This was the Ye family’s custom that had spanned across centuries and everyone from the Ye family would return to the Pear Garden during Lunar New Year and each year, they would all congregate at the Pear Garden.
However, it was almost noon and Ye Hao was still not here.
Ye Hao wasn’t picking up her calls, neither was he responding to her messages. No one seemed to know where he was.
Xia Jingshu wheeled herself in and sighed. Her eyes were filled with disappointment.
“Forget it, Han Xue. Let’s not wait for Ah Hao. We should start making our way there first,” Xia Jingshu said to Han Xue who was clearly still waiting for Ye Hao.
Han Xue turned to look at her mother-in-law.
Yes, this was her mother-in-law because she had obtained her marriage license with Ye Hao 10 days ago. There wasn’t a wedding ceremony but they were now legally man and wife and Xia Jingshu was now officially her mother-in-law.
“Mom, Ye Hao should be there,” she said dejectedly.
Ye Hao was the head of the Ye household, so it didn’t make sense to go if he wasn’t going to be there. Moreover, she wanted him to personally bring her there and announce that she was now his wife in front of his family, the legal mistress of the castle.
She had already agreed to not hold a wedding ceremony, so was he so reluctant to be by her side during his family event?
Xia Jingshu didn’t know what else to say so she merely sighed and said, “Let him be. We can’t force him to go if he doesn’t want to go. He will be there if he wants to. Han Xue, get the children ready and let’s head over for lunch. We mustn’t let the Old Madame wait too long.”
She didn’t know how to reach out to her son any longer. Her son would only mumble a few words in reply each time she called before he hung up.
She suddenly wished that He Xiyan was still married to him. Her son’s temper hadn’t been that bad when they were together and he would have never given her the cold shoulder while he was still married to He Xiyan,
When did he change so much?
She felt as though she had no choice but to suffer in silence.
Han Xue removed her hat in annoyance. This was a hat that she had spent more than $10,000 on.
She went downstairs and picked up her son, Ye Chenyu, then she went to the backyard on the ground floor and found Xi Xi who was playing on the swings beside the hot springs.
“Xi Xi, we’re going to your great-grandmother’s house to have lunch. Get off the swings now,” she said as she forced out an awkward smile.
She might be smiling but there was no tenderness in her eyes as she looked at this child.
Xi Xi glanced at Han Xue and continued playing on the swings as though she hadn’t heard what Han Xue had said earlier. She disliked this woman who had suddenly come to live with them in the castle and who had given birth to her younger brother. She neither liked this woman nor her younger brother.
“Xi Xi, did you hear what I said?” Han Xue said angrily. She was extremely annoyed with Xi Xi’s attitude toward her. This spoiled brat would always ignore whatever she said which drove her mad.
Xi Xi said, “I’m not going!”
Han Xue said angrily, “You’ll have to go even if you don’t want to!” Then, she stomped over and grabbed hold of the swing.
Damn it, she had to stop this swinging object.
“Your grandmother said that you’ll have to go. Come off the swings now,” she said.
She didn’t want to speak to this brat who drove her mad each time she spoke to her but she was forced to treat her like her biological daughter and was even obligated to buy toys and clothes for her.
It was one thing to purchase clothes for this little brat but this brat refused to wear anything she bought and even said that she would throw her clothes away.
Xi Xi hopped off her swing but she didn’t walk out of the backyard. Instead, she went over to the pond where she kept her pet goldfish and terrapins.
She sat on a small stool, took out a small fishnet and started playing with her fish.