Mother of Gu Yuanqing... Was it the old woman she saw at the door last time?
Wasn't she sent away already?
It seemed that there must be something really urgent, or she wouldn't have come to her.
This Sun Yanyan was really good at sizing people up. Seeing a slight change in Cheng Xiran's expression, she voluntarily excused herself, saying, "Your father will be back soon and wants to eat the lotus soup I made. I have to go to the kitchen and get busy. I'll leave first. You can attend to your business, Miss."
"Even if father isn't around, she'd better not come in, or it might cause unnecessary trouble..." Cheng Xiran steadied her mind and then instructed Zhuque, "Go and tell her outside to go to the newspaper office. I'll be there soon."
Zhuque took the order and withdrew. Yun'er came in to help her with her toiletries.
Actually, on the way to the newspaper office, Cheng Xiran had already guessed what the old woman wanted from her, and she had also thought up a gentle way to decline. But when she actually arrived at the newspaper office and saw Gu Yuanqing's birth mother in person, she felt a bit soft - hearted.
The old woman was staggering back and forth in front of the newspaper office. Her hair was half - white, her face was covered with the vicissitudes of life, the corners of her mouth drooped, and her expression was full of worry.
Before Cheng Xiran even fully reached her, the old woman "plop" fell to her knees on the ground and cried out, "Miss Cheng, please, please help me!"
She just kept repeating this. When asked what exactly it was about, she refused to say.
Cheng Xiran had no choice but to ask the shopkeeper for help. The shopkeeper quickly came forward, separated the two of them, and helped the old woman inside, while persuading, "Let's go inside and sit down to talk. It'd be a laughingstock if we stay outside."
After the old woman sat down, the shopkeeper added hot tea for both her and Cheng Xiran.
"The steward gave you a bag of silver, and my father also promised to keep Young Master Gu's official position. Since the matter is settled, what else do you want?"
"Did your father really say that? If he did, why did the government officials come to tell me this morning that my son offended Young Master Qian, so he's losing his humble official position and won't have any chances in the future!"
Obviously, Gu Yuanqing was just a pawn in this game.
Realizing that her emotions were too intense and Cheng Xiran wasn't the one who harmed her son, Mother Gu slightly restrained her anger on her face and then continued, "I don't come here today asking you to seek justice for me. I just want the truth to come out. I want everyone to know my son's innocence."
But if she really agreed, she would become the public enemy of both the Cheng and Qian families.
The old woman seemed to see Cheng Xiran's obvious concerns. Since she had no other way to reward her, the only thing she could do was to continue kneeling and play on her emotions.
"Yuanqing has been studying hard since he was a child. He knew life was tough at home, so he never dared to slack off in his studies. Now that he's finally got through the hard times, he has lost everything because of your younger sister. What should he do next? Will he have to farm for the rest of his life? But Yuanqing in our family shouldn't have such a fate!"
Although Cheng Xiran felt a bit sorry, it wasn't something she could help with.
So she had to decline, saying, "I don't know if this is his fate. This matter has nothing to do with me. Please also understand me. I don't want to get into trouble."
After saying that, she asked the shopkeeper to send the old woman out properly.
But the old woman refused to leave for a long time. In the end, she even sprawled on the ground shamelessly.
The shopkeeper didn't feel good about moving her anymore. He just motioned Cheng Xiran to one side and said, "Miss, why don't you promise her first and then think about it later?"
"Go to the restaurant next door and borrow two aunts to send her back..." Cheng Xiran sighed helplessly and then said, "Once you make a promise, it's a commitment. I can't promise what I can't do."
It was obvious that she couldn't stay at the newspaper office any longer. She turned around and wanted to go back to the Cheng Mansion, but when she walked out the door, she saw Chu Liyin squatting in a corner.