in2ebook Chapter 1: So she is just a stepping stone?
Chapter 1: So she is just a stepping stone?
"It's cold, so cold!"
In the frozen lake, the bone-chilling cold was so intense that people's teeth were chattering. However, Li Qingwan tried her best to lift the child high above her head. Even though she was covered in ice and her hands were red from the cold, and she was almost unconscious, she still held on to the child who had fallen into the water, "Run'er, don't be afraid. Mother will never let anything happen to you!"
"It's so cold, mom. I'm freezing to death. I'm freezing to death!"
"Run'er, try your best to climb onto mother's shoulders."
Even though she was so cold that she was unconscious, all she could think about was her child.
The young child, with no idea where he got the strength from, stepped hard on Li Qingwan's thin shoulders. She was used as a stepping stone to hold up the sky for her son who had fallen into the water.
Even though he was already standing on Li Qingwan's shoulders, the child still kept kicking her, "Mom, I'm so scared, will we die here?"
"Run'er, stop moving. Mom is going to sink..."
…………
The red plum blossoms bloom proudly in the snow. The weather on the winter solstice is so cold that people are shivering. People just want to hide in the warm stove. But a big thing happened in Sima Mansion today. The young master went ice skating for fun and accidentally fell into the icy water. This made everyone in Sima Mansion very busy.
"Let's go and see how Run'er is doing."
"Madam, please walk slowly. The young master has been rescued by you. He will be fine. But your clothes are wet and your hands are frozen. You should change your clothes and warm yourself up first."
The maid Zi'er was trying to comfort her master, and the servant Ah Qing was also distressed, "Yes, Madam, you should take care of yourself first."
Today, the young master was too playful and the snow was too thick, so he accidentally fell into the lake. The lady went into the lake to save him without saying a word despite her sick body. She was not good at swimming, so in order to save the child, she used herself as a stepping stone to buy time for the child, while she herself was shivering from the cold and dying. Fortunately, the servants and mother-in-law came and rescued the child, thus saving the child's life.
But as a mother, she was always worried, so she wanted to come and see her child as soon as she got up from the lake. She didn't even care about her own life or death.
Run'er is the only male in the Sima family, and nothing must happen to him.
"Madam, why are you doing this? Your health is more important. You are the mistress of the Sima family. If something happens to you, what should we do?"
"Ah Qing, shut up. I can handle this."
Li Qingwan wanted to see how the child was doing. Run'er was everything to her, and nothing could happen to her. But when she walked to the door of the child's room, she suddenly found that the door was ajar, and there was no one inside. This made her heart skip a beat. Why was there no one? Where was the child?
"Ma'am, why is there no one here?"
"That shouldn't be the case. I clearly remember that it was in this room."
"Where can he go when Run'er is unconscious? Why not go and call for help?"
Yatou and Aqing had not left yet, but suddenly, they heard a child's cry coming from not far away.
"Mother!"
A child's voice came from the yard not far away. It was clearly the voice of her Run'er. Strange, who was he calling mother?
Shouldn't he run to his side?
"Madam, the sound seems to come from the yard?"
Zi'er and Ah Qing refused to believe what they heard. Wasn't the young master dying? Why did he sound so energetic? And who was he calling mother?
Li Qingwan didn't believe it. How could the child who was seriously ill just now suddenly get better?
"Go and see!"
With doubts and a weak body, Li Qingwan slowly came to the gate of the yard with the support of Zi'er and Ah Qing. But as soon as she arrived at the gate, she was stunned by what was said inside...
For a moment, her soul seemed to be hit deeply by something. It hurt a lot, but she couldn't scream.
"I'm sorry, mother. It's Run'er's fault for not being able to push that woman to the bottom of the lake, and letting her survive."
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in the child's voice, as if he was disappointed that he didn't crush Li Qingwan to death.
"This is not Run'er's fault. Run'er is still young and weak. It's your mother who shouldn't let you do these things. It's a sin! Go back and lie down. She will come to see you later."
"No, I don't want to see that woman. She always makes Run'er recite his homework and learn horse riding. It's not fun at all. Run'er wants to be with his mother. That woman, I feel sick when I see her. She is not my real mother at all!"
At such a young age, he said things that were different from what he should say at his age. They were extremely vicious, but the voice inside continued.
"Be good, Run'er. Just bear with it for a while. When your father comes back and gets her house deed and the shop under her name, she will no longer be of any use to you. Then, your family can be reunited."
"Grandma, are you telling the truth? You can't lie to Run'er!"
"Really, grandma never lies. Go back and lie down if you are wronged. That woman should come to see you. Don't let her find out that you are fine."
"Run'er, be good, listen to your mother and go back to bed. Remember what your mother said to you, okay?"
Coincidentally, all the voices inside were heard by Li Qingwan. She thought that the sudden appearance of her mother would be enough to shock her, but she didn't expect that her mother-in-law was also involved?
It was in vain that Li Qingwan had worked hard for the Sima family for half her life, serving her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, and helping the Sima family's aunts and uncles. She thought she had fulfilled her responsibilities as a good daughter-in-law, but she didn't expect that her mother-in-law would hide such a big thing from her and was in cahoots with that woman?
why?
Why treat her like this?
There was a ball of rage in her chest, and years of grievances brought tears to her eyes. She dug her hands into the crack of the door, leaving tiny marks from her nails, but these were not enough to vent her anger.
Her child was indeed not hers. She had been a widow for many years and had never been with her husband, so how could he have a child?
So until now, she still remains a virgin and keeps her chastity for the Sima family.
This child was an orphan that her late husband risked his life to protect, and she had always treated him as her own child. But now the child kept saying that she was disgusting, that she was not his mother, and that he wanted to trample her to death at the bottom of the lake?
The woman who claimed to be the child's mother was actually a nun from Yunxiu Temple. She had been in the Sima family for several years, saying that she came to the house to pray for blessings. She was reluctant at first, but she agreed to take care of her mother-in-law who was worshipping Buddha. She never thought...
She recruited a pair of wolf cubs!
Her dead scumbag husband is not dead either. He has teamed up with her mother-in-law to squeeze her dry over the years, leaving her to support the shaky Sima family. Now, he is still thinking about how to squeeze out the last bit of value from her?
Oh, to think that she, a legitimate daughter of a general's mansion, would end up being used as a stepping stone for others?
It was really ridiculous. She almost risked her life for that evil creature. Now thinking about it, she was so stupid!
"Who's out there?"
Suddenly, the mother-in-law found their tracks, and Li Qingwan wanted to run with them, but it was too late. Soon, they were surrounded. The maid Zi'er and the servant Ah Qing were taken away and thrown into the well and drowned. She wanted to resist, but found that she was weak from the cold...
She struggled a few times, but her body fell to the ground powerlessly. She could hear Zi'er and Ah Qing's heart-wrenching cries in her ears, which made her feel like her heart was being cut by a knife. However, she was powerless and could only helplessly listen to their voices gradually drowning her out...
Blurred, she saw her mother-in-law swaggering out with the child in her hand, looking at her with an attitude of a winner. Her eyes were so vicious that it made people shudder.
"Li, who told you to come here and eavesdrop? Why don't you just be a stepping stone?"