She stood under the eaves for a long time, watching Xin Ying enjoy her coffee and the rain in the sunroom.
Xin Ying caught a glimpse of a white shadow moving towards her from the other end of the garden through the rain.
The person's face wasn't very clear through the rain, but Xin Ying recognized them instantly.
Looking at the white dress the other person was wearing, Xin Ying paused for two seconds, a little curious. Xin Hailan was that Lin Zhipeng, and nowadays, why do all these young girls like to wear white dresses, especially daring to wear white dresses on rainy days?
His beloved wife rarely wears white dresses. The last time he saw her wearing one was when they got their marriage certificate.
That day, she noticed that Lin Leyao was particularly afraid of getting other dirty things on her dress. When the two of them had dinner with Lin Leyao's mother and the others that evening, Lin Leyao's sleeves were stained with oil. Xin Ying noticed that she kept touching the stains on her sleeves throughout the meal.
Lin Leyao, who was already unhappy because of some of Ji Rong's words, became even angrier because of the stain on her sleeve.
However, Xin Ying liked the way Lin Leyao puffed out her cheeks when she got angry because her white dress was stained; she found it very cute.
Xin Hailan had reached the entrance of the sunroom, walking through the rain, her skirt stained with many dirt.
Seeing this scene, Xin Ying couldn't help but laugh.
If Lin Leyao were to let her wife's white dress turn out like this, she would definitely be furious.
As Xin Hailan walked to the door of the sunroom, she saw her sister-in-law looking at her with a big smile.
She was taken aback, and after looking again, she realized that Xin Ying had turned her head away and was no longer looking at her.
Xin Hailan's initial composure was completely disrupted by Xin Ying's smile, causing her heart to race and her to become extremely nervous.
Xin Hailan approached and called out softly, "Auntie."
Xin Ying hummed in agreement: "Have a seat."
Xin Hailan sat down on the other chair, and before she could speak, Xin Ying said, "Would you like some coffee?"
Xin Hailan shook her head blankly.
Xin Ying pressed the communicator next to her: "Aunt Zhang, have the kitchen prepare a cup of milk tea and send it over."
Xin Hailan was still in a daze when the milk tea was delivered.
She was somewhat shocked by how kind her aunt was to her today.
Xin Hailan drank half a cup of warm milk tea and asked, "Auntie, did you meet with my mother yesterday?"
"Um."
"Why meet in Hong Kong? Why..." Xin Hailan paused, "Why not meet here?"
Xin Hailan's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.
But Xin Ying knew what she meant.
Xin Ying remained calm and replied indifferently, "It might not be convenient."
Xin Hailan blurted out, "Why is it inconvenient?"
Xin Ying pursed her lips slightly, and Xin Hailan keenly noticed the change in her expression, realizing that she had asked the wrong question.
But she has been very conflicted and agitated these past few days. She really wants to know what her parents did back then that made her aunt so unforgivable, and what things she shouldn't know!
After hesitating for a moment, Xin Hailan pressed on, "Auntie, do you not like my mother?"
Xin Ying's expression changed slightly.
Xin Hailan said, "You never call me Hailan, you only call me Xiaohai. Is it because my name has the same character 'Lan' as my mother's name?"
Xin Ying put down her coffee.
For a moment, no one spoke in the sunroom. Outside, the drizzle grew heavier, and the raindrops pattered against the glass dome, making the silence in the sunroom even more profound.
Xin Hailan's mind was filled with the rumors she had seen yesterday about her mother and her aunt's affair.
She didn't sleep a wink last night, she thought about a lot of things.
Seeing that Xin Ying hadn't spoken, Xin Hailan was about to ask if Xin Ying had been with my mother when she was interrupted by Xin Ying's words.
“I dislike...your father even more.”
As soon as Xin Ying finished speaking, Xin Hailan's eyes widened instantly.
Xin Hailan murmured, "Aunt..."
Xin Ying slowly opened her mouth: "I don't know if it's because you were raised by your third brother, but your personality is quite similar to his. You have a lot of little thoughts, but you keep them hidden in your heart and don't show them. You like to show people a smile and seem to have a good relationship with everyone."
Xin Hailan stared wide-eyed, listening blankly to Xin Ying's words.
“You are much more mature than your age suggests. Some of the things your parents did have nothing to do with you, so I can forgive you. But you can’t take advantage of my lenient attitude towards you as an elder to expect me to be nice to your parents as well.”
Xin Hailan stared, her eyes red-rimmed: "Auntie, whatever my parents have done, as their daughter, I will bear the consequences. Isn't there a saying that children pay for their parents' debts? If you're unhappy, take it out on me. I grew up abroad and can live a good life without ever returning to China, but they can't..."
Xin Ying interrupted her, saying, "You're not qualified."
Xin Ying left, and Xin Hailan watched her retreating figure, covered her face, and buried her face in the sunroom, bursting into tears.
Xin Ying returned to the room and was greeted by the butler: "Miss, lunch is ready."
Xin Ying hummed in agreement and went to the restaurant.
Grandpa Xin came downstairs and sat down in a chair.
When the old lady noticed that Xin Hailan hadn't appeared, she asked, "Where's Hailan?"
