PDLP Chapter 209 Zhou's Mother's Selfishness
Chapter 209 Zhou's Mother's Selfishness
209 Zhou's Mother's Selfishness
Zhou Huizhu could no longer contain her anger and loudly questioned, "Judging from your attitude towards Chu Jiuyue and your guilty expression just now, how could I still believe that she is my biological sister? Other people's daughters are all well-behaved, sensible, kind, filial, and know how to be grateful. But look at our Chu Jiuyue, she has been married for so long, yet we haven't even seen a trace of her. Isn't that enough to explain the problem?"
Zhou Huizhu's outburst caught everyone off guard. The meaning behind her words stirred up a strange emotion in everyone present, and their gazes became complicated and odd. A strange guilty look flashed in Zhou's father's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Zhou's mother was somewhat flustered, and at Zhou's father's prompting, she shouted sternly.
"Shut up! What do you know? She's not your sister. We'll find her. Even if you don't like her, she's still your sister. We're just heartbroken by her behavior. She's only been married a short time, and she treats her family like this. It breaks our hearts. And she didn't even go back to her parents' home on the day of her supposed return visit!"
"This is absolutely outrageous! Does she even respect us, her family? This heartless, ungrateful wretch! How could I have given birth to such a thing? It's a disgrace to our family!"
Hearing Zhou's mother's extremely filthy curses, Zhou Huizhu was completely stunned.
She never expected her mother to say such hurtful things.
Such insults and appalling attitude are hard to believe, and it's hard to believe that this is how a biological mother should treat her daughter.
Even if you've never lived together, there's no need to hurl insults at each other like this.
Is this what they call family affection?
At this moment, Zhou Huizhu was absolutely certain that Chu Jiuyue could not possibly be a child of their Zhou family.
She used to think that it was only because Chu Jiuyue had never lived with everyone that there was a lack of affection between them, which led to her older brother and parents disliking her and even hating her to the extreme.
However, at this moment, Zhou Huizhu finally saw the truth and couldn't help but feel a strange sense of sympathy for Chu Jiuyue.
For some reason, Zhou Huizhu had a strange premonition, as if as long as Chu Qingqing was around, her own future fate would probably not be much better.
This feeling was like a dark cloud hanging over my heart, refusing to dissipate.
Although Zhou Huizhu wasn't entirely sure where this indescribable feeling came from, perhaps it was her keen intuition that made her feel inexplicably disgusted with Chu Qingqing. Moreover, this aversion far exceeded her dislike for Chu Jiuyue.
"...Mom, Chu Jiuyue is also your own flesh and blood! How could you say such cruel things? It really makes me feel like you have a deep-seated hatred for Chu Jiuyue. Mom, she is your own daughter!"
Even though Zhou Huizhu herself didn't truly love her sister Chu Jiuyue deep down, she couldn't bring herself to curse her as viciously as her mother, nor could she possibly use such filthy, vulgar, and offensive language to insult Chu Jiuyue like her mother did.
At that moment, Zhou Huizhu suddenly realized a startling fact: her mother and Chu Qingqing really did look quite similar!
Now it seems that, whether viewed from the perspective of personality or by delving into their insidious and vicious inner world, the two are remarkably similar.
Such a striking resemblance has led Zhou Huizhu to question once again whether Chu Qingqing is truly her parents' biological daughter.
Zhou Huizhu's mother was completely unaware of her suspicions.
At this moment, her heart was like the sea after a storm, filled with a mix of guilt and unease.
When her gaze fell upon her eldest daughter, it held a complex and wary expression, as if she were facing a ferocious beast that might pounce at any moment.
She knew that the Zhou family was hiding a shocking secret, and only the eldest son knew about it; the other family members were completely unaware of it.
If this secret were to unfortunately be discovered by her eldest daughter, Zhou Huizhu, Zhou's mother simply couldn't imagine what kind of changes would occur next.
This worry was like a heavy mountain, pressing down on her and making her feel increasingly anxious and uneasy.
In fact, Zhou's mother was not entirely unaware that Zhou Huizhu's attitude towards them had undergone a significant change.
However, for a long time, she did not take it to heart, thinking that it was probably just her eldest daughter's temporary emotional fluctuation.
Looking back now, however, those subtle changes that had been overlooked actually revealed the eldest daughter's own thoughts, which was truly unexpected for Zhou's mother.
So, does Zhou's mother love her eldest daughter?
The answer is definitely yes, but this love is insignificant compared to the doting affection he has for his youngest daughter.
In Zhou's mother's eyes, her youngest daughter was like a bright pearl, receiving much care and love; while her eldest daughter was like an inconspicuous weed by the roadside, easily forgotten in a corner.
Moreover, when it comes to personal interests, kinship seems to become less important. In the face of the towering mountain of interests, all emotions seem so insignificant, as vulnerable as ants.
It seems that the Zhou family's genes have destined them to be a group of selfish and profit-driven people who would betray even their own blood relatives without hesitation when faced with the temptation of huge profits.
At this moment, Zhou's mother's heart was in turmoil, filled with endless contradictions and unease. She lived in constant fear, afraid that the secret hidden deep in her heart would be ruthlessly exposed to the world; she was worried that the originally warm and harmonious family atmosphere would fall apart because of this secret; she was trembling with fear that her own interests would be severely damaged as a result.
"Mom, sometimes I really feel like I'm not your biological daughter! Of course, as for Chu Jiuyue, there's no need to mention her. On the contrary, Chu Qingqing is probably your real daughter in your eyes! Otherwise, why do you give her everything, but I can't feel any love from you at all?"
