"He’s so busy, how could he have time to accompany an old lady like me?" Upon hearing the news of Ji Wei’s wedding, Old Madam Ji’s mood improved slightly.
"You’re my grandmother, which means you’re his grandmother too. It’s only right." Ji Wei tightly hugged Old Madam Ji. "Grandma, could you eat something for me? Let me feed you."
After speaking, Ji Wei directed a glance toward A Xiu, who was standing by the half-open door.
A Xiu hurriedly walked in, carrying a steaming plate of food in her hands.
"I still remember how, as a child, I refused to eat, and you would chase me all over the house to feed me." Ji Wei scooped a bowl of chicken soup, blew on a spoonful, and brought it to her grandmother’s lips. "Eat a bit, will you?"
Ji Wei had been indulged from a young age, always having things done for her without lifting a finger. Old Madam Ji couldn’t help but let a hint of surprise flash through her eyes while she sighed internally: her little girl had truly grown up and learned to care for others.
Old Madam Ji no longer resisted. After finishing the chicken soup, Ji Wei sat with her grandmother and chatted for a long while. It wasn’t until her grandmother, overcome with sleepiness, drifted off that Ji Wei finally stood up.
Just as she rose, the photo album slipped off the blanket and was about to hit the floor with a heavy thud. Ji Wei quickly reached out to catch it.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief, but as she prepared to put the album back, her gaze inadvertently caught a photograph within it.
The photo’s background featured Britain’s famous London Bridge. Because of its age, the photo had yellowed, yet even so, it could not hide the graceful charm of the woman depicted within it.
The woman wore a white, elegant European-style dress, smiling softly with a serene and refined demeanor. She was exceptionally beautiful, and at a glance, bore a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn.
Just one look, and the woman’s face was engraved firmly in Ji Wei’s memory.
Ji Wei had never seen this woman before, yet a strange and inexplicable sense of familiarity rose within her.
A bold possibility surfaced in her mind. Could this woman be her mother?
Ji Wei’s memories prior to the age of eight were entirely blank. Her grandmother had once explained that it was due to an accident, where she fell and hit her head on a stone, injuring her brain and causing the loss of her past memories.
Because of this, Ji Wei had no recollection of her mother’s face. And whenever she had tried to ask about her mother later, her grandmother would always deftly evade the topic.
Over time, since she had no impression of her mother, Ji Wei had eventually stopped asking.
As if she wanted to confirm her own conjecture, Ji Wei picked up the photograph and turned it over.
Sure enough, words were written on the back of the photo. They were in English, but translated, they read: "Autumn 200X, taken in London, Wanfei."
Wanfei—her mother’s name.
Seeing her mother’s photograph for the first time, Ji Wei couldn’t contain her emotional excitement. So her mother was such a stunning beauty.
Just as Ji Wei was immersed in the joy of discovering her mother’s photo, the old madam on the bed suddenly turned over, startling Ji Wei so much her hands froze for a few seconds.
Over the years, Ji Wei had faintly sensed that her grandmother seemed intent on keeping her away from anything related to her mother. Aside from this photo, the house carried no trace that her mother had ever existed.
That woman named Wanfei—her mother—only seemed to live in Ji Yunli’s occasional fleeting mentions.
Ji Wei, caught in a web of complex emotions, dared not look further and quickly returned the photograph to its place.
By the time she left, it was already late into the night.
In the cold night wind, Gu Moqian noticed Ji Wei huddling her arms tightly to herself. Without hesitation, he took off his suit jacket, draped it over her shoulders, and carefully adjusted the collar to keep her warm.
As they walked past the Ji Family home, now cloaked in faint shadows from the trees, Ji Wei suddenly felt an unfamiliarity with the place where she had grown up.
"Mo Qian, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Could we go back tonight?"
Her pale face tilted up as she spoke, her voice trembling slightly.