The Bygone Days, You Timid Soul... Mom, Please Rest in Peace

Outside the Tang family estate.

Tang Yuyao was slouching in the back seat in the famous "Ge You slouch," looking extremely unladylike. Since the driver was female, Tang Yuyao wasn't worried about any wardrobe malfunctions. Besides, she was dressed so conservatively, how could she possibly flash anyone?

Tang Yuyao looked down at the ultra-short shorts on her legs. Hmm... the very same ultra-short shorts that had been washed and dried yesterday.

Tang Yuyao: "..."

The "nightmarish" memories of last night flooded her mind once again. As the initial shock receded like a tide, Tang Yuyao's sense of shame began to surface bit by bit.

"I'm a little magic fairy, look at me fly..."

With a buzz, Tang Yuyao's mind went blank, and her face flushed red rapidly. She hurriedly pulled back her long legs that were resting against the seat, clenched her fair hands into fists, and curled her toes in sheer embarrassment!

Fake, it's all fake, Tang Yuyao. Those were just nightmares you had after drinking too much yesterday. It's not real, it's not real...

Just like that, Tang Yuyao hypnotized herself bit by bit, successfully making herself temporarily forget this "nightmare" from last night. As for when she would remember it next, that was uncertain.

Perhaps in a day, maybe in an hour, or of course, maybe in the next minute...

Humans are strange like that. Things that happened a long time ago might suddenly resurface one night when you close your eyes—like recalling embarrassing things you did in elementary school that make you want to jump off a building.

You start thinking because you can't sleep, and now look what happens—after thinking about it, you definitely won't sleep. It's more refreshing than coffee; the embarrassment is enough for you to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with your toes right there in bed.

This matter had to rot in her stomach forever. She would absolutely never admit it. No matter what Ye Cheng said, she wouldn't admit to it. This concerned her dignity.

If anyone else found out about this, how could she ever show her face in public again? Boohoo...

Considering her reputation, she couldn't just let this hang over her. Tang Yuyao decided that the next time she saw Ye Cheng, she would "test the waters" to see his perspective on the matter. When that time came...

"Little Sister, it's all set. Come on over!"

Tang Yuyao's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden voice. Tang Shouye, who looked like the God of Wealth, trotted towards the gate with his round belly bouncing. He looked inexplicably comical.

Tang Yuyao gathered her thoughts and got out of the back of the minivan.

Click-clack. Her long legs appeared exceptionally striking under the sunlight, almost excessively beautiful. Paired with the white high-heeled sandals she was wearing and her perfectly proportioned figure, Tang Yuyao stood there looking like a painting.

"How is Mom doing?" Tang Yuyao asked.

She didn't care about a certain damn old man in the family; she only cared about her mother. However... Tang Yuyao found it strange. Her mom had always been in good health. How could she have fallen ill and become bedridden just because they hadn't been in touch for a while?

Is lovesickness really that serious?

The ancients truly didn't lie to me...

Tang Shouye shook his head slightly and sighed. "Not great. But I just told Mom the news that you're back, and she's having a moment of terminal lucidity... er, no, wait, she's become much more spirited. It's all thanks to you, Little Sister!"

Tang Shouye thought for a moment; the idiom he used seemed a bit off. "Terminal lucidity" seemed to describe the state of someone about to kick the bucket, a final "struggle" before the end.

After that "struggle," they would burn out completely, like a lamp running out of oil... He wondered if Old Master Tang heard him talking nonsense like that, would he be rewarded with a harsh "ten-hit combo" beating?

In a sense, Tang Shouye could be considered a real "filial son."

"Mhm, let's go." Tang Yuyao frowned slightly and nodded. Although she felt something was amiss, she didn't dwell on it.

The brother and sister walked into the house, one after the other.

Tang Family Mansion.

"There shouldn't be any problems with this, right?" Tang's Mother held a mirror, checking herself from this angle and that. Her face looked somewhat "pale"—this was all Tang Shouye's idea.

There was no helping it; Tang's Mother's complexion was simply too good. She was ridiculously rosy-cheeked, so they had to use some "technological wizardry" with makeup, or they wouldn't be able to pull off the charade later.

It was no exaggeration to say that Tang's Mother's physical condition was significantly better than her daughter, Tang Yuyao's. After all, Tang's Mother didn't stay up late, whereas Tang Yuyao was a night owl.

