The mother and daughter returned home from the hospital, and as soon as they reached the front gate, they saw Grandma Jiang, Bai Xiulin.
The moment Jiang Chuyao saw the elderly lady, she was overjoyed. “Grandma!” The coquettish tone and the closeness in her voice made Jiang Chuying’s mother feel a pang of sadness in her heart.
This was clearly her own biological daughter, yet there was always a distance between them a lack of intimacy.
Jiang Chuying’s mother felt a twinge of bitterness, but in front of the grandmother, she didn’t dare show it, for fear of being scolded.
No matter what she did, it was never good enough in the grandmother’s eyes.
There’s an old saying: the eldest son, the eldest grandson, is the grandmother’s treasure.
Of course, that only works if the grandmother exists and here she was, in front of them, and her “eldest grandson” was coquettishly demanding attention!
“Where’s Grandpa? Why didn’t he come with you?” Jiang Chuyao asked, noticing the absence of Old Jiang. She was slightly upset.
“He’s here. But seeing no one was home, he passed by and noticed roasted sweet potatoes being sold, so he went to buy some for you.” For this granddaughter, the old couple’s care and concern were heartfelt, protective, and doting.
Unlike with their own son and daughter-in-law, who treated their adopted daughter like a treasure and their biological granddaughter like… nothing.
“Mom, you’re here!” Whenever Grandma appeared, Jiang Chuying’s mother would tremble slightly.
Before Jiang Chuyao had gone missing, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had gotten along well. After the child was lost and Jiang Chuying adopted, they never complained.
But later, when the child was found, the couple showed clear favoritism between the two girls.
The adopted daughter was doted on to an extreme degree, while the biological granddaughter seemed like a neglected orphan. Naturally, the old couple didn’t like that, and a rift grew between them, making interactions cautious and tense.
Especially for Jiang Chuying’s mother any small slip could result in a scolding from the grandmother.
“Still not opening the door? Do you want me to turn into a living fossil guarding the house for you?” Hearing her grandmother, Jiang Chuyao felt that her bold, fearless attitude must have been inherited from the elder.
“I’ll open it right away!” Jiang Chuying’s mother muttered as she went to the door.
She had learned the hard way: say too much, you’re wrong; say too little, you’re wrong; say nothing, still wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong everything was wrong!
Seeing her youngest daughter glance at her without speaking, Jiang Chuying’s mother felt disappointed. If the elder daughter were here, she would have spoken up.
Of course, in the end, both mother and daughter would be scolded together.
At least now, with someone accompanying her, it wasn’t so awkward.
As soon as they entered, Grandma announced she was hungry.
Jiang Chuying’s mother barely had time to shower, tied on an apron, and got busy in the kitchen.
Jiang Chuyao chose this moment to help!
“What are you doing?” Her mother asked sharply.
“Mom, listen carefully. If I had helped earlier, Grandma would think you were scaring me and only forced me to speak up.
Besides, whenever someone else is around when you get scolded, it makes her angrier.” Jiang Chuyao wore an expression of helplessness.
This caused her mother to reflect indeed, every time Grandma made things difficult, if Jiang Chuying spoke up, it only made matters worse.
Jiang Chuying’s mother thought it over carefully and realized her daughter was right.
So, resigned, she cooked for the grandmother.
She had hoped that with Jiang Chuyao helping in the kitchen, it would be easier.
But the more she helped, the more chaotic it became! Water spilled on the floor, eggshells fell into the bowls basically, everything went wrong.
In the end, Jiang Chuying’s mother had her step out and wait for the meal.
Grandma saw her leave the kitchen and gave a thumbs-up. Indeed, this adopted child was clever.
“Grandma…”
“Oh my, my dear granddaughter, did someone bully you? Grandma will help you smash their back door!” The grandmother had her own unmatched skill in spoiling her grandchildren.
“No one, I just missed you so much!” In the previous life, because of her own troubles, the grandmother had been gloomy, feeling she hadn’t taken care of her properly. After her departure, Old Jiang also passed away shortly after.
“Always thinking of Grandma, not Grandpa!” Just then, Old Jiang entered from outside, holding steaming roasted sweet potatoes.
“Grandpa… sweet potatoes!” Jiang Chuyao jumped up. “Let me take them, don’t burn your hands.”
Old Jiang laughed helplessly. “Little greedy cat, are you worried I’ll get burned, or that the sweet potatoes will cool down?” he said indulgently.
“Of course I’m worried about my adorable Grandpa! The sweet potatoes? Leave the battle to me,” Jiang Chuyao said chivalrously.
For lunch, they never waited for Jiang’s father if he returned, they ate together; if not, they ate without him.
During the meal, Grandma started finding faults too salty, too bland basically, nothing pleased her.
“Mom, maybe we should hire a cook?” Nowadays, many families quietly hired cooks when things got busy.
But she had suggested this several times before, and the old couple always rejected it.
Bringing it up again today was because the couple still persistently complained about her cooking, and she really had no solution.
“Hire a cook? Do you even have money in your pocket? Stop trying to act like a capitalist!” Grandma said disdainfully.
“You’re just the daughter of a capitalist!” Jiang Chuying’s mother muttered softly. Grandma heard it.
“What? Are you jealous?” Grandma’s tone was sharp, and Jiang Chuying’s mother dared not say another word. She quickly shook her head, pretending to be meek.
Though she often barked orders at Jiang Chuyao, in front of Grandma, she was as obedient as a quail.
“Use that time to manage your husband properly, don’t always worry about others.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her mother’s aggrieved look made Jiang Chuyao want to laugh.
After lunch, Jiang Chuying’s mother told her youngest daughter to clear the table, but Grandma stopped her. “I’ll wash later. My little one’s hands are soft like peeled eggs I can’t bear it.”
“Mom, I’ll do it,” Jiang Chuyao insisted. Her mother, exhausted, went to tidy up herself.
Once everything was done, she went upstairs to bathe and change clothes.
“Afterward, go home with Grandpa and Grandma!” At that moment, Old Jiang, who had originally planned a post-meal walk, entered with a dark expression, his voice full of concern.
Jiang Chuyao understood immediately he must have overheard something!