79: Chapter 79: A Gift of Hairpins for Mother 79: Chapter 79: A Gift of Hairpins for Mother Wufu’s display of skill had dealt Madam Zhou a great shock.
That evening, she scarcely touched her dinner and claimed she was ready for bed early, clearly attempting to avoid Wufu, not to mention showing concern for when she might rest.
Wufu noticed Madam Zhou’s unusual behavior and the fright she had received, yet she said nothing about it.
She understood very well that Madam Zhou had been dependent on her daughter for fourteen years.
The original Wufu’s temperament, her skills, her capabilities, and her talents were all crystal clear to Madam Zhou, who was her birth mother and lived with her every day.
Ever since Wufu had woke from her coma, her personality had changed dramatically, and little by little, she revealed her abilities in front of Madam Zhou, who should have realized that the current Wufu was not the Wufu of the past.
Not to mention anything else, Wufu’s resilience and sternness were not attributes the former Wufu possessed.
Yet Madam Zhou dared not acknowledge it, nor dared to speak it aloud, so she chose to escape.
And Wufu, she had no intention of disclosing it either, because there was no need.
She had no plans to keep hiding herself, nor any intention of being the Wufu of the past.
As she had said, she would not wrong herself.
Another thing was that she could not and would not pretend to be a naive child.
Even when people mimic others perfectly, there are differences.
What’s not genuine can’t be disguised as real; what’s fake remains so no matter how similar it appears.
Therefore, Wufu did not hide or pretend.
She would behave as she saw fit.
From her first day here, she had been herself, and the earlier Madam Zhou understood this, the more likely their everyday interactions would improve.
As for herself, she would truly regard Madam Zhou as her mother and serve her dutifully, for after all, she was occupying the original host’s body, and it was her obligation to do so.
The care that Madam Zhou gave her also made her feel warm, so she was willing to treat her as her real mother, but that was contingent on Madam Zhou being willing as well.
In this way, they cautiously tested each other and adjusted.
As time went by, they grew accustomed to and accepted each other, and there was also the fact that no matter how unwilling Madam Zhou was, the old Wufu was not coming back.
Henceforth, Wufu spent her days carving tofu and jade ware in the firewood room, even moving there to sleep at night.
Madam Zhou, meanwhile, busied herself with her embroidery.
When Wufu mentioned moving to the firewood room, Madam Zhou said nothing, simply quietly prepared bedding for her, and made meals three times a day.
She also bought tofu upon Wufu’s request.
Other than that, the two rarely interacted.
Both of them were mentally preparing themselves to accept reality and making adjustments.
The days passed in tranquility until one day at the end of May, Madam Zhou learned from the villagers that the wedding arrangements for her younger brother, Zhou Xueli, had been settled with the daughter of the Liang Family, Scholar Liang.
Due to an urgent illness that had struck Scholar Liang leaving him bedridden, the Liang family hoped to counter the misfortune with a joyous event, setting the wedding date for June.
Madam Zhou was beside herself with joy, relieved that she hadn’t ruined her little brother’s marriage prospects.
She could finally put her mind at ease.
Joy spread from her heart, and glancing at the firmly shut door of the firewood room, Madam Zhou bit her lip.
With a creak, Wufu, who had been secluded for many days, opened the door and saw Madam Zhou standing there, lost in thought.
“Wufu, your uncle Xueli’s marriage has been arranged, and the wedding is in June!” Madam Zhou said, her lips curling into a smile.
Their communication had been minimal for several days, so this was a breakthrough.
Wufu smiled too and said, “Is that so?
Congratulations to uncle.”
She walked over with something in her hand, wrapped in a handkerchief.
Unveiling it, there was a jade hairpin.
She took it and placed it in Madam Zhou’s hair bun, saying, “Mother, this is my gift to you.
Wear it to uncle’s wedding ceremony!”