Although she got off work quite early and her daily work schedule was very relaxed, Tang Yuyao loved staying up late for no reason to watch the latest brain-dead idol dramas and soap operas. After watching them the night before, she would go to the infirmary the next day, hug a pillow, and sleep on the sofa.

Only when someone came in would she "force a reboot" to deal with them briefly. This was why, most of the time when people went to the infirmary, they would see Tang Yuyao lying on the sofa looking half-dead... catching up on sleep.

Tang Yuyao's "graveyard shift lifestyle," typical of the new generation, naturally couldn't compare to the older generation. Tang Yuyao had completely assimilated into this lifestyle, showing none of the airs of a wealthy young lady.

Of course... that was only when she was sober. If she was drunk, that was a different story. As the victim, Ye Cheng had the most right to speak on that matter.

Ye Cheng: Justice for me!

Click, clack, click. The crisp and distinct sound of high heels came from the hallway. In the entire Tang household, this sound only occurred when Tang Yuyao used to live there, or when the daughters-in-law visited during the holidays.

"So fast?"

Tang's Mother hurriedly put away the small mirror in her hand and coughed loudly twice, specifically so her youngest daughter outside could hear it clearly.

"Cough, cough..."

Sure enough, as soon as the coughing sound rang out, the footsteps outside the door sped up, seemingly in a rush.

Click!

The room door opened. Tang Yuyao looked anxious, her gaze finally locking onto Tang's Mother, who was "bedridden." Seeing her mother's somewhat "pale" face, Tang Yuyao's eyes grew moist.

"Mom, are you okay..." Tang Yuyao's voice trembled slightly, her eyes reddening. Seemingly "just hearing" her daughter's voice, Tang's Mother weakly tried to sit up in bed. Seeing this, Tang Shouye immediately rushed forward to support her.

In a spot Tang Yuyao couldn't see, the mother and son exchanged an extremely brief glance.

Tang Shouye: Mom, I did good, right?

Tang's Mother: Good job, son!

If their current expressions could be turned into memes, they would undoubtedly both be the "troll face." Truly, birds of a feather flock together.

The older brothers were all serious people who took after Old Master Tang. But with Tang Shouye, a mutation had occurred. To be precise, Tang's Mother's genes had started to kick in. Tang's Mother loved every one of her children equally, but Tang Yuyao was her favorite.

The children in the family were all boys, so how could they not cherish this one baby girl? Moreover, when Tang's Mother looked at Tang Yuyao, it was like seeing her own younger self.

The mother and daughter looked extremely similar, except Tang Yuyao was taller, fairer, and possessed a more scholarly elegance. As for everything else... the two were practically a one-to-one copy, as if someone had used copy and paste.

Tang's Mother naturally loved her to bits. When they were young, conditions were too harsh; they were always on the run. Before she could even finish a couple of terms of school, the teacher had run away. And then...

Recalling the past, Tang's Mother felt a mix of emotions. She and Old Master Tang had come from the same village, so in a sense, they were childhood sweethearts.

When Old Master Tang was a child, his family was so poor they often couldn't even uncover the pot to cook. Eating was a constant struggle, fluctuating between starvation and fullness. Let alone going to school, simply having a meal was a luxury. Fortunately, Tang's Mother's family was quite well-off at the time.

Back then, they were considered a prominent family, although later, when things were redistributed, they lost everything...

Due to certain events, life underwent tremendous changes. Everything that once was had been altered. People from the same village began to scatter, fleeing to safer places.

The two of them met on the road while following the main group of migrants. The first time Old Master Tang saw Tang's Mother, his eyes went straight. He had never seen such a delicate and pretty girl before!

"You're so dark. Do you want to eat this? Call me 'Sister' and I'll give it to you." Tang's Mother sat on a wooden board pulled by a horse carriage, dangling half a bitten white flour bun in front of the dusty, dark-skinned little boy.

"Sister..."

"Mmh, good boy. Call me that a few more times..."

That was how they met. Most of the time they spent together involved Tang's Mother teaching Old Master Tang how to read and write. In that era, reading was a considerable luxury, which showed the strength of Tang's Mother's family background.

Later, when they were a bit older—in their early teens—a special "team" appeared in the village where they were staying. These people were good, different from all those before them...

Soon, the time for parting arrived.

"If you want to go, then go. If you die, I'll burn some extra paper money for you during the holidays."

"But I..."

"Go. I don't like sissy men."

"Mm... I will come back. I, I will..."

Stammering, Old Master Tang, who had just started his growth spurt, couldn't get the words out. In the end, he left just like that...

