Chapter 13: Mother’s Relatives, Totally Insane
Ge Peiyao, standing nearby, heard Jiang Xinxin’s question and felt heartbroken. She bent down to meet her eye level and said gently, “Xin Xin, why would you think that? You’re so cute; no one would dislike you.”
“If there is, then she has poor judgment.”
Jiang Yueyao looked helpless: “Mom, don’t keep saying that to Xin Xin.”
Jiang Hengzhi smiled: “Mom isn’t wrong. Our family’s Xin Xin is the most beautiful and cute little girl in the world.”
Bai Wenyin and her daughter had no right to dislike her.
Jiang Xinxin was praised until her small face flushed red, and she shyly covered her face with the flower: “Oh, you’re making Xin Xin shy!”
While they talked, the black sedan slowly drove in.
Jiang Xinxin happily bounced: “Uncle and Sister are here!”
Jiang Hengzhi and Ge Peiyao instinctively looked toward the black sedan that was slowly coming to a stop.
Jiang Hengzhi straightened his back, Ge Peiyao unconsciously smoothed her skirt, which had no wrinkles at all, and the gaze falling on the black sedan carried a hint of tension and anticipation that she herself didn’t notice.
Jiang Yueyao silently observed their reactions, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, sharp fingertips piercing into her palms, the slight sting keeping her rational.
The door of the black sedan was pushed open.
Jiang Lixuan, getting out of the car, saw the people standing in the doorway and let out a “yo,” one hand resting on the car door as he raised an eyebrow and said casually, “Mom, Second Brother, little sister, Xin Xin, did you come specially to welcome me?”
“Cut the nonsense.” Ge Peiyao chided: “Where is she?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the door on the other side suddenly opened.
Accompanied by a “hey-ho” sound, a child appeared in her sight: wearing worn-out gray cloth clothes, with two messy sheep-horn braids, fair skin, a pair of lively round eyes, and a delicate and pretty appearance.
When she saw this little girl, Ge Peiyao’s vision blurred for a moment, as if she saw Bai Wenyin as a child, before she had gone missing.
The resentment she had originally felt toward Bai Wenyin in her heart instantly dissipated a bit.
Jiang Hengzhi was also a bit stunned. This girl looked too much like Bai Wenyin when she was little; she was practically her spitting image.
His originally cold expression softened slightly.
Jiang Yueyao, noticing all this, almost couldn’t maintain the smile on her face. It was like this again!
Whenever there was Bai Wenyin, or anyone or anything related to Bai Wenyin, they would become like this, absent-minded.
They clearly said they disliked her so much, had clearly driven her out of the house, and had declared they would cut ties with her, so why did they react so strongly to her affairs?!
While they were observing Nan Yuanman, Nan Yuanman was also sizing them up.
From their facial physiognomy, she could tell that among these three adults, two had blood karma relations with her, while the pretty auntie and the good-looking little girl did not.
Nan Yuanman tilted her head slightly and asked, “Are you my mom’s relatives?”
Ge Peiyao came back to her senses and frowned slightly at her question: “How do you talk? I’m your grandmother. Didn’t your mom tell you?”
“And where’s your mom? Why hasn’t she come down yet? What, does she need me to invite her personally before she’ll come down?”
Jiang Lixuan heard Ge Peiyao’s words, and his expression became somewhat subtle.
Jiang Yueyao didn’t notice his expression and reached out to support Ge Peiyao, her brows and eyes carrying a bit of melancholy: “Mom, don’t say that about Sister. Maybe Sister is like this because of what I did back then, so…”
“Sister, I wronged you back then. If you’re still upset with me, I apologize to you.”
“Don’t worry either. I won’t be staying at the Jiang family home for long. In a couple of days, I’ll take Xin Xin and move out.”
Jiang Xinxin, who had originally been happily wanting to greet Jiang Lixuan and Nan Yuanman, heard this, and a flash of panic appeared on her cute small face: “Mommy, are we moving away?”
She pouted, her voice carrying a sob: “I-I don’t want to move…”
“Move what? You and Xin Xin’s bodies aren’t well. Who will take care of you if you move out?” Ge Peiyao’s eyebrows shot up, and she grew even more displeased with Bai Wenyin, who was deliberately making trouble.
As expected, this incorrigible bastard thing was causing her trouble right upon return.
Jiang Hengzhi’s softened expression also turned cold again, and he warned: “Bai Wenyin, if you don’t come down now, then never come down!”
Jiang Yueyao lowered her eyes, her expression sorrowful, but the corners of her lips quickly hooked up in a smile.
After five years, Bai Wenyin was still so useless.
Nan Yuanman looked at them in complete confusion, then turned to look at the empty back seat: “There’s only me and Jiang Lixuan in this car. Who is this Bai Wenyin you’re calling?”
Ge Peiyao listened, and for some reason, a sense of foreboding rose in her heart: “Bai Wenyin is your mom! She didn’t come back with you?”
Nan Yuanman’s expression was calm: “Oh, my mom? She’s dead.”
Her expression was too calm, and her tone too casual, making Ge Peiyao think for a moment that she had misheard.
The expression on Jiang Yueyao’s face also froze for an instant.
Jiang Hengzhi’s pupils contracted sharply, and he asked in disbelief: “You… what did you say?”
Nan Yuanman gave him a strange look. What was wrong with these Jiang family members? So young and already hard of hearing?
She repeated: “I said my mom is dead.”
Ge Peiyao suddenly looked toward Jiang Lixuan, her grip on Jiang Yueyao’s arm tightening, her body swaying as she said sharply: “How is that possible?! How could she be dead?!”
She didn’t like this daughter Bai Wenyin, that was true, but… she had never thought that Bai Wenyin would die.
Bai Wenyin was only in her twenties, so young—how could she possibly die?
Jiang Hengzhi’s gaze darkened as he looked at Jiang Lixuan. Jiang Lixuan touched his nose and said, “I was just about to tell you. When I went to Batang Village, I only found Yuanman and didn’t find Bai Wenyin.”
“Yuanman was raised by an old coffin maker.”
As he spoke, he gave Jiang Yueyao a strange look.
Was it his imagination? He felt like the things Yao Yao had just said seemed intentional.
Why?
What benefit did deliberately provoking Bai Wenyin bring her?
“Not finding her doesn’t prove she’s dead.” Hearing this, Jiang Hengzhi felt a sigh of relief in his heart for some reason. He looked at Nan Yuanman with a hint of displeasure and said, “Don’t casually curse your mom like that.”
Nan Yuanman’s expression was indescribable: “……”
She confirmed it: Mom’s relatives had serious mental issues.
Ge Peiyao, however, seemed convinced and nodded: “That’s right. She must be trying to use this trick to get our attention.”
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Nan Yuanman. When she saw her worn-out clothes, shoes with unglued soles, and messy hair, her brows furrowed tightly: “How does Bai Wenyin even mother? How did she let you end up like this?”
“Hurry inside and take a bath. You’re filthy!”
Ge Peiyao said this as she stepped forward, pinching the clothes on Nan Yuanman’s shoulder with her orchid fingers, leading her into the house.
Jiang Hengzhi also saw Nan Yuanman’s current appearance, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly. He instinctively took out his mobile phone and called a cooperating children’s clothing brand to send over a few sets of girls’ clothes.
Jiang Xinxin clearly felt that Second Uncle and Grandmother’s attention had all been drawn to the new sister.
She panicked inwardly, feeling that if she didn’t do something, Grandmother and Uncle would be snatched away.
Jiang Xinxin clutched her chest, her frail body swaying unsteadily as she said weakly: “Uncle, Grandmother, I feel so unwell…”
