Leaving the old house, Lady He didn’t feel sad at all, nor was she angry or resentful about being driven away. She was more than willing to leave the old house, get away from Lady Zhou, and move to Luo Family Village to live close to Erlang and Luo Xiaoyan. After all, there, she wouldn’t lack food or drink. From then on, Lady Zhou wouldn’t be able to scold or control her. She could live more freely and also have Erlang and Luo Xiaoyan at her beck and call. In her own words, she could "enjoy the blessings of her son and daughter-in-law." Lady He treated today as a holiday.

Moreover, having Lian Yaya nearby to help her with work made her quite happy.

When Lady Zhou saw Yaya calling her, she ignored it with a stern face, lowered her eyelids, and turned around to go inside the house.

In Lady Zhou’s view, Lian Yaya was very obedient and listened to her, but sometimes this temperament showed a kind of weakness. After all, she wasn’t born from her womb and didn’t have her strength. Instead, she had been tainted by the unpromising habits of the He Family.

Whenever Lady Zhou noticed any undesirable qualities or traits in her children or grandchildren, she always believed they didn’t come from her but were influenced by the "roots" of others.

Lady Zhou was unhappy because Lian Yaya was going to leave with Lian Shouyi and Lady He. However, she didn’t blame herself for not speaking up to keep Lian Yaya. She simply thought Lian Yaya was unambitious and lackluster. Back then, Lian Yaya should have fallen out with Lian Shouyi and Lady He and clearly expressed her desire to stay with Lady Zhou!

Lady Zhou even felt a bit bitter, thinking that she had raised Lian Yaya for two years, yet when Yaya said she would leave with Lian Shouyi and Lady He, she just left. After all, they were Yaya’s biological parents.

"No matter how you raise them, they never become close!" Lady Zhou sat back on the kang and, without looking outside at the house tearing, murmured to herself.

Lady Chiang came over with Da Niuniu to talk to Lady Zhou, but Lady Zhou, with her head down, didn’t hear a word. Lady Zhou was deeply conflicted, on one hand unable to do without Lian Yaya, yet on the other trying to convince herself not to keep Lian Yaya, thinking she wasn’t worth it.

"...For the past two years, they’ve been so close, but when Lian Yaya spoke to her, she didn’t respond and didn’t even look at Yaya." Lian Yeye told Lian Manman.

"Then why did she keep Lian Yaya later?" Lian Manman was a bit puzzled.

Lady Chiang tried to talk to Lady Zhou, but Lady Zhou ignored her. Lady Chiang, being a clever person, probably guessed that Lady Zhou was not at peace, so she and Da Niuniu stepped outside to the outer room to prepare the evening meal.

Lady Chiang was capable and quick-handed, and she cared about Da Niuniu, so she didn’t let her do anything, just instructed her to sit nearby and not go outside.

"It’s dusty and messy tearing down the house. You might get hit by something." Lady Chiang instructed Da Niuniu.

Da Niuniu agreed but, after sitting for a while, still sneaked out to the courtyard when Lady Chiang wasn’t paying attention.

The little girl hadn’t seen a house being torn down and liked the excitement. Plus, she saw that Lian Yaya was outside and hadn’t left. Over the past two years, Da Niuniu and Lian Yaya got along well.

Lady He was talking to Lian Shouyi, while Lian Yaya stood not far away. Da Niuniu walked over to Lian Yaya. The aunt and niece watched the house tearing together, chatting away.

"I didn’t go close, just saw them talking for a while before Yaya went with Da Niuniu to the Upper Room..." Lian Yeye said. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Lian Yaya walked into the Upper Room. At that moment, Lady Zhou was still with her head down, lost in thought.

Lian Yaya stood in the middle of the room, not daring to get too close to Lady Zhou, and just kept calling "Grandma" softly.

When Lady Zhou heard, she lifted her head, surprised to see Lian Yaya. Da Niuniu hadn’t come in, so it was just the two of them in the room. Lady Zhou didn’t ignore Yaya like she did outside.

"What are you doing here? Why haven’t you gone with your mother?" Lady Zhou asked stiffly.

It seemed that Lady Zhou finally talking to her gave Lian Yaya courage. Yaya took two steps forward and knelt down in front of Lady Zhou with a plop.

"Grandma, please let me stay with you..." Lian Yaya knelt, crying and talking to Lady Zhou in broken sentences.

Lady Zhou listened for a while and finally understood that Yaya wanted to stay with her and not go with Lian Shouyi and Lady He.

Then, Lady Zhou cried too.

Once Lady Zhou started crying, Lian Yaya, who was initially just sobbing, began to cry even harder. Their cries alarmed Lady Chiang, who came in to ask what was happening, and Lady Zhou announced that she wanted to keep Yaya.

Then, Lian Shouyi and Lady He were called in for a negotiation.

The negotiation was undoubtedly extremely difficult, with both sides holding grudges, and neither being the type to calmly sit down and discuss things peacefully. During this, Lian Shouren, Lian Jizu, Lady Chiang, Lian Shouli, and even Luo Xiaoyan and several villagers got involved, albeit passively.

"When I went there, Yaya’s father seemed to be softening, asking the old lady for money." In the end, Lian Yeye told Lian Manman, "Judging by the old lady’s expressions, she’s willing to pay; it’s just a matter of how much."

Lian Manman didn’t focus on how much money Lian Shouyi was asking from Lady Zhou. According to her, she disapproved of many things, but in those days, people were very tolerant. No matter how, the meat was essentially still in the pot. Lian Manman couldn’t bring herself to agree but couldn’t change the deeply entrenched beliefs of the time, so she chose not to see.

Lian Manman was concerned about...

"Yaya lacks initiative the most. It’s rare for her to speak up to the old lady and say she wants to stay." Lian Manman remarked.

Since Lian Yaya reached out and made her own choice, Lian Manman was willing to lend a helping hand.

...

Here’s the second update. Thank you for your enthusiastic pink votes. We continue to seek 450 pink votes, looking forward to the third update. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)