Artillery fire raged...

When the two finally met again, the Dragon Country had undergone earth-shaking changes. Their statuses had also changed. He had become fair-skinned, while she had become tanned. There was a distance between them now, an invisible distance.

The bright sun hung high in the sky. She stood in the fields undergoing reform through labor, while he stood on the bank, silent for a long time.

"You didn't die?"

"I came back..."

After all those years, Old Master Tang was still "very timid." He stuttered and couldn't say anything profound. Despite his age, he blushed red as a monkey's bottom, his calloused hands rubbing together in anxiety and nervousness... just as green and awkward as the first time they met.

After that, they got married and had their first child, who was now the eldest of the Tang family. Then came the second, the third...

Time passed and circumstances changed. Tang's Mother, who had been depressed about only having sons, finally welcomed her last child in her forties—a baby girl!

She was fair, tiny, with big eyes, looking just like Tang's Mother did when she was little. She loved her so much, so very much...

It was also from this day on that the other brothers in the family realized something: apparently, making a mistake didn't mean you had to be strung up and beaten? Apparently, being disobedient didn't mean you had to be scolded? And apparently, their Old Master actually looked like that without a beard?

Yes, that's right. The mischievous Tang Yuyao had used a razor to shave off Old Master Tang's beard while he was sleeping. She wasn't beaten, nor was she even scolded. Old Master Tang simply squatted silently on the ground, looking at his shaved beard, sulking in isolation... It was all gone, not a bit left, sigh...

The gap between people is even wider than the gap between humans and dogs. The brothers of the Tang family truly felt the weight of that sentence...

Speaking of which, if they had been girls, would they have enjoyed this treatment too?

Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."

"I'm okay, Yaoyao. Mom is feeling much better. Okay, cough cough... cough cough..."

"Mom!"

Tang's Mother couldn't even finish a sentence without coughing several times. Standing beside her, Tang Yuyao was heartbroken, her eyes brimming with tears. To the side, Tang Shouye felt a bit embarrassed... Mom, coughing twice is enough. You're being too obvious; Little Sister is going to figure it out!

Tang's Mother didn't notice her son signaling her with his eyes at all. Her eyes saw only her own fragrant, soft daughter.

Holding Tang Yuyao's hand, the corners of Tang's Mother's mouth couldn't help but curl up. She almost blew her cover.

At this moment, Tang's Mother finally noticed her son, who was fat as a pig, constantly signaling her with his eyes... Oh, right, business first!

Tang's Mother continued to put on a weak facade, coughing twice more before getting down to business: "Yuyao, Mom probably doesn't have much time left, cough cough..."

Tang Shouye: "???"

Don't mess around! Wasn't it supposed to be just a heartache? How did it turn into a terminal illness?

Cold sweat broke out on Tang Shouye's forehead. The plan had deviated too much! He kept signaling his benevolent old mother, but unfortunately... his benevolent old mother had left him on read. She was already immersed in her own artistry.

Tang Shouye: "???"

Hearing this, Tang Yuyao couldn't hold it back anymore and burst into tears with a "wah," throwing herself onto Tang's Mother like a child.

"Mom, I was wrong, boo hoo..."

Tang Yuyao took all the responsibility upon herself. If she hadn't left, her mom wouldn't have become like this. It was all her fault!

In a spot Tang Yuyao couldn't see, Tang's Mother started exchanging glances with her fourth son again.

Tang's Mother: How about that? Your mom is amazing, right!

Tang Shouye: ...

He wanted to advise his benevolent old mother to quit while she was ahead, otherwise, it would be hard to handle if the cover was blown. Unfortunately, after raising her eyebrows proudly twice, Tang's Mother left him on read again, continuing her performance, unable to extricate herself from her own art!

"Cough cough... Yaoyao, Mom is fine... cough cough, I don't blame you. It's just that Mom's body is too weak..."

"Boo hoo, Mom, boo hoo..."

"It's just, Yaoyao, before Mom goes to that other world, I can't rest easy leaving you alone. I want... cough cough... I want to see what you look like when you get married... cough cough..."

Tang Shouye: "..."

As expected of you, Mom!

Tang Shouye silently gave a thumbs-up behind Tang Yuyao's back. Too impressive!

The corners of the mother and son's mouths curled up wildly!

Tang Yuyao pushed herself up from the bed where she had been lying prostrate, her eyes red: "Mom, you can go peacefully. I will never get married!"

Tang Shouye: "???"

Tang's Mother: "???"