Free Web NovelChapter 259: Chapter 259: She Also Has an Aunt?
Su Qing was stunned!
’Three siblings? Didn’t the Li family only have two children—my mother and my uncle?’
"That’s right, three siblings," Gu Xinsheng said. "Besides your uncle, her older brother, your mother also has a twin sister named Li Yuan."
Su Qing frowned. "My uncle never mentioned this person to me. When I was at their house, I never heard anyone talk about her either."
"I heard that aunt of yours married someone from out of town, but I don’t know the specifics." As he spoke, Gu Xinsheng’s brow furrowed tightly. "Right, how did you end up back in Jia City?"
"My uncle brought me here."
Gu Xinsheng said, "The information I received before must have been wrong. But it’s absolutely true that the Li family has ignored you all these years. So why would they suddenly bring you to Jia City? I think you need to be careful. There might be something else going on here. You can’t let your guard down."
"Okay, I will." Since this was her first time meeting Gu Xinsheng, and she hadn’t yet figured out the Li family’s ultimate goal, Su Qing didn’t voice her suspicions. Instead, she just said, "My uncle told me that on their way back here, my mother was with him when they ran into robbers. In the chaos, my mother fell and injured her head, which is why she’s like this now. He also said they were always busy taking care of the family and my mother, so they only just now had the capacity to bring me here to see her."
This was everything Li Aiguo had told Su Qing, and she repeated it all to Gu Xinsheng without leaving anything out. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
After hearing Su Qing’s words, Gu Xinsheng was filled with rage. He spat in anger. "The Li family has been living very well these past few years! They haven’t been short on money, food, or anything else. They definitely don’t have good intentions for bringing you here."
With that, Gu Xinsheng looked toward the bamboo house, his eyes filled with heartache and regret. "If I had known your mother was coming back to the Li family, I would have returned sooner. Then she wouldn’t have had to suffer at their hands these past few years. The Li family hasn’t treated your mother well at all."
"My mother, she..." Although Su Qing had already seen Li Wan’s current state, from Gu Xinsheng’s perspective, she hadn’t seen her mother yet. So, Su Qing naturally feigned the appropriate surprise.
"Sigh... Come inside and see for yourself. But you need to be mentally prepared," Gu Xinsheng told Su Qing.
"Okay." Su Qing nodded.
Gu Xinsheng gave Su Qing one last warning before leading her into the bamboo house.
Inside the bamboo house, Li Wan was still sleeping peacefully. She looked very tranquil, but up close, the scars on her face were horrifying. Su Qing couldn’t even count how many there were, a crisscrossing network of deep and shallow marks that covered her entire face.
Perhaps it was a surge of emotion from the body’s original owner, but Su Qing felt a rage that threatened to erupt from her chest. "These scars... Uncle Gu, do you know who did this?"
Gu Xinsheng gave a sarcastic laugh. "I haven’t been able to find out for sure yet. But I can guarantee you, no matter who inflicted these wounds, the Li family’s story will be that your mother did it to herself. My gut tells me, though, that this is the Li family’s handiwork. Believe it or not."
"I believe you!" Su Qing’s voice was cold. ’They had malicious intentions from the moment they brought Li Wan back. They even tried to ruin my face before. How could they possibly have let Li Wan, who looks so much like me, off the hook?’
Gu Xinsheng glanced at Su Qing in surprise, then asked, "Has the Li family given you any trouble? If they have, just tell me. I’ll help you take care of them."
Su Qing was Li Wan’s biological daughter. Out of his love for the mother, Gu Xinsheng couldn’t bear to see the daughter be bullied by the Li family.
Su Qing gave a faint smile. "Thank you, Uncle Gu, but there’s no need. I’ve already dealt with them. I grew up doing farm work in the countryside, so I’m strong. They’re no match for me."
"Good." Seeing that Su Qing hadn’t come out on the losing end, Gu Xinsheng nodded. "If you ever need my help with anything, just let me know."
Su Qing smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Gu."
Then, Su Qing asked, "Uncle Gu, you took my mother from the Li family, and they’ve already reported it to the police. What will you do if the police come looking for you?"
Gu Xinsheng chuckled. "Don’t worry, I have ways of dealing with it. It won’t be a problem."
Su Qing thought about Gu Xinsheng’s experiences over the years. ’He hasn’t returned as a simple veteran, so he must have some power.’ With that, she felt relieved.
Su Qing looked at the scars on Li Wan’s face and said to Gu Xinsheng, "Uncle Gu, I have a medicinal powder that can treat the wounds on my mother’s face."
For the past few days, Gu Xinsheng had been wondering where he could take Li Wan to find a good doctor for treatment. He wanted her to return to normal. Even if he couldn’t be with her in the end, he hoped she could live a normal life, not continue on in her current muddled and witless state.
Hearing Su Qing’s words, Gu Xinsheng’s eyes lit up. "You have medicine for treating scars?"
Su Qing nodded. "Yes. I was burned on my face before and it left a scar. An old traditional Chinese medicine doctor prepared a powder for me that was very effective. The scar on my face is gone now, and I have a lot left over. It’s perfect for my mother."
"Your face was injured?" Gu Xinsheng was even more surprised. He looked at the flawless skin on Su Qing’s face and couldn’t imagine it had ever been marked by a burn scar.
He knew full well that for a burn to leave a scar, the injury must have been severe. And with the current level of medical technology, frankly, there wasn’t much that could be done about scarring.
He had planned to seek medical help for Li Wan, but he wasn’t confident her facial scars could be fully healed. He had only hoped they could be lightened, just a little, so that when Li Wan regained her senses, she wouldn’t be crushed by her appearance.
But!
’Li Wan was once so beautiful. If she saw her face covered in scars, could she really overcome that psychological hurdle?’
About this, Gu Xinsheng had no confidence whatsoever.
And now, today, Su Qing was telling him she had a powder that could completely heal the scars on Li Wan’s face. How could he not be ecstatic?
"Yes, a very severe burn." Su Qing nodded. She recalled how Su Tao had spared no effort to ruin the original owner’s face, pressing a piece of scalding-hot firewood, freshly pulled from the stove, directly against her skin.
Thinking about what the original owner of her body had gone through, Su Qing clenched her fists. ’Damn it. Suddenly, I feel like Su Tao got off too easy with her death.’
"That must have hurt so much," Gu Xinsheng said, a sudden ache in his heart as he watched Su Qing’s expression.
’This child is only seventeen, yet she speaks of her past injuries so calmly and concisely. Just how much has she suffered all these years?’
’When Li Wan wakes up and learns about all this, how much her heart will ache!’
