Chapter 73: Chapter 73

When Ye He Ping came in from outside, he was met with such a scene: Bai Xue sitting alone beside their younger daughter, glaring at the older daughter who was sulkily eating with her head down, while the younger daughter was diligently working on her homework at the dining table.

It should have been a lively scene, yet what he saw was discordant.

Ye He Ping knew that some things needed to take time. Previously, he was dissatisfied with and even disapproved of many aspects of his elder daughter due to his limited interactions with her. However, these days, as he tried to embrace everything about his elder daughter and learn to be more forgiving, he found her to be more mature than he had imagined. The deeper he understood her, the more he realized she had always kept a distance from the family. It was at that moment Ye He Ping understood that everything he and his wife did was not unnoticed by their elder daughter. She remembered deeply and observed quietly, yet she never expressed it, rebelling and resisting the family’s affection in her own way.

After washing his face, Ye He Ping sat down beside his elder daughter, looked up at his wife, and asked, "Why aren’t you eating?"

With her heart blocked, Bai Xue wondered what she should say. Should she mention waiting for the younger daughter to join? But then her husband would definitely compare the younger daughter’s homework to the elder daughter’s. Waiting for the younger daughter to eat not only failed to make her feel better but also got her dragged into a comparison.

Having thought it through, Bai Xue smiled, "Waiting for you."

Finally, she cast a glance at the elder daughter.

When she did so, Ye He Ping was busy serving himself some rice, so of course, he didn’t see it and wouldn’t think the elder daughter was being inconsiderate for starting to eat first.

"Eat, before it gets cold. Ye Qian, you should eat first as well. You can do your work after eating." Ye He Ping put down his own bowl, picked up the younger daughter’s bowl, filled it with rice, and handed it to her. "You’re not well now, so don’t push yourself too hard like other students. If there’s too much homework to finish, don’t force it; I’ll talk to your teacher."

"Yes, this child is too competitive," Bai Xue said as she reached out to help when she saw the younger daughter obediently put away her homework.

Ye Qian smiled sweetly, "Dad, I can’t just stop doing my homework because I’m sick. I’m a student; it’s my obligation. And the teacher doesn’t give much; I’m just slow by nature. Please don’t tell my teacher; I don’t want to stand out among my classmates."

"Alright, then do your best, but don’t make it too hard on yourself," Ye He Ping nodded, feeling pleased with his younger daughter’s sensibility. Noticing the neglected elder daughter, he paused, then said to his wife, "Didn’t you bring that quilt cover from Mom’s? Wash it and put it on Lingzi’s bed."

The quilt cover was something Bai Xue had purchased and mailed back to the countryside last New Year. Old Mrs. Ye couldn’t bear to use it for herself and had made it into a blanket for her eldest granddaughter. Now that she is gone, Bai Xue brought it back, intending to use it herself, but at her husband’s mention of giving it to the elder daughter, she was naturally unwilling.

Seeing her husband waiting for her response, Bai Xue, also conscious of appearances, replied with a smile, "I just finished washing it yesterday. I planned to change it today when I have a little time; no need for a reminder. I have it in mind."

Ye He Ping, realizing he had misunderstood his wife, felt a bit guilty, "There’s been one thing after another at home lately. You’ve been working hard."

"It’s nothing. As long as the family is doing well." Bai Xue felt gratified by her husband’s appreciation, then cast another glance at the elder daughter.

It must be this girl causing problems behind the scenes; otherwise, how would the husband remember the quilt cover? It’s a good thing she said what she did, or what would her husband think if he believed she had withheld the used quilt cover?

After the meal, the rice in the cooker finished as well. The aroma of rice, mingled with the scent of radishes, rose as soon as the cooker lid was opened. Bai Xue watched the elder daughter pack the rice into an aluminum lunch box, grumbling internally without noticing what the girl had done to make it smell so appealing.

Ye He Ping, having changed into clean clothes and carrying additional clothes, was about to take the bus to the office. Seeing his elder daughter packing her lunch, he asked, "Not coming home for lunch?"

"Mm, coming back and forth is troublesome." Ye Ling had added a bit less water deliberately, so the rice was a little crispy at the bottom, but it was just the trick to make it more appetizing.

As Ye He Ping was leaving, he specifically took a glance at his daughter’s lunch box, nodded contentedly, and left the house.

Ye Ling always remembered her poor health in her previous life. Having another chance at life, she resolved not to neglect her body again. So she packed the aluminum lunch box tightly, finishing by taking a spoonful of chili oil from a bowl on the rack and placing it on top before closing the lid.

She placed a pair of chopsticks in her backpack, held the lunch box in hand, said, "I’m off to school," put on her shoes, and left the house.

Bai Xue tidied the table and sat across from her younger daughter, "Ye Qian, if you don’t like coming home for lunch, Mom can bring lunch to you."

"No need, since my sister brings her own lunch, you’d come and they’d criticize you." Ye Qian had finished her homework by then and heard Song Mei and the others outside calling for her. She quickly got up to pack her things, "Mom, are there any eggs at home? Maybe fry some for lunch?"

"Sure, head to school, and I’ll fry you some eggs for lunch." Bai Xue, seeing the elder daughter taking lunch, worried the younger daughter might feel uneasy. She inwardly blamed the elder daughter for causing trouble; why take lunch and not eat at home?

"Mom, make a little more, and I’ll bring some for my sister at lunchtime." Ye Qian blinked at her mother.

Bai Xue, seeing her daughter concerned about her sister even at this time, thought, "What to bring? There are only two eggs at home, taking care of yourself so you don’t fall ill is the most important thing. Ye Ling won’t mind you for that. Hurry up, don’t keep Song Mei and the others waiting."

Ye Qian hesitated, nodded, and then left the house with her backpack.

On the way, Song Mei asked Ye Qian, "Zhao Guodong went to your house yesterday; what for?"

Song Mei lived in the building opposite Ye Qian’s home and had seen Zhao Guodong enter the Ye Family’s door yesterday, though she didn’t know what time he left.

"He came over to get tutoring from my sister," Ye Qian replied with a sweet smile.

"Tutoring?" Jiang Yan raised her voice, sounding surprised.

Song Mei was also surprised, then sarcastically laughed, "Really interesting, your sister seems very impressive, not in a hurry to review herself but tutoring others. If she doesn’t get admitted, there’ll be plenty of laughs."

Gao Tian also nodded, paused in thought, and then asked, "Ye Qian, is your sister’s studying really that good?"

Yesterday, the teacher introduced Ye Ling as a good student, but since she came from the countryside, they hadn’t taken it to heart. (To be continued. If you work, please vote with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)