“Sara, your legs…” Madam Lilian’s hands twitched, and she moved them towards Sara’s legs, which were missing below her thighs. When Sara was at home, she did not wear artificial limbs as she would feel pain from the friction. Therefore, when Madam Lilian didn’t feel anything there, she was stunned. Her voice trembled, and she could not speak.
Sara recovered from the panic in no time. She knew that she was overthinking it. Flavian had once drunkenly told Sara when she was a child that her mother had already died. She did not believe that there was any connection between Madam Lilian and herself. At that moment, she avoided the topic of her injury and smiled calmly.
“Madam Lilian, Jenna often talks about you, saying that she likes you very much. She also mentioned that she has already considered you her grandmother.”
Madam Lilian had experienced countless great events, but it was hard for her to recover from this shock.
There was almost no need to verify it. At this time, she was ninety per cent sure that the woman in front of her was her daughter, the biological daughter whom she had given birth to after being pregnant for ten months.
She took off her glasses and skillfully wiped her tears with a handkerchief. When she put it back on, her voice was slightly hoarse.
“Yes, Jenna and I hit it off immediately. I adore her very much.” Madam Lilian nodded and answered. Although she was smiling, her emotions were rather unstable.
“Alas, Jenna is obedient and sensible, but she is young and inexperienced. If she has offended you in any way, please don’t mind it.” Sara chuckled and tried to smooth things over for Jenna for fear that Jenna would offend those people.
When Madam Lilian heard this, she immediately laughed.
“Don’t worry. Jenna is the most sensible and considerate child I’ve ever met in my life. She even cooked for me in person, which moved me a lot.” Madam Lilian’s gaze was all smiles and admiration. She approved of Jenna, not only because of her intuition but also because of Jenna’s words and actions.
Sara also chuckled when she heard that. It seemed that Madam Lilian was really fond of Jenna, and she was not trying to cotton up to her.
“Madam, please have some tea.” Bailey brought out a tea set and boiled some water. Then, she took out the best tea leaves and served Madam Lilian.
Madam Lilian looked over. It was a set of fine bone china teapot and teacups, and it appeared to be aged. As she stared at it, her vision turned blurry again.
If she remembered it correctly, Flavian had brought this set of fine bone china teapots out of the Moore family in Capital City when they got married. It was a set of fine quality bone china teapots, and the price tag was high. It was hard to buy such historically rich wares now.
When she took over the teacup from Bailey, her emotions were fluctuating.
She was absolutely astonished. It was no wonder that she had such a close and intimate feeling when she saw Jenna. It turned out that they really were related by blood.
“Madam Garver, previously at the museum, I actually bid against Jenna for the Twin Plum Fan. Thinking about that day, we had an intense fight. I didn’t know it was her at that time, and she didn’t know it was me either. After thinking about it, I strongly feel that it was fate. Later, she told me that you wanted the fan, and she couldn’t bear to disappoint you. So, she needed to have it. I was so touched when I heard that. I really admire you for having such a wonderful daughter. I think you must be a happy mother.” Madam Lilian complimented Jenna sincerely and with admiration.
Hearing Madam Lilian mentioning Jenna, Sara soon beamed with happiness and pride. She nodded and admitted, “Indeed, I am a happy mother. In my life, what makes me happiest is that I have such a smart and sensible daughter. I do believe that this is God’s blessing.”
As she spoke, her eyes were filled with tears of joy and excitement.
Madam Lilian watched as Sara’s eyes were shining with love. It was only when they talked about Jenna did Sara’s face regain its color. Her eyes, which had been dim and dispirited all the time, shone brilliantly. Madam Lilian couldn’t help but to feel extremely miserable about it.
“Madam Sara, I have a question for you. Can you answer me?” She leaned a little forward and took advantage of Sara’s joyful mood as she asked sincerely.
“Alright, go ahead,” Sara agreed without hesitation, and her face was still glowing with motherly love.
“Well, I would like to know why you were so adamant on getting the Twin Plum Fan.” Madam Lilian worded them carefully as she looked at Sara without blinking.
Sara was stupefied for a moment, and there was a blank expression in her eyes.
Sara thought of her mother whom she had never met before. She sighed in her heart and answered, “Madam Lilian, the Twin Plum Fan comes in a pair, and I just want them to be reunited again, just as my own keepsake.”
Sara’s memory of the word ‘mother’ was rather dark and bleak. In fact, she didn’t even feel anything for that word.
“Do you have the other Twin Plum Fan?” A glimmer of light flashed across Madam Lilian’s eyes as she hurriedly asked.
Sara appeared somewhat downcast as she lowered her head and nodded. She was unwilling to talk to others about her issues, especially to someone she had never met before. She only nodded her head and admitted it but did not want to say anything else.
“Jenna mentioned that the Twin Plum Fan had your scribbles. I’m really sorry for taking something you cherished. If you’re here for this fan today, I’m willing to give it to you. After all, you regard Jenna as your granddaughter. So, I won’t go against her.” Sara knew long ago that Jenna wanted to give the Twin Plum Fan to Madam Lilian. However, she understood how much Sara adored them. So, she was embarrassed to say it out loud. Madam Lilian mentioned the Twin Plum Fan when she visited her. Hence, she must be there for the fan. So, Sara was the first to speak up.
