Chapter 178: Chapter 176: The Spoiled Little Girl

"Get out!" Qin Hanyun’s father said, his voice low and tight, clearly on the verge of an explosion.

"Forget it, dear. Let’s go find Mom and Dad. After all, if Chaoyun is really back, this is a huge happy occasion for the family."

Qin Hanyun’s uncle pulled his wife away.

As the couple was making their snide remarks, Chaochao’s mother seemed to hear Chaochao’s voice. Chaochao was telling her that her mommy was the best, the very best mommy in the world.

That was what snapped her back to her senses.

She had also witnessed the scene that just unfolded.

"You... you weren’t frightened, were you?" The mother asked Chaochao’s mother, her voice gentle with worry.

She seemed unsure of what to call her.

They stood less than a meter apart, yet the distance between them felt as vast as the Milky Way, neither daring to step closer.

"Mom, Dad, what are you doing? My sister hasn’t even come inside yet. She’s tired from the journey."

Qin Hanyun’s words snapped his parents to their senses, and they immediately moved aside. "Come in, come in! Your room... your father and I... we’ve already gotten it ready for you."

Qin Hanyun’s mother seemed very nervous, afraid that the slightest dissatisfaction would make her daughter leave again.

As it turned out, Qin Hanyun had already sent a photo to his parents, so they knew for sure. This was the daughter they had lost over twenty years ago, the daughter they had missed for over twenty years.

"Thank you, ma’am."

While Chaochao’s mother had come to accept Qin Hanyun, given that he had been with her for so many days, this was her first time meeting her parents, so it was only natural that she couldn’t bring herself to call them that.

When Qin Hanyun’s parents heard what Chaochao’s mother called her, a flicker of disappointment went through their hearts, but it quickly vanished, replaced by joy.

’She’s willing to speak to us. That proves she’ll slowly come to accept all of this.’

’Now that we’ve found her and she’s back home, everything else is a minor detail.’

Perhaps afraid she felt awkward, as soon as she was inside, her parents told her to go to her room and rest. Nanny Liu was already starting on dinner, and they would call her when it was ready.

Qin Hanyun was worried about her too, so he led her to the room his parents had prepared.

It was a bedroom on the third floor. Pushing the door open, Chaochao’s mother was met with a sea of pale pink. The room was decorated...

...with a bit of a Little Princess vibe.

The first thing Qin Hanyun thought when he saw the room was, ’I’m speechless. What were Mom and Dad thinking? My sister is a grown woman. Why would they decorate it like this?’

’Wouldn’t this just make her think of Chaochao?’

"Sister, wait a minute. I’ll get you a different room right away."

Chaochao’s mother shook her head. "No, it’s fine. This room is lovely. I like it."

Of course, what Chaochao’s mother didn’t say was that this was the kind of room Chaochao would love most.

Chaochao had loved wearing little princess dresses, pink clothes, and playing with pink dolls. She once said that when she grew up, she wanted to decorate her room in pink.

No matter their age, every girl has dreamed of being a princess at least once.

Chaochao’s mother was no exception when she was young.

’Even though I’m not young anymore, I can tell from the decorations that Mom and Dad put a lot of thought into this. They were probably just so nervous they overthought it and pictured me as a little girl again.’

Perhaps she wouldn’t have understood before, but now that she was a parent herself, she got it.

So, this gesture of care was one she accepted, and one she even liked.

’Getting lost wasn’t Mom and Dad’s fault. It was the scheme of those bad people. So I don’t blame them.’

Seeing that Chaochao’s mother accepted it, Qin Hanyun didn’t disturb her further. He let her go into the room to rest, telling her to let him know if she needed anything.

At a time like this, Chaochao’s mother probably needed some time alone to think things over.

Chaochao’s mother looked around the cozy bedroom. It was spacious and had a row of closets. She opened one and found it filled with new clothes, as well as a clean set of pajamas. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

A maid knocked on the door. "Miss, the clothes in the closet are all new and have been washed. You can change at your leisure. Please let me know if you need anything at all. I’ll be right outside the door."

"Okay," Chaochao’s mother replied after a moment’s thought.

Then, it was silent outside the door.

At lunchtime, the family had just sat down when a guest arrived at the villa... another relative, it seemed.

"You found Chaoyun? Why didn’t you tell me about something so important? Do you think this old woman is old and useless now?"

The old matriarch’s voice carried an air of authority.

Qin Hanyun’s parents immediately stood up to greet the old matriarch. The mother was surprised to see her arrive even faster than her own mother-in-law; clearly, someone had gone to inform her.

The old matriarch was accompanied by a girl who looked to be a little older than Chaochao.

She looked at Chaochao’s mother with some curiosity but didn’t say hello.

Chaochao’s mother stood up as well. Although she had never been exposed to the ways of a large, wealthy family, she still had her manners.

The old matriarch pulled the little girl beside her forward and walked over. "You must be Chaoyun, right? In the blink of an eye, you’re all grown up. Do you have any children?"

The old matriarch’s question caught Qin Hanyun by surprise. He walked over and said, "Great-Grandma, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Why don’t you sit down and eat with us? Chaoyun just got back. She doesn’t know our family yet and isn’t familiar with things. She needs a little time."

The little girl sat down next to the old matriarch. Beyond the curiosity in her eyes, a look of disdain seemed to appear.

The little girl reached out and tugged on the old matriarch’s sleeve. A doting smile immediately appeared on the old matriarch’s face as she glanced at her.

Then she looked at Chaochao’s mother and asked a question that left everyone in the hall stunned.

"Did Chaoyun bring Mianmian a present?"

Chaochao’s mother froze for a second. Qin Hanyun was speechless as well. ’Great-Grandma isn’t usually like this. How could she ask such a rude question?’

The little girl looked at Chaochao’s mother with an expectant expression, but Chaochao’s mother could see a flash of triumph in her eyes.

From that look alone, Chaochao’s mother knew that this little girl was probably spoiled rotten.

"Great-Grandma, Chaoyun just got back. She didn’t even know Mianmian existed. I prepared a gift, how about I go get it?"

"I do." Chaochao’s mother suddenly spoke up. Qin Hanyun also remembered something; he just hadn’t expected the gift-giving process to go so unexpectedly smoothly.

As Chaochao’s mother took out a piece of candy and handed it over, the little girl’s eyes lit up, and she snatched it from her hand.

Chaochao’s mother thought of Doctor Wen’s words, but she didn’t say anything at that moment.

’If I say anything, no one will believe me. They’ll just think I’m superstitious and that I’m embarrassing the Qin Family, right?’

Although Chaochao’s mother didn’t actually care about such things, she remembered Doctor Wen saying that Chaochao might have a very promising future, so she couldn’t act the way she used to.

Qin Hanyun saw that Chaochao’s mother kept quiet and gave her a nod, also choosing to say nothing.

At the dining table, as everyone ate, Chaochao’s mother ate cautiously, feeling a little uncomfortable.

The little girl, however, tore open the candy wrapper and popped the candy into her mouth.

Throughout the meal, Chaochao’s mother noticed that the old matriarch was incredibly indulgent with the little girl. Logically speaking, even if a large family was indulgent, they would still enforce rules at the dinner table. After all, it would be bad for their reputation if word got out.

But now, Chaochao’s mother felt that the old matriarch’s doting and indulgence toward this little girl even surpassed how she would treat her own children.