Every time Chu Qingqing and I had even the slightest friction or conflict, you would immediately and without any basis suspect that I was the sole culprit. No, it wasn't even suspicion; you practically declared that I was the one who started the trouble! No matter how hard I tried to explain or defend myself, no matter whether I had done anything wrong or not, it was all in vain in your eyes. I was always the one who got scolded and punished. It wasn't until Chu Jiuyue suddenly appeared that I finally got a little breathing room…”
There are so many things that Zhou Huizhu never said aloud, but as a mother, how could Zhou's mother not know them perfectly well?
However, this was the first time she had so clearly realized that her eldest daughter harbored such intense and immense resentment!
This realization struck Zhou's mother like a heavy hammer blow, instantly making her feel bitter and conflicted.
At this moment, Zhou's mother's gaze, filled with complex emotions, was fixed directly on Zhou Huizhu across from her.
His eyes held endless guilt, self-blame, and unspeakable pain.
She began to deeply reflect on her past behavior. Had she really been too harsh on her eldest daughter? Had she inadvertently completely ignored her eldest daughter's true feelings?
"Huizhu, do you...do you really hate us?"
With trembling lips, Zhou's mother managed to squeeze out those words from her throat.
Because she clearly sensed the deep resentment hidden in her eldest daughter's words.
At this moment, Zhou's mother felt as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been overturned in her heart. All sorts of emotions, including sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, rushed into her heart all at once, making her flustered and at a loss.
Although Zhou's mother has always favored her younger daughter, Chu Qingqing, over her eldest daughter, Zhou Huizhu.
But in the end, she truly loved every single one of the children!
But now, when she hears her eldest daughter speaking to her with a resentful tone, the heartache and bitterness wash over her like a tidal wave, engulfing her completely.
Suddenly, Zhou's mother felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and frustration, as if all her previous efforts and hard work for her children had vanished in an instant.
At that moment, the word "retribution" involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
Perhaps this is the punishment that God has given to the couple for the cruelty and cold-bloodedness they showed when they treated Chu Jiuyue!
Now, the resentment and unwillingness in Zhou Huizhu's heart seem to surge like a tidal wave. Is this retribution and punishment for them?
Actually, it wasn't because Zhou's mother had any deep feelings for her eldest daughter; it was more of a sense of resentment.
After all, she felt that all the effort, energy and care she had put in over the years had vanished without a trace, like a pebble thrown into a lake, only creating a few ripples before disappearing without a trace. How could she not feel indignant!
"Mom, what are you thinking? You're my own mother."
Zhou Huizhu responded to her mother with a calm expression, but did not mention the crucial question from earlier.
This attitude made Zhou's mother instantly realize that her eldest daughter did indeed harbor resentment.
For a moment, Zhou's mother couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. She slowly raised her head and looked at the other person with an incredibly complex and speechless gaze.
At this moment, the atmosphere between the two was heavy and oppressive, and neither of them spoke to break the silence.
After a long while, Zhou's mother finally broke the deadlock and said softly, "You should go and take care of your own business first."
After speaking, she looked extremely tired, slowly closed her eyes to rest, and her face showed that she did not want to say another word.
Zhou Huizhu remained standing quietly, gazing at her mother who was resting with her eyes closed, her expression complex.
She opened her mouth several times as if to say something, but ultimately failed to utter a single word.
His hesitant expression held an indescribable quality, as if he had a bellyful of grievances he wanted to express, but didn't know where to begin.
After a brief stalemate, Zhou Huizhu sighed softly, silently stood up, and turned to walk towards her room.
The only sound in the room was Zhou's mother's soft breathing, as if telling the untold story behind this mother-daughter relationship.
After Zhou Huizhu gently closed the living room door and left with light steps, Zhou's mother slowly opened her slightly tired eyes.
Her gaze was like a deep pool, complex and profound as she looked at the room that used to be filled with laughter and joy, but now only silence and emptiness remained.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Zhou's mother stared silently, lost in her own thoughts.
The hall was empty and quiet; she was the only one there.
After an unknown amount of time, a slight noise broke the silence.
It turned out that the door had been gently pushed open, making a soft creaking sound.
Immediately afterward, a figure strode in—it was Zhou Junhao, the third son of the Zhou family. As soon as he entered, he keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in the room, especially when he saw that only his mother was sitting alone on the sofa. His expression flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his usual calm and composure.
"Mom, why are you all alone at home? Where did everyone else go?" Zhou Junhao asked casually as he put down his briefcase and walked towards his mother.
Zhou's mother, who was deep in thought, was startled by the sudden sound. She snapped back to reality and looked at her son with a somewhat dazed expression.
After a long pause, she seemed to remember that she should answer her son's question, so she stammered, "Oh... uh? I'm not really sure, maybe he went out to run some errands." After saying this, even she felt that it was a bit of a perfunctory answer.
Zhou Junhao clearly noticed his mother's distraction. He frowned slightly and continued to ask, "Mom, what happened? You look so absent-minded."
Zhou's mother raised her head, looking helplessly at her third son, and sighed inwardly. She had so much to say to this son, yet she didn't know where to begin.
Zhou Junhao was never as well-behaved and sensible as the eldest and second eldest sons, nor as obedient and compliant as the fourth eldest son.
On the contrary, he was unruly and often caused trouble outside, bringing a lot of trouble to his family.