"Sigh, old lady, let go of your hand and let me take a look at our daughter. Has she become thinner or fatter in this time?" Ye Lao Han watched the mother and daughter embracing tightly, feeling a sense of urgency burning within him.
Unable to wait any longer, Ye Lao Han tugged at Mrs. He, wanting her to make some room for him too.
"Oh, what’s the hurry, old man? The child has returned; what could possibly stop you from seeing her?" Mrs. He complained, yet her body still loosened its hold on Ye Jiu as she yielded to Ye Lao Han’s pull.
That dead old man might have too many faults normally, but no one understood him better than Mrs. He. During the time Little Jiujiu was gone, the worries in the old man’s heart were no less than hers.
At night, his restless tossing and turning in bed was clearer to no one else but Mrs. He.
"Wife, this this this..." Ye Lao Han had intended to embrace Mrs. He after pulling her away, but now he also wanted to get closer himself.
Ye Jiu had buried her face in Mrs. He’s shoulder, so no one else had seen her face; now that she was released, her rosy cheeks were revealed.
However, Ye Lao Han was shocked upon seeing her and his movement to get closer froze midway.
"This isn’t our daughter, is it?" After a long pause, Ye Lao Han finally managed to utter a sentence.
Mrs. He’s movements stiffened too, and she let go of Ye Jiu’s hands, seeming a bit at a loss.
Ye Jiu’s face tensed, "Dad, Mom, it’s me, Little Jiujiu!"
Immediately, Ye Lao Han and Mrs. He looked at each other, and ultimately it was Mrs. He who exclaimed, "That’s right, it’s our Xiaojiu’s voice!" It was just that the face, the face was so different from their Xiaojiu’s.
"Is this really... my daughter?" Ye Lao Han stretched out his hand, rough with calluses, and touched his own ordinary face, then looked back at the girl in front of him who was as lovely as a little fairy. He wanted to acknowledge her, but dared not to.
Ye Jiu was on the verge of tears.
Never had she imagined that upon returning home, she’d be met with such a situation!
Looking at her parents who were still deeply immersed in doubt and confusion, Ye Jiu felt disappointed and couldn’t help but complain, "Dad, Mom, I’ve only been away for a few months, and you can’t even recognize me anymore. It really breaks my heart!"
Seeing Ye Jiu’s eyes redden, Mrs. He couldn’t concern herself with shock anymore.
Moving forward, Mrs. He once again embraced Ye Jiu in her arms, "Oh my, isn’t this my sweetheart? You’ve become so beautiful after being away, so beautiful that I hardly dare to recognize you..."
Mrs. He had quite the knack for comforting people, especially when it came to Ye Jiu. She soon had Ye Jiu smiling through her tears, and the semblance of her grievance vanished without a trace.
Being suddenly doubted by her parents like that had indeed given Ye Jiu a fright.
After all, her current appearance was indeed very different from that of the Ye Family, so it was normal for them to have doubts.
Moreover, the other family members were not as easy to appease as Fourth Brother. Ye Jiu had prepared a belly full of excuses, none of which were needed, for Mrs. He believed her.
Looking at Ye Lao Han, his gaze was still somewhat disbelieving as he watched Ye Jiu, but as the conversation between mother and daughter continued, his look gradually warmed with affection.
Ye Jiu reached out to hold Ye Lao Han’s hand, her tender skin making the roughness of his large palm all the more evident.
That... was the mark left by the years, the witness to their siblings’ growth.
Ye Lao Han’s eyes reddened.
This was indeed his daughter beyond a doubt.
An old man with one foot in the grave, other than his daughter, which girl would willingly hold his hand without any sign of disdain?
Yet, this scene of a loving family reunion with the cherished daughter made Ye Gaosheng, who had been waiting nearby all this time unnoticed, feel a profound sense of alienation.