Ji Qingzhou took Ye Lanqing's hand and said, "Auntie, I want to hear your past stories. I heard that you helped a lot of people when you were young. Everyone said you were kind-hearted."
Ye Lanqing had a smile in the corner of his eyes, and his thoughts seemed to have gone back to a long time ago.
She didn't care much, and even when people talked about her good past, she just waved her hand.
"Neighbors helping each other is just a matter of convenience, and not much is done."
Ji Qingzhou looked at her. She had lost her husband at such a young age, and now her only son had a bleak future. Both mother and son seemed to be trying to survive in the cracks.
"What about Guo Hui? Sister Wang said she took a lot of your money. Even A Yan's grandmother favored her family."
Not long after Xie Yanbei's father received the pension, the house next door was renovated.
Ye Lanqing is still considerate and has calluses on his hands.
It has not been easy for her to live alone these years, and after she fell ill, she became so confused that she could not tell whether something was dangerous or not.
"Everyone has their own selfish desires. After so much time, it's not worth causing trouble for Yanbei over such a trivial matter."
Didn't she know what the two elders of the Xie family said behind her back that she was a soft persimmon that was easy to manipulate?
But the family has lost its pillar, and Xie Yanbei has a hard life having a mother like her.
She couldn't give Xie Yanbei anything, and she didn't want to make him worry.
It's not worth offending others for trivial matters.
"But Auntie, some people are not as vicious as they appear. They just bully the weak and fear the strong. People should be more selfish and love themselves more, otherwise everyone can take advantage of us."
Ye Lanqing is famous for her good personality. Over time, everyone has come to accept that she can be bullied.
"My uncle passed away early. We don't provoke others, but we can't let them bully us. If we keep giving in, people will only think we are weak."
Ye Lanqing's eyes gradually became kinder as he looked at Ji Qingzhou.
She knew that children nowadays all have their own ideas, and she couldn't continue to drag Xie Yanbei down.
Maybe her previous ideas were indeed wrong and too outdated.
"Auntie, we all have to learn to protect ourselves. No matter whether Ayan and I are by your side or not, you have to be stronger."
Ye Lanqing patted Ji Qingzhou's back soothingly, and the two of them looked like mother and daughter.
Their backs were stretched long by the sunlight, and Ye Lanqing's voice carried a sense of storytelling.
"You're right, Qingzhou. Yanbei has been strong-willed since he was young. Although he is a bit awkward most of the time, I can see his feelings clearly. He really likes you."
Ji Qingzhou drew two circles in a messy manner on the notebook in his hand.
Originally wanting to settle accounts with the other party, Ye Lanqing suddenly talked about her and Xie Yanbei.
Instead, her face turned red and she was no longer as eloquent as before.
"Auntie, I understand everything you said."
Ye Lanqing sighed helplessly and looked at the distance.
The sun seemed to be about to set; the days were especially short in winter.
"Don't be like me, a coward with no future in this life. Yanbei is a good boy. He has been supporting this family alone for so many years. I don't know how hard it must have been."
Ji Qingzhou's eyes were red: "Auntie, please don't say that. There are no parents in this world who don't love their children. I know you have your difficulties, and A Yan will understand. Our lives will only get better and better in the future."
Ye Lanqing's voice was very gentle. She held Ji Qingzhou's hand tightly, and the two seemed to have come a step closer in silence.
Ji Qingzhou seemed to remember something and picked up the pen again.
"By the way, Auntie, Ayan's uncle and his friends took a lot of your things. Do you remember what they were?"
Just thinking about that weird family, Ji Qingzhou felt so depressed that he couldn't eat.
Xie Yanbei's grandmother is extremely partial to everyone and she doesn't treat everyone equally, and she dares to show it so blatantly.
Ye Lanqing's eyes were a little cloudy, as if he was lost in memories of the past.
She counted on her fingers: "If I count it up bit by bit, I'm afraid it will take a while to explain it clearly."
She turned her head and looked at the house. The two rooms could be described as bare.
"When his father and I first got married, they moved all the new furniture we made back home the next day. Later, his father went to the army, and they borrowed his monthly salary for various reasons. They haven't paid him back a penny in all these years."
When Ye Lanqing thinks about those difficult days now, he still feels full of guilt.
In winter, the mother and son could not wear cotton clothes and shivered with cold.
It didn't matter to her as an adult, but Xie Yanbei was still a child at that time.
When he was young, he not only had no good food to eat, but he could only wear clothes left by others.
Ye Lanqing did not have the courage to resist her mother-in-law. Later, when Xie Yanbei grew up, the other party took into consideration that he was a boy and restrained herself somewhat.
But Xie Yanbei chose the same path as his father.
He spent most of his time in the army, far away from home, and the neighbors couldn't bear it anymore.
"I'm an unqualified mother. I couldn't protect my child when he was young. Yanbei has grown up and found a partner as good as you with his own ability, but I can't give you any financial support."
There was a smile in Ji Qingzhou's eyes. She never thought that Xie Yanbei's family was so poor.
As long as the family is together, no amount of material things can replace it.
What's more, among that group of people, she only took a quick look and knew that Xie Yanbei would definitely soar to great heights in the future.
"Auntie, people say that children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Ah Yan and I will work hard, manage our little family well, and take good care of you."
She looked at the things written in her notebook and her hatred for her neighbor deepened.
Sure enough, the bad guys in this world have no bottom line.
"Besides my uncle's family, my eldest uncle's family has also been eyeing this little money. Old Master Xie favors the eldest son, and Old Madam Xie favors the third son. Only your uncle is caught in the middle and is disliked by both sides."
Ye Lanqing suddenly remembered that many years ago, she was sitting alone on the doorstep holding Xie Yanbei.
At that time, she was the only one at home. In order to give them and their son a better life, Xie Yanbei's father would send back almost all of his salary in the army.
But even so, because they had to support such a large family, their lives were still very difficult.
Knowing how hard her husband worked, Ye Lanqing never mentioned a word about it in her letters.
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