When Chen Meirong mentioned work, Jiang Yi’s face immediately fell.

"What work... I don’t want to go to work..."

Hearing this, Chen Meirong’s expression turned serious, and she began to speak with a hint of disappointment.

"No work, how can that be? How will you earn anything? If people ask about you, how should I respond?"

Jiang Yi lifted her head directly, "Just tell the truth! Say I’m at home not working, isn’t that fine? In families like ours, many kids don’t work. What’s there to be embarrassed about?"

At this, Jiang Yi’s face also turned cold, "Do you think I’ve embarrassed you?"

Chen Meirong turned her head away, "What nonsense are you saying? How could I think that way?"

It’s said that no one understands a daughter better than her mother, and this saying works both ways.

Just by watching Chen Meirong’s movements, Jiang Yi could already tell that she had hit the mark.

It was like touching Jiang Yi’s most sensitive nerve.

"I knew it!" Jiang Yi suddenly stood up, looking at Chen Meirong with an extra cold gaze, "You’ve been like this since I was young. Because she was prettier than me, everyone always praised her and by extension praised you, so you always liked to take her everywhere."

"It wasn’t until later, when she was lost, that you finally saw me and my brother."

"Now that she’s back, looking so pretty, and you know she’s capable, you think bringing her back will earn you more praise, right?"

"You’re just such a selfish person, always thinking about yourself. You don’t deserve to be a mother."

After yelling out these words hysterically, Jiang Yi didn’t care about Chen Meirong’s reaction and turned to run towards the main door.

Within moments, her figure disappeared at the doorway.

Chen Meirong hadn’t recovered from Jiang Yi’s words yet; by the time she did, Jiang Yi was already gone.

Chen Meirong stood there, dazed, staring at the doorway, her breathing gradually becoming rapid.

She wanted to say something, but she was the only one left in the living room now.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, not a single word came out.

——

Jiang Tongyuan returned to the yard after making a call and saw Jiang Ran and a few others sitting there silently.

Jiang Tongyuan sighed, "I’ve already called him, and he said he’d be here soon; it takes about half an hour from his place to mine."

In beishi, a half-hour journey from one place to another is quite normal.

Although Jiang Ran was a bit anxious, she had the patience to wait.

After hearing Jiang Tongyuan’s words, Jiang Ran nodded.

"Thank you."

Jiang Tongyuan waved it off, "It’s no trouble at all."

Jiang Ran smiled and said nothing more, and the atmosphere quickly became tense again.

Though Jiang Tongyuan was getting on in years, he enjoyed lively environments and especially disliked this suffocating silence.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke up.

"You’ve been in beishi for some time now, do you have any plans for the future?"

Jiang Ran first smiled, then answered, "I plan to go to school."

She had already mentioned this earlier.

Upon hearing this response, Jiang Tongyuan suddenly remembered that Jiang Ran had indeed told him this before.

And, Jiang Ran was currently attending night school every day.

Jiang Tongyuan felt a bit awkward, realizing he had asked a redundant question.