Rose Lock - Chapter 41

The news of her parents’ death still lingered in Hua Manyi’s mind, and for a long time, she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Hua Manyi had never felt so cold at any moment, so cold that she wanted to hug herself, squat down, and burst into tears. It was clearly only April, and the scorching sun was hot enough to burn the top of her head.

Hua Manyi did, in fact, squat in a corner, hugging herself. Her figure was small and frail, and the shadow cast by the eaves enveloped her entirely.

“Miss Manyi?” A voice suddenly sounded beside her ear. Hua Manyi raised her head through blurred vision, wiped away her tears with her fingers, and saw the person clearly. It was a middle-aged woman with a kind face. Hua Manyi’s guard lowered slightly, and she asked with a red nose, “Who are you?”

“I’m your wet nurse,” the woman explained quickly when she saw Manyi’s confusion. “You’ve forgotten. When you were little, you were very picky. You wouldn’t drink foreign formula milk or rice cereal; you only loved breast milk. Your mother was weak and didn’t have milk to feed you then, so she hired me to nurse you.”

The woman looked her over and sighed, “I can’t believe you’ve grown up so much.”

Hua Manyi recalled that this was indeed true. Thinking of her parents, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked excitedly, “Then, Wet Nurse, do you know what happened to my parents? Is it possible that they really… really…”

Hua Manyi choked up as she spoke, her small face filled with overwhelming grief. The wet nurse embraced her shoulders and comforted her, “Child, don’t… don’t cry!”

“Then are my parents really… really dead?”

The wet nurse hesitated. “Child, about half a year ago, your parents caught a cold. They weren’t sent for treatment in time, and then they…” The rest of the words were unspoken. Hua Manyi felt her heart turn to ash, her hands and feet ice cold, and her body swayed, nearly causing her to lose her footing.

“Then do you know where they were buried?” Hua Manyi asked, struggling to speak the words.

The woman examined her face. At seventeen or eighteen, her beauty was delicate and blooming, with distinct brows and bright eyes and teeth, completely inheriting her parents’ appearance. A deep look flashed in the woman’s eyes, and she said, “Child, actually, I know where they were buried. It was I who personally buried your parents’ remains on the back hill. If you want to go see them, that’s fine; I’ll take you.”

Hua Manyi grabbed hold of her tightly, afraid of losing even this small bit of hope. “Really? Then, Wet Nurse, I’ll trouble you!”

The wet nurse chided her, “Why are you being so polite with me? You’re my child, too. Don’t talk about troubling me.”

Only then did Hua Manyi smile through her tears, quickly getting up to follow behind the wet nurse.

The woman led her through one small alley after another. The noise of the market gradually faded away. The area became increasingly remote, and occasionally, they could hear a few dogs barking.

Hua Manyi belatedly felt that something was wrong and couldn’t help but ask, “Are we going to the back hill?”

The wet nurse replied, “Yes, but before that, I need to go home first. My son is lying at home, and I need to check on him.”

“Oh, I see.” Hua Manyi expressed understanding. But after only a few steps, she remembered. A long time ago, her mother seemed to have told her that the wet nurse had a son with some intellectual disabilities who relied on the wet nurse’s care and financial support year-round. She wondered how he was doing now.

“Wet Nurse, how is your son?” Hua Manyi asked with concern.

The wet nurse clasped her hands across her chest, constantly rubbing them, her voice sounding a little weak. “He’s fine, it’s just that he hasn’t found a wife yet. Doesn’t that make one worry about the child?”

Hua Manyi didn’t say anything, unsure of what to say. She wasn’t at the age to be a matchmaker for others, so she just offered a few words of comfort.

The wet nurse held her hand and affirmed, “Exactly. I believe my son will find someone. Oh, right, Miss Manyi, do you know any nice girls you could introduce to my son?”

“Wet Nurse… this… I don’t know any other girls.” Hua Manyi was stumped by the question.

The woman, who had been walking, suddenly stopped, staring directly at her. “Then… Miss Manyi, would you like to become my son’s wife?”

Hua Manyi was startled, a shiver running through her heart. “Wet Nurse, what do you mean by that?”

