After Prison, She Shocks the World
Chapter 106 How Could Fu Ya Hurt Me Like This

Chapter 106: Chapter 106 How Could Fu Ya Hurt Me Like This

The nurse’s face paled and flushed by turns as she spoke softly, "I know I’m inconsequential and my next words might offend you, but as an outsider, I truly believe your twilight years could be very good. Many people are kind to you; they all want to visit you. Here, many elderly keep hoping for their relatives to come, but those relatives are unwilling to visit, and they just wait every day without hope. You are pushing away other people’s kindness, thinking everyone has an ulterior motive."

"You understand nothing. Each one of them has an agenda!" Madame Chu’s eyes reddened, yet no tears fell. "If I were of no value to them, they wouldn’t bother with me at all. The nicer they are to me, the more valuable they consider what I possess."

The nurse was left speechless by the rebuttal.

She was just an outsider, after all. Madame Chu was her client, and all she needed to do was take good care of her without interfering in her decisions.

Madame Chu’s chest heaved, still affected by the nurse’s words.

Was she truly luckier than the other elderly?

Early the next morning, Fu Bing and Wu Shi arrived at the nursing home, bringing along a medicinal meal specially cooked by Aunt Ning.

Madame Chu had just gotten out of bed and was sitting in the yard while the nurse combed her hair.

To be precise, the nurse was combing her hair for her.

Madame Chu glanced at Fu Bing.

Fu Bing was wearing a double-sided embroidered dress, its exquisite embroidery depicting a lakeside scene.

Madame Chu had initially glanced casually, but her eyes paused instantly upon seeing the dress.

"Who embroidered your dress?"

"A master from Ya Garden."

"What’s their name?"

"My clothes are all delivered by people from Ya Garden. If you need to know, I can inquire."

Madame Chu’s gaze still lingered on her dress. "Such embroidery can’t be done without decades of experience; it must be the work of a highly gifted master."

"Indeed, Ya Garden does have many skilled masters." Fu Bing didn’t mention that she had embroidered it herself.

Great-grandma is very suspicious. Anything I say, she’ll assume has a hidden meaning.

Madame Chu stared for a long while before her gaze finally shifted. She remarked, "Aren’t you ashamed to have such an ugly freak by your side all the time?"

"Appearances aren’t that important. Besides, I’m already quite beautiful. Many people pale in comparison when they stand next to me. Wu Shi’s unconventional approach suits him better."

The corners of Wu Shi’s mouth, hidden under his mask, involuntarily lifted. He liked her confident demeanor. She was indeed very lovely! There was no one more beautiful than her!

The nurse couldn’t help but give Fu Bing her silent approval; Fu Ying was truly adorable and mischievous. She just feared that the old lady would chase her out with a walking stick. Would she then support Fu Ying or Madame Chu?

As expected, Madame Chu touched her walking stick.

Fu Bing’s eyes were also fixed on the stick, ready to dodge at any moment.

Madame Chu merely touched it, then said coldly, "Quite shameless."

"I just have a clear understanding of my own appearance," Fu Bing said with a smile.

She waited for Madame Chu to finish having her hair combed before she set the medicinal meal and longevity noodles on the table.

"When my mother was alive, she would make a bowl of longevity noodles every year on this day and put them on the table, yet she never ate them. I asked her many times, but she never explained. Only after learning of your existence did I remember this detail."

Fu Bing placed chopsticks next to Madame Chu’s hand. "Though she’s gone, I’ll make up for the companionship she missed. Don’t panic, don’t rush. You can make any decision according to your mood and feelings. Being old gives you the right to be capricious."

Madame Chu stared at the bowl of noodles.

The bowl was celadon-glazed Ru ware, holding plain noodles topped with a fried egg and garnished with some fresh green scallions.

Fu Bing poured broth from a thermos into the noodle bowl. "My cooking isn’t as good as my mother’s, but please give it a taste. If there’s anything unsatisfactory, I’ll strive to do better next year."

Madame Chu trembled as she picked up her chopsticks; she could barely take more than one bite.

"Did she... teach you?"

"Yes." Fu Bing sat down beside Madame Chu. "She rarely cooked, only on special occasions."

Madame Chu’s voice was hoarse as she said, "She was talented in many things, but she found no interest in anything."

Fu Chan and Yunhui’s car stopped at the courtyard entrance. Spotting the iconic pink car, they exchanged a look. Both exited their vehicle but didn’t enter the yard.

Fu Bing nodded. "She was a very special mother."

"Did she really not teach you embroidery?" Madame Chu asked doggedly.

"She did."

Madame Chu’s eyes instantly brightened. "Did you learn it?"

"I learned embroidery because her health was poor and she couldn’t complete the orders. Later, after entering the entertainment industry, I never picked up a needle again."

The disappointment in Madame Chu’s eyes was exceptionally apparent.

Fu Bing softly said, "Eat your noodles first. When you’re done, I’ll tell you about her life these past years."

Madame Chu had no appetite, but she still lowered her head and ate half a bowl before setting down her chopsticks.

Fu Bing poured her a small bowl of medicinal broth. "This is a medicinal broth Aunt Ning specially made for you; please drink a little."

Madame Chu looked down at the dark broth; it was unattractive but didn’t have the unpleasant smell she remembered.

She braced herself to take a sip and was surprised to find it tasted quite sweet.

Madame Chu slowly finished the small bowl of medicinal broth.

"You can talk now. How has she been these years? What hardships has she faced?"

"From my perspective, I don’t think my mother suffered. Let me show you her photos." Fu Bing took an album from her bag. "These are photos of her and me."

Madame Chu opened the album, her hands trembling more and more as she flipped through it.

The Fu Ya in the photos was unlike anyone she had ever seen: her features relaxed, her smile bright.

Her dresses had become regular ones, occasionally adorned with a little embroidery.

The style was exactly like Yunhui’s. I taught Fu Ya, but she completely overturned it, instead remembering Yunhui’s unpresentable embroidery style. Embroidery should be elegant, appreciated by a select few, not placed on some nondescript clothes.

Heartbroken, Madame Chu slammed the photo album down. "How could she hurt me like this?"

Fu Bing bent down to pick up the album, looking at Madame Chu calmly.

She was wearing a traditional cheongsam, its embroidery exquisite and bearing the traces of time. Her handcrafted high heels featured equally fine embroidery. Her hair was styled in a bun, secured with an expensive jade hairpin. Elegant, yet clearly marked by the weight of years. It was a beauty steeped in time, deeply moving.

Fu Bing said, "I understand your feelings. To you, embroidery is sacrosanct, deserving only reverence. Your viewpoint is correct and admirable."

"You may require those who share your vision to follow the path you desire, but not everyone understands embroidery as you do. I don’t think my mother’s and Yunhui’s understanding of embroidery is wrong; they simply wanted something different from what you wanted."

"Their embroidery is trash that shouldn’t be seen in public!"