461 Rightful Owner (2/2)
”Stop repeating yourself!” Xin Zimen tsked at her while he rubbed her head. ”Silly lass, the rightful owner is right here. Why should I pass it to anyone else?”
”I'm not the right-”
Xin Zimen intercepted her words, ”Wen Ai meant to pass down this pendant to our daughter.” Ying's eyes widened at him. ”It's a family heirloom of Wen Clan. All firstborn daughters received it. It wasn't for her daughter-in-law. It was for her daughter. And since she always loved you like her own daughter, she passed it to you.”
”Why would she...?” Ying couldn't understand it.
”Wasn't my wife your godmother?” questioned Xin Zimen and Ying could only nod in reply. ”Then why couldn't she pass it to you?” He took a pause before continuing, ”Do you know what those two interlocked rings represent?”
Ying shook her head back and forth.
”Xiao Ai once told me the history of it... She said when her grandmother gave it to her mother, she said, the rings represent how our personal wishes overlap with our responsibilities. But it never means we need to give up on one.”
Ying had a look of appreciation and admiration as she heard those words. In other words, he meant that we can't free the one ring from the other because if we did, one of the two would break. So, we need to learn to balance between those two.
”But when her mother passed it down to her, she said, the rings were like a relationship of a husband and wife. There always comes a time when two clashes together.”
Ying could only agree again. If a husband and wife are a part of each other than the clashes are unavoidable. Nobody's perfect but it's the fact how your imperfect self is willing to accept another imperfect person to build a perfect life together.
”Now my question is, what did Wen Ai tell you when she gave it to you?”
Ying fell into deep thought. She was only ten, the memory wasn't clear but she could vaguely remember something. ”She said life and death are like these interlocked rings. Death brings us the fear of losing something as precious as life but at the same time, it allows us to value that precious life as well. She said, she never thought it'd take death to make her realize how precious life is.” Ying took a pause before adding, ”I think she was talking about...”
”You don't have to say the name. I know what she meant by that.” He took the pendant and placed it back in her hands. ”It's yours. Don't always give what is yours to others.”
”Xiaoli wasn't mine,” she replied.
”That's why I'm okay with you giving him up so easily. But this pendant connects you to my wife. Just for Xiaoli, you can't forget what status you hold in this house. And you can't give up that status just for anyone! It's rightfully yours because your godmother gave it to you.”