Lin Ying turned around upon hearing the sound and saw an elderly man in his sixties.

"Aunt He?"

Hearing Lin Ying speak, the voice that had been hesitant became more certain: "Oh, this is Xiao Ying. Xiao Ying, didn't you marry a military officer? How come you've come back? Did you hear about your father's situation? Oh, don't think you and your father usually don't get along. Did you hear that your father isn't well and rush back?"

Aunt He rattled off a long string of questions, leaving Lin Ying unsure how to respond. She simply picked out the answer she wanted to know: "Yes, it seems the neighborhood committee called the military, saying things are bad here. Aunt He, do you know where they are now?"

Aunt He said, "I know, it's the corner room behind your house. Oh dear, you don't know, your father is getting very old now, and your house has been demolished. This big house is no longer suitable for anyone to live in. Your father brought your little sister, no, Xiao Rong, to that corner room. Now your father's health has deteriorated like this, and I guess he doesn't have many days left to live."

Lin Ying nodded, "Thank you, Aunt He. I'll go take a look." Then, Lin Ying said to the children beside her, "Let's go. Let's go to the back."

Aunt He glanced at the child next to Lin Ying and her eyes flickered. She seemed to know something important and hurriedly went to share it with the neighbors.

Soon, the news that Lin Ying had married the old military officer and become someone's stepmother spread throughout the alley.

Lin Ying was naturally unaware of these things, and even if she had, she would have remained indifferent and offered no explanation.

She knows these people too well; if you take them seriously, you've already lost.

Following her memory, Lin Ying arrived at the location of the corner room at the back gate and found the location of the woodshed at the back of Lin Ying's house. From the outside, it could be seen that what was originally Lin Ying's large house had now been divided into a small corner house.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ying knocked on the somewhat dilapidated door.

After a while, the door creaked open.

A little girl who looked only four or five years old came out. Lin Ying recognized her at a glance as Lin Rong's daughter because she looked very much like Lin Rong.

However, she remembered that Lin Rong's daughter should be six or seven years old.

Clearly, the child is severely malnourished.

Seeing Lin Ying's unusual attire, the little girl became somewhat frightened: "Who are you looking for?"

Lin Ying felt conflicted about the little girl in front of her. She was just a pitiful little girl, and unfortunately, she was Lin Rong's daughter. Lin Ying composed herself, then squatted down, trying to make her smile as kind and gentle as possible, and said softly, "Little girl, I'm here to see your grandfather. Is he home?"

The little girl blinked, a hint of wariness in her eyes, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Grandpa is inside. He's sick and can't get out of bed."

Lin Ying already knew about Lin Huaiyu's situation, so she didn't react much: "Can you take us to see her? Don't worry, we're not bad people."

The little girl thought for a moment before saying, "Come with me."

Led by the little girl, Lin Ying and the children entered the house. The room was dimly lit and filled with a strong smell of medicine. In the corner, on a dilapidated wooden bed, lay an old man with a haggard face; it was Lin Ying's father, Lin Huaiyu. His hair was almost completely white, his face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were closed, and he looked extremely weak.

All the light in the room came from the doorway, and Lin Ying, standing there, naturally blocked the light from entering the room.

Lin Huaiyu knew someone had arrived: "Nannan, we have a guest..." Before she could finish speaking, Lin Huaiyu saw Lin Ying standing at the door and fell silent.

Looking at her father, Lin Ying felt a mix of emotions, but she still said, "I heard you were sick, so I came back to see you."

As she spoke, she turned to look at the little girl standing to the side, who seemed a bit lost, and asked, "Why is this child so thin? Has she not been eating properly?"

Lin Huaiyu sighed and said weakly, "Alas, ever since your sister left, I've fallen ill and haven't had the energy to take good care of the children. There's also not much food left at home..."

Lin Ying repeated the same thing she always said before: "I don't have a younger sister. Since you can't take care of her, why don't you send her back to the Li family?"

Lin Huaiyu naturally understood that Lin Ying had never forgiven them. But then again, why should she forgive them? So he smiled bitterly:

"The Li family isn't doing well these days either. How many people who are sent down to the countryside to work in cowsheds end up doing well?"

Lin Huaiyu's voice was very weak, but Lin Ying could tell that it was just a minor illness that had been delayed, and that it was not incurable if he received treatment.

But Lin Huaiyu clearly didn't know: "I'm about to die. This child is very good and obedient. After I die, you..."

Before Lin Huaiyu could finish speaking, Lin Ying retorted, "I will not raise Lin Rong's child. Forget about it."

The little girl seemed to sense the anger in Lin Ying's voice and subconsciously trembled.

Upon hearing Lin Ying's words, Lin Huaiyu finally couldn't help but cough.

The little girl rushed over to pat Lin Huaiyu on the back, and then poured her some water.

After calming down, Lin Huaiyu said, "You still hate me after all. That's right, I've never fulfilled my responsibilities as a father to you, so it's understandable that you hate me. But regarding the matter between your mother and me, I was the one who was wrong, and I was the one who went my own way. Hate me if you want. It's fine if you hate Xiaorong too, since she's gone anyway."

When Lin Huaiyu said this, there was a clear sadness in her eyes.

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