Chapter 85: Are We Still Mother And Daughter?
Uncle Ming’s cousin heard Xing Xing’s words, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a flash of panic crossed his face.
He avoided her gaze, looking down at his phone.
Uncle looked at Xing Xing and asked with a frown, “What bracelet?”
“So, you didn’t come to return the bracelet,” Xing Xing murmured softly.
“What are you talking about, it doesn’t make any sense?” Grandma’s face showed some annoyance, and she looked at her daughter, “Ah Hong, what’s wrong with your daughter?”
Zhu Qianhong walked to Xing Xing’s side, put her arm around her shoulder, and said in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
She turned to her mother and said with a smile, “Xing Xing isn’t talking about you.”
Xing Xing stared at her and softly called out, “Mom?”
Zhu Qianhong shook her head at her, her tone full of helplessness, “Can you be more sensible and not make things difficult for me?”
A flicker of disbelief crossed Xing Xing’s eyes.
She opened her mouth, suddenly smiled sadly with lowered eyes, and turned to enter the room.
Pipi quickly followed her into the room.
Seeing this, Auntie showed her dissatisfaction, “Ah Hong, why has Xing Xing become so impolite? She didn’t even greet the elders. Forget about us, why doesn’t she even call Grandma?”
Zhu Qianhong smiled awkwardly and said, “Sister-in-law, Xing Xing might just be in a bad mood today.”
Grandma snorted, “Her wings aren’t even strong yet, and she dares to have such an attitude when she’s in a bad mood. What will she be like when she grows up? Ah Hong, you only have one daughter, you must discipline her well!”
“Mom, I know,” Zhu Qianhong agreed softly.
They were speaking quite loudly, and Xing Xing could hear clearly in the room.
She clenched her fists, slowly closed her eyes, and suddenly felt a great pain.
Pipi sensed her low mood, raised its front paws to paw at her, and barked softly, “Xing Xing, don’t be sad, Pipi is here with you!”
Xing Xing opened her eyes, looked down at Pipi, and reached out to touch its fluffy head, “At least I have you.”
She squatted down and played with Pipi for a while, then got up and walked to the desk, finding a thin layer of dust on the tabletop.
Xing Xing tilted her head up, feeling her eyes grow warm, her cheeks hot, and her heart grow cold.
Not long after, there was a knock on the room door.
Xing Xing sat expressionlessly at the desk.
Grandma’s strong voice came from outside the door, “Xing Xing, it’s almost mealtime, hurry up and come out to help your mother cook.”
Xing Xing opened the room door and glanced at her uncle’s family sitting on the sofa with their legs crossed, eating.
She frowned and asked, “If my mom and I cook, will you wash the dishes after you eat?”
“What kind of talk is that?” Grandma’s face darkened, displeased, “We are elders, why would we be asked to wash dishes?”
A ball of anger was suppressed in Xing Xing’s heart. She kept telling herself not to get angry, but looking at Grandma’s face, she was really furious.
Zhu Qianhong heard the commotion and ran out of the kitchen wearing an apron.
She smiled ingratiatingly at her mother, “Mom, sit down and watch TV, you don’t need to worry about cooking and washing dishes.”
She pulled the old woman to sit down, then looked back at her daughter. The smile on her face disappeared, her brows furrowed, and a hint of unspoken blame was hidden in the depths of her eyes.
Zhu Qianhong sighed and said lightly, “Xing Xing, come with me to the kitchen.”
After hesitating for a moment, Xing Xing lifted her foot and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Clear water flowed out of the faucet with a gurgling sound, washing over each green leaf.
Xing Xing turned her head to watch her mother’s busy figure, pressed her lips together, and asked softly, “Why didn’t you just ask Uncle Ming directly?”
Zhu Qianhong paused her meat-cutting motion and frowned, “If I asked directly, would the relatives still come?”
“What about me?” Xing Xing murmured, “When you asked me directly, did you ever think if we would still be mother and daughter?”
Zhu Qianhong suddenly turned her head to stare at her, her eyes sharp, “What did you say? I was just asking if you took the gold bracelet, what’s the big deal?”
Xing Xing choked out, “You already think I took it, so why can I ask, but Uncle Ming can’t? Every time they come, you have to make a big table of food, and then they leave after eating, and we clean up until midnight, is that interesting?”
As she spoke, crystalline tears burst from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks one by one.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhu Qianhong raised her hand high.
Xing Xing gritted her teeth and raised her tear-streaked face, “Hit me, hit me if you want, anyway, you don’t care if I’m in pain.”
“You…” Zhu Qianhong’s face turned red with anger, and she lowered her voice, “Do you have to make a scene now? I knew I shouldn’t have called you back!”
“Am I an eyesore for coming back?” Xing Xing cried and laughed, “Is it okay if I leave?”
She wiped away her tears, sidestepped, and brushed past her mother’s shoulder to leave the kitchen.
There was laughter and chatter in the living room, and Xing Xing found it utterly ridiculous.
She returned to her room and stuffed her belongings into her backpack.
Glancing at the photo frame on the desk, Xing Xing paused, picked up the frame, and examined it for a few seconds.
This was a photo taken when she was fourteen, and she had pestered her mother to go to the photo studio.
Back then, Uncle’s family hadn’t moved to Yun Jing yet…
Xing Xing bit her lip, hardened her heart, and threw the photo frame into the trash can.
She put on her backpack and walked out of the room, slowing her pace as she passed the kitchen.
She saw Zhu Qianhong with her back to the door, holding a spatula and stir-frying.
Xing Xing felt as if her heart had been ripped out by someone, bleeding, and even breathing hurt.
She forced herself to hold back her tears, opened the front door, and left without looking back.
Pipi was pacing anxiously. It looked at the kitchen, then at Xing Xing’s retreating back, and finally followed Xing Xing without hesitation.
Night fell, and the darkness enveloped the entire city like a giant net.
One person and one dog weaved aimlessly through the hurried pedestrians.
Pipi had no leash, and Xing Xing, afraid of scaring passersby, carried it the whole way.
She felt a bit tired and finally stopped in front of a convenience store.
Xing Xing rubbed Pipi’s head and said softly, “Silly boy, are you hungry? You shouldn’t have come out with me.”
She took out her phone and searched for nearby pet shops, buying a can of food and a leash.
The two sat by the flower bed at the entrance of the pet shop.
Pipi was halfway through eating when it suddenly thought of something, looked up at Xing Xing, and whimpered sadly, “Xing Xing, didn’t you buy anything for yourself?”
Xing Xing, who was lost in thought, came back to her senses and smiled at it, “Why aren’t you eating? Is it not tasty?”
Pipi shook its head and pushed the remaining half can of food in front of her, “It’s delicious, Xing Xing, you eat it!”
Understanding its meaning, Xing Xing’s eyes welled up, and she felt like crying again.
She tilted her head slightly, held back her tears, and reached out to rub the silly dog’s head, “Pipi, you’re so good to me, but I’m not hungry. Pipi, eat it yourself.”
Pipi barked, “Then I’ll save it for you for when you’re hungry.”
A red BMW stopped by the roadside, and Jiang Yuan got out carrying a red plastic bag. Xiao Bai sat inside the bag, its cola-colored head curiously looking around.
