Chapter 171: It’s the Maternal Grandmother

Xiao Huai’an suddenly realized that he seemed to have said a bit too much.

But it didn’t matter.

Some things, sooner or later, Xin Ran would have to know.

He paused for a moment and then said, “Actually, it’s not that I know the Ye family well. It’s just that when we were investigating the Lu family, we also came across some of these matters.”

Ye Xin Ran froze.

“You investigated the Lu family? Is there something wrong with the Lu family?”

“Yes!” Xiao Huai’an answered with certainty.

“The issues are quite complicated and hard to explain all at once. Just remember, Lu Ting En is not a good person, nor someone you can trust. That’s all you need to know.”

Ye Xin Ran thought to herself: Isn’t that exactly what I had concluded? He’s definitely not a good person!

“Don’t worry, since Madam Lu is here, I’ll make sure she sees Lu Ting En’s true face.”

Ye Xin Ran was confident.

In the evening, Chang Ping and Chang An, the two children, returned home from school.

When they saw guests in the house, both of them became excited.

“Aunt, who is this beautiful lady?” Chang Sheng asked, looking up at Ye Xin Ran with sparkling eyes.

“This is my mother, your… hmm…”

Ye Xin Ran was still thinking about how to introduce her, but Leng Qing Yu quickly answered, “I’m your grandmother!”

“Grandmother, hello!”

“Grandmother, you’re so beautiful!”

“You look just like Aunt, both of you are so pretty!”

The two children chimed in, generously offering compliments.

Leng Qing Yu’s mood lifted as she smiled at the two little ones. “Xin Ran, you’ve raised your children so well. They’re both beautiful and well-behaved!”

Ye Xin Ran looked at the two children as well.

After a few months, the children had gained some weight.

Especially Chang An, who looked fair and chubby, dressed in a knee-length robe, making him look like a character from a traditional Chinese painting.

She smiled as well. “The children are indeed well-behaved!”

Leng Qing Yu thought back to her own younger days.

Back then, Chang Qing and Zhi Yi used to cry and argue over favors, always causing trouble.

As a first-time mother, Leng Qing Yu had been exhausted by their antics.

She had never felt, not even for a moment, that her children were as adorable as she did now!

Leng Qing Yu couldn’t help but think, “I really am getting older.”

“Is Grandmother here to see Aunt? Will Grandmother be living with us from now on?”

Chang Ping, being the older one, had more thoughts about it.

It was then that Leng Qing Yu remembered she hadn’t prepared any gifts for the children.

She reached up to touch the golden hairpin on her head but felt it wasn’t quite right.

She quickly retrieved her purse from her waist and took out two small gold ingots.

She handed the gold to the children, saying, “Good children, Grandmother didn’t prepare any gifts for you, but take these to buy some fruit.”

Ye Xin Ran quickly stopped her, “They’re so young, Madam doesn’t need to give them so much.”

Leng Qing Yu thought for a moment and agreed, handing the gold to Ye Xin Ran instead. “It’s not safe for them to have so much money. Please hold on to it for them.”

Ye Xin Ran waved her hand, “Madam, there’s no need to be so polite.”

While the two women continued to be polite, Chang An tilted his head and asked, “Aunt, isn’t Grandmother your mother? Why don’t you call her ‘mother’?”

Ye Xin Ran: “…”

Leng Qing Yu also paused.

She placed the gold into Ye Xin Ran’s hand and looked at Chang An and Chang Ping with a loving expression.

“These children are truly well-behaved!”

“I just keep liking them more and more!”

“It’s all Grandmother’s fault,” Leng Qing Yu said with a gentle smile, “When you were little, I lost your Aunt, so she still isn’t used to calling me ‘mother.’”

She explained, “But now that Grandmother is living here, your Aunt will definitely forgive me. Isn’t that right?”

Chang An immediately responded, “Grandmother, you have to treat Aunt well from now on! Our Aunt is the kindest and most soft-hearted!”

Leng Qing Yu nodded eagerly!

She bent down and ruffled the children’s heads, suddenly feeling that Chang An seemed a little familiar.

But that can’t be right!

Leng Qing Yu thought to herself.

She didn’t know Xiao Huai’an, and she certainly didn’t know the children’s mother!

It must be because she liked them so much that she was experiencing this illusion.

Leng Qing Yu comforted herself this way.

Dinner was prepared by Ye Xin Ran.

To avoid a repeat of what happened at lunch, she didn’t let Leng Qing Yu help.

Leng Qing Yu also didn’t interfere because she had found something more interesting.

In the yard, Leng Qing Yu was feeding the geese with the two children.

Chang Ping was the main worker, while Leng Qing Yu and Chang An squatted beside, watching.

They watched as Chang Ping first added water for the geese, then mixed vegetables and rice bran together and poured it into another trough.

“Second Brother, you’re really amazing! The food you mixed, they all love it!” Chang An said with admiration.

Chang Ping looked proud, “Of course! I’m really good at these things.”

“You’re still young, so you don’t need to worry about these tasks. I’ll handle the work, and you just focus on studying well and keeping Aunt happy.”

“Okay, I understand!” Chang An nodded seriously.

Leng Qing Yu looked on, amazed.

These two children were so organized and clear about their roles. They had even made keeping Aunt happy a part of their daily duties.

“You both really like Aunt, don’t you?” Leng Qing Yu asked.

Chang An answered as if it was obvious, “Of course! Aunt is the best to us, and she knows how to do everything. She’s really amazing! But Grandmother,” Chang An looked at Leng Qing Yu, “Grandmother is even more amazing. She gave birth to such an amazing Aunt!”

Leng Qing Yu’s eyes unexpectedly reddened upon hearing this.

How she wished the children’s excellence had come from her!

But although she had given birth to her, she hadn’t really raised her. And due to her own carelessness, her daughter had suffered for over ten years.

“Grandmother, why are your eyes red? Did you get sand in them? Let me blow on them for you,” Chang An said, looking concerned.

Chang Ping also quickly brought a stool and helped Leng Qing Yu sit down.

Chang An leaned in, gently lifting Leng Qing Yu’s eyelids with her soft little hand, blowing lightly twice, and then asked, “Grandmother, is it better now?”

“It’s better!” Leng Qing Yu wiped away a tear.

She quickly wiped her eyes and smiled genuinely.

“You are both good children!”

To raise such well-behaved children, she felt truly proud of Ye Xin Ran.

At the same time, she thought of her own two children.

In the past, she didn’t understand why Zhi Yi kept her distance from her.

After thinking it over, she used to believe it was because she favored Lu Chang Qing, which caused the rift.

She regretted it for quite a while.

Only today did she truly understand that perhaps Lu Zhi Yi had already known who her real mother was.

The relationship she had with Leng Qing Yu now must have been instigated by the Duke and her real mother.

With that thought, Leng Qing Yu finally made up her mind.

She would write a letter to her father, asking him to investigate Lu Ting En’s background thoroughly.

She needed to know what Lu Ting En had been doing behind her back all these years.