The next morning, Zhang Shenglai took Mrs. Zhang and Qin home. Mei also said that she wanted to go home, but was kept by the Zhou family. In the afternoon of that day, Mrs. Qian suddenly came to visit Zhou in a sedan chair. The wives were forgetful, and besides, they were distant cousins. After a few years of separation, they had completely forgotten the unpleasant things of the past, and Mrs. Qian's visit was warmly welcomed by the Zhou family. They talked cordially about what had happened after the farewell. They sat down to play cards again, and Mei and Ruijue also participated. Later, Juexin came back from the commercial field, and Ruijue got up and asked him to fight. He sat right across from May, and they rarely spoke, exchanging melancholy glances only occasionally. Juexin's heart is not on the cards at all, he often deals the wrong cards, Ruijue sees it, and stands behind him to give him guidance. He also looked back at her from time to time. The attitude of the two people is natural, but also very close. Mei saw this on the other side, and felt a pain in her heart. She thought that if her mother had known what was on her mind, she would not have fallen into such a bleak and lonely situation now. Seeing their intimacy, she thought of her unfortunate life and the lonely and desolate years that followed, and she could no longer endure it. The cards shook in front of her eyes, and her heart ached. She stood up and asked Ruijue to play cards for her, saying that she had something to go out for a while. Ruijue gave her a gentle look, didn't say anything, and sat down. When she walked out of the room slowly, Ruijue looked up at her back twice.

Mei returned to Shuhua's room (she slept in Shuhua's room for the past few days), and there was no one in the room, so she lay on the bed and thought carefully about the things before and after. The more she thought about it, the more sad she became, and finally she couldn't help but reach out to her handkerchief, blindfolded her eyes, and cried in a low voice. She cried for a long time, and seemed to feel much more relaxed. But everything that was and is now weighed heavily on her heart. She felt that her body was limp, and her limbs had no strength. Then she gradually fell asleep.

"Cousin May," a gentle voice called to her. She opened her eyes and saw Ruijue standing in front of the bed.

"Sister-in-law, aren't you going to play cards?" She asked with a tired smile, about to sit up, but Ruijue hurriedly held her body to prevent her from moving. Ruijue sat on the edge of the bed, looked at her face with pity, and said, "The fifth aunt is here, I will let her beat." She suddenly changed her tone of surprise and said, "You cried! What's the matter? ”

"I didn't cry," Mei replied with a smile.

"Don't lie to me, your eyes are already swollen from crying. Tell me something? She squeezed one of May's hands tightly.

"I had a nightmare just now, I cried in my dream," Mei smiled reluctantly and said lightly, her hand, which was pinched by Ruijue, trembled slightly.

"Cousin Mei, you must have something on your mind, why don't you tell me the truth? Don't you believe that I'm really good with you? Do I really want to help you? ......" Ruijue's voice was full of sympathy.

Mei didn't answer, just looked at Ruijue's gentle face with her melancholy eyes. The wrinkles on her forehead deepened, her brow furrowed, and she shook her head slowly. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She burst out with a sentence: "Sister-in-law, you can't help me," and then she fell on the pillow and sobbed quietly.

Ruijue's heart was also a little sore, she stroked Mei's slightly undulating shoulders, and said sadly: "Cousin Mei, I understand your heart. "She felt like she was going to cry too." I know you two had a good relationship. …… He really shouldn't have married me in the first place. …… Now I understand why he loves plum blossoms so much. …… Cousin Mei, why didn't you marry him in the first place? …… The two of us, and him, all three of us were wrong, and we were all stuck in this situation from which we could not extricate ourselves. …… I really want me to go away and let you live happily. I ......"

Mei had stopped crying a long time ago, she had already held back her tears. She looked up because she heard Ruijue's cry. She caressed her chest with one hand and listened to Rui Jue's speech attentively, and she immediately turned her head away, not daring to look at Rui Jue's tear-stained face. However, when she heard Ruijue's last words, she sat up and covered Ruijue's mouth with her hand. Ruijue didn't say any more, just leaned her head on Mei's shoulder and sobbed softly.

