When he was done with his bath and went upstairs to rest, the four adults remained downstairs, waiting for Ye Liu to return as they rested.
“Little Duo, go bathe,” Ye Yang looked at the sky and said to Liu Duo, who was cuddling Bai Xiaojiao.
He, like Ye Mo, was not worried at all about Ye Liu’s late return. Perhaps he had met a familiar friend in town and decided to catch up.
Ye Yang went to the kitchen to fetch water for his wife.
“Yes, go ahead. We’ll wait for Liu. Duo Er, you should have a wash first and turn in for the night,” Ye Ling said thoughtfully.
He had prepared everyone’s change of clothes and had them stored in the bathroom.
“Alright then.” Liu Duo got up and placed the cat on her rocking chair.
Bai Xiaojiao had grown a lot since it joined the family. It had gotten fatter and its fur was white as snow, in contrast to Hei Xiaomeng.
Ye Yang had gone to fetch water, so she probably should not procrastinate.
After Liu Duo left for the bathroom, Ye Mo approached Ye Ling and asked, “Ling, what did those two come for today?”
He was unwilling to refer to Liu Quanyan and Liu Liushi as ‘dad’ or ‘mom’!
Ye Ling took issue with his brother’s statement. He did not give an answer directly but instead chose to correct him. “What are you saying, Mo? They are Duo Er’s parents, so, by extension, they are our parents too. How can you just call them ‘those two’?”
He believed that, regardless of Liu Duo’s stance, it would never change the fact that they were related by blood! He also did not believe that Liu Duo would be so heartless as to deny their identities.
“When Dad and Mom come to visit again, don’t show your displeasure like that, alright, Mo?”
“Ling, we don’t have any parents! And they aren’t ours!” Ye Mo cut in and frowned in disagreement. “When we bought our wife from them, they proposed to cut off all ties with us, so why are we bringing up family relationships now?”
He did not care who came up with that proposal. Since Liu Quanyan and his wife did not object to it, it only proved that they agreed to the arrangement!
“Ling, you have to keep in mind. The role of ‘parents’ will only exist when there’s a baby in this house!”
In other words, ‘parents’ would only exist in the household when they themselves became parents.
For someone who adored his brothers, Ye Ling felt helpless in front of Ye Mo’s stubborn point of view, but he did not know how to persuade him.
He could only furrow his eyebrows and stay silent.
Liu Duo could hear Ye Mo’s furious speech when she approached the bathroom. She glanced back at them and said, “Mo, why are you chiding Ling? Wait till I tell Yang and Liuzi!”
She knew Ye Mo did not like her parents and held negative remarks about them, but he should not be venting his anger on Ye Ling because of them.
“I’m not chiding him. I’m just a little loud, that’s all,” Ye Mo said, quickly defending himself. “Get in the bathroom, dear. Yang’s coming with the hot water.”
He turned to face Ye Ling, and spoke in a much calmer tone this time. “Ling, you know that’s how I speak. Don’t take that to heart. I’m not scolding you.”
Next to Liu Duo, Ye Ling was the brothers’ most precious person. How would Ye Mo be mean to him?
“Of course I won’t, Mo. I know you well enough,” he said. The frown he had been bearing began to relax.