Chapter 683 - 682: Dreaming of the Past Life (3)

Without Little Tang Mo, Mrs. Tang’s health immediately collapsed. Not long after crying herself blind, she fell ill.

Mrs. Tang suffered for half a year before passing away. All that time, Qin Shanshan was the one taking care of her, and she was even the one by Mrs. Tang’s side at the very end.

When Mrs. Tang passed, she couldn’t rest in peace, as her only thought was of finding Little Tang Mo.

When Mrs. Tang died from her illness, Tang Yuanxiao rushed home as soon as he got the news. The funeral arrangements were already underway, awaiting only the encoffining.

Tang Yuanxiao never imagined his young mother would leave them like this. The regret and grief were a devastating blow. After rushing home without any sleep, he knelt and nearly couldn’t get back up.

Six months ago, the Tang Family had been happy and harmonious. Mrs. Tang was in good health, Little Tang Mo was growing up strong, and he had even taken a new wife. Everything was flourishing.

But in just six months, Little Tang Mo was sold by Su Li and vanished without a trace, his fate unknown. Mrs. Tang cried herself blind and passed away. Tang Yuanxiao had truly lost his wife and son.

He had truly become a man all alone in the world, with nothing left.

Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t bear it. He completely broke down. A man who was usually so composed could barely manage to see his mother off on her final journey.

In the end, it was with the help of Qin Shanshan and her parents, along with the support of the villagers, that Mrs. Tang was finally laid to rest.

Tang Yuanxiao was endlessly grateful to Qin Shanshan for taking care of his mother, as well as to the Qin Family and the villagers.

Once Mrs. Tang was laid to rest, Tang Yuanxiao finally relaxed, only to fall ill himself. Afterward, it was again Qin Shanshan who tirelessly took care of him.

In his previous life, Tang Yuanxiao had been immensely grateful to Qin Shanshan and the Qin Family, and his impression of them was very good.

A few days later, once Tang Yuanxiao had recovered and gathered his spirits, he found his mother’s farewell letter while packing her things.

His mother had asked someone to write the letter for her before she died. It described how she had spent her final days and how Qin Shanshan had taken care of her.

Tang Yuanxiao sobbed uncontrollably as he read it.

After crying herself blind, to avoid distracting Tang Yuanxiao from his work and to let him focus completely on finding Tang Mo, his mother had hidden her blindness from him. Later, she didn’t tell him about her failing health either. It was only when she was on her deathbed that she had these things written down for him.

Qin Shanshan had tirelessly cared for Mrs. Tang. During that time, she had, intentionally or not, revealed her feelings for Tang Yuanxiao to his mother. Mrs. Tang liked her too, so she mentioned all of this in the letter and expressed her final wish for him to marry Qin Shanshan.

"...Shanshan is a good girl, and she has you in her heart. You absolutely must not let her down. Marry her, and have a few children. No matter what, the Old Tang Family’s line must not be broken."

"Of course, you must, must, must find Momo. After you find him, you have to bring him to my grave so I can see him."

"Tangyuan, you have to live a good life. You must find Momo, and marry Shanshan. Don’t be all alone for the rest of your life."

Reading his mother’s last words, Tang Yuanxiao then looked at Qin Shanshan, who had busied herself taking care of him until she had lost a great deal of weight. His feelings were incredibly complicated.

He was very grateful to Qin Shanshan, to Aunt Li and her family, and to the villagers. He later formally thanked every one of them, but in the end, he did not follow his mother’s wish and marry Qin Shanshan.

At that time, how could Tang Yuanxiao possibly be in the mood to marry Qin Shanshan? All he wanted was to find Little Tang Mo.

Besides, his impression of Qin Shanshan was just that of the little girl next door. Later, she was simply the little girl next door to whom he owed a debt of gratitude.

Forcing Tang Yuanxiao to marry Qin Shanshan was just asking too much.

