Although Wei Luo had recognized Jiang Miao Lan those two times, she didn't have any intention of acknowledging her.

During her childhood, Wei Luo had seen many interactions between mothers and daughters. There were warm, caring mothers that treated their children affectionately and strict mothers that scolded their children. There were also mothers that would alternate with looking at the children with anger and joy.... Regardless of type, these mothers couldn't hide the parental devotion and love in their eyes. That devotion and love could soften any person's heart. Even if a child had a hard heart, everything would become fine after a mother patted her child on the back in comfort or when a child acted cutely spoiled in his or her mother's arms.

There was one time when Wei Luo went over to Marquis Ping Yuan's residence to look for Liang Yu Rong, Marquis Ping Yuan's wife had been lecturing Liang Yu, who had gotten into trouble.

Marquis Ping Yuan's wife's stern expression and loud voice had scared Liang Yu Rong and Liang Yu into silence. Liang Yu was obediently and silently kneeling down in front of his mother. Later, Wei Luo found out that Liang Yu had momentarily been too naughty and had broken a jade accessory carved with birds of prey and peony flowers that his father had given his mother.

That jade accessory had great significance. Marquis Ping Yuan had given this to his wife as a love token when their engagement had been settled. Marquis Ping Yuan's wife had stored this item away in a deep place and rarely took it out. Liang Yu, this naughty child, who was curious about everything and wanted to take a look, had broken it with a moment of inattentiveness.

Marquis Ping Yuan's wife had punished him with kneeling in the ancestral hall and missing one day of meals. Liang Yu Rong didn't dare to plead for forgiveness for her older brother, so she dragged Wei Luo along to secretly look at Liang Yu. Liang Yu's knees hurt from kneeling, but the more important thing was that his stomach ached terribly from hunger. Although Marquis Ping Yuan's wife was clearly very angry, she still tacitly agreed to allow Liang Yu Rong to secretly deliver food to Liang Yu. She even had her personal servant girl deliver a soft pillow to Liang Yu, so that he would be more comfortable while he was kneeling and to avoid injuring his knees.

At that time, Wei Luo was really envious of Liang Yu. He could be lectured by his mother and also be cared by her. Wei Luo didn't even know what her mother looked like.

Wei Luo had never told anyone about this feeling, not even Chang Hong.

Although fourth aunt Qin-shi was very caring towards Wei Luo, this type of care still wasn't the same as a mother's affection towards her own child. Qin-shi could lecture and punish her children as she wished and give them earnest and well-meaning advice. However, Qin-shi only treated Wei Luo with blind fondness. Wei Luo didn't want to think too deeply about this matter. The more she thought about this, the more resentment she would feel towards Jiang Miao Lan.

How could she heartlessly abandon her and Chang Hong?

Why wasn't she able to do any of things that other mothers were able to do?

Wei Luo even viciously wondered if Jiang Miao Lan knew about the terrible endings that had befallen her and Chang Hong in her past life. If she found out, what would her reaction be? Would she regret abandoning and not caring about her children?

Wei Luo would have preferred that she had stayed missing and never came back.

But, Jiang Miao Lan had still come back. Wei Luo had recognized her at Yu He's entrance on Mid-Autumn Festival. She had seen a person that had been surrounded by a halo gradually walking outside. She had the same appearance as the person in that painted scroll in Wei Kun's study. Several years had passed and her appearance had changed, but her temperament would never change.

Wei Luo hadn't deliberately avoided her. She just didn't want to see Jiang Miao Lan and admit that she still had a mother.

Approached by Wei Kun's gaze, Wei Luo walked downstairs from the second floor, stopped a few steps away from them, formed a smiling expression, and called out, "Daddy."

"Ah Luo, why are you here?" Wei Kun looked behind her. Zhao Jie had also walked downstairs and stopped behind Wei Luo. Wei Kun fixed his expression and saluted, "Greeting Your Highness Prince Jing, I behaved poorly."

Zhao Jie's expression didn't change much. He was always serious and cold in front of other people. "This prince requested someone to take measurements for Wei Luo's wedding dress and was just about to send her back home."

Wei Kun knew about this, so he said, "I troubled Your Highness."

Zhao Jie said, "Ah Luo is my fiancée. It's only normal for this prince to do this. Father-in-law, you don't have to think too much about this."

After these words were said, Jiang Miao Lan looked at Zhao Jie in surprise.

Although Jiang Miao Lan had already been in the capital for several days, she had intentionally avoided hearing news about House Wei. She was afraid that it would stir up sad memories. She was also worried that if she heard news about her children, she wouldn't be able to resist missing her children even more.

She only found out that Wei Luo was already engaged when she heard Zhao Jie calling Wei Kun "father-in-law".

Jiang Miao Lan looked at the handsome and refined man in front of her. He had a pair of profound and deep eyes that looked like the night sky filled with stars. Moreover, when he spoke, he considerately stood next to Wei Luo with a protective posture. He probably cared about Wei Luo a lot.

For a moment, a thousand thoughts flashed through Jiang Miao Lan's mind. They weren't good.

Wei Luo really disliked this type of atmosphere. She didn't want to continue staying here. "Daddy, since you having something you want to discuss with other people, I won't stay any longer. I'll go back home first." Then, she lifted up her dark green skirt to depart.

~

Wei Luo's luck wasn't very good. Just as she reached the entrance, it started raining when the weather had been perfectly good a few moments ago. The rain became heavier and heavier. Drop after drop successively landed on the ground in front of Wei Luo. Wei Luo's eyebrows twisted and she took a step back.

