Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family-Chapter 1040 - 1039: Thinking and Doing

Liu Sisi gazed into the void, where a waning crescent moon hung in the sky, rendered singularly beautiful by the scattering of stars that adorned the firmament.

"Speak, what do you want to say?"

Di Xuan opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, struggled several times, but ultimately said nothing.

"Hm?"

Liu Sisi turned back, her eyebrows raised as she looked at him.

Di Xuan clenched his fists tightly, then listlessly let go and lowered his head.

"Mom, you don’t have to pay any mind to the unreasonable demands Prince Luo mentioned. Xuan’er knows he is not made of heir material, so please don’t worry about it."

"Are you here to persuade me? Or to convince yourself?"

Liu Sisi was in a very bad mood, and her words came out quite sharp: "Do you think that you’re not made of heir material, and that’s why you’re giving up your position as the heir? Is that what’s going on?"

In Di Xuan’s memory, Liu Sisi had always been kind and affable. But now, with not a hint of her usual warmth, this sharp and aggressive Liu Sisi rendered him speechless, rooted to the spot in a daze.

"I... Xuan’er is self-aware."

"Good, very good!"

Liu Sisi let out two cold laughs, looked deeply at Di Xuan, and turned to leave. After taking a couple steps, she turned back: "You say you’re self-aware and think you’re not cut out to be the heir. Does that mean you actually have thought about being the heir, haven’t you?"

Di Xuan was dumbfounded, standing frozen in place, unable to move, stammering: "I... I..."

"Since you’ve thought about it, why then speak so honorably? Di Xuan, do you still remember what I told you initially?"

Liu Sisi narrowed her eyes and looked at the people in the distance who, out of concern, kept glancing over here: "I said: ’Everything that’s Di Yelei’s will be yours in the future, be it Chou Chou or Xiao Xiao, none will fight or compete with you for it! They have their own paths to follow, their own futures awaiting them.’ You wanting a noble title isn’t wrong in itself!"

Di Xuan gasped! His eyes widened, and a flash of embarrassment quickly passed through them.

Liu Sisi did not let him off the hook: "You are wrong for making your intentions public through others’ words, instead of immediately and firmly rebuking and rejecting it when the other party brought it up! Because deep down in your heart, you desire for this to succeed! As you age, it’s normal to develop your own views, and Mom isn’t without sympathy for that, but I absolutely cannot tolerate your covert manipulations!"

"It’s not like that, Mom! I haven’t..."

Di Xuan protested loudly: "Mom, Xuan’er would never dare to harbor such thoughts, Mom! Please inquire thoroughly and understand. Mom! Listen to what Xuan’er has to say..."

"Does it really matter if it’s true or not? Are my words unjust? Think carefully about this!"

Liu Sisi cut him off, brushing away his hand directly, and moved toward Di Ying and the others.

"Mom, you..."

From a distance, Di Ying came over and clung to Liu Sisi’s arm.

Liu Sisi forcefully withdrew her arm, suddenly losing any desire to stay any longer, and turned to pick up the account book: "It is getting late, everyone should head home after a while."

As she spoke, she stepped out of the courtyard.

Di Ying tugged at her clothes: "Mom, don’t be angry, when you’re upset Ying’er gets upset too."

"Ying’er, Mom isn’t angry. Mom is disappointed! Mom always thought that as long as one does what is right and just, whether it’s in actions or in character, sitting in the place one ought to be should be enough. But only now do I realize how naive I have been!... You are not well, you should rest earlier."

Having finished speaking, she forcefully pulled back her clothes and walked into the darkness.

The anxious-looking Di Ying was left behind: "What to do? Mom seems quite angry this time."

Di Xuan slumped back into his chair, wishing he could give himself a couple of slaps on the face. He wanted to do something, but in the end, did nothing.

"Let’s go, it’s not early anymore and we should leave."

Zhang Yun’s eyes flashed with a sudden understanding as she reached out and tugged at Di Xuan. After bidding farewell to Di Ying, she followed them out of the courtyard.

"Zhang Yun, do you really think I was wrong about this?"

"About what?"

"...About that matter."

"Are you referring to Prince Luo proposing that you become the heir, otherwise he wouldn’t betroth Prefecture Princess Luo to you?"

Di Xuan lifted his eyelids, "So you knew all along."

"How could I not know? It’s been all over the place outside; if I still didn’t know, wouldn’t that make me a blind man and a deaf one?"

"Spread everywhere? How is that possible!"

"When have I ever lied to you? Di Xuan, we were childhood friends, and our relationship has become even closer now. There’s something I’m not sure whether I should say."

"Go ahead."

"Alright, I’ll just ask directly." Zhang Yun looked at him earnestly, "Di Xuan, do you really want to be the heir or not?"

"How could I possibly be the heir? You must be joking."

Di Xuan’s heart suddenly became a mess.

"I am asking whether you want to or not, not whether you can."

Di Xuan’s heart rose to his throat, "...Yes! I want to be the heir, and I hope even more to benefit the civilians with my own power and earn the love of the people."

This was his innermost thought, something he had always hidden deep within.

Now that Zhang Yun had seen right through his heart, his face felt burning hot.

"Since you want it, you might as well tell your parents directly. They aren’t fierce beasts or poisonous snakes, so why beat around the bush and hurt their hearts?"

After speaking, Zhang Yun jumped down from the rocks and walked away.

Di Xuan, who felt as if he had been struck on the head, stood frozen in place, unable to move for quite a while.

Liu Sisi wandered around the residence for quite a while. This residence was built when Di Yelei was an official. The flames of war had not reached here, and it still retained the look of those days.

As she walked, she found herself beside the Waterside Pavilion, where Chou Chou was residing. When she arrived, Chou Chou was surrounded by maids and pageboys in the courtyard. He stood on the central chair, earnestly recounting the story of Sun Wukong defeating the White-Bone Spirit. His vivid performance elicited enthusiastic applause from everyone around, creating a boisterous scene.

Liu Sisi did not disturb them; instead, she silently retreated.

When she returned to the main courtyard, Di Yelei had not yet rested and was sitting at the doorway looking in the direction from which she was coming. Upon seeing Liu Sisi’s figure, his eyes immediately brightened!

But Liu Sisi was not in the mood to greet him and went straight into the room, passing by him.

"Wait! Sisi, where have you been? I couldn’t find you. Sisi."

Liu Sisi turned and gave his arm a cold stare, "Let go!"

"I won’t, unless you make everything clear. Let’s see who wins and who loses."

Di Yelei’s stubbornness flared up, resolute not to let go.

Liu Sisi struggled fiercely a few times but couldn’t shake off his strong hold, "Say it after you let go."

"No, you have to say it before I let go, anyway, I’m not worried about wasting time."

Di Yelei was being deliberately intractable.