Individual and thing

  The next day, Fang Jinglan and Li came to Songhe Hall early in the morning to pay their respects. The old lady was still resentful of this stepson, but she had put on enough airs over the past few days, so she let her emotions be soothed once again and allowed them to enter.

  Fang Jinglan knew that the old lady was really angry and he himself was also at fault, so he felt ashamed and hurriedly entered Songhe Hall, bowing respectfully to greet her.

  "Mother, even if I'm wrong a thousand times or ten thousand times, it's all my fault. I hope you won't get angry and harm your own body because of me."

  Li also followed with a few words of self-blame and consolation. After being guided by Liu's mother last night, she no longer resented the fact that Ruxin had married into a better family. She sincerely expressed her gratitude and apology to Old Lady Li.

  The old lady looked at Fang Jinglan with a glance, hummed softly, and didn't speak.

  As if the emotions had burst out from inside, she walked quickly to the front and bowed respectfully to her parents, saying in a sweet voice: "Father, Mother, your daughter is paying respects to Father. Paying respects to Mother."

  Fang Jinglan gazed at his little daughter, who had grown significantly taller in the two years they hadn't seen each other. Her round face had transformed from a chubby baby face to an adorable oval shape, with a subtle flush on her cheeks and eyebrows that shone like black jade. Her lips were rosy and inviting, making her look as lovely as a sunrise after a gentle rain. She was the spitting image of Zhu Niang, but whereas Zhu Niang was warm and timid, Fang Jinglan's daughter had a bright and cheerful demeanor, with a quick wit and a lively smile that left him utterly enchanted. Her charming personality, which was both elegant and endearing, left Fang Jinglan in awe. Moreover, his daughter would often send back shoes, socks, clothes, and hats from afar, filling him with emotions of gratitude and guilt. After taking in his daughter's appearance, he smiled and asked, "It's been two years since we last saw each other, and you've grown so tall! Are you getting used to life at your second uncle's place?"

  "Thanks for remembering, Second Brother is very good to his daughter." As she walked closer to Fang Jinglan, she acted like a little girl who refused to grow up, tugging on her father's sleeve and shaking it gently. "But Father, why do you look so down? And there are white hairs too!" She looked shocked and amazed.

  Fang Jinglan smiled wryly and sighed: "This white hair of mine, wasn't it caused by you siblings?"

  It was as if he had suddenly realized something, and looking at the old lady's silver hair, he said stupidly: "So, grandma's white hair is also blown out like this? But it doesn't make sense, does it? Uncle is far away in Haining, and Aunt has been married for a long time. Father alone should not have such great ability, right?"

  After a moment of silence, the old lady couldn't help but laugh first, pointing at Ruo Xin who was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face. "You little scamp, you actually dared to trick your father like this! Just wait and see how your father won't spank you!"

  Fang Jinglan was at a loss for words, and her face turned red as she glanced at Ruoxi. "You little girl, always talking nonsense..." But thinking of the trouble Ruoxi had caused, Old Lady Fang's expression turned gloomy again. What Ruoxi said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

  The other daughters-in-law and maidservants of the Li and Xia families also followed with a smile, but they didn't dare to laugh openly.

  "Ah, my stomach hurts so much! I'm telling you, Qing Yaotou, what you said is really true, it's absolutely hilarious... hahaha..." The old lady couldn't stop laughing and hurriedly stepped forward to gently pat her back, saying seriously: "Grandma, don't laugh anymore. If you keep laughing like this, your granddaughter might really get spanked by her father."

  Fang Jinglan was both amused and annoyed as he stared at his little daughter, knowing that this was just a joke from her, yet couldn't help but be moved to tears.

  After Old Lady laughed, she calmly said to Jing Lan: "Alright, please take a seat and have some tea, you can go back now, I need to have my meal."

  "Mother, it's all in the past now. Please don't be angry with your son anymore. Your son really knows his mistake."

  On the side, Xia Lin's family also hurriedly advised: "This mother and son have no overnight grievances. Master has already known his mistake. Madam, you should calm down. What Fourth Miss said last night was right, life is short, there are many things that don't go as planned, can't we just let them go? Why bother to get angry about every single thing? It's better to open up your heart and live in harmony."

  The old lady's face seemed to relax a bit, "That's also true. There are many things in life that don't go as planned, and I'm an old woman who can't even see things more clearly than a young girl of ten or so years old. It really is getting worse with age."

  The old lady hummed: "Yes, we've all lived for more than half our lives, but not one of these young girls has a clear head."

  Fang Jinglan hastily accompanied with a smile, "With Qing Yatou around, Mother, you must be smiling all the time."

  Li also followed the way: "Right, right, now that Qing Yatou is back, Master Taijun, you don't have to be angry anymore, and be careful not to scare Qing Yatou." As he spoke, he gave Ruqing a signal with his eyes.

  Like a spoiled child, she pulled on Grandma's sleeve and shook it, saying: "Come on, Grandma, smile one more time! One, two, three, smile! Haha, you really smiled! Ow, it hurts!" Ruqing hugged her sore head, looking pitiful as she rubbed it. She said to Fang Jinglan: "Daddy, you saw that too. I almost got myself killed trying to make Grandma smile. Daddy has to remember my good deed!"

  Fang Jinglan smiled and said, "Is it that serious?"

  "Of course! Don't believe me? Let's ask Grandma to knock on it too."

  The old lady finally couldn't bear it anymore, and laughed: "Alright, alright, look at you father and daughter. Sigh, you two are quite good at acting out a farce, no wonder you're father and daughter. The older one makes people want to hate but can't bring themselves to do so, the younger one makes people want to hit but can't bring themselves to do it either. You two must have owed us from a past life."

  Fang Jinglan saw that the old lady's tone had relaxed, and immediately followed up with a smile, saying some funny things. The old lady was actually not so angry anymore, and besides, she was also a stepmother, so it wasn't good to be too stiff. This time, she also took the opportunity to climb down from her high horse, and the family reconciled as before.