Chapter 8
008 Family
Tan Rou’s eyes swelled up, behaving childlike in front of her mother. In this instance, she vented all her pent-up grievances and resentments while she yearned for her mother’s comfort.
“Mom, it’s me, Mom, Mom…”
Mother Tao was extremely heartbroken at the sight of her child in tears. She hurriedly put aside the vegetables. She wiped her hands on the apron and she went up and gently hugged Tan Rou. “Hey, I’m here… You must have suffered, haven’t you? Didn’t you already return to the Tan Family?”
Tan Rou embraced her mother while inhaling the faint scent on Mother Tao’s body, which is irreplaceable by any luxurious perfume.
“Mom, I did not go back to the Tan family, I just went for a visit. This is my home. I’m finally home now.”
“Rou Rou… Did you suffer there?” Mother Tao asked cautiously as her daughter was acting out of character.
Previously, her daughter’s living conditions were good and she was unable to accept any less when she suddenly returned. She kept insisting that the Tan family was her home. Recently, she was also elated when she learned that she was attending the ball. Why the sudden change in her attitude after the visit?
Something must have happened but she didn’t dare to ask. Her daughter’s attitude has always been poor.
However, at this moment, Mother Tao couldn’t care too much. Despite past happenings, she felt both gratified and sad when her daughter whom she had lost for so many years, hugged her.
In order not to anger Rou Rou, they never asked about the Tan family’s matters. But if her daughter were bullied, she would seek justice for her daughter.
“Oh, the young missy is back?”
Tan Rou lifted her head from her mother’s embrace and saw her brother, Tao Zheng, walking out of the bedroom.
Tao Zheng heard her voice and came out. However, just as he finished speaking, he saw Tan Rou and Mother Tao embracing with tears in their eyes. He stood rooted to the ground and the mocking expression on his face froze.
“What are you doing? Are you up to something bad again?”
Tan Rou looked at her brother’s face and felt a wave of excitement in her heart. Even though his words were harsh, her brother truly loved her. In the previous life, no matter how overboard she was he had never left her side.
“Brother!”
Tan Rou released Mother Tao and walked toward Tao Zheng, gently hugging him.
“Damn it! What are you doing!” Tao Zheng was so scared that he trembled. He flared his arms as if he had seen a ghost, and he did not dare to touch Tan Rou. He leaned back and exclaimed, “Are you possessed? Didn’t you say that my body is dirty? Did you take the opportunity to place insects on me!”
Tan Rou was also momentarily agitated. Releasing him, she blushed and apologized, “Brother, it was my fault in the past, please don’t be angry with me.”
Tao Zheng looked at Tan Rou with his mouth agape as if he was a mute. “You… you…”
Mother Tao playfully chided, “All right! It’s a good thing that your sister is willing to come home. Stop taking shots at her!”
Despite what she said, she still probed Tan Rou, “Then… Rou Rou, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’m making dinner. Do you want to eat?”
Tao Zheng finally calmed down, but he still felt awkward. “Mom, don’t look for trouble. When has she ever eaten our family’s cooking? She’s had enough of delicacies. How could she be interested in such a common meal?”
Despite his comment, he still stole a glance at Tan Rou, awaiting her reaction.
Mother Tao was about to leak a disappointed expression when she heard Tan Rou answering firmly, “I want to eat. Thank you, Mom.”
Mother Tao smiled. “Silly child, what are you thanking me for? Wait for me. I’ll start preparing right away!” Afterward, she sprang into action.
“Let me warn you, you better not pull off some silly tricks on them again. That day when you came back, Dad and Mom prepared a whole feast for you. Not only were you ungrateful, you even threw the food on the floor and still said the food didn’t interest you. You had no idea how heartbroken they were. It’s your business if you want to come back. But if you upset them after giving them hope, I wouldn’t hesitate to denounce you as my sister and beat you up.” He feigned his fists at her after finishing.
Tan Rou smiled bitterly. Her change was too drastic. It was normal for them to not believe her. She would rather have her brother in her previous life beat her up. Why did she commit so many wrongdoings? If only she realized her mistakes earlier.