Chapter 220: Chapter 220

Han Liying closed her eyes, letting Huang Ruoqing massage her.

"You know I just woke up, and I haven’t had time to adapt to my current life. As for other things, even if I wanted to, I might not be able to lend a hand."

"Su Jiang loves you deeply, and all your sons with him have grown into accomplished men. You can practically do whatever you want in the Su Family."

Han Liying gave a bitter smile. "I was only responsible for giving birth; I didn’t put much effort into their education. Su Jiang and Mei Xue were the ones who did."

"What? Has Mei Xue climbed into Su Jiang’s bed? Are they planning to sideline you?" Jiang Yuanshan said angrily.

She had been married to Yu Siyun for many years when he had an affair while she was pregnant.

Back in her youth, she thought having more children would make the home livelier and stop Yu Siyun from chasing after young women.

Far from mending his ways, Yu Siyun became even more brazen.

During the birth of her last child, she was in critical condition, hemorrhaging so badly she almost died.

At that time, Yu Siyun was in another woman’s bed.

From that moment on, her heart had died.

She stopped caring about Yu Siyun and focused only on herself and her three children.

Her communication with Yu Siyun was limited to money and the children; she didn’t concern herself with anything else.

Even if his career suffered setbacks, she didn’t inquire, as long as he gave her money on time. She didn’t care what he did outside the home.

The Yu Family was an illustrious clan in Jiangnan and also had marital ties with the Feng Family.

They were of high social standing.

As long as she secured her position, her children’s resources and future wouldn’t be a concern.

But she truly hated women who destroyed other people’s families.

Han Liying said, "Mei Xue and I are like sisters. If I hadn’t been asleep for over twenty years, Mei Xue would have been married off in style and had her own children by now. I’m the one who delayed her for most of her life. After I woke up, her situation became quite awkward."

"Before I awoke, she was the mistress of Sully in all but name, arranging most of the household matters. After I woke up, she could only assist me. Even if I wasn’t doing things well, she wasn’t in a position to point it out."

Jiang Yuanshan said with evident envy, "You’re so lucky. You found a reliable man, and even your sister is very loyal to you."

"Because they are all so good, I can’t bear to hurt any of them," Han Liying said, turning her head to look at her. "You mentioned before you came that you had something to tell me. What is it?"

"My sister-in-law’s son has been on arranged dates with Fu Bing; this has been going on for several months. Knowing my sister-in-law, she doesn’t think highly of Fu Bing. If her son gets involved with Fu Bing, she won’t blame him; she’ll direct all her fury at Fu Bing."

"I’m not in a position to warn Fu Bing about this. Isn’t Junling quite close to her? Let Junling tell her. Don’t let her be blinded by the Feng Family’s status. A truly elite family will never marry a female celebrity with a record."

Han Liying said, dissatisfied, "Fu Bing is a good person. Why can’t he marry her?"

"What’s the use of being good? Her background is poor, her parents are deceased, and she has no maternal family to support her. No matter how competent she is, that’s considered bad luck. When prominent families select daughters-in-law, someone with her kind of fate would be the first to be eliminated. They would consider her to be lacking in good fortune."

"Destiny is just like that." Han Liying felt it was deeply unfair to Fu Bing. "Someone like her, who has struggled and fought her way up, deserves even more respect from others. After all, she has practically rewritten her own fate."

"That’s easy for you to say. If your son wanted to marry her, you wouldn’t be happy about it either."

"I would be happy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let Junling go to Jiangnan with her. As a woman, I hope Fu Bing can find someone who truly loves and respects her. I haven’t spent much time with Junling, and I don’t think he has learned to respect Fu Bing yet. He simply has a favorable impression of her but hasn’t learned to treat her as a partner."

Jiang Yuanshan said, "What woman doesn’t hope to meet someone like that? Most men only treat women as their personal property. Look at our group; you’re currently the only one who hasn’t encountered a scumbag. Everyone else’s marriage is a complete mess. Look at Bai Ruoxue—such a good, beautiful person, driven by her husband to jump off a building with her child."

"You only see my glamorous side; you don’t consider my hardships. I went through one pregnancy after another, passed through Ghost Gate Pass several times, and in the end, I even lost my daughter. If my health hadn’t deteriorated so severely back then, I wouldn’t have fallen into a coma."

Jiang Yuanshan was suddenly speechless.

Han Liying toyed with the white jade bracelet on her wrist.

"Take now, for example. I’m like an outsider in the Su Family. The Su Family has operated just fine without me for so many years. When I woke up, their happiness was fleeting, but the discord has been long-lasting."

Han Liying saw things clearly.

It was because she saw things clearly that she knew she had been marginalized and ignored by many.

The affection between husband and wife had long since transformed into a necessary responsibility towards each other.

That affection only existed because of her sons.

If her five sons were to misbehave, she would immediately be blamed.

The sad part was, she wasn’t close to her five sons either.

They felt love for her, but it was limited.

When the Qin Group faced a crisis, she wanted to suggest they pay more attention to the Qin Family’s affairs and, if necessary, speak up for Fu Bing.

She kept this request bottled up for days, unable to voice it.

She was afraid her request would put them in a difficult position, and they would turn their anger towards Fu Bing.

If she had always been the mistress of the Su Family, she wouldn’t have had these concerns.

And Su Jiang, when faced with indecision, would consult Mei Xue in the middle of the night, not her.

Jiang Yuanshan stopped complaining about her own misfortunes. "When you feel stifled, just talk to me. I’ve been through so many melodramatic incidents over the years; I can give you advice. The only question is whether you’ll take it."

"The people you encountered were fixated on your position, but my situation is different. If I were to treat Mei Xue that way, I couldn’t bear it, and I would also lose my footing in Sully. My husband and children care more for her than for me. Besides, Mei Xue genuinely cares for me; she’s more attentive to me than anyone else."

Jiang Yuanshan had nothing more to say. "Perhaps you should just let things be. Mei Xue hasn’t done anything wrong. If she hadn’t insisted on staying with the Su Family back then, your children would definitely have had a stepmother. They might not have turned out as outstanding as they are now."

Han Liying hummed in agreement. "Putting myself in her shoes, I couldn’t do what Mei Xue has done."

By the end of their conversation, both felt it was rather pointless.

After Han Liying had her measurements taken, she went home.

Mei Xue was just coming out of Old Madam Su’s courtyard. Seeing Han Liying, she forced a smile.

Han Liying’s heart ached. "Did Old Madam give you a hard time?"

"I’ll handle these things from now on." Han Liying touched Mei Xue’s arm where she imagined a wound might be, or perhaps just offering comfort, and said earnestly, "Sometimes, I wish I had never woken up. Then you wouldn’t be in such an awkward position."