Ruan Jianguo felt distressed but helpless. He met the gaze of Doctor Lu beside him and shook his head, "Even such a little girl knows the importance of looking pretty." As he spoke, he shook his head again.
The Ruanlin Family’s heartache was clearly displayed on her face. She glared at Ruan Jianguo and scolded, "Your daughter is hurt, and you, as her father, don’t seem worried at all." Without waiting for his response, she took the bowl of unfinished food Ruan Jiaojiao had left behind and followed after her, leaving Ruan Jianguo behind, innocently wide-eyed.
But what could he do? He was distressed and worried too, but those were just the conflicts among children. Could he interfere like Liu Mei did? That wouldn’t be proper.
Fortunately, the Ruan Family had a group of fine boys, who each knew how to protect their little sister.
Ruan Jiaojiao went into the room and began looking at herself in the mirror, grimacing. When she saw the Ruanlin Family enter, she immediately pushed the mirror back and pressed her lips tightly together, not revealing so much as a sliver of space.
"Oh, look who’s the pretty girl here? So beautiful that one can’t take their eyes off her," the Ruanlin Family said as she entered with the bowl, raising her voice and teasing with a smile.
Ruan Jiaojiao bit her lip, amused by her words to the point of wanting to laugh, but she didn’t want to open her mouth and instead pursed her lips even tighter.
"Look at this, oh my, I wonder whose beautiful girl this is? It turns out to be my own. She really is beautiful," the Ruanlin Family laughed, placing the bowl on the table, and swept her into her arms for a gentle swing, doting on her immensely.
This time, Ruan Jiaojiao could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
But she quickly covered her mouth with her little hands.
The Ruanlin Family bent down to kiss her small hand, comforting her, "What are you afraid of? There’s no one else here. Are you disgusted with your grandma? When grandma gets old and loses all her teeth, will you hide from me too?"
"No, Jiaojiao will never despise grandma," Ruan Jiaojiao said immediately, anxiously hugging her neck.
The Ruanlin Family tapped her little nose, "That’s right. If you don’t despise your grandma, how could grandma despise you? Besides, you look beautiful this way, even more so than other girls. Tomorrow we’ll go shopping for some beautiful dresses and outshine all the other girls, how does that sound?"
Ruan Jiaojiao felt warm and cozy from her coaxing, snuggling into her embrace, eyes filled with adoration.
"Grandma, let’s always be together in the future," she whispered.
"Of course. When Jiaojiao goes to university, grandma will roll up her bedding and follow along, never leaving you," she replied.
"Really?" Ruan Jiaojiao looked up at her.
The Ruanlin Family nodded earnestly, also sensing Ruan Jiaojiao’s unusual dependency. Even when Shu Jiao was around, she was close but never to this extent.
On one hand, the Ruanlin Family felt happy and heartwarmed, but on the other hand, she was also a bit sad.
Suddenly, she feared Shu Jiao’s return, worried that she might take away Ruan Jiaojiao’s reliance on her.
Unbeknownst to her, Ruan Jiaojiao harbored the same concern, fearing that one day she would recognize that she wasn’t the real Ruan Jiaojiao and would drift away from her...
"Come on, eat up, or you’ll be hungry later tonight," the Ruanlin Family set aside those worries, bringing the bowl over and spooning a bite towards her mouth.
Ruan Jiaojiao playfully pretended to be fussy and didn’t refuse, obediently opening her mouth to eat. Grandmother and granddaughter fed each other, creating an atmosphere incredibly warm and cozy.
Recalling the time in the kitchen earlier, the Ruanlin Family thought about the two pots of fruit she found; such a large amount and variety, it surely couldn’t have been brought by Wu Le. Later, when Wu Le inquired about it, she skirted the issue, having a vague suspicion in her mind.