Shen Xitong was finally discharged from the hospital, but her recovery was far from over. The cast on her leg had yet to be removed. The house became a lot more cheerful with her around.
"Qinglan, your sister's returned from the hospital. Because of you, she missed her chance to perform and is currently very depressed. I hope you can be more tolerant of her and not make her angry again," Chu Yunrong pulled Shen Qinglan aside and cautioned her.
Shen Qinglan looked at Chu Yunrong through quiet eyes. Feeling a little discomfort, Chu Yunrong looked away, unwilling to face her.
"I never take the initiative to harm others if they don't provoke me." With that, she left without giving Chu Yunrong another glance.
"Grandma, I'm really sorry I haven't been able to see you. I've been in the hospital this past month." In Grandma Shen's room, Shen Xitong was sitting on a wheelchair.
Grandma Shen took note of the cast wrapped around Shen Xitong's leg. She could not tell how bad the injury was. "How's the leg?"
Shen Xitong smiled coyly, "The doctor says it's recovering really well. I can take it off in another two weeks. I have to be careful in the future. It's alright as long as I don't get hurt again."
"That's good to hear. Aunt Song will make some bone broth for you for dinner. You should drink more," Grandma Shen said affectionately. She had always been nice toward younger folks.
"Thanks, grandma. But..." Shen Xitong looked at Grandma Shen hesitantly.
"What is it?"
"Grandma, I know mom has been blaming herself because of what happened to me. I've explained to her that Qinglan didn't do it on purpose. I had been careless with my footing. I've told her so many times not to blame Qinglan, since I really did take away mom's affection toward her. It's fine if Qinglan blames me. Grandma, can you talk to mom about it? Ask her not to blame Qinglan anymore."
Shen Xitong's statement was sincere. Her eyes dropped, appearing sad, but she failed to notice that the smile on Grandma Shen's face was slowly fading.
"Xitong, you came to us at about nine, is that right?" Grandma Shen did not respond directly to her plea, but instead asked a seemingly unintentional question.
Shen Xitong's heart tensed. She lifted her eyes helplessly and looked into Grandma Shen's loving eyes. She calmed down and said, "Yes. I remember, when I first came to this house, Grandma bought me a lot of new clothes."
"Back then, your mother was having a mental breakdown because of Lan Lan's disappearance. For her sake, your father adopted you from the orphanage. At that time, your grandfather and I disagreed with his actions. But your father was determined. Later, you turned out to be a lovely child, so we accepted you."
Shen Xitong bit her lower lip, "Grandma, I—"
Grandmother Shen waved, motioning her to refrain from speaking, "All this time, both your father and your mother brought you up as though you were their own daughter. They even told everyone else that you're the Shen family's daughter. I don't think we've treated you badly all these years, right?"
Shen Xitong lowered her eyes and nodded, "Yes, everyone in the family treats me well, and I like it here very much."
"I admit, after Lan Lan came back, your grandfather and I certainly have been partial toward her. She is our granddaughter by blood, after all, and we owed her so much over the years. But your father has always treated you two equally, not to mention your mother, who is partial toward you and neglects Lan Lan. Anyone with eyes can see that."
"I know. I've asked mom to treat Qinglan better, but she—" Shen Xitong began grievously.
"Let's not talk about your mother's problem for now. There's just you and me in this room. Be honest. Did Lan Lan really push you down the stairs?"
Shen Xitong lifted her eyes and met Grandma Shen's insightful gaze. Panic flashed across the young girl's eyes, "No, I was careless and—"
"Don't think about fooling me with that rhetoric of yours. I've been around for eighty years, what else haven't I seen? Do you think I don't know what's going on in your head? I've asked Aunt Song about it. Around the time of your incident, there was news spreading about in the capital that the Fu family intends to make Lan Lan their granddaughter-in-law. Yet you have taken a liking to that boy, Hengyi, haven't you?"
Shen Xitong did not expect Grandma Shen to be able to see through the thoughts she had kept hidden so carefully. The old woman even brought it up to her in the open. She could not help feeling somewhat flustered, "No, Grandma, I don't!"
"Doesn't matter, I'll tell you this right here and now. Don't hatch any unwanted ideas. If you like Fu Hengyi, you can compete for him fair and square. I shall not object to that. But if you commit any atrocities toward Qinglan, I fear that the Shen family cannot tolerate you any longer."
Frightened and panicking, Shen Xitong stared at Grandma Shen in disbelief as she explained, "Grandma, I really don't!"
"Xitong, I know you're a smart kid, but don't take other people as fools. Your mother is wholeheartedly partial toward you. She believes whatever you say. But we're different from her. We know Lan Lan's personality better than you do. If she's really jealous because your mother prefers you, then I'm quite pleased to hear about it." At least she has truly regarded herself as a member of the Shen family.
"Whatever happened that day, I really don't care if you fell on purpose or out of carelessness, I can always consider the latter option. But if I ever hear anything about Lan Lan being jealous of you, I don't think you will get away with it so easily. Your mother will take your side, but she's not the head of the household yet. Your grandfather will take charge even after I'm gone." Grandmother Shen spoke harshly, not leaving a scrap of dignity for Shen Xitong.
If this had happened in the past, she might not have done so. But her days were numbered. She only had so little time left before she could no longer protect Shen Qinglan: she had to do it that way.
She might come off as loving on normal days but, alas, she had been by Grandpa Shen's side as they had endured so many years of hardships. She had experienced the worst and had learned to be ruthless when she had to. Shen Xitong's little tricks were practically nothing to her. A few words were all it took to leave the girl heartbroken.
Shen Xitong was distressed. Since coming to the Shen family, no one had ever spoken to her in such a harsh manner, which led her to forget that she was only the Shen family's adopted daughter, not related to them by blood. They could place her on the pedestal, and take her down just as easily. It was the first time she had realized so clearly that she had no right to be wayward in the household. The only thing she could rely on was Chu Yunrong's love for her. But even then, Chu Yunrong was not her biological mother, so who could tell how long could that kind of love last?
She left Grandma Shen's room and, having been driven to distraction, ran into Shen Qinglan, who was on her way to visit her grandmother. Seeing Shen Qinglan's look of indifference, Shen Xitong bit her lower lip so hard it left tooth marks.