"Why are your eyes watering? Is there sand in your eyes?"

Yu Lian deliberately made a joke, trying to make He Lin happy.

But the man in front of her seemed not to understand her attempt to calm him down; one crystal tear after another slid down his cheeks.

This broken state of her body might make her feel quite happy, but now is clearly not the time.

"He Lin, don't cry."

"It was my fault before."

Yu Lian patiently repeated, "I've said it many times, this isn't your fault. Back then, I wasn't exactly honorable, and I dragged you into an involuntary marriage. Your attitude at the time was exactly what a normal person would do. Put yourself in my shoes, if it were me, I might have smothered you with a pillow while you were asleep."

"I understand the logic, I just feel sorry for you."

The man's aggrieved look made Yu Lian's heart tremble.

"Okay, let's hug for a while, stop the tears, and then we'll go home for dinner."

He Lin hugged her tightly.

The streetlights in the alley flickered on and off, but the two shadows were pressed tightly against the wall, never separating for even a second.

This is the first dinner I had after returning home.

The children had been so hungry that they had started eating first, and now that they were full, they were nodding off in sleepiness.

After Yu Lian sat down, she looked around the house and the yard but didn't see her younger sister, Yu Xin.

Wang Meixia explained, "Your sister is working the night shift today, and Xiao Youyou is asleep, so I put her in the inner room."

Before dinner, Yu Lian went into the room to take a look at her little niece.

Her little face was fair and tender, and she was still gently smacking her lips, as if she were still eating in her dream.

"Mom, do you think my decision back then was right? Were those two nannies okay?"

Wang Meixia still felt guilty when she thought about it: "In the end, you're partly to blame too. You spoiled her like a porcelain doll since she was little, indulging her every whim. She's sensible, but she hasn't learned much about how to handle things. Your father and I both bear responsibility for this. Since it's all in the past, let's not bring it up again, so as not to hurt her."

Yu Lian sat down and deliberately scolded, "Why are you blaming me? Blame it on you and Dad. If either of you had been more assertive earlier, I wouldn't have matured so early."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jinbu and Wang Meixia fell silent.

To be honest, our family's success today is all thanks to our daughter.

"Yes, yes, you're the best, eat more."

"It's all Dad's fault. Anyway, you're in charge of both families, so you should be content."

Yu Lian readily admitted, "They should have listened to me; it's what I deserve."

Hearing this, He Lin felt a little relieved.

He sat to the side, barely eating himself, but his chopsticks never stopped, constantly putting food into her bowl.

Before Yu Lian had said more than a few words, the food in her bowl was already piled high.

"Alright, that's enough. Are you trying to use me as a dumping ground?"

"I'm willing, it's none of your business."

Yu Lian only ate a few bites before pushing the bowl back.

At the dinner table, the group talked more than they ate, and before they knew it, it was late into the night.

There was a noise at the door; Yu Xin had come home from get off work, and Yu Jinbu quickly went out to greet her.

Yu Lian only learned during their conversation that her younger sister is now working at a nearby textile factory.

She tried hard not to compare, but seeing Yu Xin enter the room with sticky hair and a tired look, she couldn't bear it in the end.

"I've boiled hot water for you. Go wash up. I'll wait for you to come out; I have something to tell you."

"Okay, sis, I'm going right now."

Yu Xin went to clean up, and everyone else started clearing the dishes and chopsticks. After that, they all went back to their rooms.

Yu Lian's room remained the same, divided into two sections.

The children have all grown up, and they look especially cramped when they are huddled together.

"An'an, you sleep in the big bed with Daddy, and your younger brother and sister sleep in the small bed."

"ah??"

He Ningxi counted on her fingers for a long time: "But where does Mommy sleep?"

"I'm going to sleep with your aunt. Be a good girl, wash up, go to bed quietly, and go to sleep early."

Yu Lian took the pillow and left the room.

Half an hour later.

Yu Xin dried her hair and went back to the room, where she saw her sister already lying on her bed.

"sister……"

Yu Lian was holding a work diary, which was Yu Xin's notebook for recording lathe production.

"Just say what's wrong. It's too crowded over there. I'll sleep with you for one night."

"Yeah, it's okay, I'll go to sleep once my hair is dry."

Yu Xin sat in front of the dressing table, slowly drying her short hair.

On the day she returned, because it was inconvenient to take care of her child, she cut off her long hair, which she had kept for many years, and sold it.

She wanted to say goodbye to the past completely and start anew.

"Would you like to know how Zhuo Heng reacted after he found out about your divorce?"

"Sister, it's all in the past, please don't talk about it anymore." Yu Xin's voice was choked with sobs.

"It seems he still cares. He's really hung up on you, taking over all the mess I dumped on him just to get news of you. He's mentally injured, but he still can't forget you. Are you still going to forgive him? I don't care anymore, I've vented my anger, I've yelled at him..."

"Sister, stop testing me. I will have nothing to do with him anymore. I just want to raise Xiaoyouyou."

"But you can't stop Zhuo Heng from seeing the child, and you certainly can't hide the fact that Xiao Youyou has a father."

"I gave birth to this child, why don't I have this right?"

Taking advantage of her being off guard, Yu Lian began to explain the laws of Hong Kong to her.

"Xiao Youyou has a Hong Kong identity, what will happen when she goes to school? You could manage when she was little, but can you still homeschool her when she grows up?"

"I……"

"Stop with the 'I-I-I'. Yu Xin, do you know that with your current income, if Zhuo Heng really sues to take custody of the child, you won't be able to fight back at all? Besides, a child needs a father to grow up. Do you think you can completely replace him? If you don't raise him well, Xiao Youyou might develop psychological problems..."

Yu Lian pressed on relentlessly, until Yu Xin finally threw away the towel, stood up, and turned around: "Sister, what exactly do you want from me? I'm already divorced, aren't you satisfied?"

"You'll listen to whatever I say?"

"Isn't it just that I didn't listen to you about the wedding?" Yu Xin murmured softly.

"Alright, let's go to court then. Before he can react, I've already prepared the evidence. As long as you're willing to go to court, I guarantee Zhuo Heng will lose miserably. You'll also get a share of his money, enough for you and Xiao Youyou to live comfortably. You can't always be the one who suffers losses and gets nothing, understand?"

"This..." As expected, Yu Xin hesitated.

"Stop talking nonsense. As for Xiaoyouyou's fatherly love, while she's still young, you either need to find someone who can accept the child, or you can simply not find one. It's up to you. With so many people in the family, a little less fatherly love won't prevent her from growing into an outstanding person."

"Sister, I..."

Yu Lian closed her notebook and reached out to push her younger sister out: "Go dry your hair by the stove in the main room before you come back, don't get my blanket wet."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

The two sisters talked until dawn that night.

Yu Lian's biological clock is always punctual.

After getting up, she discussed with her mother about setting up two simple meals in the next couple of days to invite the neighbors to a meal.

After all, during the years she was gone, her mother and sister left home and fell into hardship, and they relied on the help of the neighbors.

Yu Jinbu was the first to agree, but it would be inconvenient for him to show up at the time.

That was settled. Yu Lian asked her father to make a list so they could buy groceries and drinks later.

"He Lin and I are going to do a site visit, so don't wait for us. You can take the kids and my sister to my in-laws' place for lunch."

After giving her instructions, Yu Lian followed He Lin out of the alley.

I heard yesterday that Granny Wang wasn't feeling well, so I brought some medicine with me.

Grandma Wang took the medicine and started talking about the factory again—she had probably heard Wang Meixia mention it a few times yesterday.

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