The An family came after dinner, with both An Zhiren and An ZhiXian present, only An MeiYun did not come.
Perhaps after seeing through the dislike of the old master and old madam towards her pretentious attitude, she knew she would not be able to fool them.
ZhiXia woke up from a nap, her sprained foot was also much better, and she could walk without support.
An ZhiAng came in with An Zhiren and An ZhiXian. Seeing ZhiXia lying in bed, he first expressed concern, and then brought up the purpose of this trip.
Naturally it was to persuade her to go back. ZhiXia had already guessed it, so there was nothing surprising.
Her answer was ambiguous. Everyone in the An family was smart except for the easygoing An ZhiAng. An Zhiren and An ZhiXian understood at once that what ZhiXia wanted was a guarantee, and this guarantee could only be given by her parents.
However, they had guessed wrong this time. When she first returned, she still had a glimmer of hope for that family, but after some things happened, she saw through it and stopped hoping for it.
Zhou Nan came in after they left.
As soon as she entered, seeing ZhiXia's face that was increasingly similar to hers, Zhou Nan had a moment of disorientation.
The 18 years of upbringing were certainly important, but the blood ties were not so easy to sever, so Zhou Nan was always so conflicted.
Sitting by the bed, Zhou Nan sighed, "Mom knows her actions have hurt you, but ZhiXia, she's getting married the day after tomorrow, and will only be home for less than two days. Your dad and I have already talked to MeiYun before coming here, she will try to come home as little as possible in the future. Mom is not forcing you, just standing from a mother's perspective to ask you, let's go home, okay? Mom and dad will definitely cherish you in the future, you should also...give us a chance!"
Looking at Zhou Nan's loving gaze, she also wanted to believe that at this moment, she really meant what she said.
Unfortunately, people's minds are inherently complicated and fickle. She would feel sorry for herself when seeing her pitiful state, and similarly, if An MeiYun stood in front of her pitifully, she would also feel bad.
The tragedy of her previous life was ultimately her own experience, while in their eyes, An MeiYun had always been the child who had been with them for eighteen years. Although a little willful, she was by no means a bad child.
Smiling, ZhiXia did not refuse this time, "Okay, I also hope that mom can remember her promise this time."
And not like last time, when it was agreed to be 10 days, it was delayed again and again, and now it has already been more than a month.
"I will, I will." Zhou Nan nodded approvingly, "Then do you have anything to pack up? Let me help you."
"No need, just a few clothes, just take them out." In recent times, the old madam had added a lot of clothes for her, as well as two winter cotton coats.
Although ZhiXia said it was unnecessary, Zhou Nan still took action.
Seeing the clothes in the closet and the brand new thick quilts, Zhou Nan realized that she was indeed a very incompetent mother.
She had also prepared some at home, but because she had to be busy preparing An MeiYun’s dowry these days, what she prepared for ZhiXia was far from as complete as what the old madam had prepared here.
At that moment, she felt a little guilty in her heart, and at the same time thought that it was no wonder the child felt uncomfortable, and they really didn’t do enough.
She secretly wiped the corners of her eyes and folded all the clothes in the closet neatly.
The old madam came in from outside with a box and looked at ZhiXia with a smile, "Have the mother and daughter reconciled?"
"Grandma..." ZhiXia was still thinking about how to tell the old madam that she was going back, after all she was the one who came, and now she was the one leaving, troubling the old madam for so long for no reason.
Before she could feel embarrassed, the old madam said, "It's good that you've made up, there are no overnight feuds between mother and daughter, it's fine as long as you talk it out."
Then, the old madam exhorted Zhou Nan again, "Zhiqing's mom, I'm also a mother, I know what you're thinking. In fact, if someone comes to tell me now that Jingzhi is not my own, I wouldn't be able to accept it either. But things are already like this, you still have to make a principle in your heart and distinguish between the important and the trivial. I'm not speaking ill of MeiYun either, you raised her up, so you know best what kind of person she is. She has improved somewhat in the past two years, but think carefully, when did she start to change? Did she really change, or was she just putting on a show for you? You're already old enough to be a grandmother, there are some things that can't just be seen with the eyes, you have to feel with your heart..."
In the past, the old madam would not have said so much to her, in case she annoyed her.
And this era was different from before. She was no longer the matriarch of a prestigious family. As long as she took good care of the family and the children, it was not so important whether she learned certain things or not.
But the old madam couldn't bear to see her own granddaughter being wronged, so she had to give Zhou Nan more advice.
She was old now and didn't know how many more years she could live. ZhiXia was still young and had a long life ahead of her, and would still need the care of her parents and brothers in the future.
She didn't need to exhort ZhiAng, the twins had an extraordinary bond. That child regarded ZhiXia even more importantly than himself.
ZhiQing was the most steady, with the demeanor of an eldest brother since childhood. As for Zhiren and ZhiXian, she had also exhorted them earlier.
After all, they didn't grow up together, so you couldn't demand too much affection between them right away. But blood ties couldn't be severed. When the younger sister was wronged, the brothers shouldn't pretend not to see it.
As long as someone was there to gently remind them, the siblings would gradually become close, so she didn't have to worry too much.
"Mom is right, I also understand, I will definitely not wrong ZhiXia again in the future." Zhou Nan said awkwardly.
In fact, after returning from here last time, she had thought about it for a long time and realized that many of the conflicts did seem to be deliberately provoked by MeiYun.
Her husband also said that no matter who was right or wrong in the past, there was no point in keeping score anymore.
The two of them could be said to have been kind to MeiYun, and in the future they should indeed take good care of ZhiXia.
As for whether MeiYun will live well or poorly, it was her own choice, and they couldn't watch over her for a lifetime either.
Whether it was their son or daughter, when they grew up and married, their mission would be accomplished.
When it came to dealing with children's relationships, even if they couldn't be completely fair and just, they shouldn't always meddle randomly, lest pleasing neither side.
"It's good that you can understand. After all, ZhiXia is still young. As her mother, you should still point out and teach her when she does something wrong."
It had to be said that the old madam knew how to handle things well, scolding with one hand and giving a sweet date with the other, disciplining and still giving Zhou Nan face.
"Pack the clothes in the box, it will be more convenient to carry." The old madam handed the box to Zhou Nan and said to ZhiXia, "This is the rattan box your dad used when he was young. Don't look at its age, it's still in good condition. Come back and stay whenever you miss grandma in the future."
This was also to remind Zhou Nan not to always make the child uncomfortable. It wasn't like ZhiXia had nowhere to go without her.
"You can figure it out yourself, that's good. But after all, ZhiXia is still young. As her mother, you should still speak up and teach her when something is done wrongly."
It had to be said that the old madam knew how to handle things well, scolding with one hand and giving a sweet date with the other, disciplining and still giving Zhou Nan face.
"Pack the clothes in the box, it will be more convenient to carry." The old madam handed the box to Zhou Nan and said to ZhiXia, "This is the rattan box your dad used when he was young. Don't look at its age, it's still in good condition. Come back and stay whenever you miss grandma in the future."
This was also to remind Zhou Nan not to always make the child uncomfortable. It wasn't like ZhiXia had nowhere to go without her.