The butler said, "The young lady was crying in the sunroom, and I didn't dare to disturb her."
Hearing this, the old lady became anxious: "Why are you crying? Who upset the girl?!"
As the old lady was about to get up to look, Xin Guangjin spoke up: "Who hasn't cried at this age? Why are you bothering the child who needs to vent?"
"So we're just going to ignore it?"
Xin Guangjin said expressionlessly, "Let's eat!"
Dai Jiaozhi was so angry that she slammed her cane against the ground twice.
--------------------
Author's Note:
One more thing to say thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-03-28 03:53:39 and 2022-03-30 03:27:36!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 55157345 (1 grenade);
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 58123721 (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Awu (29 bottles); Jiuyao (22 bottles); snower (20 bottles); I might be a Luobei (16 bottles); ty's life (15 bottles); z (10 bottles); k (5 bottles); Laobai (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 69
Xin Hailan spent the entire afternoon alone in the sunroom.
No one disturbed her until it was completely dark outside, at which point Xin Hailan returned to her room.
Xin Ying didn't live at the Xin residence, and Xin Hailan didn't see her at home for the next few days. However, the words Xin Ying uttered in the sunroom that day dealt her a heavy blow.
She has been staying at home obediently for the past few days. She wanted to find Xin Wenwen to find out what her parents did before they went abroad. However, none of the Xin family's children lived at home. After the holiday, Xin Wenwen went back to her own place and did not return to the Xin family home.
A few days later, Xin Wenwen was blocked at the door by Xin Hailan as soon as she left the company after get off work.
Xin Wenwen felt extremely awkward seeing Xin Hailan.
I don't know if it's because she's getting older, but her father no longer hides some things from her.
That day, she overheard her father and grandfather talking at the door of the study and mistakenly thought that the woman who was trending on social media with her aunt was her aunt's ex.
But now she has figured out that the woman is Xin Hailan's mother.
Xin Wenwen suddenly remembered that she had met Xin Hailan's mother when she was a child. At that time, she was her fifth uncle's girlfriend, and now she was her third uncle's wife.
Xin Hailan suddenly returned to China. None of the Xin family members had ever been in contact with her before. Compared to her aunt, with whom she had lived since childhood, Xin Hailan's position in Xin Wenwen's heart was naturally not as high as Xin Ying's.
Now that her mother and aunt are trending on social media again, Xin Wenwen is feeling a bit awkward in front of Xin Hailan.
Seeing Xin Hailan suddenly appear, Xin Wenwen slowly walked up to her and asked, "Why are you here? Are you looking for your aunt?"
Xin Hailan looked at her calmly and said, "Sister, I have something I want to ask you."
Seeing her serious expression, Xin Wenwen hesitated for a moment before saying, "Okay, let's go to my car."
The enclosed carriage completely shut out external noise, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
Xin Hailan's face was gloomy. She slowly asked, "Can you tell me what happened to my parents before they went abroad?"
Xin Wenwen's expression darkened, and she pursed her lips, remaining silent for a moment.
Xin Hailan said directly, "There's nothing to hide. I can just ask my aunt."
Upon hearing her words, Xin Wenwen's eyes widened in shock.
She and Xin Hailan stared at each other for a long time. Seeing that the other's expression did not seem fake, Xin Wenwen frowned, wondering why Xin Hailan seemed to have been stimulated.
After a moment of contemplation, Xin Wenwen slowly spoke.
Learning about what happened to their parents' generation from her older sister, who was of the same generation as her, had a far greater impact on Xin Hailan than she had imagined.
Xin Wenwen spoke slowly, recounting everything she had experienced, witnessed, and heard from her mind.
After speaking for more than an hour, Xin Wenwen's voice gradually stopped, and she looked at Xin Hailan without saying a word.
Xin Hailan is still young, and Xin Wenwen was afraid that she wouldn't be able to accept it all at once, so she softened her tone and said, "Your mother suddenly returned to China without telling the family, so my grandfather probably knows about it too. Don't think too much about it. Just stay home and enjoy the New Year. You're young, so my grandfather will definitely care for you like a younger generation, and the other elders won't mistreat you either. After the New Year, go back to Australia and study hard. I believe that when you have time, your grandfather will let you come back."
Xin Hailan couldn't accept what Xin Wenwen was saying about what happened back then. She didn't listen to anything Xin Wenwen said at the moment. Her eyes were red and she stared wide-eyed, her lips were tightly pursed and her whole body was tense.
"you……"
Seeing that something was wrong with her, Xin Wenwen was about to speak when Xin Hailan suddenly opened the car door and ran out.
"where did you go?!"
Xin Wenwen chased after her as she got off the bus, but Xin Hailan's figure had already disappeared from sight. Just as Xin Wenwen was about to chase after her, she paused in her steps.
After hesitating for a while, Xin Hailan had already disappeared. Xin Wenwen gave up chasing after her, thinking that someone this old wouldn't get lost.
It's normal that she can't accept the perfect image of her parents that they did. If we take her home now, she probably won't be able to stay there after thinking about the truth. It's better to let her go out and clear her head.