Moreover, Tang Yuanxiao truly didn’t want to marry again. He had already had two wives; how could he have the face to marry a third?

He only wanted to find Little Tang Mo; otherwise, he would never have peace. He had also developed a strong aversion to the very idea of a stepmother.

Even if Qin Shanshan seemed so good now, what if she didn’t like Little Tang Mo in the future? Tang Yuanxiao just wanted to find his son. He didn’t want to get married and have more children, and he didn’t want Little Tang Mo, even if found, to be unable to live a happy life.

Little Tang Mo was an orphan. Tang Yuanxiao was so filled with regret that he felt he should atone with his life. How could he possibly marry again?

Tang Yuanxiao made up his mind and pretended he hadn’t seen that part of the letter.

Tang Yuanxiao had made up his mind, but it nearly drove Qin Shanshan crazy with anxiety.

Qin Shanshan knew about Mrs. Tang’s last words. After all, while she hadn’t written them down herself to avoid suspicion, she was the one who had found the person to do the writing.

She had been listening from outside as Mrs. Tang dictated her wishes. After Mrs. Tang passed away, Qin Shanshan was very sad, but she was also eagerly waiting for Tang Yuanxiao to come back and marry her.

Qin Shanshan already considered herself Tang Yuanxiao’s wife. She had cared for him without any reservations while he was sick. But when Tang Yuanxiao got better, he thanked everyone but showed no sign of wanting to marry her.

He didn’t send for a matchmaker, nor did he even hint at the idea.

Seeing that Tang Yuanxiao was finally planning to leave, Qin Shanshan couldn’t stop herself from confronting him.

Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t expected Qin Shanshan to have feelings for him, let alone know about his mother’s last wishes. But in the end, after thanking her again, he still refused.

"...Your kindness... the Tang Family... I will never forget it for the rest of my life. In the future, even if you ask me to go through fire and water, even if you ask for my life, as long as you ask and it’s within my power, I will do it."

"But I can’t marry you. I don’t want to get married, and I probably never will again. I’ve already been married twice. I can’t possibly marry you. You’re still young; you can find someone better. I..."

"I’m truly not good enough for you, and I’m not in the right state of mind. All I want right now is to find Momo."

Tang Yuanxiao earnestly explained his plans and thoughts to Qin Shanshan. She was utterly disappointed and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I’m sorry. I’ve let you down. But please remember, I will truly be grateful to you for my entire life. If you ever have any difficulties in the future, you can always come to me."

Tang Yuanxiao’s attitude was too resolute. He left immediately after.

There was nothing Qin Shanshan could do to stop him.

Later, after failing her college entrance exams, Qin Shanshan followed her maternal aunt to study nursing. Through her aunt’s connections, she became a nurse.

After she started working, she grew up, and matchmakers came in an endless stream. But Qin Shanshan was never satisfied; she couldn’t forget Tang Yuanxiao.

Finally, after the mourning period for Mrs. Tang ended and Tang Yuanxiao returned once more, Qin Shanshan found it even harder to forget him.

In the end, she made a request to Tang Yuanxiao: she wanted to go with him to the Imperial City to broaden her horizons and find a good family to marry into.

This was a favor Tang Yuanxiao could grant. He had said he would help her no matter what. So he took Qin Shanshan to the city, and after a lot of effort and cashing in all his favors, he managed to get her a nursing position.

Qin Shanshan became a nurse and a colleague of Yang Xiangyun. Yang Xiangyun also liked Tang Yuanxiao, and the two later fought jealously over him, causing quite a few problems.

When Qin Shanshan saw that Tang Yuanxiao really had no intention of marrying her and was even planning to introduce her to other men, she finally got desperate.

In the end, she cleverly orchestrated a scheme, getting herself locked in a room with Tang Yuanxiao for a night.

An unmarried man and woman, alone in a room together. Even if nothing happened, their reputations would be ruined. No matter how much Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t wanted to get married before, he would have no choice but to take responsibility.