Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Run Away!

When Liu first met Madam Huang, she was filled with suspicion.

She felt this way, and her two children naturally had even less affection for Madam Huang. Moreover, at that time, Madam Huang had indeed acted crazed. Even though later she calmed down, apologized sincerely to Liu and her children, the mother and children still couldn’t fully shake off their lingering wariness.

Madam Huang gave Bo De and Zhong De handkerchiefs with their names embroidered on them. Bo De curled his lips and threw the handkerchief into the stove to burn it. Zhong De also showed clear disdain, giving it a glance before tossing it aside.

Liu watched her children's actions, scolding them for being impolite, but secretly feeling a bit pleased.

As a mother, one always feels happy when the children side with them. Moreover, the family situation was indeed special. Liu even had a malicious thought, wondering that despite Madam Huang’s youth, beauty, and wealth, wasn’t she still trying to please the two children Liu had borne?

…Thinking this way, Madam Huang did seem a bit pitiable.

As the young woman repeatedly approached with careful gestures of goodwill, Liu’s attitude slowly began to change.

She started to think that Madam Huang also had it hard. It was said that she had stolen Liu's husband, but before Liu appeared, she had no idea that the man, Mr. Chang, had been married before.

If their positions were reversed, and Liu was the one in the role of "the woman who had been married for a year, only to suddenly discover that her husband already had a family, with two children," Liu asked herself honestly, she could never have done what Madam Huang did—only having one outburst the day she discovered, and then letting her husband’s former wife live in peace! Instead, Liu herself would have made sure the first wife would never have peace!

With that in mind, when Madam Huang later sent her fresh snacks from the city, Liu accepted them for the first time, truly.

Once that shift happened, everything else fell into place.

Liu’s way of addressing Madam Huang gradually changed, from sarcastically reminding her that she was the true first wife of Mr. Chang, calling her “sister” in a cold tone, to genuinely becoming more intimate and calling Madam Huang “sister.” Bo De and Zhong De also awkwardly apologized to Madam Huang, saying they shouldn’t have been antagonistic towards her before.

The three of them softened their attitudes, and Madam Huang, on the other hand, seemed a bit lost. The next day, she sent even more things, leaving Liu and her two sons laughing and crying at the same time.

Later on, Madam Huang tried to invite Liu to go out to see a play and listen to music. It was Liu’s first time experiencing the bustling city, and she began to see Madam Huang’s sincerity more and more.

The relationship between the two sides grew increasingly close with each passing day. Madam Huang would link arms with Liu and call her “sister,” saying, “Since I was a child, I always wished to go out and have fun with an older sister.”

Liu laughed and said, “Sister, you’re an only daughter, so it makes sense for you to say that. In my family, we had older sisters, and we used to fight over food and clothes since we were young…” But, with Madam Huang’s family background, she probably didn’t have those kinds of troubles, right?

Liu secretly laughed at her own narrow view. Unexpectedly, Madam Huang, upon hearing this, froze for a moment and softly replied, “No, my father had many children. But… they all had accidents, and only I remain.”

Liu was surprised. “Is that so?”

She had originally thought that her husband had married Madam Huang because she was the only child of the Huang family, and that was why he could inherit such a large fortune. But now, it turned out that Madam Huang had siblings?"Yes." Madam Huang seemed somewhat disturbed. No matter what Liu said after that, she hardly responded.

Liu saw this and knew she had reminded Madam Huang of painful memories. She sighed slowly and comforted her by putting her arm around Madam Huang's shoulder. "Alright. Whenever you want to go out again, just come find me."

Madam Huang grabbed the sleeve of her clothes. "Mm."

Now that she considered Madam Huang as a sister, Liu began to genuinely think about her future.

Although Bo De and Zhong De had already changed their attitudes towards Madam Huang, and could sincerely call her "Second Mother," children from other families could never be as understanding as one's own.

Having let go of her past concerns, Liu began to advise Madam Huang to visit a doctor to take care of her health and possibly have a child. First, it would bring some excitement to the dull, quiet life in the back courtyard. Second, it would secure her future.

Even as she said these words, Liu herself couldn’t quite believe them. After all, he was her husband, and she was the one pushing him towards another woman… But the world was already hard on women. Madam Huang had already suffered enough and was innocent. Liu couldn’t just watch her be criticized for not having children.

However, despite Liu’s repeated advice, Madam Huang never seemed interested in seeking affection from Mr. Chang. When the doctor came to see her, he said Madam Huang had worries on her mind, which was why she couldn’t conceive.

Liu listened to this and secretly thought that, given the family situation, it was normal for Madam Huang to have concerns.

She had thought of ways to comfort Madam Huang but had yet to act on them.

Then, Bo De fell ill. The child, who had been perfectly healthy the day before, was lying in bed the next day, barely able to breathe.

Liu took care of her eldest son, both anxious and heartbroken, wishing she could take his place.

But as the days went on, Bo De's condition didn’t improve. Instead, it seemed to get worse.

Liu stayed by her son's bedside day after day, growing more haggard with each passing day.

She focused all her energy on her child, so much so that she hadn’t noticed that, apart from Madam Huang visiting once when Bo De first fell ill, she had never appeared again.

