Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
If the Ye and Lu Families went head to head with each other, it’s hard to say who would come out on top. Unfortunately, Ye Shuyun wasn’t going to break the last thread of cordiality for the sake of Lu Qin. At the end of the day, she still treated her brother and niece like family.
Soon, the news of Lu Qin’s divorce became widely known. They were public figures after all. As expected, the news brought a new wave of disillusionment about true love.
The reason for the divorce was not proclaimed as for individual benefits, of course, but because of “personality clashes.” The truth of it could only be left to the public to speculate and surmise.
Meanwhile, a young woman set down a newspaper and picked up a white mug. Her luscious red lips pressed against the brim of it, leaving a faint print.
She set aside the cup. Under the sunlight, she half-closed her pretty eyes with the languor of a regal Persian cat. The smile on her lips was a little cold, however. Even the warm sunlight could not thaw her frozen heart.
Yes, it was about time to make her re-entrance. Things were getting lively in the Sea City, and she wasn’t one to miss out on action.
Far-off, thin streaks of cloud trailed across the azure sky. The climate here was hotter than Sea City. There was a beautiful coastline, though, and the sea breeze often reminded her of home.
…
The thick pink carpet on the floor sucked one’s feet in a sandy beach. A pair of pink, tender little feet was scuttling across it. Above those feet was a child’s pudgy body. Then she fell with a thud and began rolling like a ball, until a hand stopped her momentum and helped her up. By then, she was seeing stars.
Her large eyes were filled with indignation, and her nose turned red. Tears began streaking down her face.
But when she saw the person who helped her up, she broke into a wide teary-eyed smile.
“Mama…” The little girl pressed her face against her mother’s. There was nothing she loved more than her daughter.
Yan Huan wiped Xunxun’s face with her hand, then held her hand.
“Have you memorized the Tang poetry Mama taught you yesterday?”
“Yes,” replied the little girl, marching unsteadily on her short legs with the support of her mother. Xunxun began talking later than most kids, so her vocabulary was very limited.
Learning to speak hasn’t been easy for her, but she was making progress. Luckily, like most kids, she had an excellent memory. Yan Huan had started to teach the kids to recite Tang poetry, just as Madam Yan once did. Yan Huan hasn’t been a good learner as she could remember, but she did have a knack for reciting poetry. Poetry had accompanied her during her entire childhood, and it was one of the things Yan Huan could never forget.
Sometimes, she got the feeling that her mother wasn’t like the rest of the Yan family. Her mother had told her that Gramps and Granny were common folks, but her talents went way beyond common folks.
She was more like a lady from a wealthy family. She knew how to dance, knew how to write with an ink brush, and knew how to play the piano. Despite being so talented, she became a nanny, because she had to raise her daughter.
“Mama…” Xunxun wrapped her arms around Yan Huan’s leg and looked up, confused at why her mother was ignoring her. Had she done a bad job at reciting the poems? She tried her best, though. She really did.
Yan Huan hunkered down and rubbed her daughter’s dainty head gently. Xunxun was just like her when she was little. Luckier, though, since she had a father. Yan Huan never did. She couldn’t even remember what her Dad looked like. Her mother never talked about it. She used to pester her, but that stopped when she saw her crying in secret. Till this day, she had no idea who her father was.
“Mama… What is you… thinking?” asked Xunxun as she nibbled her fingers. She had learned enough words to ask a question.
“I’m thinking about your Lao Lao (Maternal Grandmother),” said Yan Huan, lifting Xunxun up. Xunxun had grown heavier lately. If she put on more weight, Yan Huan might start to have trouble lifting her up. She hadn’t been able to carry Xiao Qiao or Xiao Guang since a long time ago.
“Lao Lao…” Xunxun tilted her head. “Mama. What is Lao Lao?”
“Mhm… Lao Lao is your other granny,” said Yan Huan, explaining it as simply as she could for her daughter to comprehend.
“Granny is home,” said Xunxun in her baby voice. This time she managed to say the whole sentence without pause.”
The granny she was talking about was Ye Shuyun, but the granny Yan Huan had in mind was Madam Yan—the Lao Lao that Xunxun has never met.
The door outside creaked open. Lu Yi walked in holding one boy on each hand. Xiao Qi and Xiao Guang had started attending preschool. Xunxun learned to speak later than them, so she got to stay home to play with her mother.
The boys had become more mature and quiet ever since attending preschool. Sometimes, Yan Huan felt as though they both had old souls.
As members of the Lu Family, that was required of them. When they get
older, they’ll have to protect their family and their little sister.
Lu Yi had been the same.
Yan Huan could not remember what she had been like when she was at this
age, but she was—according to her mother—a very good girl. Otherwise,
her mother would have had a hard time raising her as a single mother.
Yan Huan set her daughter down. Xunxun ran to her father and demanded to be carried, then began to recite her newly-memorized poems proudly. She wasn’t eloquent, but her pronunciation was clear and understandable.
Yan Huan bought the boys to wash their hands. Hand in hand, the two looked like a pair of submissive old men.
Sometimes, when Yan Huan’s bored, she would play with the boys and pinch them on the cheeks. The boys protested whenever their granny touched their faces, but Mama was okay. Because Mama was Mama.
When the boys were done washing their hands, she gave each of them a pat on the head.
“Go get ready for dinner.”
The boys dashed out of the kitchen. When Yan Huan served the dishes to the dining table, Lu Yi and the kids were all properly seated.