She asked with her mouth, but her small face remained outwardly calm, while she slowly shuffled her feet backward. Unexpectedly, the wet nurse became impatient and, without warning, yanked Hua Manyi’s arm, pulling her straight toward a house while shouting, “Son, come out quickly! Mother has found you a wife!”

“Mother, what is it? Where’s the wife?” A mentally disabled man’s voice came from inside the house.

This was the first time Hua Manyi had encountered anything like this. Her heart pounded in her throat, and she struggled with all her might, her voice trembling, “Wet Nurse! What are you trying to do?! ”

The wooden door opened, and out walked a short, ugly man who was drooling and just giggling foolishly when he saw Hua Manyi.

“Wet Nurse, let go of me! I don’t want to be your son’s wife. Are you crazy? I don’t want to be your son’s wife, let go of me quickly!” Hua Manyi was horrified. She had heard her friend Fang Yu mention that a mother in their countryside had once wickedly lured a girl off the street into her house to be a toy for her son to vent his desires on. If the girl resigned herself to her fate, they would gain a daughter-in-law they could mold and abuse as they pleased.

The little girl’s strength was considerable! The wet nurse nearly couldn’t hold on to her, and in a panic, she quickly called to her mentally disabled son, “Why aren’t you coming over to hold your wife? If you don’t hurry, she’ll run away! Son!”

The intellectually disabled son was very obedient to his mother’s words. Realizing what she said, he drooled, babbling incoherently, “Mother, I’ll grab my wife now… won’t let her run away.”

Hua Manyi saw their menacing faces, and her beautiful, watery eyes instantly widened. Fear and anxiety consumed her. Struggling to back away, she saw a fence nearby. She twisted sideways and forcibly dragged the woman against the fence, hitting the wet nurse’s hand on the hard and sharp bamboo slats. The wet nurse’s arm was instantly cut open, and blood streamed out.

The wet nurse cried out in pain and withdrew her hand. Hua Manyi was able to break free and fled the alley in a panic, followed by the wet nurse and her intellectually disabled son, who threatened that she couldn’t escape.

Clutching her arm, the wet nurse yelled angrily, “Miss Manyi, you should just stay and be my son’s wife! I’ll love you like my own daughter!”

“Abba Abba… Wife! Hehe! Wife… don’t run!”

Hua Manyi only felt terror. This wet nurse was not the kind and amiable wet nurse from back then. She ran and screamed for help.

Fortunately, the alley ahead was not a dead end. The mouth of the alley led to the bustling market, full of people. Hua Manyi, carrying her small leather suitcase, rushed through the crowd, her forehead slick with fine sweat. But the two people behind her were still chasing. Just as she ran under an arch bridge, her hand was suddenly seized.

Hua Manyi looked back and saw that it was the intellectually disabled man! He was drooling and shouting excitedly, “Mother! Mother! I caught her, Wife, I caught the wife, Mother!”

The struggle between the three attracted the attention of passersby. The wet nurse quickly explained, “This extravagant woman only knows how to spend money since she married. She also looks down on my son. Normally, seeing that she was willing to marry my son, I, as a mother, put up with it, even if she hit or cursed me…”

As she spoke, the wet nurse hypocritically wiped her tears and exposed the bloody cut on her arm. The onlookers gasped in shock.

The wet nurse continued to cry, “Who knew that as soon as I came back from outside, I saw this woman taking away the only valuable thing in our house! How are our mother and son supposed to live now!”

“That’s not true at all!” Hua Manyi saw that some people were even trying to hold her back. Desperate and terrified, she shouted, “Don’t touch me! Let go! She’s talking nonsense! I haven’t married her son at all! She’s trying to kidnap an innocent woman!”

Even though her voice was suddenly raised by several decibels, the surrounding people didn’t believe her, especially when they saw the small leather suitcase in her hand, which reinforced their belief that the wet nurse was telling the truth.

“Girl, since you’re married, you should live properly with your man. Don’t rely on your looks to try and climb high like a phoenix. Just be a dutiful daughter-in-law to this old woman!” said an older woman with a shopping basket, offering advice. The others also felt it made sense and joined the chorus of persuasion, as if Hua Manyi had done them a great disservice.

