Bai Xue returned home with a heavy heart. Ye Ling had entered the courtyard earlier in a fit of anger, and when Bai Xue entered the courtyard, she didn't see her, assuming she'd gone inside the house. But when she took out the key and entered the door, she only saw her youngest daughter sitting in the living room reading a book. The door to the East Room was open, and she could see her mother-in-law lying on the bed, facing away from her and towards the daughter in the living room. To Bai Xue's left was the bathroom, and to her right was the kitchen.
She glanced into the kitchen and didn't see her eldest daughter's figure either. Confused, she took off the dark green military bag slung across her body and placed it on the bed frame before sitting across from her youngest daughter.
"Where's your sister?" Bai Xue asked in a low voice.
The folding bed is usually taken out at night and put away on the balcony during the day, so the living room doesn't change much. With someone living in the East Room now, Ye Qian usually reads and does homework at the table in the living room.
Ye Qian didn't show the usual happy smile when her mother returned. She only looked up when someone came in, and now she lifted her head when she heard her mother's question. "Weren't you out with her? Why are you asking me where she is?"
Hearing this, Bai Xue understood that her youngest daughter was upset.
Bai Xue glanced back at the East Room and then whispered, "Did your grandma say something to you?"
Her youngest daughter had a good temperament, and no one had ever seen her angry.
Ye Qian pouted, put away the pen she was holding, and then put it in the pencil case before raising her head and saying with purse lips, "Mom, does grandma not like me? After you both left, I wanted to chat with her, but she said she was tired and went to sleep."
Ye Qian, who had always been liked by everyone, was facing coldness for the first time. She didn't think much of it when her father was around, but now that he had gone to the company, she was starting to find grandma's demeanor ice-cold.
Bai Xue sighed with relief, playfully touched her daughter's nose, "Silly girl, who wouldn't like you as adorable as you are? Your grandma just has that kind of personality, don't take it to heart. What do you want to eat tonight?"
These days, every household had poor conditions, eating only two meals a day, and combining lunch and dinner, usually around two o'clock.
Ye Qian wasn't in a rush to say what she wanted to eat but instead asked, "Mom, didn't you go out with my sister? How come you returned before her?"
"Don't worry about her, she's out playing in the courtyard." She's grown, and there's no concern of losing her, especially since she saw her enter the courtyard.
Bai Xue relaxed upon realizing her eldest daughter hadn't returned first.
Ye Qian saw her mother upset and softly advised, "Mom, sister hasn't been with you these years. Even if she makes you unhappy, try not to take it to heart. Sister has had a hard time; anyone who grew up without their parents would feel hurt inside."
"Alright, you don't have to advise me. Mom is old enough to understand things. If your sister were good enough, she's a child from my womb; how could I mistreat her?"
But look at that attitude; it's hard for her to be liked.
Bai Xue didn't want to say this in front of her youngest daughter.
Ye Qian saw her mother wasn't listening, so she stopped talking, stood up, "I'll go look for sister. Let's have noodle soup tonight; it's warm."
"You little girl, everyone buys white flour by the pound now. You make it sound easy; you think noodle soup isn't a fancy dish, but how many pounds of flour can you eat in a year?" Bai Xue spoke this way, but there wasn't the slightest hint of displeasure on her face, "Alright, come back early."
Ye Qian smiled and nodded.
After watching her daughter reach the door, Bai Xue remembered to ask, "By the way, has Aunt Wu come over? I ran into Liu Rui this morning, and she said Aunt Wu was coming."
"She hasn't been here." Ye Qian's cheerful demeanor faded a bit upon hearing Liu Rui's name, but she quickly returned to normal, not letting anyone notice. "Mom, I'm going out to find sister."
Only then did she leave the house.
Though Ye Ling knew her parents were like this, she couldn't help but feel stifled inside. So once she returned to the courtyard, she didn't go home and instead walked alone towards the small woods. It was already cold in the middle of winter, and with barely three days until the New Year, the company courtyard seemed no different from usual. After all, it was a large courtyard built by a major company. Especially during the New Year, most people celebrate at the company rather than at home, so it was particularly deserted.
Ye Ling tightened the clothes around her. As the cold wind blew through, she began to regret coming here in a fit of anger. How much warmer it would've been staying home in such a cold winter.
But when she saw the figure approaching from the opposite direction, Ye Ling regretted even more. Her next reflex was to turn and leave, having once been infatuated with Liu Zhiyuan in her past life, leading to such a miserable life. In this life, she wanted nothing to do with Liu Zhiyuan, nor with anyone from the courtyard. She wanted to strive for her new life.
As for the courtyard, she just needed to wait until her father retired from the army.
Facing Liu Zhiyuan, who was holding newly glued sparrows and heading home, she lifted her head and noticed Ye Ling turning to leave upon seeing him. "Ye Ling, stop right there," he called after her.
However, the person in front paid no attention, continuing to walk forward briskly. She turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Liu Zhiyuan initially had nothing specifically to say to Ye Ling as they weren't acquainted. Yet seeing the person avoiding him upon noticing him, he instinctively called out. However, the person ignored him, leaving him feeling frustrated; no girl in the courtyard had ever dodged him before.
Ye Ling, who walked briskly back, bumped into Ye Qian who was coming to look for her, almost colliding.
"Sister?" Ye Qian was puzzled about why her sister seemed so hurried, only to see her sister walk past her.
She didn't even acknowledge her.
Ye Qian was confused, then heard footsteps behind her. She turned to look and waited a moment, seeing Liu Zhiyuan walking out. Connecting this to her sister's hurried exit and noticing Liu Zhiyuan without company, she couldn't help but think more.
"Brother Zhiyuan, are you and my sister alright?"
[I've been busy taking care of my child, also getting injections, finally saw your rewards, thank you all, once the child is well, will update more...]