It was Zhong De, full of resentment, who complained: "Mother, you always think about her, but now? Brother is this sick, and she only came to see him once, acting like she cares. Does this mean brother’s illness is because of her...?"

Liu scolded her son. She naturally didn’t believe Zhong De’s wild speculation, but hearing her son say this, Liu couldn’t help but occasionally think: "Yes, Madam Huang hasn’t shown up in all these days..."

It seemed as though she truly treated Madam Huang as a sister, but to Madam Huang, she didn’t seem like someone important.This thought made Liu feel a little sad. But soon, she forgot her sadness. That very night, Bo De's condition worsened again. The ten-year-old child, with not a trace of color on his face, was filled with pain. He grabbed her hand, constantly calling, "Mother, it hurts, it hurts so much..."

Liu cried bitterly. "Bo De, my Bo De."

She never expected that, at this moment, there would be a noise at the door.

Madam Huang, who had been gone for so long, reappeared. Her walking was strange, and she stumbled as she rushed towards Liu, hurriedly saying, "Go! Sister, quickly go!"

Liu was confused. "You—ah!"

She wanted to help Madam Huang up, but in the process, she saw the bruises on her arm.

Liu quickly lifted Madam Huang’s sleeve. When she looked, the sight was shocking. Madam Huang’s entire arm was covered in numerous wounds. Upon a closer look, her condition seemed to be even worse.

Liu was both shocked and pained, quickly asking, "Sister, what happened to you?"

Madam Huang grabbed her hand. "Sister, quickly take Zhong De and leave! Bo De cannot be saved; he will die tonight. But Zhong De can still be saved. Stay in the city for the night, and when the city gates open, leave. Never come back, never let the master find you again!"

Liu was confused by what she said and shocked by the words "Bo De will die tonight," immediately responding, "What are you talking about? Bo De is fine, he will get better soon! How could you curse him?"

Madam Huang smiled through her tears and said, "I should have thought of this earlier. I should have let you leave sooner... Sister, I told you before, I have many brothers and sisters, but they are all dead! It wasn’t an accident; my father practiced evil arts and killed them with his own hands to strengthen his power with the souls of his blood relatives.

"He arranged for the master to marry me because he was aging and frail, and he wanted to take over the master’s young body. But the master saw through his plot in time and struck back. Not only did he kill my father, but he also took the fruits of my father’s many years of cultivation.

"I thought everything would end there, but the master even started buying living blood and flesh for sacrifices! My father did the same thing. At first, he killed pigs and sheep, but later, he started killing people...

"The servants in the house were all marked with evil charms. If anyone had the thought of revealing these secrets, they would die immediately.

"When you brought Bo De and Zhong De here, I immediately remembered what happened in the past. Before, I didn’t know the master had children, and I thought if I just kept myself from getting pregnant, we wouldn’t end up in this situation. But I never imagined... never imagined...

"The master promised me at that time, saying he was not my father, and wouldn’t use his own flesh and blood to practice his arts. I had some worries at first, but later, seeing how he treated you and the children so well, I slowly let my guard down and got closer to you.

"I thought the master was telling the truth, but I never expected... he still harmed Bo De!"

Madam Huang spoke all of this in one breath. Liu was stunned for a moment, and after quite a while, she finally reacted. "Are you saying... that Bo De's condition now is because the master harmed him?"

She struggled to process the information Madam Huang had given her. Her first instinct was disbelief, but Bo De's illness did indeed come on mysteriously. Having raised children for many years, Liu was no stranger to high fever and convulsions, and while she was worried, she always had the experience to handle it. Yet, this time, apart from crying in pain, Bo De was cold all over, with cold sweat dripping from him.Liu had someone go find a doctor, and indeed, someone came. But after giving Bo De the medicine prescribed, the child showed no signs of improvement.

But... but...

The culprit that Madam Huang pointed to was Bo De’s biological father! Could he really harm Bo De?

"Sister, do you know why I was able to escape this calamity?" At this moment, Madam Huang suddenly asked Liu.

Liu was stunned for a moment before responding, "I don’t know." Madam Huang gave a bitter smile and softly said, "I am not my father's biological child. I am the result of my mother’s affair. My father knew this, but how could such a big Huang household not have a child left behind? … That’s why I survived."

Liu was shocked by the meaning behind these words. She looked at Madam Huang’s injuries, then glanced at her son in pain on the bed. Finally, she made up her mind.

"Let’s go," Liu said. "We will leave now! Little sister, wait for me, I’ll go call Zhong De."

Madam Huang froze for a moment, then quickly realized, "No, only you and Zhong De can leave! You two haven’t been marked with the evil charms."

Liu replied, "How could I leave you here in this hellish place? Also, my Bo De..."

Madam Huang said, "If you don’t leave now, even Zhong De won’t survive!"

Liu answered, "No, I..."

The two were about to argue further when suddenly, the door to the room was violently slammed open, and a figure appeared outside.

Behind Master Chang was the pitch-black night, and the lanterns illuminated his gaunt, dark face.

His eyes narrowed, and his expression gave no sign of anger. His tone, however, seemed unusually calm as he spoke to Madam Huang, "Ninth Mistress, you really made me search long and hard for you."

Liu keenly noticed that with her husband’s words, Madam Huang’s body began to tremble violently.