"Lukang is right, Wife. Let their family spend some time bonding first. We can always invite Meixia over again in a few days." Old Master Jiang nodded.
After all, Jiang Lukang was Qiao Meixia's father. It would naturally be good if Qiao Meixia could develop a proper relationship with her own family first.
"Fine... Fine..." Old Madam Jiang reluctantly agreed. She turned to Qiao Meixia one last time. "You must come visit me whenever you have a spare moment, alright?"
"Yes, Grandma. I will try to visit you often." Qiao Meixia replied with a small, polite nod.
Soon, Jiang Lukang's family departed from the Old Jiang Residence. Qiao Meixia followed them out quietly, moving like a shadow behind them.
"I certainly hope Second Brother-in-law treats his biological daughter better in the future than he did tonight." Qi Meifeng commented suddenly once the front door had closed.
"What do you mean by that, Meifeng?" Yin Xiuying asked, turning toward her sister-in-law with a curious look.
Qi Meifeng then proceeded to recount everything she had witnessed earlier, the coldness, the insults, and the parents' refusal to defend their own blood.
"I think Lukang and Yan have become truly blind. She is their own flesh and blood, after all. How can they be so heartless?" Yin Xiuying said, her brow furrowing deeply.
"That is exactly what I was thinking." Qi Meifeng agreed.
"Well, let us just wait and see how things unfold for now. If they continue to behave this poorly toward Meixia, then I will personally step in myself." Yin Xiuying said, a faint but meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"What exactly do you mean by that, First Sister-in-law?" Qi Meifeng asked, her curiosity piqued by the mysterious look in Yin Xiuying's eyes.
"I might just take Meixia under my wing and make her my own daughter instead." Yin Xiuying said, a playful yet strangely serious grin spreading across her face. "You of all people should know that I have always wanted a daughter very badly. So, having a girl like Meixia as my own does not sound like a bad idea at all."
"I would bet that Second Brother would never allow something like that to actually happen." Qi Meifeng stated with a light, amused laugh, though she knew the underlying tension was real.
"Well, his personal opinion does not really matter much in this particular situation. Meixia's own opinion is the one that truly matters here." Yin Xiuying said calmly, her eyes following the door where the girl had just exited. A faint, knowing smile remained on her face as she continued. "If she ends up having a miserable or terrible experience living with Lukang's family, then she would naturally be much better off staying with a family that genuinely loves and treats her properly, right?"
Qi Meifeng could not help but laugh softly after hearing those bold words. She knew very clearly why Yin Xiuying thought that way, and she understood the longing behind the suggestion.
It was a well-known fact within the family that Yin Xiuying had always desperately wanted to have a daughter of her own to dote on. Unfortunately, after severe and unexpected complications occurred during the difficult birth of her second child, she was told she could no longer become pregnant again. In order to save her life during that critical time, the doctors had no choice but to perform an emergency procedure to remove her uterus.
It was a heartbreaking turn of events for her. If that unfortunate and life-altering accident had never happened back then, Yin Xiuying would definitely have continued trying for another child until she finally achieved her dream of having a daughter. Seeing Qiao Meixia now, so poised and yet so isolated by her own parents, had clearly reawakened that old, dormant maternal desire within her.
***This novel is a work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If it is not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, then it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***