A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

At Wang Yingxue's home, she had just finished feeding her mother lunch.

"Mom, come here, lean against the headboard." Wang Yingxue placed a few pillows behind her mother's back and helped her lean against the headboard. She lifted her mother's legs and helped her bend her knees, straighten her legs, and flex her feet. She did a set of movements without stopping and continued to massage her body.

She does this massage at least four times a day. After half an hour, her forehead was already slightly sweaty.

"Alright, Xiaoxue'er, take a rest," her mother, Han Yulan, said softly.

"Mom, let me wash you. It's quite hot today, not cold. Wait for me to boil some water." Wang Yingxue turned and went to the kitchen to boil water.

"Hey—? Take a break." Han Yulan called out to her daughter's retreating figure.

Wang Yingxue moved a chair into the bathroom and helped her mother undress. She sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Han Yulan, and pulled her mother up from behind, letting her lean against her shoulder.

"Hey—" she hummed, picked her mother up from the bed, carried her step by step to the bathroom, and gently placed her on the chair.

"Mom, wait a moment." Wang Yingxue came out of the bathroom, brought two kettles from the kitchen, took out a red enamel basin, mixed warm water, tested the temperature with her hand, and poured it little by little on her mother.

"Is it okay? Is it too hot?" she asked.

"Not too hot, just right." Han Yulan said softly with her eyes closed.

Wang Yingxue took a damp towel and slowly wiped her mother's face. The towel slid from her shoulder to her arm, and from her arm to her fingers, wiping each one carefully.

"Let me wash your hair. Tilt your head back."

"Okay, sure."

Han Yulan leaned back in her chair. Wang Yingxue wet her hair, squeezed out shampoo, and lathered it up, the white foam piling up from the roots to the ends.

She gently rubbed it, her fingertips circling the scalp, water slowly trickling down her mother's forehead.

She covered her ears with her palms, carefully preventing a single drop of water from getting in.

The bathroom was steamy and stuffy, like a sauna. A thin layer of sweat appeared on Wang Yingxue's forehead, and a drop slid down her nose and landed on Han Yulan's face.

Han Yulan's heart skipped a beat.

She tilted her head back, looking up at her daughter. Wang Yingxue's chin, lips, nose, and eyes were both blurry and clear in the mist.

She recalled washing her daughter's hair when she was little, and it was the same way. Her daughter would get her hair covered in foam, and she would complain that the water was too hot and that the foam was getting into her eyes, so she would squirm around and not behave herself.

Now it's reversed; she's lying down, and her daughter is standing.

The water was still warm, and my hands were still gentle; only the positions had changed.

"Little Xue'er, it's all my fault for dragging you down," Han Yulan said, her voice trembling.

"Mom, if you keep saying that, I'll get angry." Wang Yingxue's hands didn't stop; she wiped her mother's face with the towel, her movements even gentler than before.

Han Yulan didn't say anything more; she knew her daughter's temper.

Sun Zhuofan's sacrifice is a scar on this family. Outsiders say, "This girl had a tough time," and everyone feels sorry for what this young girl went through.

Even though her daughter was the one who should be helped, Han Yulan found the courage to persevere in her daughter. Wang Yingxue's strength was the lifeblood that kept Han Yulan alive.

After Sun Zhuofan left, she only saw Wang Yingxue cry twice.

The first time was at the farewell ceremony for the martyrs' remains.

The funeral hall was filled with wreaths, and the black veils and white chrysanthemums were so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Sun Zhuofan was draped in the national flag. Wang Yingxue stood before the coffin, looking at her lover's face one last time. She didn't rush forward, she didn't scream, she just stood there, tears streaming silently down her face, each drop falling onto the white flower on her chest.

The moment the coffin lid was closed, her hand trembled, and she was supported by someone to prevent herself from falling.

The second time was late at night.

Han Yulan was awakened by a piercing shout.