"Sister-in-law, you misunderstood," Mei said and immediately corrected, "Actually, why should I hide it from you." …… It was our mother who separated us. This is probably fate, my fate with him is so shallow. …… What's the use of you walking away? I can't be with him in this life. …… You're young, and I'm emotionally old. …… Don't you see the wrinkles on my forehead? It will tell you how many hardships I have experienced. …… I'm already on the path of drifting. You're still in the season of blossoming and fruiting. …… Sister-in-law, I really envy you. …… I live one more day in this world, just one more day. I live only as a drag on others. She smiled wryly. People say, "Mourning is greater than dying." My heart is dead. I shouldn't have come back to your mansion and disturb you. ......" Her voice changed, and she was trembling as she spoke, and the tremor was very subtle, but Ruijue could sense it. "How do you think my heart can be placed? ......" She paused for a moment and said with a sad smile, "If there is a so-called 'thin daughter', I am one." No one in my family understands me. My mother was only concerned with her own business. The younger brother is small. Who knows my suffering? …… Sometimes I felt so uncomfortable that I hid in my room alone and wept, or I fell on my bed and covered my head with a blanket and cried, afraid that people would hear me. …… Sister-in-law, don't laugh at me and cry. It's only in the past few years that I've loved to cry. Ever since my mother had a falling out with his stepmother, I used to cry a lot. Later, when we left the provincial capital, I cried several times. It was all my destiny. I now think that if his mother had not died, perhaps this would not have happened, because his mother liked me very much, and they were siblings, and they were more intimate and affectionate than cousins. …… Cousin-in-law, who do you want to confide in my pain? There is no one who will listen to me. I had to swallow my tears in my stomach. ......" She paused for a moment, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and coughed twice. "Then I got married. I don't want to. But I can't be the master. The year of life in the Zhao family was really painful, and I still don't understand how it passed. At that time, I really had tears and didn't dare to cry. If I had stayed in the Zhao family for another year or two, I am afraid I would not have seen you now. …… Crying is a pleasant thing. People don't allow me to do anything else, only crying is my own business. …… Lately, however, I've had far fewer tears. Maybe my eyes are dying. Du Shi said: 'When the eyes are dry, you can see the bones, and the heaven and earth will be ruthless in the end. But if my eyes are withered, how can my heart rest? …… Although there are fewer tears recently, my heart is often sore, as if tears are flowing in my heart. Sister-in-law, don't grieve for me, I don't deserve your pity. …… I had decided not to see him again. Yet it was as if something was pulling me to him, and at the same time something was pushing me away from him. I knew I had no hope in this life, but I seemed to be looking forward to something these days. Don't blame me. …… Now I decided to go. Please treat all this as a nightmare. Don't think of me as a heartless person. ......" she said these words without tears, but with a sad smile. She stopped crying, but in her heart she shed bloody tears.

These words ripple with the sorrow of an unfortunate existence, telling a sad story, and they weigh heavily on the heart of Ruijue's gentle and sensitive women, word by word. Ruijue listened attentively to these words. She refused to miss a word or a sound. She stopped crying. She looked up and looked quietly at Mei's face with a sad smile. There was no smile on her own face, and the thin powder on it was a little stained with tears, but it didn't detract from its beauty. She waited until Mei stopped, then silently shook her head at Mei a few times, like a girl's naughtiness, a smile gradually appeared on her cheeks, and she smiled. It's a bleak smile, a touched smile. She completely forgot her sorrow. She pressed her hands on Mei's shoulders and said in a kind, crisp voice, "Cousin Mei, I didn't know you were so bitter. I shouldn't have led you to say that. I was so selfish. Your situation is much worse than mine. You must come here often in the future. Cousin Mei, I really like you. I can't wait to give my heart to you. That's true. I only have one sister, and it's a pity that she's dead. You're a year older than me, and if you don't dislike me, just call me your sister." You say no one comforts you, let me comfort you. As long as you are doing well, I am happy in my heart. You will come to our house often. …… You promised me that you would come often, that is why you don't hate me, and you forgive me. ……”

Mei's eyes became very gentle, and a pair of watery eyes looked at Ruijue gratefully. She took Ruijue's hands off her shoulders and held them tightly, her body pressed against Ruijue's body. After a while, she spat out the following sentence: "Sister-in-law, I really don't know how to thank you." After that, she buried her head and only cared about Mo Ruijue's plump hands.

Mei coughed several times in quick succession. Ruijue saw Mei panting slightly, looked at her with concern, and asked with an anxious expression, "Do you cough often?" ”

"Sometimes I cough, sometimes I don't, but at night I cough a lot. I've been getting better lately, but my chest hurts a lot. ”

"Are you taking medicine? I think this disease should be treated earlier, and it is better to cure the root cause," Ruijue said with great concern.

"I used to take some medicine, and my illness got a little better, but it didn't work very well. Now swallow some pills every day. My mother said it wasn't a serious illness, it didn't matter, just take a little tonic and rest at home," Mei explained, her voice particularly touching.

Ruijue was so excited that a strong feeling of love and pity caught her, and she looked greedily at Mei's face while squeezing Mei's hand tightly. The feelings in the hearts of the two people cannot be clearly described. They buried their heads and whispered for a while.

Finally, Ruijue stood up and said, "We should go out." Then he walked to the front of the table, opened the mirror box, cut the sideburns of the mirror, put a little powder, pulled Mei to the table, combed her hair, and gave her a little **. Then the two walked out hand in hand.