The smiles inside the room vanished abruptly. Old Du's good mood was instantly ruined. He sighed and stared at the door speechlessly, his face full of resistance.
Xia Lan looked at Elder Du, who shook his head.
"I'll go open the door!" Xia Lan volunteered when she saw Du Juan outside still nagging and Old Master Du looking so uncomfortable.
Old Du nodded.
"Come on! Who is it! Making a scene at the door in broad daylight, don't you have any manners?" Xia Lan deliberately raised her voice, walked to the door and opened it.
Du Juan frowned when she saw the door finally open, only to find a girl she had never seen before.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my father's house?" Du Juan frowned when she saw Xia Lan, especially when Xia Lan said something that made her feel like she was being mocked.
She was inside the house, while her own daughter was at the door.
"Oh, I'm Master Du's student. Who are you? Do you need something from my master?"
Xia Lan blinked, glanced at Zhang Qiu next to Du Juan, and grinned.
Zhang Qiu received Xia Lan's glance, a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she looked at her mother, who was struggling to control her emotions, and sighed inwardly.
"What student? When did my dad take on students? How come I didn't know?" Du Juan frowned, sizing up Xia Lan, and the more she looked at her, the more she felt that Xia Lan was not a good person.
They must be after their father; they're so young and already behaving badly.
"You didn't even know that Old Du almost starved to death in the village?"
Xia Lan's words left Du Juan speechless.
While she was enjoying a life of luxury in the capital, her father was suffering from hunger and cold in the village, but as his daughter, she didn't even know where he was and couldn't help him in any way.
These words are like a slap in the face, a resounding blow to Du Juan.
“I thought about looking for him back then, but I never heard from him,” Du Juan retorted through gritted teeth.
“Everyone who was sent down to the countryside is recorded, even if they were transferred. Someone of your status should be able to find out, right? You haven’t been able to find out in ten years…?”
Xia Lan looked puzzled, blinked, and seemed unconvinced.
"Besides, have you even considered contacting him? Is it just a thought in your head?"
Xia Lan's words left Du Juan speechless once again, and she really did go looking for her.
But he said his father had been transferred to another place and his whereabouts were unknown...
"Finding someone is something anyone can do. If you really have the will, you can ask someone to send you something. The problem is that people talk a good game but don't take any action and just give up."
Xia Lan said quietly, glancing at Du Juan, who looked embarrassed by the question, and smiled slightly.
"You wouldn't be that kind of person, would you?"
"Of course not!" Du Juan gritted her teeth, her words tinged with anger and embarrassment.
"I didn't say it was you, did I? Why are you so quick to deny it? Are you feeling guilty?" Xia Lan looked at Du Juan and her smile faded.
The sudden seriousness made Du Juan feel even more humiliated by Xia Lan, but she had no way to refute it.
Her father was sent to the countryside for a full ten years, and she really did nothing.
“I know you are my master’s daughter, but don’t think that just because you have that blood relation you will my master forgive you! When you chose your husband, you already lost your father. Now don’t try to use the title of daughter! It will only make you look ridiculous.”
Xia Lan's smile vanished, and the coldness in her eyes could no longer be concealed by her smile. Du Juan was stunned by the sharpness and disdain in Xia Lan's eyes.
Zhang Qiu pursed her lips.
"Furthermore, you don't need to worry about Master's retirement. Master has me and Qin Yu, we will take good care of Master! No need for you to worry. Like I said, we are all adults, we have eyes and we can feel whether we really care or not."
Xia Lan said slowly.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not care about my father!"
Du Juan was unwilling to accept this and retorted.
"Do you know what Master likes to eat? Do you know he hasn't been eating properly since he came back? Have you really cared about him? Have you ever asked him, 'Dad, how are you?'"
With each question Xia Lan asked, Du Juan's face grew paler.
“You have no idea, do you? Maybe you think he will be fine as before after he comes back, but you don’t know what he has been through, and you don’t care. You only care about your husband, your family, and your life. To you, your father is just a stranger.”
Xia Lan leaned against the door, glanced at Du Juan, and said coldly.
"Now that your husband is failing and can no longer support you, you've suddenly remembered you have a father? Ask yourself honestly, did you really come here for your master, or for your husband, or because you listened to your husband?"
"..." Du Juan twisted her handkerchief, unable to utter a single word.
Xia Lan looked at Zhang Qiu.
Zhang Qiu glanced at her mother and shook her head at Xia Lan.
Xia Lan shrugged.
"Are you all alright? If you are, go back home as soon as possible! I'll take care of things here! You don't need to worry about me, just enjoy your own lives!"
Xia Lan turned to look at the two men guarding the door.
"Gentlemen, are you hungry? We've prepared some food for you. If you don't mind, please come in and eat. The food is getting cold."
The two were surprised that Xia Lan and the others had prepared a meal for them. They ignored Du Juan and Zhang Qiu and followed Xia Lan into the house.
When you reach the door, don't forget to close it.
Du Juan and Zhang Qiu were locked out.
Back in the courtyard, Xia Lan turned around and met Old Du's moist eyes.
"Oh dear, are you going to cry from being so touched?"
Xia Lan's words made Old Du, who was originally moved, instantly hold back his tears and glare at Xia Lan.
That brat, he shouldn't have been moved.
Hahahaha...
Xia Lan was just teasing him on purpose.
Qin Yu brought the food he had prepared for the two of them to the table set up next to him, and the two of them glanced at Qin Yu.
"Thanks."
They've always been the ones explaining the food issue themselves; this is the first time someone has shown concern for them.
"Did you all hear what I just said?" Xia Lan asked with a smile as she sat down next to Old Du.
“I know it perfectly well,” Old Du said with a smile.
"You're still laughing? Aren't you angry with me?"
How could he still laugh when she insulted his daughter like that?
Old Du, with a smile on his lips, shook his head.
How could he blame Xia Lan? What Xia Lan just said was all from his perspective and on his behalf, so how could he blame her?
Just like she said, a person isn't senile enough to tell whether they truly care about themselves or not.
Every time his daughter came over, she would inevitably mention her son-in-law. Even if he tried to ignore the underlying meaning in her words, he got tired of hearing it so often.
His own daughter showed him no concern whatsoever; all she ever talked about was her husband. How could he not feel heartbroken?
What Xia Lan said today was exactly what he had always wanted to say: if his daughter had shown him even the slightest concern when he returned home, he would not have turned her away.
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