Chapter 205: Recognizing Kin at the Door

Su Ruo's life thereafter remained peaceful until a month later, when Bai Xinya returned with An'an and Qin Xiao; after this trial, the two children had obviously grown up a lot and matured a lot, looking like little adults.

Bai Xinya proudly said: "The two children are outstanding; the teacher is very satisfied; the matter of recommending them to the Junior Class has basically been confirmed."

Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi were both delighted upon hearing this, and the family walked inside happily; just then, Bai's mother suddenly pulled a girl about ten years old and rushed to Bai Xinya's front.

With an excited expression, she said: "Xinya, Xiaomeng has been found; our Xiaomeng has been found!"

Because of Bai Xinya's connection, Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi had both met Bai's mother before; she is a very dignified and kind elderly lady.

But at this moment Bai's mother was so agitated that her body trembled uncontrollably; seeing this, Su Ruo hurried forward to comfort her, telling her not to rush and to speak slowly, as excessive agitation is bad for an elderly person's health.

But Bai's mother paid no attention to Su Ruo; seeing her daughter hear her words with no reaction, she hurriedly pushed the girl toward Bai Xinya, saying: "Xinya, what's wrong with you? This is Xiaomeng, our Xiaomeng!"

Bai's mother, fearing her daughter wouldn't believe her, lifted the girl's sleeve to reveal the pink butterfly birthmark on her arm, crying as she said: "Xinya, our Xiaomeng has been trafficked to the mountains these years and suffered greatly."

Su Ruo looked at the person before her; although the girl was thin, she bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Bai Xinya, and combined with Bai's mother's words, they had already guessed the girl's identity.

The girl looked at Bai Xinya with tear-filled eyes and said: "Mom, it's me! Don't you recognize Xiaomeng?"

But Bai Xinya continued to look at her coldly with no reaction; even when the daughter tried to reach out to pull him, she stepped back.

The daughter looked at Bai Xinya, deeply hurt, with tears pouring down.

Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi also found it strange; Bai Xinya's reaction to seeing her lost daughter was not what one would expect under any circumstances.

Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing, Su Ruo spoke to ease the awkwardness: "It's cold outside; let's go inside to talk."

Bai's mother hurriedly said: "Yes, it's cold outside; let's go inside to talk, let's go inside to talk."

She looked at the girl's thin clothing and felt deeply regretful, thinking she had been foolish; when her granddaughter came to the door, she had only been thinking of her joy and actually forgotten to give the child an extra layer of clothing.

At this moment, Bai's mother looked at the girl's thin, worn-out cotton coat and felt even more heartbroken, thinking about how this child had been alone out there all these years, not knowing how much suffering she had endured.

"Grandma, don't worry, I'm fine; I've gotten used to it over these many years, and now being able to see Mom and Grandma makes me very happy."

After saying that, the girl looked at Bai Xinya with a mixture of longing and timidity, but Bai Xinya's face showed no reaction at all, not a hint of the joy one would feel upon reuniting with a long-lost daughter.

On the contrary, Bai's mother was so heartbroken she could hardly bear it, hugging her and crying out "My heart! My treasure!" as she wept bitterly.

Seeing that Bai's mother would keep crying like this without end, Su Ruo hurriedly embraced her and led them inside, while Li Zhaodi also hurried to comfort and persuade her from the side.

Bai Xinya walked at the rear, tightly gripping An'an's hand, as if she were forcefully suppressing some surging emotion within.

Until An'an called out to her: "Mom, let's go inside too!"

Bai Xinya seemed to finally come to her senses, she nodded and said: "Okay…" but she still did not release her grip on An'an's hand.

Qin Xiao walked at the back, watching all this with furrowed brows, deep in thought.

After entering the house, the girl glanced around the surroundings without leaving a trace; upon seeing Bai Xinya holding An'an's hand, a flash of jealousy immediately crossed her eyes.

But she quickly concealed it, standing beside Bai's mother and timidly pointing at An'an, she asked: "Who is this sister?"

Only then did Bai's mother notice that her daughter had still been holding An'an's hand, and she instantly felt a bit annoyed.

Originally, Bai's mother had always liked An'an; An'an was well-behaved and sensible, and had even helped her daughter overcome the pain of losing her child, so she felt grateful toward Su Ruo and An'an.

But now things are different; her blood-related granddaughter has returned, yet her daughter not only shows no reaction, but instead has her whole heart fixed on this 'outsider,' which causes Bai's mother to feel a surge of anger.

Bai's mother held the girl and said: "She's just an outsider; Xiaomeng, you don't need to pay attention to her."

Su Ruo's face instantly turned cold; she could understand Bai's mother's agitated emotions upon suddenly finding her granddaughter.

But in their household, calling her daughter an outsider seems a bit excessive.

But Su Ruo ultimately restrained herself out of respect for Bai's mother as an elder, and ended up saying nothing.

Upon hearing Bai's mother say that, the girl lowered her head and the corners of her mouth curled into a smug smile, but this smile did not last long.

Then Bai Xinya spoke solemnly: "Mom, An'an is not an outsider; she is my daughter."

Bai's mother was instantly left speechless; she couldn't understand how, now that her granddaughter had been found, her daughter still treasured this outsider, as if she could no longer distinguish closeness from distance.

Although Bai's mother was angry, her years of upbringing prevented her from doing something like burning the bridge after crossing the river.

She cannot, when she finds them useful, treat their child as her own beloved, and when she no longer needs them, simply kick them aside.

Furthermore, Bai's mother could see that her daughter was determined to protect An'an; she knew her daughter's temperament, and once she decided on something, not even ten oxen could pull her back. Since her granddaughter had just returned, she did not want to let the mother-daughter relationship become too strained.

So Bai's mother softened her demeanor and said: "This is your sister; from now on, you sisters should get along well."

Upon hearing Bai's mother say that, the girl's eyes instantly filled with tears: "Grandma, do Dad and Mom have another child now? Then will they no longer want me?"

"This sister is so pretty and well-behaved; will I be disliked by Dad and Mom?"

The girl burst into tears, unable to stop, feeling both wronged and innocent; this instantly made Bai's mother feel so heartbroken she could hardly bear it, and she hurriedly pulled the girl into her embrace, cooing "My heart, my treasure."

"Xiaomeng, don't cry; you will always be Mom and Dad's, Grandpa and Grandma's most precious heart and treasure—how could we not want you?"

While saying this, Bai's mother still glanced at Bai Xinya; she was angry inside, and although her granddaughter had just been found, even if her daughter valued An'an, this matter should not be brought up now—she felt compelled to provoke her at this moment.

As a result, Bai's mother also felt a degree of dissatisfaction toward An'an.