Chapter 6 — The Shadow Doesn't Exist

Then, she softly asked: "Why is Linh Nhi still so young?" Her father's face immediately turned pale. Mother raised her head to look at him, her eyes were empty: "Isn't he already an adult?" "He's almost married, doesn't he know how to ride a horse, drink wine, pick flowers?" "Why are his shoes still so small?" No one answered. Mother suddenly burst out laughing. Laughing for a moment, tears streamed down his face. She grabbed her father's sleeve: "Tell me." "Have you guys been lying to me all these years?" Father's lips trembled. The brother's eyes turned red and he knelt down: "Mother." "Linh Nhi is really gone." Mother seemed to be hit by those words. She took a step back, knocking over the silver bell on the table. A jingling sound rang out. The whole hospital was plunged into deathly silence. I suddenly remembered when I was seven years old. I said my sister had passed away, so my mother slapped me. Now, the same sentence finally came out from the prefect's mouth. At the moment the truth was completely exposed before our eyes. She no longer had the strength to hit people. She suddenly turned around and ran out. My heart was tense, I immediately chased after him. She ran all the way to the pond in the backyard. That is where Linh Nhi fell into the water in the past and was carried back by people. Mother stood on the edge of the pond and said in a low voice: "Linh Nhi, mother remembers." When I rushed forward, Tieu Triet was one step faster, holding his mother's wrist. The mother did not struggle. She just looked at the water. Tears fell drop by drop. "That day was so cold." She said. "I hugged it, its whole body was covered in water." "No matter what I did, I couldn't warm it." Her father knelt behind her, chokingly said: "Ah Uyen, it was me." "I was afraid that you would go crazy, afraid that you wouldn't be able to continue living, so I lied to you." "I said that Linh Nhi had gone to her grandfather's house, said that she was playful, said that she had grown up." "But I forgot about Ninh Nhi." He turned his head. looked at me, his eyes filled with regret. "We all forgot about Ninh Nhi." The brother also knelt down. "Mother, all these years Ninh Nhi has been waiting." "Waiting for someone to look at you once." Mother slowly turned her head. She looked at me. Those eyes were still blurred at first, then gradually crumbled. It's like the fog that has been covering for more than ten years is finally blown away by the wind. She reached out and touched my face. Her fingertips were cold. "Ninh Nhi." She called me. Just call me. Linh Nhi is no longer mentioned. My throat suddenly felt extremely sour. Mother hugged me, crying until she could barely breathe: "Mother, I'm sorry for you." "Mother, you left me alone for so many years." I didn't say it was okay. Because there are wounds that cannot be erased with just an apology. But I still raised my hand and gently patted her back. After that day, mother personally closed Linh Nhi's hospital. She no longer said that Linh Nhi had gone outside the city to ride a horse. No more bringing fresh fruit into that room. She placed silver bells, embroidered shoes and small wooden horses in a box. Then bring them to the small tomb outside the city. That tomb is very small. So small that it doesn't look like it's burying a person. It's like burying the Gu family's lie that lasted for more than ten years. The mother knelt before the grave, crying until her voice was hoarse. I knelt beside her. She held my hand and said over and over again: "Ninh Nhi, from now on, mother will only love you." I didn't immediately believe it. But I also did not withdraw my hand. When he returned to the palace, the rumors in the capital became increasingly fierce. Some people say the Co family hid their daughter. Some people say I forced my mother to go crazy. There are also people who say that Ta Quan was harmed by me to the point of vomiting blood. As soon as I got off the carriage, I saw Ta Quan standing in front of the Co Palace door. He lost a lot of weight. The clothes you wear become baggy. When he saw me, his eyes

lit up for a moment, then quickly darkened. "Ninh Nhi." His voice was hoarse. "I didn't come to beg you today." I said nothing. He turned around, facing the crowd gathered around to watch. Then he openly said: "I was rude when I sought marriage at the banquet." "I was shameless when I was clinging to Miss Co." "Miss Co has never betrayed me." "I am not worthy of you." The crowd gradually quieted down. Some people still want to inquire about the second lady of the Co family. But Ta Quan spoke first: "Private matters within the Co family's family, you don't need to discuss casually." "If because of my temporary wild actions, it damages Miss Co's reputation." "The guilt is all my own." He turned his head to look at me, his eyes red. "Doing this, can we give her back some innocence?" I looked at Ta Quan. After saying those words, his whole body seemed to have been drained of all its strength. But he still stood very straight. It's like finally learning a little bit of dignity. It's just too late. I said softly: "Ta Quan, you don't need to keep doing these things." His face turned a little whiter. I said: "What you owe me is not an apology, nor is it a correction of your reputation."