Bai Xue was at home calculating the money in her elder daughter’s hands. Seeing her husband return not long after leaving and looking rather displeased, she would have usually asked him about it immediately. However, considering her husband’s dissatisfaction with her over the past few days, she suppressed the questions in her mind and began talking about family matters and the items to be taken away. Ye He Ping was feeling annoyed and responded impatiently with a couple of mumbles before lying down on the bed to rest. Bai Xue noticed this and refrained from saying more. Realizing the time, she got up to cook. After arranging the funeral for the elder at the town, she bought some food back, which meant she no longer had to eat hard cornbread from yesterday onwards. Bai Xue heated up the rice porridge and steamed the cornbread, and after everything was ready, she reheated the leftover white fungus stir-fry from yesterday and put the dishes on the kang table, calling the family to eat. Ye He Ping drank only half a bowl of porridge before putting down his chopsticks, "Lingzi, when your grandma was in the village, how did the Wang Family treat you?" This one sentence drew the attention of all three women toward him. Ye He Ping ignored them and kept his eyes fixed on the elder daughter beside him. Ye Ling couldn’t eat anymore and put down her chopsticks as well, "They just acted normally. The older folks in the team didn’t have to work in the fields. Before going to the city a few years ago, the team said it was too busy and let Grandma join in the planting. She worked for a day before falling ill the next day. Wang Changjiang hurriedly called a team cart to send Grandma to the town, and the doctor advised that she was too old to do heavy work. Afterward, we received your telegram, and hurriedly caught the train to the city on the same day. When we came back from the city, Grandma had fallen ill and had a fever that lasted a whole day before finally going down." Toward the end, Ye Ling’s voice also choked up, "Grandma kept worrying about my tuition fees, so we went to the station to sell wild vegetable dumplings. All the family’s private land was planted with corn. Later when Dad returned, Grandma had an accident." Yes, when Father came back, Grandma passed away. Ye Ling knew that speaking about this would cause her father to feel guilty for a lifetime. But if blaming her for being cruel was necessary, then let it be. Feeling guilty for a lifetime couldn’t bring her grandmother back, besides, it was father’s illness that started all this. Otherwise, how could Grandma have suddenly passed away? Echoes of last night’s shouting between Father and Mother still lingered. Though Ye Ling wasn’t present to hear what was said between Father and Grandma, seeing Grandma’s awakened state and her helpless demeanor while instructing her affairs made Ye Ling sense Grandma’s disappointment towards Father. She could remember those promises to Grandma, but for this incident involving Grandma, she would never forgive Father for the rest of her life. After listening to the daughter’s words, tears unknowingly flowed from Ye He Ping’s eyes. With two daughters already grown, and being a soldier, he wouldn’t cry easily no matter what. Yet, he cried in front of his wife and the women at this moment, revealing how deeply hurt he felt inside. Bai Xue was anxious but didn’t dare say a word, afraid that by speaking, her husband would notice her and direct his anger toward her. Then she heard sobbing from the little daughter beside her, Bai Xue’s heart stirred, following suit in silent sadness and shedding tears. A family of four, three saddened, only Ye Ling sat there with a cold expression, appearing out of place. Ye He Ping, being a man, was the first to regain composure, "Watching Wang Changjiang helping with everything these past days, I thought he was sincerely offering help. Today I went to his house, he mentioned letting his son be a temporary worker, I didn’t respond, and his expression wasn’t quite good. On the way back, I wondered if he approached your grandma too." Thinking about this matter involving his mother, she would certainly refuse. Wang Changjiang, as the production team’s leader, might have troubled her. Confirmed by his elder daughter, Ye He Ping grew more remorseful, blaming himself for being selfish and failing to fulfill filial duties, ultimately angering his mother to death; he was nothing but a sinner. Seeing his father reveal his heart, with red-rimmed eyes and faintly showing greying hair at the temples, Ye Ling felt reluctant to look further, slowly turning away, repeatedly warning herself that knowing remorse and guilt now wouldn’t help, Grandma wouldn’t come back alive, hence incapable of forgiving him. Although intending to return to the city tomorrow, aside from that sentence between Ye He Ping and Ye Ling, nobody spoke in the house all night; Bai Xue seemed to vent emotions by tidying up the room thoroughly, storing unnecessary items in cabinets locked away. The next morning, after the bedding was stored in the cabinets and locked, the room was empty except for a kang, two cabinets, and an empty rack with nothing else left. Early in the morning, no one came to say goodbye. Ye He Ping, along with the family of four, carried Ye Ling’s belongings to the station; after boarding the train, they faintly saw smoke rising from village stoves as each household started cooking. Ye He Ping’s family didn’t take a direct train, needing a transfer midway, but catching this train meant arriving home by the afternoon instead of taking a train that arrives the following morning; thus, reaching the courtyard was around half-past six in the evening. Few were asleep in the courtyard at this time, seeing Ye He Ping’s family prompted greetings. With Bai Xue taking the little daughter returning to the countryside earlier, the courtyard was informed of Ye Family’s elder passing, hence offering comforting remarks to Ye He Ping, who lacked energy, replying perfunctorily before heading home. After spending three to four days away, stepping into the house felt cold and desolate, Bai Xue dropped her belongings and busied herself tidying the room; Ye He Ping, seeing the eldest daughter standing at the door, felt a pang in his heart, "Lingzi and Qianqian will sleep in the East Room. You fix their beds first, using them temporarily tonight. Tomorrow shift the bed toward one side in the East Room, and make the spring bed for each of them." The house had only one living room and two bedrooms, thus irrespectively sleeping in the living room. Bai Xue didn’t want her younger daughter to share a bed with the older daughter, so this was the only resolution. As soon as the East Room’s door closed, Ye Qian seemed to come alive, "Sister, which side will you sleep?" Ye Ling frowned at her, "Ye Qian, now it’s just the two of us, there’s no need to act this way, just show your true self." "Sister, did I upset you again?" Ye Qian was infuriated; this Ye Ling really was like a stone from a toilet—smelly and hard, repelling any softness, yet she maintained a worried and frightened appearance. This expression, those who didn’t know might assume Ye Ling bullied her. Ye Ling, irritated, turned to the door and yanked it open, "Dad, Mom, look at Ye Qian, crying without reason. Is she sick?" Ye Qian felt suffocated, almost fainting from anger. She hadn’t expected Ye Ling to pull this stunt, and her teary eyes barely held back as Bai Xue rushed in hearing the little daughter unwell, reaching the daughter’s side, "Qianqian, where do you feel unwell? Hurry and tell Mom, don’t hold it back." (To be continued. If you work, feel free to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)