This sudden cold reception froze He Wanrou's smile, and her arm holding the doll awkwardly stopped in mid-air.
Her heart skipped a beat, and the first thought that popped into her mind was: Zhou Qiqi!
It must be that bitch Zhou Qiqi who spoke ill of me in front of the child beforehand!
Otherwise, there's no way to explain it!
I was so kind and approachable, and I even brought a gift. How could the child react like this when they first met me?!
She doesn't like children at all, let alone a mute child who can't even communicate.
But for the sake of the Shen family, she had already humbled herself and put on the best effort to please the little mute.
How could they treat this little mute girl like that?!
Unwilling to give up, she took a few more steps closer, holding the pretty doll, bending over, and softening her voice even more, trying to seduce her:
"Zhouzhou, come here to Auntie, let Auntie hold you, and this pretty doll is yours!"
As she spoke, she took another step closer.
But Zhouzhou remained completely unmoved.
Upon seeing He Wanrou approach, she immediately hid away, running behind Shen Huaichuan.
Seeing her granddaughter's obvious resistance and fear, Qin Peilan felt a pang of heartache and quickly intervened to stop He Wanrou from continuing.
"Wanrou, it's alright, it's alright. The child is shy and introverted. It's not directed at you. Don't take it to heart. All children are like that. It's normal. She'll get used to it gradually."
He Wanrou's hand, which was holding the doll, froze awkwardly in mid-air, and her smile almost disappeared.
But knowing how important Zhouzhou was to the elderly couple in the Shen family, she could only awkwardly withdraw her hand and force a smile as she said:
"...Okay, it's alright, Auntie won't force you. Maybe...maybe this doll isn't good, you don't like it. It's okay, Auntie will go to the department store tomorrow and pick out a nicer one for you!"
She spoke generously and considerately, but inwardly she cursed:
This little brat has quite the discerning eye!
You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Just you wait and see!
This little incident made the atmosphere a bit awkward.
The family didn't say anything more and went inside one after the other.
He Wanrou was left behind. Looking at the neglected, expensive doll, and then at Zhouzhou who was snuggling tightly with Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan, she felt both frustrated and angry.
Zhou Qiqi and her friends spent a lot of time going out to pick up their children.
When I returned to the house, several bowls of steaming clear soup noodles were already laid out on the dining table in the main room.
The noodle soup was clear and bright, and each bowl had a tender white poached egg on top, sprinkled with some bright green scallions. A small dish of refreshing pickles was served on the side, making it look quite appetizing.
Qin Peilan greeted them:
"You must be hungry after being away for so long. Let's eat first and fill our stomachs. Wanrou's cooking is pretty good. Back in the sanatorium, she often cooked special meals for your dad and me."
Zhou Qiqi glanced at the noodles on the table and had to admit it.
He Wanrou is definitely not the kind of "green tea" who only knows how to talk big; she has some real skills, and the noodles she cooked were indeed quite presentable.
She had been busy all afternoon and was indeed hungry. She and Shen Huaichuan exchanged a glance and nodded: "Okay, let's eat first."
He Wanrou was exceptionally attentive, moving chairs and setting out chopsticks to help the elderly couple sit down.
Qin Peilan told her not to bother with anything else, to sit down and eat with them, and then asked Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan to sit opposite the elderly couple.
Qin Peilan even waved to Zhouzhou, her face full of affection: "Zhouzhou, come, come sit with Grandma."
But Zhouzhou glanced at He Wanrou sitting on the other side of her grandmother, immediately shook her head, turned around and ran back to her room, gently closing the door behind her.
Zhou Qiqi quickly smoothed things over: "Auntie, it's alright. Zhouzhou ate something outside earlier, so she's not hungry right now. Let her stay by herself for a while; she's used to it."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Qin Peilan's eyes, but considering her granddaughter's special circumstances, she could only sigh and say:
"Sigh, this child... let's not disturb her for now, let her have some peace and quiet."
Five people sat around the dining table, picked up their chopsticks, and began to eat noodles.
According to Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan's usual habits, eating is just eating; they don't talk about important matters at the table, nor do they bring up emotions.
The two also thought that after dinner, they would talk to their parents about Zhouzhou's recent situation and how she had stopped acupuncture and started learning to paint.
But some people just couldn't hold back and insisted on causing trouble during this meal.
She hadn't eaten more than a few bites when she put down her chopsticks and let out a heavy sigh.
Everyone looked at her, and saw that her eyes were slightly red, and she looked worried and hesitant to speak.
Her gaze swept between the elderly couple and Zhou Qiqi, and finally, as if gathering her courage, she spoke with a choked voice:
"Uncle, Aunt... I... I know there are some things I shouldn't be asking, but seeing Zhouzhou like that, I just can't bear to hold it in..."
She sniffled, looking as if she was about to cry from heartache, and asked:
"Has Zhouzhou been like this all along? I heard she's been receiving acupuncture treatment, hasn't she? She's been getting acupuncture for almost half a year now, but why...is there no improvement at all?"
Her question was sincere and earnest. Before anyone could answer, she sighed softly and continued speaking to herself:
“I remember Auntie telling me before that there was a child in the nursing home with a similar condition who couldn’t speak either. After two months of acupuncture, he was able to say simple words. How come with Zhouzhou, the more she’s treated, the worse her condition gets? Look at her, not only can she not speak, but now she doesn’t even dare to see people!”
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