Chapter 72: Chapter 72
Ye Ling proposed this for her own consideration. On one hand, she didn’t want her father to be mistreated over there, which would make her feel guilty. On the other hand, going to Zhao Guodong’s house meant only Zhao Guodong’s grandmother would be there, making it more comfortable.
Ye He Ping furrowed his brows and glanced towards the West Room, "Come with me into the room."
He entered the East Room first.
Ye Ling followed him in.
"Sit down." Ye He Ping sat on the newly added spring bed.
Ye Ling pulled a chair over and sat down.
"You want to go to Zhao Guodong’s house for tutoring because you’re afraid your mother might not be happy if people come here, right?" Ye He Ping turned around and closed the door before speaking.
Clearly, he wanted this conversation with his eldest daughter to be unheard by his wife in the West Room.
Ye Ling thought for a moment, realizing it was true, and nodded.
"Ye Ling, remember, this is your home. You don’t need to worry about your mother’s mood when doing things. You have the right to make friends and invite them here to do homework together." Ye He Ping tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible, "The more polite and distant you are, the less you will integrate with this family. Your grandmother passed away; it’s dad’s fault, and I will never forgive myself. But I don’t want to see you drift further away from your family. You’ve grown up not being with your mother, it’s understandable that she favors your sister. But hearts can be warmed, you are a smart child, dad won’t say much more."
"Regarding your grandmother’s situation, dad is sorry to you." The eldest daughter grew up by her mother’s side, while he angered his mother to death.
Now, he constantly thinks about it, suffers from it day and night. It’s his retribution, he doesn’t blame anyone else, only regrets being a bad person, not being a good man, and even less a good father or son.
"Dad, I want to go to Zhao Guodong’s house and tutor them. One reason is that I’m afraid my mom might be unhappy. Also, Ye Qian is unwell and sick, she can’t rest too late. After a tiring day at school, she still can’t rest early at home, which is bad for her health. Moreover, there are only Zhao Guodong and his grandmother at his house, so going to tutor also serves as company for her." Ye Ling couldn’t bear to see her father sleep in the living room every day. If her father’s health was poor, she couldn’t get past this herself.
"Ah, you are older now and have your own ideas, do what you think is best. From tomorrow, I’ll be staying at the company, so I won’t be home much. Help your mom with family matters as much as you can. Your sister is sick, and your mom is more concerned about her, don’t let it get to you." Ye He Ping stood up, "It’s late, go to sleep. Even though exams are coming, health is important too, don’t push yourself too hard, or your grandmother won’t rest in peace."
Ye Ling nodded, stood up, and watched her father leave. Thinking about the spring bed in the room, she ran after him, "Dad, why don’t you sleep in this room for the night, anyway there are two beds."
It’s just father and daughter, nothing inconvenient, especially with a desk acting as a partition, making it even more convenient.
Unlike last night, Ye He Ping could lay the spring bed in the living room, realizing this, he nodded. His daughter posed no inconvenience, so he went back into the room. Seeing his daughter not undressing before sleep, and recalling she had slept in her clothes this morning, he made a mental note.
"Didn’t you bring back the quilt cover from your grandmother’s place? Tell your mom to change it for you tomorrow." His daughter had a small cleanliness habit, which he noticed earlier when she washed her face but didn’t use a towel to dry.
Earlier, he only gave her money to buy towels and toiletries, forgetting about the quilt cover.
Ye Ling didn’t expect her father to notice this, even knowing there was a desk blocking the view. She turned over, facing away from the door as she responded, unaware of her own nervousness in facing this kindness.
Ye He Ping thought his daughter was tired, took off his coat, turned off the light, and went to bed. This night was unlike the night before; Ye Ling closed her eyes without much thought and fell into a deep sleep quickly, waking the next morning to the sound of broadcast music, feeling particularly refreshed. Suddenly remembering she had to prepare lunch, Ye Ling quickly sat up.
Seeing the empty bed on the other side and neatly folded blankets, she knew her father had gotten up early. Ye Ling also rose quickly, tidying the blankets simply before leaving the room, heading into the bathroom to wash her face while wiping it as she entered the kitchen.
"Mom, I’m bringing lunch at noon, did you cook extra rice?" Ye Ling glanced at the stove, seeing only a small pot with cornmeal and millet rice, enough for four people to have one meal.
"The city pots are small, unlike the large rural pots, you can’t cook much rice. If you have time, cook some for yourself now. Didn’t you agree to cook yourself yesterday? Why did you get up so late today?" Bai Xue’s tone was calm but had a sharp undertone.
Ye He Ping went out running this morning, Bai Xue knew he couldn’t hear.
"I have enough time, I’ll do it myself. Just prepare what I’ll take for lunch, and set the vegetables aside. I’ll handle it." Trying to make her back down had no effect. Ye Ling tossed the towel over her shoulder, "Doesn’t the house have lunchboxes either?"
"There are lunchboxes. Do it yourself if you have time." Bai Xue carried the rice and turned to place it on the table in the living room, then brought out the stewed radish soup to the table, finally placing the remaining half radish from the cutting board, "Use this for cooking your lunch."
Aside from the radish, there was nothing else.
Even for soup, some potato strips were needed.
Ye Ling didn’t mind, having anticipated her mother’s actions, never expecting her to prepare everything. She washed small millet and cornmeal and put them into the electric cooker without adding water, then sliced the radish into strips, neatly arranging them on top of the washed rice in the electric cooker. She poured some soy sauce, added salt and MSG before topping it with water, enough for the rice to cook, then closed the lid.
Bai Xue glanced at her and realized the girl didn’t know how to cook. Since she took initiative, she let her be, knowing whatever was made, Ye Ling would have to eat it herself. She refocused her attention, advising her younger daughter still immersed in solving problems, "Alright, eat first and finish the tasks afterward."
Last night, Ye Qian hadn’t finished a sheet after returning to the West Room, saying she felt unwell and resting early. This morning, she began tackling the papers first thing.
"Mom, you eat first." Ye Qian continued without lifting her head, gripping the pen and writing formulas.
Bai Xue couldn’t persuade her more, looking up to see her elder daughter across the table with chopsticks in hand, making her feel irritated. Clearly supposed to be the last to eat, yet her lunch was quickly arranged, while her younger daughter, who should have eaten first, hadn’t even touched the chopsticks yet. (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)