CHAPTER 791: CHAPTER 793: CONFRONTATION

"Grandma, my clothes are clean and cover everything that needs covering. I don’t know what about them offends your eye?" Xu Nianhua looked down at her clothes, a white blouse with a ruffled hem and a pair of black capri pants. Everything that should be covered was properly covered. How could it be improper attire?

"Oh, so you remember I’m your grandma?" Liu Sanmei looked at her sarcastically. When Xu Nianhua used to live at the Xu Family’s home, her clothes were always washed to the point they’d turned white, and it was rare for her to have two new pieces of clothing, let alone a blouse with a ruffled hem like she was wearing now.

Her hair tied in a high ponytail, she looked youthful and attractive. If Liu Sanmei hadn’t watched her grow up since she was a child, she would think this girl was not from the countryside at all but rather a city dweller. That air about her simply couldn’t be compared with the other village girls.

"Look at your white clothes, they’re so thin you can see what’s underneath. Aren’t you embarrassed?" Liu Sanmei was just nitpicking.

Xu Nianhua’s white clothes had a flesh-colored undergarment beneath them and, what’s more, the fabric was not the thin, see-through type at all. Nothing was visible.

"Auntie Liu, seems like you can’t stand to see Nianhua dressed nicely and are deliberately finding fault," Hu Aihong brought over twenty eggs from her home as a gift upon hearing of Xu Nianhua’s return, hoping to leave a good impression in front of Ji Ying and to express her gratitude for the care Xu Qinghe and Ji Ying had shown her family. She didn’t expect to stumble upon this scene.

While examining Xu Nianhua’s clothes, Hu Aihong couldn’t help but exclaim, "Nianhua, since you’ve gone to university in Ningbei, you really stand out. Just look at how wonderful those clothes look on you. I’ve never seen clothes as pretty as these."

Her words were earnest—she had never seen such beautiful clothes even in the county. The ruffled sleeves looked truly exquisite.

"Hu Aihong, no one would call you mute if you kept silent. Can’t you talk properly?"

Liu Sanmei was infuriated upon seeing Hu Aihong’s face. She turned to Xu Nianhua and said, "I, as your step-grandmother, might let it pass, but your grandpa is still kin, right? You’ve come home, and if it weren’t for the villagers, we wouldn’t even know."

"Even if the family is divided, your grandpa is still kin, isn’t he?" Liu Sanmei appeared accusatory, shaking her head and continuing, "No, you truly aren’t related. Nian’an comes back and remembers to bring his grandpa liquor, cigarettes, and tea. You come back and don’t even show your face."

"So you have a pair of rich parents now, and you forget the kindness of those who raised you? Truly, if there’s no blood relation, you can never really grow fond of them." The more Liu Sanmei spoke, the angrier she got, her tone becoming shriller and her voice more grating. The matter with Zhihao could have been somewhat helped had Xu Qinghe been willing to step in—Zhihao wouldn’t be missing now.

"Wah~"

In the little pushcart, Zhuangzhuang, startled by Liu Sanmei’s piercing voice, began wailing loudly.

"Don’t cry, Zhuangzhuang; your auntie is here." Xu Nianhua quickly squatted down, picked up Zhuangzhuang, and gently soothed him. After calming him down, she turned to Liu Sanmei, who was arguing with Hu Aihong, and said, "Grandma, how do you know I didn’t go to see grandpa?"

"Speaking of which, I should thank you for splitting our household. Otherwise, how could we be as well-off as we are now?"

Xu Nianhua smiled lightly, patting Zhuangzhuang, and continued, "My mom has prepared lunch and invited grandpa and grandma to our house to eat together. But I guess, grandma, you probably feel too embarrassed to come over, right? After all, when we separated, you said you would never enter our home, that we should die outside rather than come back begging to you."