A thunderstorm had erupted outside of the inn. The cold wind mixed with raindrops blew onto Wei Luo. She lifted up a handkerchief to wipe her face. In a short moment, the entranceway was filled with water. Her bright and limpid eyes were overflowing with the reflection of water. Without waiting for Jin Lu, who was in the carriage across from her, to bring her an umbrella, Wei Luo lifted up her skirt, stepped into a puddle, and walked in the direction of the carriage.

Zhao Jie immediately took off his black cloak embroidered with golden thread and covered Wei Luo's head, then he pulled her back inside. "It's raining so heavily. There's no reason to leave right this second. It won't be too late if you wait for your servant girl to bring your umbrella over. I'm worried that you'll get sick from the chilly rain."

A long time later, Wei Luo's voice came out from underneath the cloak, "I don't want to stay here."

Zhao Jie held her hand, "This prince can send you back."

Wei Luo wasn't married to Zhao Jie yet and it wasn't appropriate for him to do this. But, of the people here, who had the energy to care about this?

A moment later, Jin Lu came over while holding an opened oilpaper umbrella with a hibiscus pattern. Wei Luo walked underneath the umbrella with Zhao Jie's cloak draped over her shoulders.

"Sweetie!" A voice suddenly called out from behind them.

Wei Luo stopped walking, but she didn't turn around.

Jiang Miao Lan arrived at the inn's entrance. Holding the doorframe, she looked at Wei Luo with an anxious expression.

Wei Luo turned her head and said to Jin Lu, "Let's go. When I came out, I didn't say anything to paternal grandmother. She'll worry if I don't go back to soon."

Jin Lu nodded, lifted Wei Luo's skirt, "Miss, be careful while walking."

The heavy rain poured down and smashed underfoot. A moment later, their shoes and socks were splashed wet, even their skirts became wet.

Wei Luo continued walking forward. She heard hurried footsteps behind her. Before she reached the carriage, Jiang Miao Lan arrived in front of her.

Wei Luo's eyes were calm as she motionlessly looked at Jiang Miao Lan. She didn't know why she had chased her over here. Wei Luo coldly asked, "Madam, were you calling me before?"

Jiang Miao Lan was stabbed by the indifference in Wei Luo's eyes. The falling rain fell down from the umbrella and formed a curtain around Wei Luo. Jiang Miao Lan had to take a step forward to clearly see Wei Luo's face. "Sweetie, I'm..."

Wei Luo tilted her head and interrupted her words, "I don't want to know."

Jiang Miao Lan's stretched out hand stopped in mid-air. She felt helpless and embarrassed.

At this moment, Jiang Miao Lan realized that Wei Luo had already known. She had treated her so apathetically because she already knew. Raindrops fell into Jiang Miao Lan's eyes. The various emotions she had been feeling in her heart changed into mist that rushed up into her eyes. Crying, she asked, "Sweetie, do you hate me?"

If it weren't raining so heavily, who knows how many people would have seen this scene? However, at this time, there were only a few people on the street and they passed by them in a hurry without pay any attention.

Wei Luo's expression didn't change. "Madam, you recognized the wrong person. I don't know you."

Then, Wei Luo didn't continue looking at her. She stepped onto the carriage pedal to enter the black-lacquered, flat-roof carriage.

However, in the moment when Wei Luo bent over to enter the carriage, Jiao Miao Lan shouted while crying, "I'm your mother!"

Wei Luo finally stopped. She straightened, turned around, and looked at the soaked woman outside of the carriage. Wei Luo stared at her for such a long time that Jiang Miao Lan thought time had frozen. Occupying the higher ground, Wei Luo slowly asked, "What did you say?"

"Sweetie, I'm your mother." Jiang Miao Lan repeated while sobbing.

Wei Luo heard her words clearly and her mind also became more alert. Her voice was even colder than before as she said, "My mother died a long time ago. I don't have a mother."

Jiang Miao Lan's face became deathly pale.

"When I was a child, there was a time when I was very sick. When other children were sick, they all had a mother by their side to take care of them, but I only had servant girls and a governess. Chang Hong and daddy would also frequently come over to keep me company and coax me into drinking medicine." Wei Luo's words seemed very nonsensical. She looked directly at Jiang Miao Lan's eyes as she said the following words, "From that time, I knew that I only had a father and younger brother. I don't have a mother."

Jiang Miao Lan's body tilted and she almost fell down onto the ground.

This time, Wei Luo heartlessly entered the carriage and ordered the carriage driver, "Go back to Duke Ying's residence."

The carriage drove away and quickly disappeared into the rain.

Fu Xing Yun walked forward, took off his outer robe, draped it over Jiang Miao Lan, and gathered it over her shoulders. "Your health isn't good to begin with. You'll get sick if you stay out here in the rain."

Jiang Miao Lan's heart ached. There was nothing more painful and hopeless than being hated by your own daughter. Her face was full of tears. She kept repeating, "Sweetie hates me. She hates me...But, I miss her and Chang Hong so much. There hasn't been a single day when I wasn't missing them."

Fu Xing Yin led her back to the inn, asked the waiter to bring a dry cloth, gently wiped the water from her face and hair, and comfortingly said, "You have to give her time to think things through. You haven't seen each other in several years. There's no need to rush into things right now."

After two of them said these words, they noticed that Wei Kun and Zhao Jie hadn't left yet.

At some point, the inn's customers had left. They were the only four people left in the lobby. Zhao Jie was sitting at a square table. Without saying a word, he was turning the cup in his hand with an attitude of thinking things through.

In contrast, when Wei Kun heard the conversation between Jiang Miao Lan and Fu Xing Yun, there was a painful and complicated expression on his face. He stared at Jiang Miao Lan and asked, "Why is your health bad?"

Jiang Miao Lan finished wiping away the rainwater on her face and lowered her eyes. A long time later, she said, "I injured my body when I gave birth to sweetie and Chang Hong back then. I won't be able to have another child for the rest of my life."