Chapter 140 - 132: A Family

Chapter 140: Chapter 132: A Family

’Good heavens! This mother and daughter are living like young ladies from a wealthy family!’

The jealousy in Liu’s eyes was impossible to hide. She schemed inwardly, ’Once Zhao Lan agrees to move back to the Bai Family and tears up that separation agreement, won’t all this become mine?’ She had been dreaming of owning a vanity and a bronze mirror!

Old Mrs. Bai, on the other hand, looked utterly heartbroken. ’All these things must have cost a fortune,’ she thought. ’And isn’t Zhao Lan’s money my money?’ How could she not be heartbroken?

"Th-this... buying all this must have cost a lot of money, didn’t it?" Old Mrs. Bai asked.

Zhao Lan shook her head. "I don’t know. Brother Hu bought all of this."

Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. ’What? Hu Changlin bought it for them?’

Liu, ever the blabbermouth, blurted out, "It’s good enough that Hu Changlin took you in. Why would he buy you all this for no reason? He must have ulterior motives."

Zhao Lan shot her a sideways glance, her eyes filled with scorn. "When you heartlessly threw Zhi’er and me out, it was Brother Hu who gave us a place to stay. He has never made any improper demands of us."

"There are always people in this world who like to measure the generosity of others with their own petty minds."

Liu was stunned. She truly hadn’t expected the usually quiet and simple Zhao Lan to have such a sharp tongue. ’No wonder Bai Zhi is so eloquent,’ she thought.

Old Mrs. Bai shot Liu a glare, blaming her for her tactless words. ’Zhao Lan hasn’t agreed to return to the Bai Family yet,’ she thought. ’How can we afford to make her unhappy?’

Old Mrs. Bai sidled up to Zhao Lan and grabbed her hand, her wrinkled face plastered with a fake smile. "Ah, Zhao Lan, we’re still family, no matter what. This whole family separation... that was a rash decision. I regretted it the moment you left. You’re still Sanzhu’s wife, after all. And even though Zhi’er isn’t his biological child, she was the precious daughter he doted on most before he died. How could I ever have truly been willing to cast you out? I was just so muddled with anger at the time."

At the mention of Sanzhu, the softest part of Zhao Lan’s heart was struck, and a dull ache began to throb within her.

Seeing the change in Zhao Lan’s expression, Old Mrs. Bai hurried to strike while the iron was hot. "Lan’er, I was wrong in the past. As a mother, I wronged you and Zhi’er. It won’t happen again. I’ve thought it through now. You’ve suffered so much in this family over the years. Even if you can’t do heavy labor anymore, it should be us, your Bai family members, who take care of you. The Bai Family is your real home."

The hurt in Zhao Lan’s eyes gradually faded. She didn’t want to look at Old Mrs. Bai’s disgusting, sycophantic face for another second.

"If you had said these words to me before the separation, they might have been useful. Now, don’t you think it’s a little too late?"

Liu quickly chimed in, "How could it be too late? It’s only been a few days since the separation! It’s not late at all. The day you left, Mother and I regretted it immediately. We wanted to come find you right away, but things at home were just such a mess—we still haven’t finished cleaning up! That’s why we were delayed a couple of days."

’I’d have to be a fool to believe a word she says.’

"Is that so? When you came here to cause trouble yesterday, you didn’t seem to be delayed by anything. What’s the matter? Did the ten paddle strikes on your rear ends stop hurting already? Or did you get amnesia like Hu Feng and forget everything that happened yesterday?"

Even with skin as thick as theirs, Liu and Old Mrs. Bai couldn’t help but blush.

Old Mrs. Bai gave a dry laugh. "That’s all in the past, why bring it up? I’m just an old, muddled woman. I got things mixed up for a moment, that’s all. I certainly didn’t mean to frame you."