“Still, the adults are trying to have a proper conversation here. A thoughtless girl like you is in no position to meddle with our affairs. You would do well to show your grandmother some respect and behave. She was the one who brought you up, after all.”
The couple piped up one after the other and taunted Xu Xuan.
Their words sent Grandma Xuflying into a rage. Her breaths turned heavy and labored, but she was determined to scold them.
“Stop talking to her like that! Xuanxuan is much more sensible than the two of you combined! Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You want to anger me to death, don’t you? Leave this place and get as far away as possible!”
Xu Hong wasGrandma Xu’s youngest daughter. She lived just a couple of kilometers from this house, but she hardly paid her mother a visit ever since she marriedLiu Zhi. It was as thoughGrandma Xuno longer existed.
She would occasionally drop by during New Year, and even then, her sole purpose was to take a few things from the house.
And yet, each time Xu HongandLiu Zhicame to see her, the poor old woman would always hope that they had turned over a new leaf and would start acting on their filial duties. Sadly, the couple only got worse with every visit.
Grandma Xu’s mood plunged into the depths of misery.
While she had indeed brought up Xu Xuan, the girl had to take on the responsibilities very early in life.
When Grandma Xufell ill,Xu Xuansingle-handedly took care of their expenses and worked long hours to support them
Xu Xuan had suffered a lot, andGrandma Xuoften blamed herself for failing to give her granddaughter a fulfilling life.
It was understandable, then, for her to be livid when her shameless daughter and son-in-law belittled and insulted Xu Xuanright in front of her.
To their credit, Xu HongandLiu Zhifelt a brief moment of shame after receiving the old woman’s scolding.
Even so, they refused to leave.
Xu Hong swallowed the curse that threatened to spill out of her mouth and plastered a smile on her face. “Mom, listen to yourself. I am her elder, so it’s only right that I educate her. I don’t want Xu Xuan to stray into the wrong path. You must stop coddling her like this, or she will turn into a spoiled young woman.”
Liu Zhi nodded in earnest. “That’s right, Mom. You can’t spoil her for the rest of her life.”
Grandma Xu let out a derisive bark of laughter. “You do have a point. It was my mistake! It was because I’ve been too softhearted and went easy on you that you grew into the horrible person that you are now!”
Xu Hong grimaced. She never thought her own mother would humiliate her like this, and in front ofXu Xuan, too!
“Mom, I came here today to take care of you. You should stop acting this way, or I just might never come back in the future.”
Grandma Xu heaved a deep sigh and lay back against her pillows. “Tell me, what do you want to take with you this time, huh?”
She wasn’t about to fall for her daughter’s antics again. She knew them all too well.
It had been a long time since Xu Honghad visited, after all. There must be something she wanted.
“Listen, Mom. I came to take you home with me. From now on, Liu Zhiand I will take care of you.
“Given your age, you need someone by your side at all times, or who knows what might happen? My husband and I are worried about you living in this decrepit old house. You will come with us, won’t you?”
The old woman’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
She may have no idea what they were up to now, but she knew for certain that it was no good.
Why else would they suddenly be insistent about something that they had always ignored?
“What about Xuanxuan?” Grandma Xuasked.
Xu Hong rolled her eyes in annoyance, but she quickly smoothed her expression when she saw her mother looking at her. “Xuanxuan has been living with you for so many years. Don’t you think it’s time for her to stay at school and learn how to live in the big world out there?
“Besides, she is currently in her third year of high school, right? This is a critical point in a student’s life. She already studies and works so hard; if she still has to tend to you on top of all that, she might endanger her prospects for a good college education. Won’t you come with us for Xuanxuan’s sake?”
She spun a narrative that seemingly conveyed her concern for Xu Xuan, but in truth, they simply didn’t want to take the girl with them and intended to leave her alone in this house.
Their meaning didn’t escape Grandma Xu, of course, and the old woman fell into a pensive silence.
