Mr. Li's elder brother had been waiting at the door, and when he saw Song Yi, he smiled and came up to pull his hand, after exchanging warm words, he personally set off the firecrackers brought by Song Yi, laughing and asking someone to take Li Shi and the others to the back hall.

  The Li family's era was a clear stream, and the furnishings in the house were not mainly luxurious. In the garden, there was a silver ginkgo tree that was lush and dense, its branches and leaves stretching out as if to cover half of the backyard, looking quite interesting.

  Song Yi was surrounded by Li Da Lao Ye and others in the front hall, drinking with the guests, while Li led Song Chuyi and a few others to the back hall to pay respects to Old Lady Li.

  Mrs. Li was much younger than Mrs. Song, wearing a stone-blue jacket with a cyan-colored horse-face skirt underneath, looking refreshing and clean. When she saw Song Chuning, the smile on her face deepened, and she hurriedly stretched out her hand to invite her over, embracing her in her arms, laughing: "Why are you still as small as a little monkey? You're too light, Grandma can lift you up with one hand."

  In the past, due to Li's deliberate guidance, many things were unclear and vague. It wasn't until rebirth that it was discovered how many things were her own one-sided wishful thinking.

  She treated Li's family as her own, respecting them like a proper mother and relying on their maternal home as if it were her own. But in the end, all of these turned out to be like icebergs that melted away at the sight of sunlight.

  Song Chuyi grasped Song Yan's hand, seemingly unaware of Old Lady Li's deliberate disregard.

  Li looked at his mother with some helplessness, cleared his throat and smiled: "Although this girl has been ill, Mother is also somewhat biased, can't you see that our little Liu has been standing for half a day?"

  Mrs. Li looked at her and then turned around, letting out a sigh, beckoning Song Chuyi's siblings to come forward as well. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, she narrowed her eyes and gazed at Song Yan: "Yan indeed grew taller and stronger. I suppose life with your grandparents has been comfortable."

  Her expression when looking at Song Yan was clearly different from when she looked at Song Chuning.

  Song Yan was young, but after being raised by the Cui family for over a year, she had keenly sensed Old Lady Li's hostility and pursed her lips without saying a word.

  Mrs. Li, however, did not stop there and continued in a calm tone: "You may have had a good time at your maternal grandparents' home, but do you know how lonely your sister is, alone in the mansion? And what about your mother, who has borne so much infamy for your sake? I really don't understand what's going on in that household of your maternal grandparents. Not only did they make your mother worry, but also caused you and your sister to be separated..."

  So blatant provocation of the relationship between the Cui family and Song Yan...

  But seeing Song Yan's uneasy and guilty gaze, Song Chuyi couldn't help but let out a deep sigh in her heart. She had indeed been troubled before, when the Cui family came to take Song Yan away, leaving her behind at the Song residence as if she had been forgotten. At that time, she had just lost her mother, and her stepmother had quickly remarried, making her live in anxiety and inferiority under Xu's gloomy face.

  So every time Mrs. Li mentioned that the Choi family took Songyan away and left her behind, she would feel sad for a long time.

  Song Chuyi let out a soft hum, her face still with its usual desolate and disheartened expression.

  Mrs. Li's face softened a lot, and she took her into her arms, sighing: "Alas, my poor little Liu'er, after all, Yang is a boy, and it's inevitable that your grandparents would dote on him more. But don't be afraid, we still love you."

  Song Chunin also came up and put her hand in Mrs. Li's palm, smiling innocently: "Right, right, sister don't be sad. Grandma loves you."

  Song Yan tugged at her clothes, feeling a bit constrained and uneasy. After all, she was only a five-year-old child, with a heart full of apologies for her sister, her small face looking pitifully sad.

  Mr. Li stretched out his hand and pulled him over, softly bowing his head to coax him: "It's okay, it's okay, your grandmother was just teasing you, she wasn't really blaming you. You're just a little kid, whether or not you go to your grandparents' house isn't up to you to decide. Even I, your mother, am happy for you. After all, that's your own grandmother, she must be good to you, we wouldn't be unhappy about this...I'm still looking forward to it..."

  The Li family is really good at acting, they're absolutely superb and convincing.

  Mrs. Li came in and said that wine and dishes were already prepared, asking them to go eat something.

  Mrs. Li did not show much affection towards Song Chu-yi and her brother, unlike Old Mrs. Li.

  Mrs. Li gave her a somewhat dissatisfied glance and told her to take the children out first in a neither hot nor cold tone, but she herself stayed in the room with her daughter.

  As everyone left, Li walked up and sat beside Old Lady Li, shaking her arm slightly with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Mother, you too, why did you put on such a cold attitude just now? Children are sensitive, what if she noticed something?"

  "If she can sense it, then you're stupid." Old Lady Li glared at her: "You've spent so many years cultivating, and you can't even subdue a 7 or 8 year old little girl. Doesn't that just prove you're useless?"

  Mr. Li somewhat helplessly massaged Grandma Lee's shoulders and back: "A steady trickle of water can moisten things quietly, isn't this what you taught me, Mother? How come when it counts, you're the one throwing a tantrum like a child?"

  The daughter was indeed a considerate little cotton-padded jacket, and the force of her hand was just right. Li Lao Tai Tai straightened her back comfortably and scolded: "Who's acting like a spoiled child? I heard from your mother that you've been eating my family's leftovers lately, so I'm checking out this girl's background for you! You're not showing any gratitude!"

  "Speaking of which, Li couldn't help but feel a bit downhearted: 'I shouldn't have agreed to let her go with the old lady in the first place. Now nothing is going smoothly. Just look at today, when she came to our house for New Year's greetings, the old lady even sent someone close to her to follow..."

  Mrs. Li's face flashed with a dark cloud: "Ning'er is also her granddaughter, but she doesn't seem to be so anxious about it. She's getting more and more muddled as she gets older. You can't be muddled like her, you have to distinguish who your daughter is! I heard that you had an outburst at Ning'er and even hurt her hand, what kind of mother are you? Have you been acting for so long that you've forgotten who your own biological daughter is?"

  As for this, Li's heart indeed added a few more worries. She no longer concealed it in front of her mother, bringing up Song Chuning's unusual behavior: "She's still so young, but her mind is already so heavy, it really surprises me. I'm not afraid of her being cunning, it's just that I always feel... girls at her age should be more innocent..."

  Mrs. Li, however, had a different opinion from her daughter's: "I've also heard these things from my mother, although they are rare, but it also shows that Ning'er is clever."