"Sun Zhuofan—!" Wang Yingxue cried out Sun Zhuofan's name in her nightmare.

She rushed into her daughter's room and saw Wang Yingxue curled up on the bed, muttering something incoherently in a hoarse voice.

Han Yulan called her name again and again. She patted Wang Yingxue's face hard and shook her, but Wang Yingxue just wouldn't wake up.

The more she shouted, the more anxious and frightened she became, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Later, Wang Yingxue slowly opened her eyes, her gaze shifting from unfocused to focused. She glanced at her mother, then cried out in pain and trembling:

"Mom...why...why...."

Han Yulan cried even harder, hugging her daughter, her whole body trembling, crying so hard she could hardly breathe, until finally her vision went black and she knew nothing more.

When she woke up, she was lying in bed with Wang Yingxue by her side. Wang Yingxue's eyes were red and swollen, but there was no trace of crying on her face.

"Mom, I'm fine now," she said.

Since then, Han Yulan has never seen her daughter cry again.

But this time, when Han Yulan was rescued, Wang Yingxue stayed by her bedside. The moment her mother opened her eyes, she finally couldn't hold back anymore and cried her heart out by the bedside.

She held her mother's body tightly, as if she were holding something that might break at any moment: "Mom, what will I do if you leave? You're my only family now, you can't abandon me..."

More than a month has passed.

Han Yulan went from being almost unable to move to being able to hold a spoon and eat by herself.

During this period, Wang Yingxue spent most of her time on her mother, giving her four massages a day, each lasting at least half an hour. She also prepared three meals a day, varying the dishes, and now that it's hot in the summer, she also bathes her mother every day.

Ye Wenxi brought Zhang Yunxia and the others to visit her at the hospital, and secretly left some money behind when they left.

Han Yulan was grateful, knowing that her daughter had been taken care of at the garment company.

She started by learning sewing, and later she learned design. Ye Wenxi wouldn't even let her do manual labor anymore; she taught her for free and was willing to mentor her.

Just when I had mastered the skill and was about to become a full-fledged employee, and life was getting better every day, this thing happened.

Wang Yingxue now goes to the garment factory twice a day, spending the rest of her time at home, but she never rests. Whenever she has a spare moment, she's hunched over her desk doing math or flipping through reports, writing and revising.

Sometimes, when I get so engrossed in what I'm doing, I become completely absorbed in it, my brows relax, and the corners of my mouth turn up slightly, as if I've forgotten all the suffering I've endured.

Wang Yingxue prepared another basin of warm water and carefully rinsed Han Yulan's body with foam.

Han Yulan: "Xiaoxue, save some water for yourself and wash it off too. Look at all the sweat on you."

"Okay, I'll take a shower in a bit too," Wang Yingxue replied, her hands still busy.

She rinsed off the foam, dried her mother with a towel, dressed her, and carried her to bed.

Wang Yingxue: "Would you like some fruit? I'll peel an apple for you."

"Go take a shower quickly, look how wet your clothes are, it must be so uncomfortable." Han Yulan grabbed her daughter's arm.

Wang Yingxue smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll boil another kettle of water."

After taking a shower, Wang Yingxue peeled an apple and placed it on her mother's bedside table.

A small desk, which Wang Yingxue had just moved in, sat beside Han Yulan's bed.

This table used to be in her own room, but one time she was so engrossed in calculating data that Han Yulan wanted a drink of water but didn't have the heart to call her, and accidentally knocked over the hot water cup.

From then on, Wang Yingxue moved her desk to her mother's bedside so she could help her mother whenever she needed anything.

Han Yulan watched as Wang Yingxue took out a stack of papers from her bag, looked down and rummaged through them, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Xiaoxue, what kind of job are you doing now?" Han Yulan asked curiously. "It looks like a clerk's job. Didn't you go to learn sewing?"

She was still puzzled. Wasn't the plan to learn a trade, like sewing? How did she end up doing clerical work?