"Now, regarding us raising Qinger in the Yuan Family in the past, all of you were only aware of one aspect of it but not the whole story..."
As Old Mistress Yuan spoke, she motioned at Butler Fu to bring a stool over for Zhao Ruoxin to sit beside her.
Among those who were present, the oldest one next to Old Mistress was Yuan Tangzhong.
The refined, elegant man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and sized up Zhao Ruoxin before asking, "Mother, could this child be the one who Zhao Yanni had brought away? The one with heart disease?"
It looked like Yuan Tangzhong knew about some of the inside stories that the younger generation had no idea of!
Old Mistress Yuan nodded, her silver hair glinting in the light. This autocratic woman appeared to be somewhat sorrowful at the moment.
She lovingly stroked Zhao Ruoxin's hands and continued saying, "Qinger and Xiner are twins. Unfortunately, Xiner was born with serious heart disease."
The Shu Family back then was a wealthy and influential family. Even though the child had heart disease, getting her treatment was not a big deal.
However, Zhao Ruoxin did not appear before the public, which indicated that there had to have been a certain secret in the Shu Family that the public was unaware of.
"After Zhao Yanni gave birth to the two children, Shu Heng found out that she was having an affair with the family doctor."
Old Mistress Yuan casually mentioned it, but these kinds of incidents in prestigious families were horrifically scandalous!
"Upon discovering this, Shu Heng forced Zhao Yanni out of the house and divorced her without leaving her any possessions. Zhao Yanni was resistant, and she went to the house to causing a scene numerous times with the intention of getting back at least one of her children.
"Around that time, it was discovered that Shu Xiner was a child with a congenital disorder, hence, the Shu Family agreed for her to take only Xiner away, but Qinger was to remain in the family. And just like that, the twin sisters were broken up to be cared for separately. The child's name was then changed to Zhao Ruoxin."
What happened next was already known by both the young and the old of the Yuan Family.
"The Shu Family's grandmother had been my best friend since I was little. When this incident happened, she was so stressed out that she became psychologically unwell, causing her health to deteriorate day by day.
"When Qinger was four years old, Shu Heng found new love. He married a new wife and had other children of their own. The Shu Family's grandmother was worried that due to Qinger's young age, she would receive lots of unfair treatment in the future. Hence, before she was about to die, she entrusted the child to the Yuan Family's care..."
Upon mentioning the early death of her dear friend, Old Mistress Yuan's face became gloomy and her voice trailed off.
Zhao Ruoxin hurriedly comforted her in a low voice, "If Grandmother's spirit is in heaven, she wouldn't want to see Grandmother Yuan so sad..."
The girl's obedient voice was pleasant to the ear, and Mu Chenyan fell into a trance for a moment, as if she was listening to the same lovely and cute Shu Qinger from back then...
Old Mistress Yuan used her handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes and patted Ruoxin's small hands, remarking sentimentally, "Initially, I was thinking of having her come over here after Little Xuan's parents had passed away. This was to first, fulfill your grandmother's wish, and second, since Qinger and Little Xuan's age were about the same, I figured the two could accompany each other as they grow up. Furthermore, if they liked each other, it would also be beneficial for us to become in-laws."
When she mentioned becoming relatives through marriage, Mu Chenyan could not help but sneak a peek at Yuan Xuan.
This man was still very calm at the moment, as if what Grandmother was talking about had nothing to with him.
"Who would have thought that such a horrible event would take place later on? Qinger's dead, and with that, I've regretfully let your grandmother down..."
Old Mistress gradually became more upset as she spoke, her voice began to shake before she started weeping.
The whole family panicked, and everyone rushed to comfort her.
Zhao Ruoxin also recalled the memories of the past and began to snivel alongside the maternal figure. With that, the side hall burst into commotion!
"Mother, all this is in the past now. There's no need for you to be this upset anymore." Yuan Tangzhong consoled.
The two in-laws also spoke words of comfort, while Wen Ya and Yuan Ran looked each other in the eye, clearly unsure of what to do.
This was especially so for Wen Ya, whose face had turned pale...
Of the group, only Mu Chenyan's expression was ice-cold, as she motionlessly watched the old and young cry together. Even Yuan Xuan, who was by her side, had left to go console Grandmother...
However, with regards to the Shu Qinger incident, was she not a victim?
Did she not pay a terrible price in exchange for this unrecognized and unblessed marriage?
Now, this younger sister, who looked exactly the same as Shu Qinger, was standing before her.
It was as if she was staring at her old love rival's reincarnation. Didn't the Heavens have mercy?