Ye Ling closed the door and saw her grandmother sitting with her back to the door, sulking, and walked over.
"Gran, we don't care about that; I've had enough of our family's eggs." Ye Ling tugged on her grandmother's arm, acting coquettish.
Old Mrs. Ye sighed, "Do you think I'm the type of person to be petty? I'm upset about how biased your mom is. She hasn't been by your side all these years, and now that you're finally back, she's still so obvious about it. How can someone be so partial to their own flesh and blood?"
Turning around, Old Mrs. Ye patted her granddaughter. The wrinkles on her face deepened, "Gran just feels sorry for you."
Her granddaughter suddenly becoming so understanding made her heart ache even more.
Ye Ling leaned her head on her grandmother's shoulder, "Gran, with you taking such good care of me, what else is there to worry about? No one in this world is as happy as I am to have such a wonderful grandmother."
"Silly child, how many more years do you think I have left to stay with you? In the end, it will be your parents who will be by your side for a long time. If Gran were to just leave like that, how could I be at ease?"
Her grandmother had worried about this before she passed away in her previous life, and Ye Ling certainly understood that.
Her heart feeling bittersweet, she hugged her grandmother tightly, "Gran, you can't just leave me alone. You have to at least see me have a child."
"You little girl, Gran can't live that long." Old Mrs. Ye was amused by her granddaughter but seriously thought about the issue of children, "In the old days, someone your age would already have kids, but since New China, women's status has risen, which is a good thing. Having children too early isn't good for the health. But to wait for Gran to help you take care of them, I fear I might not live that long."
"Gran will definitely live long enough, I'll always be by your side."
"Silly child." Old Mrs. Ye smiled and tapped her granddaughter's head.
The two, grandmother and granddaughter, were happy, and outside Bai Xue pushed the door open and came in, "Mom, should I bring in the egg water or drink it outside?"
Given what just happened, Bai Xue knew she had upset her mother-in-law.
So, as Bai Xue spoke, she was very cautious.
Old Mrs. Ye could easily see through it; still, she didn't give a pleasant expression, intending to raise her granddaughter's spirits, "Didn't Lingzi say she doesn't like to drink it? What? You didn't hear that just now outside?"
Bai Xue's face froze, "Mom, it's all made now; why don't I just bring it in to drink today? It'd be such a waste otherwise."
"No need." Old Mrs. Ye insisted.
Bai Xue knew her mother-in-law seemed amiable, but once she made up her mind, she wouldn't change. She laughed twice and then withdrew.
Once the door was shut, Old Mrs. Ye's face darkened, "It's not like we desperately need that one bite to eat. It's freshly made, why pretend we don't know. Now she comes over asking us to drink it; if we truly did, I wouldn't have the face to stay here."
"Alright, alright, let's not be upset." Ye Ling consoled, "We'll leave after New Year's anyway, and I need to study for the entrance exams again; I want to review well."
Even though it's just a few days in this life, for Ye Ling, it's like two lifetimes without touching books, and she needs to review well, her wish in this life being to perform excellently on the college entrance exam.
"Reviewing is important; we'll head back after the holiday." Old Mrs. Ye wasn't used to city life, and seeing her daughter-in-law's behavior today made her even more unwilling to stay longer.
Besides, it was all for her granddaughter's sake.
Outside, the sounds of Ye Qian's cries had also stopped. Half an hour later, Ye He Ping opened the door to say breakfast was ready, so grandmother and granddaughter went out. Breakfast was buns and white porridge, along with the leftovers from yesterday.
At the dining table, Ye He Ping explained the morning's situation, "Mom, this morning Bai Xue first took the egg water to Ye Qian purely out of habit, without thinking much about it, plus Ye Qian was in the living room."
"I didn't say anything, so what?" Old Mrs. Ye glanced sideways at her daughter-in-law.
Bai Xue's expression froze, "He Ping, what nonsense are you spouting, making Mom misunderstand? Mom wasn't upset with me this morning in the first place."
Receiving a subtle signal from his wife, Ye He Ping realized his mistake and gave an awkward chuckle, "Look at me, worrying about heading back to the company today, thinking you and your mother-in-law might have issues. Since there isn't, that's good. Let's eat, let's eat."
Ye Qian, being a little playful, said to Old Mrs. Ye, "Grandma, it's just me being spoiled, that's why Mom gave it to me first."
Bai Xue felt comforted seeing her younger daughter so attentive, yet seeing her elder daughter silently eat, she felt a weight on her heart.
"Alright, alright." Old Mrs. Ye put down her chopsticks, "I've had enough, you all continue eating. Since He Ping is going to the company today, Bai Xue, take Lingzi to the market to buy a set of clothes. Lingzi's always been wearing Ye Qian's hand-me-downs, and with the New Year coming, as parents, you should at least get her something new."
"Mom, I was planning on going to the market today. Why don't you come too? I was thinking of getting you some clothes as well. You should try them on." Bai Xue quickly responded with a smile.
Old Mrs. Ye replied flatly, "I'm already neck-deep in dirt; what's the point of new clothes? You go on. I don't fancy such outings with my old arms and legs."
Bai Xue looked to her husband for support.
Ye He Ping nodded, so Bai Xue agreed, "Alright, I'll take Lingzi, and let Qianqian stay home with you."
Old Mrs. Ye made no reply as she got up and returned to her room, which was as good as consent.
Ye Ling, however, quirked a brow, finding it truly rare. Such a good thing as buying clothes without taking Ye Qian but only her, Ye Ling couldn't help but suspect it was too good to be true.
Once outside without others present, Bai Xue couldn't help but express her displeasure, "You child, why didn't you try to persuade your grandma earlier and let her misunderstand your mom?"
Ye Ling followed her mother in silence without responding. In her previous life, she had tried all she could to win her mother's affection, but what did it earn her?
In this life, with an opportunity before her, Ye Ling had no wish to act, seeing as it was pointless anyhow.
Bai Xue turned to see her elder daughter still quiet, a weight in her heart, and turned angrily, walking briskly ahead, only smiling when seeing someone approaching.
"Hello, Aunt Bai." Jiang Yan and a few kids happened to walk in from outside the courtyard, greeting her.