Chapter 55: Meeting an Old Friend
Chapter 55
"Mian, we\'ll be meeting Aunt shortly," Shen Xiyin handed the lily bouquet to Mu Mian, "Remember to give her these flowers when you see her."
Mu Mian had heard about this Aunt Shen Min. Reportedly, she had gotten pregnant before marriage, then ran away with the child and eloped with that man, never returning to see the Shen family again. Shen\'s father despised this sister; he would get angry at anyone who mentioned Shen Min.
"Alright, but why should I give them to her?" Mu Mian asked curiously.
Shen Xiyin\'s tone was somewhat dejected, "She might not like me very much."
Mu Mian was a bit surprised. Why would Aunt dislike her sister? No one could dislike her sister!
The nurse seemed to recognize Shen Xiyin and smiled warmly, "Miss Shen, are you here to see Mrs. Shen again? Her condition has improved recently. She\'s sunbathing on the lawn outside now. Let me take you to her."
"Alright, thank you, Nurse Li."
Mu Mian walked into the sanatorium\'s garden and saw an elegant woman sitting in a wheelchair reading a book. The sunlight fell on her face, giving her a soft appearance.
The woman looked very much like Shen Xiyin, so Mu Mian recognized her at once. She must be Aunt Shen Min.
"Sister, is her leg injured?"
Shen Xiyin shook her head and sighed, "Her legs are healthy. Aunt has Alzheimer\'s disease. Sometimes she forgets she can walk. Her memory is very confused now; she often forgets many things."
"She doesn\'t look very old. Why does she have Alzheimer\'s?"
Shen Xiyin looked at Shen Min\'s not-so-aged face, as if seeing her own future through her.
"She just turned sixty this year. It might be hereditary; our Eldest Uncle also developed this disease." Shen Xiyin\'s voice was so soft that Mu Mian could barely hear her.
"Does she still remember Dad?" Mu Mian asked.
"Probably not. She\'s forgotten many things. She even forgot her own name. She only remembers her daughter."
Mu Mian walked up to Shen Min and handed her the flowers, "Aunt, it\'s nice to meet you."
Feeling the sunlight blocked, Shen Min looked up displeased. She looked at Mu Mian as if seeing someone else through her: "Miao Miao? Is that you, Miao Miao?"
"My name is Mu Mian, not Miao Miao," Mu Mian corrected, stuffing the flowers into Shen Min\'s arms. "These flowers are for you. I hope they brighten your day."
Shen Min\'s eyes were a bit bewildered. She hugged the flowers, murmuring, "Where has my Miao Miao gone? Why doesn\'t she come to see me?"
Mu Mian felt sympathy for her. "Is Miao Miao your daughter? What does she look like?"
Shen Min pointed to the book in her hand for Mu Mian to see. Mu Mian then realized it wasn\'t a book, but a thick photo album. The open page showed a photo of a girl in a police uniform.
The girl was very young and pretty, making a peace sign with her fingers and smiling brightly.
"Is she a police officer? I think I can help you find her and ask her to come see you." Mu Mian made a mental note of the police badge number, deciding to help Aunt find her daughter when she got back.
Shen Min\'s eyes suddenly lit up, "Really? Mu Mian, can you help me find my daughter?"
However, Shen Xiyin held Mu Mian back, signaling her not to promise this.
Shen Min didn\'t wait for Mu Mian\'s response and wrote beside the photo: Mu Mian promised to help me find Miao Miao.
After writing, she turned to the next page and continued looking at her daughter\'s photos. The entire album was filled with her daughter\'s pictures, from childhood to adulthood, capturing different moments. Each photo was accompanied by lengthy notes. This was how she prevented herself from forgetting her daughter.
Mu Mian thought this Miao Miao girl was so lucky to have a mother who loved her so much. But why was she so heartless, refusing to visit her own mother?
Through those notes, Shen Min seemed to gradually recover some memories: "My Miao Miao was so obedient, why won\'t she come to see me? Has someone kidnapped her?"
Her gaze began to search around, and when she saw Shen Xiyin, she became agitated: "Get out! You\'re Shen Min, you hurt my daughter, get out!"
"Aunt, I\'m Shen Xiyin." Shen Xiyin knew she was having another episode.
"Shen Min, you killed my Miao Miao!" Shen Min seemed to remember something and burst into tears, "My Miao Miao is dead, you killed her, it was you!"
She tried to attack Shen Xiyin like a madwoman. Nearby medical staff quickly came over to give Shen Min a sedative and then took her back to her room.
"Sister, did Aunt\'s daughter die?" Mu Mian picked up the photo album that had fallen to the ground and flipped through it casually. "Was she killed by bad people? Was the bad person Aunt herself?"
Mu Mian suddenly felt the situation was quite complex.
"Yes, Miao Miao died," Shen Xiyin nodded, "But she died of illness a few years ago. Aunt was deeply shocked and felt very guilty, thinking she hadn\'t taken good care of her daughter. This has also accelerated her condition."
"That\'s so sad! She must have loved her daughter very much." Mu Mian envied this Miao Miao. If she died, Jiang Yun probably wouldn\'t even buy her an urn, let alone remember her.
But her sister would buy her the most beautiful and expensive urn, and choose the most scenic cemetery for her. Thinking of this, Mu Mian didn\'t envy Miao Miao as much anymore, because Miao Miao had died so young.
Shen Xiyin sighed, "I thought if we came to keep her company and talk to her, it might improve her condition. I didn\'t expect it would upset her instead. Her condition is getting worse. Last time I visited her, her emotions weren\'t this unstable."
"Then maybe I should come see her alone next time. She seems to like me," Mu Mian suggested.
"Yes, she liked you a lot when you were very little."
"She\'s met me before?" Mu Mian searched her memory. "But I don\'t remember meeting her."
"You were just a baby then. Later, Aunt had a falling out with Dad, and she never came back. Dad also forbade us from mentioning her."
As they were about to leave, the nurse called out to them, "Miss Shen, remember I told you last time about a gentleman who\'s been taking care of your aunt? He\'s here today too. He\'s in the Dean\'s office discussing medical cooperation. Would you like to meet him?"
"I\'ll sit here and wait for him."
Time ticked by slowly. Just as Shen Xiyin was losing patience and about to leave, the person appeared before them.
"Senior Yi Nian? How come you\'re here?" Mu Mian looked surprised to see him. "Weren\'t you missing? I thought you might have been killed by kidnappers."