Chapter 251: Paper Cut Art

"Go back."

Jiang Yunchu nodded; she was also a bit tired today, too many things had happened, her mind felt dazed and swollen, as if it needed time to digest.

The people in the courtyard, those who should leave have left; Du er took down all the gift boxes from the tree, placed them on the table, and also withdrew from the Rhyme Courtyard.

Apart from the four senior maids, only the hidden guards concealed in the dark remained; the Rhyme Courtyard, which had just been lively, fell into silence.

"When did you start preparing for this? I haven't noticed anything these past few days." Jiang Yunchu sighed, then turned to look at Zi Su on the side.

Managing the household has always been Zi Su's responsibility; this matter certainly had her approval, otherwise there wouldn't be so many people or such a grand display.

Zi Su smiled and said, "It's already been over ten days."

"The Young Master asked about your birthday last year, and the two children have been discussing it for a long time, always preparing."

"And..."

Zi Su couldn't help laughing, looking at Jiang Yunchu's expression, and said, "They were afraid you'd find out, so every time they prepared, they had me watch over you, or when you left the manor, they'd tell me and I'd come over to arrange things."

Hearing Zi Su's words, Jiang Yunchu finally realized that for this surprise, so many people had put in a lot of effort and care.

What moved her was not the final effect, but the children's efforts and the cooperation of those elders.

These are what are most touching.

"How thoughtful." A thousand words surged in her heart, but they all condensed into just this sentence.

When she pushed open the door, she saw the room filled with flower petals on the floor and many paper cuttings pasted on the walls…

The room's plain bed curtains had now been changed to deep red; the floor was covered with multicolored fresh flower petals.

She stood rooted in place, staring at everything before her, which felt so unfamiliar.

Such a strong person, suddenly froze there; her mind went blank—not because she didn't know how to react, but because she had never imagined how to react.

Dazed, her mind was a blank expanse; her gaze swept over the bed, the floor, the curtains, the walls covered in deep-red paper cuttings, and the faint floral scent.

"Master?" Bai Zhi called out.

Zi Su didn't even have time to pull her back before she blurted it out.

Jiang Yunchu closed her eyes and said, "You all go out first and close the door."

"Yes!" Zi Su grabbed the now-dazed Bai Zhi and hurried out, just outside the door.

She could see the master just standing there, saying nothing and making no move.

Yes, she didn't move.

She thought the birthday had already passed outside, but she never expected such a big surprise inside the room.

Having been an orphan since childhood, this was her first birthday in this life and the last; such a strong person, at this moment her eyes filled with tears—not from sorrow or sadness, but from an overwhelming surge of emotion that needed an outlet.

Although her eyes were sore, the corners of her mouth had never drooped.

"These few children."

For a long time…

She finally uttered these simple five words—not because she was overreacting to the surprise, but because no words could calm the turmoil in her heart.

After calming her violently beating heart, she carefully stepped onto the floor, trying to avoid the flower petals, step by step, until she reached the wall.

Starting from the first paper cutting, it depicts a paper cutting of a bridal sedan, a woman, with a brazier under her feet, and not far away on the wall's edge, two children are crouched.

Beneath it is a red slip of paper, written in small brush characters, not lengthy.

"Mother, this is the first time the three of us have met; back then I was thinking, I don't want any foolish woman to be my mother—not you, nor anyone else."

"Pfft"—Jiang Yunchu couldn't hold back; her earlier excitement had now turned to calm as she extended a fair finger and lightly touched the paper—needless to say, there was a faint resemblance in their brows and eyes.

This certainly wasn't something those little rascals could pull off, and I don't know who they asked for help.

She slowly shifted her steps to stand before the second paper cutting: it shows a woman holding two children in her arms…

The two children were wrapped in blankets; only the woman, soaked in wet clothes, her hair still dripping with water.

"Mother, the thunder's roar no longer frightens me, the cold of the rain doesn't either, because of that warm blanket—or perhaps that embrace gives me such a sense of security that I forget the rainy night when I was once bound."

Seeing this, her nose tingled—Ning Hanmo, she never taught them to be expressive!

Thinking of that boy who wrapped himself in the blanket, letting no one come near, all his past experiences seemed like a dream, etched in her heart as her most precious memory.

She moved her feet to the third paper cutting, which shows a dining table with a woman handing over a bowl; beside her is a reliant little girl, while a boy clutches his stomach, looking eager to get up and leave.

"Back then I thought, how could there be such a vicious person in the world, actually giving children laxatives—forgetting that the laxative was what I had prepared—but even now I wonder, Mother, how did you manage it?"

Jiang Yunchu gave a light laugh, the sound rising from her chest; the recent emotion had faded, and now her feelings were stirred by the paper cuttings and notes on the wall.

The fourth paper cutting bears five characters: Western Suburb Racecourse.

A woman leads the charge on horseback, standing at the very front, with several children and a crowd behind her…

The paper cuttings are limited in what they can express, not entirely thorough, but she has already made out the scene.

"Mother, back then I was afraid; any trouble I caused outside was my own fault—I'd get into fights outside, act like a spoiled rich kid—but for the first time someone shielded me from behind, asking no reason, no right or wrong, standing firmly before me, and I thought, if I must have someone as my mother, it would be you."

Her brows curved; her heart was unsettled as she watched the children open their hearts, recounting how they'd come step by step, gazing at the walls covered in paper cuttings and the rows of red notes.

Her delicate white fingers traced over them carefully, her eyes full of gentleness.

She carefully gathered the paper cuttings and notes, storing them in her own space—if it weren't for the flower petals being too conspicuous, or if they weren't hard to collect, she wouldn't want to miss a single petal on the floor.

After finishing, she sat on the stool, gazing at the room's light sheer curtains, and gently curled her lips.

That night she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

"Master? Are you getting up for a nighttime visit?" As Jiang Yunchu's side just rose, Zi Su, from the side of the couch, also sat up.

"Go to sleep; I won't leave the manor, I'm heading to the study."

Today's shock was simply too great, preventing her from sleeping peacefully.