Xia Lingxuan had not yet reached the entrance to the hall when he loudly called into the house, "Father, Mother, guess who has come today?"
"Alas, this second son is truly something, so old yet still so easily flustered every day," Grand Tutor Xia said with some helplessness.
"Old man, today is your sixtieth birthday, you must maintain a good mood at all times!" the Old Madam said with a chuckle.
As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Lingxuan arrived at the doorway, his eyebrows and eyes beaming with a smile.
"Father, Mother, look who has arrived today?"
Grand Tutor Xia cast a cold glance at him and reprimanded, "You're already a father, and you're still fooling around like this every day."
"Alright! Old man, today is a joyous occasion, don't spoil the mood!" the Old Madam reminded him, patting Grand Tutor Xia's hand.
Xia Lingxuan paid no mind to Grand Tutor Xia's words and loudly called towards the entrance, "Li'er, come in quickly."
Then, Leng Ruo Li immediately stepped into the house and looked up at Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam, instantly stunning them.
Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam cried out in surprise, "Wan'er~~"
"Wan'er, is it really you? Father and Mother miss you so much. Sob sob~"
Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam hurried to Leng Ruo Li's side. The Old Madam embraced her and cried, saying.
Grand Tutor Xia reached out and stroked Leng Ruo Li's head, also hugging her. His eyes were also moist.
Seeing this scene, Xia Lingxuan, who was standing by, couldn't bear to tell them that this was not their Wan'er, but their granddaughter, Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li stood there, embraced by the Old Madam and Grand Tutor Xia for a long time. She also couldn't bear to tell them that she was Xia Wan'er's daughter.
After the two elders came to their senses and released their hands, they realized something was wrong. They remembered that if their daughter were still alive, she would not be young anymore.
Then this girl, who looked so much like their Wan'er, could not possibly be their Wan'er. Could it be...
"Child, you are not Wan'er, but could you be Li'er?" the Old Madam was the first to react.
"Yes! If Wan'er were here, she would be over thirty years old," Grand Tutor Xia also regained his senses and said with some consternation.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, I am Xia Wan'er's daughter—Leng Ruo Li," Leng Ruo Li said with a sweet smile.
"So it's Li'er! Hurry, let your Grandmother take a good look!" The Old Madam circled Leng Ruo Li several times, looking her over from left to right, muttering, "In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed, and you've grown so tall. I remember the last time Grandmother and Grandfather saw you, you were just a child of a few years. Your Grandfather and I chased after you, calling you, but you never paid us any mind. Later, we had your eldest and second uncles come to the Xia Manor multiple times to invite you to stay with us, but you refused every time, which is why we haven't seen you for ten years."
As the Old Madam spoke, she began to cry again. Leng Ruo Li quickly took out tissues from her "sleeves" to wipe the Old Madam's tears.
"Alas, yes! Your Grandmother and I haven't seen you in ten years. Several years ago, because we missed your mother so much, we moved to Liangzhou to avoid being reminded of our grief. When we left, we went to General Leng's mansion many times to find you, wanting you to come with us to Liangzhou, but we couldn't even see your face, and we were refused."
"Later, we had to take the whole family to Liangzhou. But after going to Liangzhou, we heard a lot of information about you, saying this about you and that about you, and that you had become a foolish, ugly girl... Your Grandmother fainted many times when she heard these words. We could never believe that our Wan'er, so outstanding and capable, would give birth to such a foolish daughter."
After speaking, Grand Tutor Xia began to cry again.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, Second Uncle, please don't worry, Li'er will visit you often from now on," Leng Ruo Li said to comfort them.
"Yes! Father, Mother, Li'er has grown up now and has achieved great things. I've heard quite a few sensational rumors about Li'er in the capital these past few days," Xia Lingxuan suddenly interjected.
"Is that so? Then why don't you quickly tell us about the rumors concerning Li'er?" the Old Madam sternly rebuked Xia Lingxuan.
After hearing his mother's words, Xia Lingxuan suddenly felt a little wronged. He pouted. His mother usually doted on him, her son. Today, after seeing her longed-for granddaughter, her son seemed to have lost his appeal.
Well, as long as his parents were happy, it didn't matter if she was a little harsh to him. After all, he was also overjoyed to see his niece today.
After a moment, Xia Lingxuan began to tell the two elders about the rumors he had heard about Leng Ruo Li in the city these past few days. Soon, laughter filled the room.
Leng Jin Yu, who had followed Xia Lingxuan and Leng Ruo Li in much earlier, stood outside the doorway with mixed emotions, silently shedding tears.
At this moment, someone walked up behind him.
"Leng Jin Yu, how dare you still come?" The newcomer was Xia Wan'er's elder brother, Xia Shan Yi.
"Eldest Brother, Jin Yu has come today to celebrate Father's birthday," Leng Jin Yu explained.
"No need, our Xia Manor does not welcome you. Leave," Xia Shan Yi said dismissively, waving his hand at him.
"Eldest Brother, Jin Yu implores you, just let me celebrate my father's birthday once," Leng Jin Yu pleaded in a low voice, a humility he had never shown even before the Emperor.
"No..."
Before Xia Shan Yi could finish saying "need," Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam interrupted him.
"Eldest son, for Li'er's sake, let him stay," Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam said in unison.
Leng Jin Yu then walked up to Grand Tutor Xia and the Old Madam and performed a grand bow, "Your humble son pays respects to Father and Mother!"
"Alright, alright, everyone come inside and stand aside."
Grand Tutor Xia looked at Leng Jin Yu with a stern face, and the Old Madam had the same expression.
This situation made Leng Jin Yu feel somewhat awkward.
This time, Leng Ruo Li stepped forward again to break the deadlock. She walked up to Xia Shan Yi and politely bowed, "Eldest Maternal Uncle, greetings!"
Xia Shan Yi immediately came to his senses, rubbed her head, and said indulgently, "Your Eldest Maternal Uncle heard the servants in the main hall mention that the young lady of the cousin's family was here today. Your Eldest Maternal Uncle guessed for a long time but couldn't figure out it was you. I didn't expect that after ten years, Li'er would have grown so much, hehe—"
Xia Shan Yi was a more reserved person, unlike Xia Lingxuan, who was lively and outgoing. He was not very good at expressing his emotions. His words at this moment surprised everyone.
"Alright, alright, your father and I still need to hear Li'er tell stories, so everyone be quiet," the Old Madam admonished everyone from the side.
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