friends all had a mom and a dad, and Little Tang Mo wanted them too. After Su Li married into the Tang family, he wanted to get close to her. Su Li, in turn, was quite fond of the polite, smiling boy, so they got along very well at first.
Although Su Li was an adult, she still had a somewhat childish disposition and was able to play with Little Tang Mo.
Children are the most sensitive; they can always tell who is truly good to them and who genuinely likes them. Little Tang Mo grew closer and closer to her. He would try to please her, often hiding and watching her secretly, or following her around all day like a little shadow. When Su Li spoke to him, he would become shy.
After some time, Little Tang Mo grew comfortable with her and started talking to her more. Although he didn't call Su Li "Mom," he called her "Auntie," and occasionally even "Big Sister"...
After half a year, the "mother and son" pair had a good relationship. Unfortunately, not long after, her father-in-law passed away. She also gradually grew closer to her "good friend" next door. And then, because this friend sowed discord between them, her relationship with the boy slowly deteriorated, until the day she carelessly lost Little Tang Mo...
Little Tang Mo was only five when he was lost. Now, seeing each other again, he was already thirty years old.
Su Li, who was then in the bloom of her youth, was now old and frail.
The "mother and son" met again. Time had changed everything; the world was no longer the same, and neither were they.
Su Li sat on the floor, looking up at Tang Mo, and murmured, "Little Tang Mo."
Tang Mo looked down at Su Li, his gaze quiet and profound. He gave a slight nod in response.
He crouched down, reaching out to help Su Li up.
Tang Yuanxiao rushed forward and helped Su Li up first. He forced a stiff smile at Tang Mo. "Little Mo."
He always wore a stern expression and almost never smiled. The smile he squeezed out now was impossibly pained, and combined with the guilt and sorrow in his eyes, it was a heartbreaking sight.
His son had been missing for over twenty years. The boy, who was never close to him to begin with, was now found, but everything had changed. It was all irreparable. How could his heart not ache?
Tang Mo straightened up without a word, giving his father a single reassuring glance before helping to settle Su Li onto the hospital bed from the other side. His eyes, when they fell on Su Li, were silent and cold, devoid of much emotion. Once she was seated, he thought for a moment, then took out a small notepad he carried and wrote a line of text, holding it out for Su Li to see.
He hadn't spoken, choosing to write instead, because he had a speech impediment and couldn't talk. He had become... mute.
His real name was no longer Tang Mo, but Eisen Leonard. Back then, he had been passed through the hands of several human traffickers and suffered immensely before eventually being adopted abroad. He was now a world-renowned physicist of Chinese descent.
Having achieved extraordinary success at a young age, Tang Mo was a genius physicist with handsome features and an excellent build. He was courteous to everyone, earning praise and admiration from all who met him.
For such a wonderful person, his only flaw was perhaps his speech impediment. The world lamented the fact that he was mute, but for Su Li, it was more than lamentation—it was unbearable remorse. She had indirectly caused all of it.
Tang Mo's simple act of writing a note left Tang Yuanxiao and Su Li utterly heartbroken.
With a trembling hand, Su Li took the note and read what was written on it: "Did you really sell me back then?"
"No, it wasn't me." Su Li shook her head violently. "It wasn't me, Tang Mo. I didn't sell you. I just carelessly lost you. Really, Tang Mo, I didn't sell you. I never even thought about selling you..."
Su Li explained frantically, her eyes fixed on Tang Mo's face.
Tang Mo had been watching her the whole time. After a pause, he suddenly nodded.
Su Li's explanation came to an abrupt halt. "Tang Mo, you... you nodded. Does that mean you believe me?"
Her gaze was fixed on him. Tang Mo glanced at her, then quickly wrote a single word on the paper and handed it to her.
On the paper was a single word—Yes.
That simple "Yes," however, caused a great wave of sorrow to wash over Su Li, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
She had given that same explanation countless times throughout her life. Every word was spoken from a bleeding heart, but no one had ever believed her.
And now, the one person who had the least reason to believe her, Tang Mo, did.
Her negligence had caused him to suffer so much, yet in the end, he was the only one who believed her—the only one.
Su Li's heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, and she cried uncontrollably.
Tang Mo watched her cry. After a moment, he picked up his pen and wrote on the paper again, handing it to her. Su Li took it, her vision blurred with tears.
Tang Mo had written, "I believe you didn't sell me, but I have no intention of forgiving you. It was because of your negligence that everything that followed happened. My memory is too good. I will never forget those things for the rest of my life."
Su Li nodded desperately. "I know, I know. Tang Mo, I never dared to dream of your forgiveness. I didn't find you to beg for forgiveness, I just wanted to find you again, to look you in the eye and say I'm sorry."
Su Li slid off the hospital bed and knelt before Tang Mo, sobbing uncontrollably. "Tang Mo, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... And thank you. Thank you for being alive..."
Tang Mo took a step back, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Tang Yuanxiao, who had been standing to the side, looked at Su Li prostrated on the floor, closed his eyes, and left her with a parting shot—"You're on your own now"—before leaving as well.
The only sound left in the hospital room was Su Li's heart-wrenching sobs.
Yu Zhengqing, who had been waiting outside the room, watched Tang Yuanxiao and Tang Mo leave. He waited until the crying inside quieted down before entering. Without a word, he half-carried, half-supported her back onto the bed.
"I almost couldn't stop myself from coming in just now," Yu Zhengqing couldn't help but say. "You're not really like that. Why did you act that way and say those things to Tang Yuanxiao? It wouldn't kill you to just apologize to him properly. You feel bad about it too, don't you?"
Su Li shook her head. "I wasn't pretending. That's really how I feel. I wronged Tang Mo, but I have never wronged Tang Yuanxiao. Why should I apologize to him? My illness is all thanks to his Tang family. You know as well as I do that back then, I had nowhere to turn and almost didn't survive."
Yu Zhengqing sighed helplessly and didn't press the matter. "Well, you've finally put this matter to rest. Get some sleep."
"Yes," Su Li murmured. "Finding Tang Mo and apologizing to him in person before I die... now I can finally rest in peace..."