Madam Lilian was stunned for a moment before she immediately shook her head and replied with a smile, “No, no, don’t misunderstand me. This is yours. How can I take it from you? I understand such a principle. I was just curious, and I don’t mean anything else. Don’t think too much about it.”
For fear of her misunderstanding them, Madam Lilian immediately changed the subject and began to talk about other things.
After all, Madam Lilian only wanted the Twin Plum Fan because of her daughter. Why would she want Sara to give it to her as a gift? Nonetheless, Sara naturally couldn’t understand what she was thinking.
After changing the subject, the two of them talked about other topics. As they chatted and laughed, Madam Lilian noticed that time had flown by. So, she rose to her feet and took her leave.
Sara wanted to invite her out for a meal, but Madam Lilian was not in the mood for that. Moreover, she couldn’t casually show up in public with her identity.
“Madam Garver, I’ll ask Jenna to take you out one day. The three of us can have a meal together as it’s not convenient to do so today.” Madam Lilian stood up and took Sara’s hand. She didn’t know what to say. So, she simply murmured.
Sara smiled and nodded.
Bailey sent them to the door. Thinking of how Sara was alone at home, Madam Lilian insisted that there was no need for Bailey to send them to the car.
“Take this strand of hair and my hair to the hospital for a DNA test. Be quick.” As soon as they got in the car, Madam Lilian took the strand of hair that she picked up from the wheelchair when she was pushing Sara. Then, she plucked a strand of her own hair and handed it to Quina.
Quina carefully picked up the hair and put them in a plastic bag.
“Ma’am, Madam Sara does look slightly like you. Even her expressions and actions are somewhat similar to yours. She is most likely the biological daughter you’re looking for.” There was also excitement on Quina’s face. After all, she had helped Madam Lilian search for her daughter for a long time. If they really found her, then it would fulfil Madam Lilian’s dream. Madam Lilian was in her old age, and it’d be great if she had someone to rely on. Most importantly, she still had such a lovely granddaughter, Jenna.
Tears streamed down from the corners of Madam Lilian’s eyes.
Without any verification, she was almost certain that Sara was her daughter. That day, when she asked about the Twin Plum Fan, she almost called out to her, but she held back the impulse.
Fifty years had passed. Sara had suffered too much.
She hadn’t had any maternal love since she was young and Flavian had passed away in his early years. Even though Johan was her grandfather, he didn’t want to acknowledge her ever since she was young. Just how much pain did she suffer?
Moreover, Sara was disabled right then, and she even underwent kidney transplant surgery. As Madam Lilian thought of this, her heart would start to ache greatly, and she would feel the utmost pain to the point that she had to close her eyes.
She felt guilty.
Madam Lilian didn’t dare to identify with her. She was afraid of frightening Sara, and she was even more terrified that Sara would be unwilling to accept her.
From the moment they knocked on the door before entering the house that day, it could be seen that Sara was as unapproachable and stubborn as Flavian.
Since Madam Lilian had abandoned Sara at such a young age, would she hate her?
Before she could figure out those things, she did not dare to identify with them rashly for fear that it would startle her. Nevertheless, they finally saw signs of a positive outcome, and she also saw hope. Madam Lilian felt that she had not come to A City in vain that time.
Now, all she needed to do was to wait for her DNA to be verified. Madam Lilian believed that she would be able to identify her biological daughter.
She deduced that she could make up for everything, and she had the confidence that Sara would accept her.
The car slowly drove towards the Francist Community.
The sun was setting, and the ground was surging with waves of heat. The pedestrians on the street were also in a hurry, rushing towards their home.
Liya’s hair was a mess, and her gaze was dull. With each step, she staggered along the street.
The leaves on the trees by the sidewalk were all curled up due to the scorching hot sun. Even at dusk, everything seemed lifeless, just like Liya’s pale face.
“Hansen, since you’ve treated me without mercy, don’t blame me for being inconsiderate. Let me tell you, I won’t let you off.” Liya thought to herself.
She gritted her teeth, unable to conceal the anger in her eyes.
A luxurious Lincoln limousine slowly stopped beside her.
The car window rolled down.
Oscar’s chubby face and bald head appeared in front of Liya.
“Hey beautiful, get in the car.” His face was full of menace, and his little eyes were sizing Liya’s face up, and the dirty look in his eyes wasn’t concealed.
Liya stopped in her tracks.
At this time, she had nowhere to go and did not have much money on her. Liya was used to living a decent life with Hansen. As she was suspected of blackmailing the Richards family on purpose, they were more afraid of her seeking to end her own life again after leaving the prison. So, the police had to imprison her for a few days after she was handed over to them by Hansen.
In the past few days in the police station, she had been living a totally different life. Having encountered such a miserable experience, the anger she felt was engulfing her heart. At this moment, she was on the verge of collapse, and she felt like a lost soul. Even if there was the slightest ray of light, she would follow it with all her strength.
At this time, Oscar was akin to that ray of light. Although he was very unreliable, she still chose to be dependent on him.