Novel Lived
Chapter 209: Unconventional Means
Chapter 209
The Little Girl walked up to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
A Woman carrying a basket had come to shop for groceries, but she had been standing there for so long that her legs had gone numb. Yet she still couldn't bear to leave.
Seeing the sweet and endearing image of the Little Girl on the screen, she suddenly burst into tears.
"Waaah... my daughter, Mother is so sorry. I was too weak; I didn't protect you then."
"I should have fought them to the death..."
"I'm sorry, it was Mother's fault. I shouldn't have given up on you just because you were a girl. Mother was wrong, so very wrong!"
Like this Woman, there were tens of thousands of women across the world who felt the same regret and remorse.
Due to their own weakness, they had been forced to accept their husbands and mothers-in-law drowning or giving away the daughters they had painstakingly given birth to.
After seeing how filial and obedient this girl was, it was as if they had swallowed ten tons of bitter herbs, their regret turning their guts green.
Among these tens of thousands of remorseful women were commoners and noblewomen alike. Even the Imperial Concubines in the palace who had lost daughters were no exception.
"Waaah, my daughter, if she hadn't died from smallpox, she would be this big now."
"Perhaps she would have been just as sweet and lovable. How am I supposed to go on living within these endless palace walls?"
Hearing this Imperial Concubine's cries, the other concubines came to console her softly.
Only Gu Qingrou turned away expressionlessly.
When she quickly boarded her phoenix carriage, the tears she had been holding back flowed like a bursting dam.
Her heart was a tumultuous sea of regret, self-blame, and intense self-loathing.
Why hadn't she fought harder to keep her daughter back then?
Had she been possessed by some evil spirit?
No, deep down she knew the truth.
She had been singlemindedly focused on becoming Empress. If she could give birth to the Emperor's first son after his ascension to the throne, her position as Empress would be secure!
But the Imperial Physician had said she was carrying a daughter, and the fetus was weak, unlikely to survive.
At that time, she had thought, between a daughter and the position of Empress, she had to keep one of them. So she... she had...
Thinking of the past, Gu Qingrou's regret surged forth uncontrollably. Her low, choked sobs were heard outside, and her personal Palace Maid asked worriedly:
"Is my lady feeling unwell? Should we summon the Imperial Physician?"
After a long while, Gu Qingrou's hoarse voice came from inside: "No need."
By the time the phoenix carriage returned to the palace, Gu Qingrou had composed herself and stepped out looking normal.
"Leave me. I wish to be alone."
After dismissing all the palace servants, Gu Qingrou suddenly seemed drained of all strength, collapsing onto the cold marble floor.
She looked around the empty palace.
Closing her eyes.
She laughed, self-mockingly and helplessly: "What have I really gained?"
"I lost a daughter, and even this position as Empress is unstable."
"I lost my daughter, yet I can't even cry openly. My heart aches."
"If... if it were in the future, I would never give up my daughter."
"Child, Mother is so sorry,"
"Mother's current state is what I deserve, it's what I owe you..."
"Ding!"
"Connection established!"
Hearing the sudden emotionless, cold, and eerie mechanical voice, Gu Qingrou tried to wipe away her tears, but it was too late.
Gu Sang's face appeared in the empty space before her.
Gu Sang had already returned home and was raising an eyebrow at the current state of Gu Qingrou.
Her face was covered in tears, looking utterly unattractive. She had even cried out snot bubbles, a far cry from the usual beautifully crying Gu Qingrou.
Gu Sang didn't speak, but Gu Qingrou calmly wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief.
Her eyes were lifeless and empty as she spoke, seemingly asking herself or seeking an answer:
"Gu Sang."
"Do all parents in the future love their children this much? Do all men in the future cook?"
Gu Sang replied: "Nothing is absolute. You've watched so many livestreams, you've seen that even in the future, there are still some people who favor boys over girls."
"There are still bad men in the future, scumbags, not-so-good ones. You've seen all of this in the livestreams."
"However, the general trend is that parents in the future have accepted modern ideas and are willing to change."
"Parents change one generation, and then our generation continues to change. Changing mindsets is a gradual process that requires the efforts of several generations."
"As for men cooking, it's not absolute either. It's just that most men of the new generation know how to cook and do housework. How one lives their life is a personal choice and depends on one's perspective and wisdom in life."
"The kind of man you meet depends on how much you love yourself and how much you think you're worth."
People tend to bully the weak and fear the strong.
If you have no bottom line,
The men you meet will also have no bottom line with you.
Your personality, abilities, and how you handle things will determine the results you get. If you're decisive and brave, scumbags won't even have the chance to hurt you.
If you're weak and incapable, even marrying into a noble family won't protect you from being bullied.
As Gu Qingrou listened, she suddenly smiled bitterly and thought to herself: "Gu Sang, tell me the truth, Pei Changying, he wasn't really your choice, was he?"
"Don't you have any feelings for him at all? Is it all just using him?"
Gu Qingrou wanted to ask this question so badly. Ever since Gu Sang started livestreaming, she had been wanting to ask.
When she realized she had spoken her thoughts out loud and Gu Sang had heard them, it was too late to take them back. She could only stare intently at Gu Sang.
"No, he wasn't my choice."
"He was the system's choice. I never had any feelings for him."
"Gu Qingrou, in our future, girls can play with boys from a young age. We have male classmates and even deskmates in elementary and middle school."
"I've met many boys, experienced many things, felt what true acceptance and love are. Pei Changying's hypocritical lies sound ridiculous to me."
"I didn't expose him, and even agreed to help him, because in my view, it was just a mutually beneficial cooperation."
"He uses me to become Emperor, I use him to return to modern times to see my Grandmother."
"I just didn't expect Pei Changying to be so useless, needing me to help him accomplish everything."
"Pei Changying, that kind of person is very selfish."
"Gu Qingrou, to be honest, for someone like you who's so obsessed with love that you'd do anything, I really don't even want to say a word."