CHAPTER 199: CHAPTER 199: COMING TO TERMS

The tall courtyard walls of the Lin Family’s newly built blue-brick tile house stood imposingly, with the gates specifically widened, clearly more grandiose compared to the old house next to it.

Yet at this moment, the low sobbing of Mrs. Jiang could be heard from the yard.

"I said at the beginning, send her away. You did send her, but then you brought her back. Now, this child has been with us for several months, I’ve raised her as my own. How can I not feel heartbroken if she leaves now?"

Lin Sanshui squatted nearby, holding his head, "Now everything’s being turned into my fault, but she left on her own originally. Wasn’t it you who felt soft-hearted and went out to bring her back?"

Already distressed, Mrs. Jiang now cried even harder, "And you dare blame me! Wasn’t it you who brought her back? I pitied her having nowhere to go and kept her here, loving her like a daughter. Who would’ve thought it would come to this today!"

Lin Sanshui smacked his lips and said, "Can’t you stop crying? She’s already back, isn’t she? Maybe she just went to have a look. I’ve already checked her situation over there: her mother died, her brother disappeared, and the rest of her relatives might as well be non-existent. Her two uncles are both as wretched as they come. Why would she go back there?"

"You’re just comforting yourself. She wouldn’t go all the way back there if she didn’t have some thoughts. Maybe her two uncles regret now and want to take her back, and she’s moved by it. After all, they’re her real family. No matter how well we treat her, it just can’t compare..."

"I’m just so frustrated. This child has been with us for so long, and we’ve cared for her deeply from the heart. If she really needs to go back, she could’ve told us. We aren’t unreasonable. But using an excuse of visiting some fruit trees? Clearly, she’s guarding against us. Isn’t that just heartbreaking..."

At the gate, Gu Nian stood, unsure if she should enter.

Dahu pulled her from behind, signaling her not to speak, then moved to the side.

When nobody was around, Dahu released Gu Nian, "Little sis, is what mom said true? Are you leaving?"

Gu Nian shook her head, "No, I’m not."

Dahu smirked, "But you’re feeling guilty; this means you’re also hesitating, right?"

Gu Nian stayed silent; it’s not hesitation, it’s uncertainty.

Given a family she’s already integrated into and the unfamiliar Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, she’d definitely choose to stay with the Lin Family.

But as Nan Jin Yu said, if Gu Bei used the influence of Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion to forcibly take her away, there might be no stopping him.

Seeing Gu Nian silent, Dahu thought he guessed right.

"Actually, big brother can understand you. Even for myself, no matter who treats me well, I can’t forget my birth parents and brothers. But whether you decide to leave or stay, big brother hopes you think it through. Our family may not be the best, but at least dad and mom treat you as their own child. If you really go back to your original home, can they truly be good to you? Since they’ve left you once, what if they abandon you again, what will you do then?"

Lin Sanshui initially just said Gu Nian was an unwanted daughter from another family, so even now, Dahu doesn’t know she is actually alone.