“No! It’s not like that! I’m not married!” Hua Manyi looked at herself incredulously, having become the focus of all criticism. Seeing that she was about to be dragged back by the wet nurse and the disabled man, she violently shook her hand free. But she lost her footing, and her body fell straight sideways.

With a splash, she fell into the river.

The wet nurse looked at Hua Manyi floundering in the water, unable to swim. Her heart seized up, but she dared not jump in to save her. After all, a drowning person would grab onto anything, and if she risked her own life, what would happen to her son!

“Old woman! Your daughter-in-law fell into the river, hurry and save her!” someone exclaimed.

The wet nurse’s lips trembled. Unable to withstand the clamor, she hesitated but refused to take a step.

“Mother, Wife is playing in the water, I want to play too!” As soon as the intellectually disabled man spoke, the wet nurse’s heart lurched. She grabbed her son. “Son, don’t go! That’s not playing in the water!”

“But Wife is in there…” the disabled man asked, biting his finger in confusion.

“That’s not your wife! Hurry and come with Mother!” The wet nurse was unwilling to let her son risk his life for this woman. She quickly dragged her son and shamefully fled the crowd.

Meanwhile, a low-slung black Ford sedan was driving slowly. The two women inside the car remained silent for a long time until they were almost at the base of the mountain. Gong Yan suddenly spoke, “Did you buy any China roses (monthly roses)?”

Uncle Fu thought for a moment. “Madam, I don’t think so.”

The atmosphere in the car was silent for a moment. Uncle Fu heard the madam behind him muse, “Turn back and buy some.”

“Yes.”

Kong Shulan slowly opened her eyes, her thin lips tightly pressed. China roses were Jiang Yin’s favorite flower when she was little.

Gong Yan had someone send a message to her father, then told Uncle Fu to turn the car around and slowly drive back. They stopped in front of a flower shop. The doorway was lined with various bouquets, large and small: roses, China roses, carnations, chrysanthemums, baby’s breath, and more, a dazzling array.

A graceful figure stepped out of the car and walked up to the bouquets, selecting a bunch of fresh, vibrant China roses. Just as she was about to pay, a commotion of noise drifted from not far away, as if something exciting was about to happen. Gong Yan briefly glanced over, then withdrew her attention, paid the money, and was about to get into the car with the flowers.

As she passed by, she saw a shifty-looking man hugging a small leather suitcase squeeze out from the periphery of the crowd. He crouched in an inconspicuous corner and opened the small suitcase, excitedly rummaging through it, apparently trying to find something valuable.

The shifty man pulled out a few pieces of women’s clothing, casually flicked them twice, and then tossed them aside. Next, he pulled out a pocket watch, opened it, glanced at it twice, and seeing that it wasn’t valuable either, he tossed it aside without regret.

The pocket watch rolled under a pair of black high heels. The curve of a long, slender leg was outlined by an expensive black qipao. Gong Yan raised an eyebrow, bent down, and picked up the pocket watch. Her gaze fell on the photo inside the watch: a picture of a happy family of three.

However, when she saw the face of the girl in the photo, Gong Yan’s gaze slightly paused.

Hua Manyi!

Kong Shulan had gotten out of the car at some point and wheeled herself over to her side. Seeing her expression, she thought her sister was being nosy and teased her a bit. Unexpectedly, the other woman gave her a cold look.

Gong Yan tightly gripped the pocket watch and pushed into the crowd. By the riverbank, a familiar figure lay on the ground, dripping wet. The beautiful, curvy figure was accentuated by the wet clothes. Kneeling beside her was a woman dressed in a lace shirt, black vest, and trousers, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her.

The skillful chest compressions and artificial respiration caused the people around to hold their breath. Before long, the person lying down started choking and coughing up water.

The person was saved. The surrounding people sighed in relief and began to disperse.

Uncle Fu hurried over and stood beside Gong Yan, asking in surprise, “Madam, isn’t this Miss Hua Manyi?”

Gong Yan stared at the woman beside Hua Manyi with a complex expression, her face growing colder. “Take her back.”

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