"No matter whose child she is, ultimately, she was raised by our family. Your mother is just temporarily unable to see the bigger picture, but you must not follow in her footsteps. Your little sister will always be your little sister. As long as she's willing to call me 'Dad,' she will always be our Ye Family's daughter."
"I understand, Dad." He was just temporarily too shocked to react.
Whether they were related by blood or not, he had protected her for so many years.
In his heart, having such an outstanding sister like Ye Jiu had always made him proud. How could he possibly deny her simply because they weren't blood-related!
When Old Man Ye returned to the room, Mrs. He was already sitting on the kang bed, not crying or making a fuss, eerily quiet.
Old Man Ye walked over and unusually took Mrs. He into his arms, "Old woman, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in, it will only make you feel worse."
Mrs. He didn't cry but let go of Old Man Ye and lay down on the kang.
Old Man Ye, feeling helpless, followed suit and blew out the light before climbing onto the kang.
For a long time, neither of them could fall asleep. Old Man Ye turned over and asked Mrs. He, "Wife, what are you really thinking? Talk to me about it."
He just couldn't understand; their family was of humble origin. It was already not easy for the Prince to agree not to completely cut off their relationship with the child. He didn't understand what else his wife could be dissatisfied with.
Mrs. He opened her slightly swollen eyes and stared into the dark void above, "The Prince is right. We are just dragging Xiaojiu down. Without us, she would go further, live better."
As for the sadness, it was just temporary. The child was still young, and once she returned to the capital city, received the love of her biological parents, she would gradually forget them.
Moreover, Mrs. He could see that although the Prince showed no favor to them, his kindness towards the child was genuine.
The only concern was the Princess Consort, who Mrs. He couldn't stop worrying about.
A woman capable of whimsically replacing her own child, who knew if she might whimsically harm the child again!
However, their Xiaojiu was not foolish, nor was she without defensive capabilities like before. Plus, with the Prince protecting her, there was not too much to worry about.
Moreover, with her old arms and legs, the only thing she could do was to not be a burden to her.
As for anything else, she couldn't offer much anymore. What she could give, her Xiaojiu no longer needed.
The Prince said they were a burden to the child, and Mrs. He admitted it. But Old Man Ye couldn't help feeling bitter about it.
Upon waking, the first thing Old Man Ye said was, "Perhaps you're right. It might be better for Xiaojiu to leave with her real father.
"But, old woman, are you truly clear about this? Once the child leaves, it will be hard for her to come back.
"And we, how much longer will we live?
"After, who knows if there will ever be another day to see her again!"
"Are you really thinking of going to the capital city with her?" Mrs. He countered.
Old Man Ye indeed thought so, "Why can't we go? Our family now has money, plus a profitable workshop. We have enough money to support ourselves. We could buy a small residence to live in there. I don't hope to live with her; just being able to see her occasionally would suffice. It doesn't have to be a burden to Xiaojiu."
But Mrs. He posed a very realistic scenario, "Then what? Let people ridicule our Xiaojiu for being a Commandery Princess of humble origin, mocking that she was raised by humble parents?"
Mrs. He understood the importance of reputation better than anyone. Without them, with the Prince's support, Ye Jiu would be a Commandery Princess, highly esteemed! ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
With them, even if people dared not openly criticize because of the Prince's power, would they not mock Xiaojiu's origins behind their backs?