Buddhist Scripture is merely a facade, Mrs. Yan said, as her hands trembled incessantly. What a sin, what has turned her daughter into someone unrecognizable. She became sharp-tongued and bitter, cursing Su Ziceng and Chang Mei daily, those who opposed her. Then she cursed Fei Qing, and in the end, even Su Qingzhang and that poor child were not spared from her vitriol.
"Auntie, if I could turn everything back to how it was, would you resent me?" Su Ziceng asked, feeling utterly powerless against the woman who wiped her body like a mother, who watched her eat until her mouth was greasy, laughing with joy. Guilt gnawed at Su Ziceng's heart. But what good is guilt, what good is chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha? If she could be reborn, Su Ziceng would rather have had nothing to do with Yan Wuxu from the start. Perhaps then, Yan Wuxu, Mrs. Yan, and that pitiful mother and child could have found peace.
