Chapter 351: Chapter 351
Ye He Ping didn’t bother to say more to her and simply kept silent.
"I’m at a loss now too; you need to help me figure this out. If you hadn’t reminded me that day, I would have gone to the Liu Family. If the Liu Family really had eyes for Ye Qian, that would be one thing, but what if they didn’t? Ye Ling has already offended the Liu Family, and I’m afraid they might blame Ye Qian for it." Bai Xue thought over and over and decided not to go to the Liu Family.
After talking for a while, not hearing her husband respond, but instead hearing his snoring, Bai Xue angrily turned over to go to sleep, facing her eldest daughter. Thinking about how the issue with her younger daughter and the Liu Family was caused by her eldest daughter, she didn’t dare to make a decision, naturally unwilling to look at her eldest daughter. However, seeing her husband’s indifferent attitude, Bai Xue, in her anger, could only lie flat, finding respite in not looking at either side.
Early the next morning, before Ye Ling’s family headed out, Zhang Zhenlian came over, full of spirit, warmly speaking to Ye Ling, "Ye Ling, you’re graduating in a year, right? I already graduated and have been assigned a job. I’m teaching Chinese at the primary school affiliated with our middle school. If you come back in the future, we’ll have the chance to meet more often."
Ye Ling casually withdrew her hand, "That’s great news. I haven’t even congratulated you yet."
Zhang Zhenlian paid no heed to Ye Ling’s indifference, "Time really flies, doesn’t it? In the blink of an eye, I’m about to start working, and my parents are happy about it. They can come to the city with me and enjoy life. The school provides housing; even though my parents have no sons, people in the village used to laugh at my family behind our backs. Now they all envy us, saying daughters are just as good as sons."
Ye Ling nodded with a smile.
Bai Xue commented, "Ye Ling, are you ready? We’re leaving now."
Being openly shooed away, Zhang Zhenlian didn’t take offense, standing up with a smile, "Ye Ling, I’ll come over to see you later in the evening; Si Daochen is also at home."
With that, she bid farewell to the elders and left.
Bai Xue, however, wore a stern face, "Ye Ling, you’re the one who gave your sister’s address to that Si Family boy, aren’t you? Writing letters to Ye Qian at her company has caused a lot of misunderstandings, which is bad for Ye Qian. Don’t involve such people with your sister again."
"I’m the one who gave the address; Ye Ling knew nothing about it." Seeing his wife revert to her old self, Ye He Ping was not pleased but thought it was better than the strangely nice demeanor she had before. "Alright, let’s go."
Ye Ling ignored her mother’s displeased look, following her father out of the house. Zhang Zhenlian had only come over to show off. Ye Ling didn’t take it to heart. Some people are like that; they can’t wait to tell the world about the smallest piece of good news. It actually shows they haven’t seen much of the world.
There wasn’t much change in the countryside. To reach the graveyard, they had to walk through a snowy field. Ye He Ping and his daughter were used to it, but it was tough on Bai Xue, who was making the trek for the first time. She had to rest several times before they arrived. By the time they got there, Ye Ling and the others had already burned half of the paper offerings, while Ye He Ping was pulling the weeds on the grave.
Bai Xue felt the cold, but seeing her husband didn’t intend to hurry, she leaned over by Ye Ling to help burn the paper, trying to warm herself a bit. Ye Ling saw through her little ploy and didn’t bother with her, especially since they were here to visit the grave of her grandma.
In the end, Ye Ling simply went to help her father, leaving her mother to burn paper by herself. Bai Xue cursed under her breath about being tortured by the dead, but just as the thought crossed her mind, a gust of wind scattered the burning paper. Some of it brushed against Bai Xue’s hair, causing her to scream in fright. She frantically protected her head and jumped away from the grave, standing at a distance, too afraid to come closer.
Ye He Ping’s face darkened immediately, "That’s my mother. Even if she turned into a ghost, she wouldn’t harm you, and it’s broad daylight. What’s there to be afraid of? Even if she wanted to haunt someone, it wouldn’t be you; not when she has me and Ye Ling to worry about. She’s got no time to take care of you."
Thinking about his mother’s death and his wife’s recent quiet behavior, Ye He Ping felt a surge of anger, and he seized this opportunity to let it all out. His words weren’t pleasant to hear.
Bai Xue, eyes reddened, retorted, "Why would I be afraid? Mom treated me well when she was alive; I considered her like my own mother. I wouldn’t be scared even if she really came for me."
With that, she sat down to burn the paper out of spite.
Ye He Ping looked at his mother’s grave, filled with regret. Perhaps if he hadn’t been so foolish back then, his mother would still be alive, and the family wouldn’t be in this state.
But there’s no medicine for regret in this world.
After this incident, the three returned home in silence. Once back, Ye He Ping didn’t eat; he just lay down. Ye Ling knew her father’s health wasn’t what it used to be. Even just pulling weeds left him out of breath, not to mention his argument with her mother and the walk back home.
Ye Ling removed her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and pulled a quilt over her father. Seeing her mother turned away, lying on the bed, Ye Ling decided to lie down and pull the quilt over herself too. Bai Xue woke up from hunger. By the time she opened her eyes, it was already dark outside. She had lain down in anger but had fallen asleep unknowingly. Once awake, the house felt cold and uninviting. Looking back at the father and daughter also lying down, she felt a wave of irritation towards her daughter.
"Ye Ling, why haven’t you cooked?" she snapped, her voice raising involuntarily. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Ye Ling didn’t wake up, but Ye He Ping, disturbed, sat up, "Don’t bother calling her. If you don’t want to cook, then don’t. We’ll head back tomorrow."
If Ye He Ping had known his wife would behave this way, he wouldn’t have brought her back.
Even though he’d spent most of the visit lying down, once he felt better, Ye He Ping realized it was better to return early than stay and watch his wife sulk. With the ancestor worship done, he and his daughter could return another time to spend more days if they wished.
"We’re leaving tomorrow?" Bai Xue sensed something off in her husband’s tone and dared not press further.
That night, the three of them went to bed hungry and woke up at dawn. They packed up and went to wait for the bus, leaving after just one day’s rest, faster than Ye Ling had expected.
Once on the bus, Ye He Ping noticed his daughter’s reluctance, "When summer break comes and it’s warmer, we can stay longer."
There was nothing else to say; Ye Ling nodded.
After returning to the city, Zhao Guodong and the others came by the next day, asking when Ye Ling would leave. Hearing that she had already bought her ticket, Zhao Guodong felt uncomfortable but, remembering Zhang Linong’s advice, didn’t say much. They stayed at the Ye Family’s house until dark before leaving.
During dinner, a jeep stopped outside the Ye Family’s door. Seeing a young assistant, Ye Ling learned she was there to pick her up. When the assistant mentioned Uncle Li, Ye Ling understood a little. Following her father’s advice, she got into the car and headed to Uncle Li’s home. (To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to recommend it, vote for it, and support it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)