Chen Ruanruan's vision went dark, and she very much wanted to turn around and go home right now.
Weren't her biological parents supposed to be from a highly educated family?
No one told her it was this kind of "highly educated"!!!
And Chen Liuyue, since she had to get up early to cook for her parents in the Tao family since childhood, working so hard, why didn't she ever tell Mom and Dad about it?!
If she had told them, they would have felt even more heartache and guilt.
But she just pretended as if nothing had ever happened.
Could there be a bigger conspiracy?!!
Chen Ruanruan stared at her with a face full of suspicion.
Chen Liuyue, however, lifted her little face and flashed a sweet smile at her.
"Sister, I'll teach you how to cook together with Aunt Jin."
...
Tao Tian's hometown was in Yanshan Town, and Jin Minjia's was too, just not the same village.
His little car had just driven into the town when it couldn't move forward anymore.
Because relatives and friends who had come to the town for the market swarmed up as soon as they spotted it.
"Oh my, isn't that young Tao Tian from the Tao family, a big professor out in the city now, so successful!"
"It really is him! And that's his wife, Little Jin, next to him. I heard she's a teacher too."
"Why are the couple back..."
"You're not up on the news. Their babies got switched at the hospital back then. I heard they're back visiting with their real daughter this time."
"What?! There was such a thing?"
Most people in the town knew each other, being related or connected in some way.
In no time, the news spread throughout the whole town.
The Tao family's eldest son was back with his wife and their biological daughter.
Tao Tian offered cigarettes with an apologetic smile and said some pleasantries before the noisy crowd finally dispersed.
Chen Ruanruan was seeing such a scene for the first time; when the crowd surrounded them, she almost thought it was a zombie siege?!
She looked somewhat fearfully at Chen Liuyue.
"Liuyue, are people in Mom and Dad's hometown always this... enthusiastic?"
Chen Liuyue gave a knowing, almost mocking smile, and said with deep meaning:
"There's even more enthusiasm to come."
The Tao family had two brothers. The eldest was Tao Tian, the younger was Tao Tu.
The black car drove into the courtyard of a three-story rural house in Tao Family Village.
A tall, thin, somewhat dark-skinned, and somewhat sloppily dressed middle-aged man waved at them.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law."
Tao Tian parked the car, and everyone got out.
He first nodded at the man, then introduced,
"Ruanruan, this is my younger brother, your Second Uncle. Quick, say hello to Second Uncle!"
A flicker of imperceptible disdain passed through Chen Ruanruan's eyes.
Ew.
A country person. Why does he smell kinda bad?
But on the surface, she still smiled slightly. "Hello, Second Uncle."
Tao Tu looked excitedly at the beautiful young lady before him, smiling kindly.
"Ah, so this is my real niece. So pretty."
"Looks just like Big Brother."
Realizing the glare Jin Minjia shot his way, he immediately corrected himself, "Oh, takes after Sister-in-law too."
Only then did Jin Minjia raise the corner of her mouth in a smug smile.
When Tao Tu's gaze fell on Chen Liuyue, however, it shrank back slightly, showing a mix of wariness and fear.
"Why is Liuyue back too?"
"...She, didn't she find her biological parents."
Tao Tian explained with a smile,
"Yes, Liuyue is going back to the Chen family."
"But she and Ruanruan are close, deep sisterly bond."
"She heard it was Ruanruan's first time back to the old home, and she's shy, so she came along."
Tao Tu also laughed along.
Chen Ruanruan always felt her Second Uncle looked honest and simple, but his smile seemed somewhat fake.
Thinking this, she couldn't help but glance at Chen Liuyue.
She saw the other girl idly playing with the tassels hanging from the hem of her jacket, looking utterly bored.
So she withdrew her gaze.
The group entered the house.
Old Man Tao and Old Lady Tao sat in the inner hall. Both were thin and wiry, with gray hair, but their eyes shone with a shrewd light.
Sitting beside them were a boy and a girl slightly younger than Chen Liuyue.
As soon as he entered, Tao Tian introduced, "Ruanruan, this is Grandpa, and Grandma. Quick, greet them."
"Sitting next to them are your Second Uncle's children, your cousin Tao Cong and your cousin Tao Hui."
Chen Ruanruan put on a poised and gracious manner.
She greeted each one in turn.
Old Man Tao nodded with a beaming smile and acknowledged her greeting.
Old Lady Tao frowned somewhat, looking a little picky.
Looking at Chen Ruanruan's delicate, fragile appearance, she seemed displeased.
"This child's physique is so weak, looks like a gust of wind would knock her over. Who knows how that city Chen family raised her?"
Chen Ruanruan's smile froze.
Old Lady Tao continued,
"And, I hear you city folks have something called fiancés? When are you bringing that fiancé of yours back for us to look over?"
"I heard your dad mention it once, his family runs a company too, right? An only son, right? After you have a baby when you marry, will they give a red envelope?"
"Girls, no need to study too much. Marrying early is fine."
Chen Ruanruan's vision went dark again.
So much for the highly educated family. The old lady before her was just a typical rural granny.
How could her own gentle, kind, professor biological father have a mother like this?!
Tao Tian coughed and quickly said, "Mom, that matter can't be rushed. Ruanruan has her own plans."
Jin Minjia also couldn't help retorting,
"What do you mean girls don't need to study much? If I hadn't studied and gotten out, your Tao Tian might have found some city socialite out there."
"You think he'd come back to the old home? Don't even dream about it!"
Seeing her biological parents defend her, Chen Ruanruan felt a twinge of emotion in her heart.
So the blood bond between them really meant they would side with her unconditionally.
Old Lady Tao was unhappy.
Her gaze then naturally fell on Chen Liuyue.
As if encountering some natural nemesis, she immediately shut her mouth.
Old Man Tao was also a bit surprised. "This... well, since you're here, why did you bring Liuyue along too?"
Chen Liuyue curled the corner of her lips.
"Oh, can't I come?"
Tao Tian then repeated to the old couple what he had just said to Tao Tu.
Old Man Tao's eyes shifted, and he waved his hand.
"Alright, you and your wife stay and chat with us."
"Let Cong and Hui take the two sisters out to play..."
Once out of the house, Chen Ruanruan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Everything about the old home—the shabby house, the smell of decaying wood inside, and Old Man and Old Lady Tao—was uncomfortable.
She was just about to open her mouth to strike up a conversation with Chen Liuyue.
When she saw Tao Hui approach with a giggle.
Very familiarly, she said,
"Ruanruan Sister, do you want to go to my room and play together?"
Thinking they were family after all, Chen Ruanruan answered without guard, "Okay."
After saying that, she turned to look at Chen Liuyue, but the other girl had already walked straight to another corner of the courtyard, clearly not wanting to pay her any attention.
Tao Cong said from the side, "Ruanruan Sister, don't mind her. Her personality is really strange."
Tao Hui chimed in, "Yeah, come play with us."
