âWhen we got married, she was so tentative, afraid she wonât be accepted, afraid you wouldnât like her. Thatâs why sheâs always been careful around you, considering your moods and feelings. Sheâs especially concerned about your views and how you viewed her.
âBecause of what she experienced in her childhood, sheâs been very concerned about how others think about her,â Mrs. Jiang said.
âSo you know why she had to leave?â she asked Mr. Jiang. âI know my daughter very well. Sheâs very strong and wouldnât be hard on herself because of what happened.
âShe left certainly not for herself. Itâs only because of others. She left to be considerate of othersâ feelings.
âSo why?â Mrs. Jiang pressed.
Mr. Jiang shook his head. âI donât know⦠I never expected⦠my thoughts would be guessed by Yujie.â
âAnd what exactly is that! What is it that forced my daughter to go away!â Mrs. Jiang fumed.
âItâs⦠I⦠Iâm worried about Yujie and Huaizhou,â came the reply.
âYouâre worried about them, how?â Mrs. Jiang didnât understand.
âThey⦠are not related by blood, and they are close in age. Theyâre also outstanding young adults. Iâm afraid theyâd develop romantic feelings for each other after being with each other for a long time,â Mr. Jiang answered.
âYouâre werenât worried about that back then, and youâre worried about it now?â Mrs. Jiang never expected Mr. Jiang to harbor such thoughts.
âI worried about that in the past too. Once theyâd grown, I was scared theyâd commit a mistake while staying under one roof,â Mr. Jiang said hesitantly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAndâ¦â Mr. Jiang moved his lips, pausing. âAnd Yujie sacrificed too much for Huaizhou. What kind of feelings did she have for her to sacrifice so much for him?â âAnd so you think Yujie is harboring feelings for Huaizhou?â Mrs. Jiang looked disbelievingly at Mr. Jiang Mr. Jiang bowed his head in shame.
âHow can you think this way!â Mrs. Jiang raged. âAccording to you, Yujie saved Huaizhou and itâs wrong?â
âThatâs not what I meantâ¦â Mr. Jiang said weakly.
âItâs wrong for Yujie to save him and wrong for her to let him be! If she did nothing, youâd think sheâs ungrateful and didnât care for her brother. If she saved him, youâd suspect she harbored feelings for him.â Mrs. Jiang was furious. âHow can you be like this!
âDonât you forget, even when we didnât believe Huaizhou, it was Yujie who stood by him! When we thought she was wrong, she was the one stauch in her beliefs, sacrificing herself for Huaizhou!
âAnd because of her sacrifice, you actually think sheâ¦â Mrs. Jiang shook from anger, pointing at her husband. âYouâre heartless!â âI donât⦠I just treat Yujie as my own daughter! Theyâre both my children. To me, theyâre as good as biological siblings!â Mr. Jiang refuted. âBut⦠But if they both really⦠really had any feelings for each other, I canât accept it!â âBecause of your suspicion, you forced my daughter away!â Mrs. Jiangâs eyes were red now. âYujie suffered so much! She sacrificed so much to save Huaizhou! Itâs a hurt she can never erase from her life!
âYou knew what Yujie gave up for Huaizhou! How could you still force her away just because of your unfounded suspicions?â Mrs. Jiang cried.