Chapter 199: What Should She Call Her? Mother?
The woman turned around.
As if parting the clouds to see the moon, Lian Li clearly saw her appearance.
Her facial features were three parts like Madam Lu, three parts like Zhong Yingyi, and the remaining four parts belonged to her own unique charm.
Perhaps due to the sedimentation of over twenty years, Ji Tan did not exhibit the cunning and dark-hearted devilish traits that Lian Jingcheng had told Lian Li about; instead, she possessed the graceful and magnificent demeanor of a noble lady.
Beneath Ji Tan’s dazzling beauty, Lian Li glimpsed a hint of fragility, like exquisite and easily broken porcelain.
Lian Li felt all the blood in her body stop flowing, her breath instantly caught, her hands clenched tightly, unsure of what to say.
Ji Tan’s beautiful eyes fell upon Lian Li, quietly appraising her.
The two shared a resemblance in their eyebrows and eyes, appearing calm and composed, with a subtle, imperceptible playfulness and liveliness.
Lian Li felt rooted to the spot, afraid to approach her, yet unable to retreat, she could only stare at her in a daze.
Ji Tan walked closer to Lian Li. Lian Li noticed she was wearing high heels. Living in a temple and diligently copying Buddhist scriptures, her clothing was simple in color, but the fabric and style were exquisite and luxurious—besides her identity as a young lady from a prominent family, Lian Jingcheng had said her mother was a beauty-loving girl who liked pretty clothing and jewelry, and also handsome and dashing him.
Initially, Lian Li didn’t understand and would just nod blankly. Later, when she gained the ability to think, she felt Lian Jingcheng had fabricated it.
Lian Jingcheng was always so confident about her mother’s feelings for him.
The sound of high heels on the thick carpet was very faint, yet Lian Li heard it clearly.
Every step Ji Tan took seemed to land on her heart, her pounding heart almost bursting through her chest.
“Child, come, sit here.” Ji Tan naturally took Lian Li’s hand. It was the hot summer, yet Lian Li’s hand was ice-cold.
Lian Li didn’t know how to address her. She called her child, so what should she call her?
Mother?
Lian Li couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Ji Tan held her hand and tilted her head to ask, “It’s cold, do you want me to turn up the air conditioning?”
Lian Li expected her gaze to be filled with sadness, surprise, unfamiliarity, and various other emotions, but her eyes showed calmness and composure, and her actions were unexpectedly familiar.
Why so calm? Were only she and Lian Jingcheng tormented all these years?
Lian Li finally managed to speak with difficulty, “Thank you, no need, I’m not cold.”
She knew her voice was a bit stiff when she spoke.
Ji Tan glanced at Lian Li, whose expression appeared as composed as ever.
Ji Tan pulled Lian Li to sit on the spacious sofa and turned to instruct the middle-aged woman who had just entered to make tea.
Ji Tan said gently to Lian Li, “Would you like some light fire rock tea? It’s good for relieving summer heat and quenching thirst.”
“Okay,” Lian Li softly replied. The sofa was soft and comfortable. Sitting on it, she felt like a fleeting bubble on sparkling wine, being shaken around, about to dissipate at any moment.
The middle-aged woman was clearly Ji Tan’s servant. Her tea-making temperature and technique were extremely skilled, and she soon poured two cups of tea.
Ji Tan personally handed one cup to Lian Li, “Child, be careful, it’s hot.”
“Thank you.” Lian Li took it. The heat of the tea was transmitted to her hand through the porcelain. She gradually felt warmer, but the discomfort and nervousness remained.
Taking a shallow sip of the rock tea, as Lian Li put down the teacup, she saw a dark blue silk handkerchief spread on a pear wood box on the coffee table, and in the center of the handkerchief, a one-yuan coin was neatly placed.
It was the coin she had casually given to Lu Hansheng the last time she visited Shanghai.
Lian Li suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if something was stuck in her throat, something wanting to burst out but difficult to articulate.
“Does the taste suit your palate?” Ji Tan looked at her with a gentle yet firm gaze, her concern and greeting coming from the heart.
Lian Li paused, then nodded, “Mm.”
“When the Old Madam was alive, she always liked to drink tea with us sisters under the octagonal pavilion in the summer, talking about what she saw and heard during her youth in the army, and caring about our studies and daily life,” Ji Tan said, recounting past events. Her tone and demeanor were naturally noble, unhurried, and elegantly composed.
The Old Madam referred to the deceased Old Madam of the Zhong family, a respected heroine, and Ji Tan’s maternal grandmother.
At the opportune moment, the grey-clothed maid brought pastries. Ji Tan moved a pastry dish in front of Lian Li, “Taiwanese pastries that you like. Have you eaten anything since coming all the way from the Capital City? Are you hungry?”
Lian Li’s clear pupils reflected the familiar Taiwanese pastries, and a preposterous thought suddenly arose in her heart.
Who was preparing the Taiwanese pastries that Madam Lu always prepared for her every time she returned to Shanghai?
Lian Li touched the red jade pendant bracelet on her wrist, digging her nails into her flesh, and managed to calm down.
“I ate on the plane, thank you.” She was lying. How could she eat anything when she was about to meet the person she had waited for for twenty-two years?
Ji Tan did not insist. Her expression barely changed, but Lian Li keenly sensed that she also seemed a little nervous.
“I suppose that child will take good care of you,” Ji Tan said.
Her words were not entirely clear, but Lian Li understood. That child referred to Jin Shi Yue.
Thinking of Jin Shi Yue’s unique way of taking care of people, Lian Li smiled.
“That child is also an unfortunate one, leaving her parents’ embrace at such a young age, like my Eldest Sister and me,” Ji Tan said with a hint of sadness. “After my parents separated, Eldest Sister followed Father to Taipei for his post, and Mother and I stayed in the Zhong Family in the Capital City. Although Mother was busy with work, she always kept her promise to spend time with me. It’s just that fate intervenes. Later, the plane Mother was on had an accident, and no one survived.”
The fading coolness on her fingertips resurfaced, an bone-chilling cold that almost swallowed Lian Li.
“I was fifteen when my mother passed away. Fifteen is a rather sensitive age. At that time, my longing for my mother swept over me like waves. Coupled with my dislike for the strict ancestral teachings of the Zhong family, I frequently went to Taipei alone,” Ji Tan recounted. “The first time I went, I wanted to surprise Eldest Sister and Father, so I didn’t tell them in advance.” She smiled faintly at this point. “Looking back, I was young and rebellious then. I managed to shake off the bodyguards and other tails by myself, but I lost my wallet on the way. The only fortunate thing was that my mind was sharp enough to remember Father’s home address.”
“I didn’t stay at Father’s house for three days before the Old Madam sent someone to pick me up and severely reprimanded me for running away from home. The Old Madam had a sharp tongue but a kind heart; her punishments were usually all bark and no bite, so I used this to my advantage and ran to Taipei from time to time.”
“It wasn’t until Father’s term in Taipei ended and he settled in Shanghai for his retirement, and Eldest Sister married the Eldest Son of the Lu Family, that I stopped going to Taipei.”
Every time Ji Tan said ‘Taipei’, Lian Li’s heart tightened.
Taipei, Taipei, Taipei…
Ji Tan hadn’t reached the part about meeting Lian Jingcheng yet, and Lian Li was quite happy to listen to her story, but a certain place was almost equivalent to a certain person for Lian Li.
Ji Tan stopped speaking, slowly took a sip of tea, tilted her head slightly, and asked Lian Li in a gentle voice, “What are you thinking about?”
