Old lady Han was trembling with anger due to Lin Lan’s words and her fingers shook as she pointed at the culprit of her rage.
Lin Lan smiled and said, “Aiya… mother… don’t be angry, it’s not worth it to be angry.”
Lin Lan was still a little unaccustomed to calling a stranger ‘mother’.
For the elderly, another stroke could be a troublesome matter.
She led Xiaowang back to the East Chamber, humming to a light and happy tune as she waked, “Today, everyone is happy, happy~”
Old lady Han and second sister-in-law looked at each other.
See, see? What kind of attitude was this!
Old lady Han cursed, “It would have been better for her to jump into the river and die or drink pesticides!” At least she would still be the one who was harming herself. At this moment, she was indifferent about living or dying, seeming exactly like a smiling tiger whose sole purpose was to infuriate others!
But she really was becoming a rather cunning smiling tiger; did she find an outstanding fairy to rely on?
Lin Lan returned to the East Chamber and asked Xiaowang to lie down and rest before going to eat later. She took out a piece of the candy that Yanghan had given and stuffed it in Maisui’s mouth.
Slap one and then treat them nicely later on(2); It worked especially for this little girl. She had to heal her quickly while she was still mentally hurt— this way, she could get closer to her daughter in her heart.
(T/N: A concept that one would be strict and harsh first, before treating one nicely afterwards to attempt to get closer to them. Psychologically, it is a twisted method but pretty common for a lot of manipulative people to use on others)
Maisui was enjoying the piece of candy as she buried her head into Lin Lan’s embrace, bitterly complaining against the sweet contrast of the sweet, “Mother, grandmother is picking favourites.”
Lin Lan suddenly felt slightly at a loss as her entire body became stiff. She broke out in a layer of cold sweat, wanting nothing more than to escape from this confrontational situation.
Xiaowang was only 4 years old, so it was fine to just hug a small child like that; Maisui however, was a grown child. Lin Lan didn’t know whether to hug her or to push her away, so she was caught in a slight dilemma.
Worried that Maisui would become suspicious of her lack of actions, she gently patted the little girl’s back, “I brought Xiaowang to see the doctor. There, someone gave me a few sweets…”
Maisui sobbed to the point where she almost choked on her own tears, “Mother treats me the best!”
Grandmother would constantly ask the girl to serve her youngest aunt, so she did several jobs like washing the elder’s clothes, filling cups of tea and water and yet, they made no attempt to praise her for a job well done. In retrospect, it was her mother that couldn’t bear to see her daughter do those tasks.
Boohoo!! Mother is the best, after all!
Lin Lan stroked her hair, learning how other mothers coaxed their daughters with her voice as she said softly, “Maisui, don’t worry. After the family is properly divided and we become wealthy, mother will buy you new leather shoes and pretty flower dresses.”
“But… according to grandmother, if the house ever divides, we’re going to be evicted out of here and she wouldn’t give us the money either.”
Lin Lan smiled and replied, “That’s not up to her to decide.”