Having lived for most of her life, the old lady had long seen through the evils of human nature. Thus, even for a simple request, she had numerous concerns, always thinking of the people she cared about.
"Hehe, thank you for the reminder, Old Madam. I was too anxious and didn’t think about having a servant bring the clothes over." Su Aiping suddenly smiled, cursing the old woman inwardly, yet maintaining her calm façade.
"Go on in."
The old lady didn’t know what Su Aiping was plotting, but after hearing her somewhat strained explanation, she felt even more that Su Aiping’s motives were impure. Thus, she had no interest in chatting with her.
"Alright, I’ll head in then." Su Aiping’s smile did not appear stiff at all. She nodded slightly and then took the lead, walking forward.
Once inside, Su Aiping instinctively searched for Mu Hongwen’s figure. After scanning half the room, she quickly spotted him engrossed in the chessboard while sitting on the living room sofa.
Suddenly, Su Aiping’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt extremely nervous, though she had no solutions. Hence, she pretended to be nonchalant as she walked upstairs, quietly observing the situation.
As the saying goes: every family has its own troubles, and wealthy families naturally have more disputes. Although the Mu Family’s relationships were harmonious and not overly complicated, it didn’t mean there were no impure motives. In the old lady’s view, Su Aiping was just such a person.
Since relinquishing control of the Shen, the old lady rarely appeared in public. On the surface, she seemed to be living a peaceful retirement, indifferent to worldly matters. In reality, she still paid close attention to every development in the Shen and kept an eye on the social dynamics.
According to the old lady, Su Aiping was the youngest daughter of the Su Family, cherished and pampered since childhood. Hence, she was arrogant and was never really liked by Mu Hongwen. Yet, this loveless marriage had lasted for more than thirty years.
Over thirty years ago, the Su Family was one of the most prominent families in Jin City, outshining the Mu Family in all aspects. The marriage between the Mu and Su Families was a union of interests, and their grand wedding had been the talk of the town.
However, thirty years passed, and forty more, the Su Family’s business dwindled due to poor management. Without the Mu Family’s support, the Su Family might have already declined. Su Aiping naturally spent considerable effort in navigating through relationships and had been tirelessly helping her natal family for over twenty years. Therefore, Su Aiping held significant authority in her family, making almost all decisions.
Su Aiping had two brothers, who were useless and promiscuous, further dwindling the family business while their population grew. Each brother had about five or six children and had been married five or six times. Their current wives were even younger than their own daughters, inevitably causing scandals wherever they went. Yet, they felt proud, truly unique flowers!
As for Su Aiping, at least she seemed more respectable than her two brothers, regarded as a significant figure under the Mu Family’s halo. Over thirty years of marriage, Su Aiping and Mu Hongwen had only one child. Naturally, she should have doted on this child, but strangely, Su Aiping didn’t seem to like her child, usually bringing her natal family’s nephews along while rarely interacting with her own son.
It’s said that Su Aiping’s son, Mu Shaolei, was sent abroad for schooling at the age of seven. He’s rarely returned home since elementary school, and Su Aiping seldom visited him. This led to speculation that Mu Shaolei was not actually Su Aiping’s son, which explained her indifference toward him.
But the truth remained a mystery, with outsiders unable to confirm. The Mu Family never disclosed anything, and others could never get an accurate answer. The old lady also wasn’t one to gossip about others’ affairs; accidental overhearings were just that, and she’d never delve deeper or gossip. However, matters concerning her family were different. She would never turn a blind eye, even to the smallest of issues.
After Su Aiping left, the old lady deliberately slowed her pace and only asked casually when she was further away, "Jingjing, how did you meet Aiping?"
"I ran into her before at the hospital when visiting Xing’er. Mrs. Su seemed very nice; she even sent a big box of seafood to me last time." Mi Jing smiled as she spoke.
Upon hearing this, the old lady looked up at Su Aiping, who had already entered the house, and then asked again, appearing somewhat disinterested, "She sent you seafood after just one meeting?"
"Not exactly. After meeting at the hospital, she came to my shop. She wasn’t feeling well that day, so she rested for a while before leaving. Afterward, to thank me, Mrs. Su specially sent a large box of seafood to my shop." Mi Jing did not think anything was amiss, smiled slightly, and spoke honestly.
Met once and then found Jingjing’s shop? Followed by a seafood gift and asking Jingjing to drive her home, wasn’t it clear her motives weren’t pure?
Yet, this silly girl didn’t see anything unusual and considered Su Aiping to be very kind!
After a brief silence, the old lady suddenly smiled lightly without revealing much and said softly, "It seems Aiping quite likes you."
"Maybe she finds me familiar. Mrs. Su said I resemble her friend’s daughter." Mi Jing, sometimes a bit careless, did not sense the hidden meaning in the old lady’s words and continued to speak for herself.
"It seems you two are quite fated." As she said this, the old lady’s face still carried a smile, but her gaze was deep, making it hard to discern what she was thinking.
In the living room, Mu Hongwen was intently studying the ongoing chess game. Suddenly, he vaguely heard someone talking and looked toward the door.
"Old Madam."
Seeing the old lady enter, Mu Hongwen immediately stood up and respectfully went to greet her.
"Hongwen, did you know I was coming? The chessboard is already set." The old lady glanced at the chessboard on the coffee table and said with a smile.
"No, I just had a half-match with my brother." Mu Hongwen helped the old lady in an unusually gentle manner, showing a rare mild smile, "But your timing is perfect, I was just missing an opponent."
"That’s good." The old lady suddenly became energetic, her smile growing brighter, even her eyes shining with vigor.
Chess was one of the old lady’s great hobbies. When the old master of the Shen Family was still alive, he was her favorite chess companion. After his passing, the old lady lost both her loving husband and a like-minded partner. Since then, she rarely had anyone to play chess with her.