An Yan sped up the stairs.
Bai Xiaoyun stood at the door, smiling radiantly, the picture of an excellent wife and devoted mother.
An Yan walked right past her and charged into her own room.
The walls had been repainted, the floor tiles replaced, and even the layout of the room had changed.
The old single bed had been swapped for a double, and the bedside lamp that always shed a warm glow in her memory was gone.
It had been replaced with a stylish and simple streamlined floor lamp.
Guided by her hazy memory, An Yan reached out to a spot on the wall.
That's where her mother had created a treasure cove for her.
Inside were the treasured objects her mother had left for her.
Her mother had said,
"Yanyan, just live your life the way you want, and if things really don't work out, you'll have these to fall back on! My daughter has to be confident!"
But now it was gone.
The fingerprint lock that blended in with the wall was nowhere to be found.
An Yan whirled around, her fingers clenched tightly, her gaze icy, "Who allowed you to touch my room?"
"I…"
Bai Xiaoyun's face stiffened, her expression uneasy, yet she had to endure the humiliation and explain, "Yanyan, I thought you might be staying at home for a while, and the old style was too dated, so I…"
An Yan took a breath, "What about my things?"
"What, what things?"
"Everything in my room, all of it!"
"They've all been moved to the storeroom!"
An Yan rushed past her straight to the storeroom.
Behind her, Bai Xiaoyun's tears fell silently, while An Shimeng gently wiped them away for her, "Mom, don't be sad! You haven't done anything wrong."
An Yaoluo frowned deeply. He glanced at Bai Xiaoyun, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped himself, then turned and followed An Yan to the storeroom.
Seeing An Yan on tiptoes trying to move a box from a high shelf, he quickly stepped in to help, "What are you looking for? Let me help you find it!"
An Yan shook her head. What she was searching for were the memories of her time with her mother, something no one else could help with.
She opened the boxes one by one.
But the safe that was supposed to fit into the wall wasn't there!
If it wasn't here, did that mean the spot had not yet been discovered?
An Yan's heart began to beat faster unconsciously.
Outside, Bai Xiaoyun's sobbing could be heard, "Zhong Bo, it's all my fault. I should have discussed it with the kids before the renovation. It's no wonder Yanyan is angry."
"You've done quite well already."
An Zhongbo's voice was a bit heavy.
He was happy his biological daughter had returned. However, if An Yan threw a temper tantrum at Bai Xiaoyun just because the house had been renovated and her things moved to the storeroom, he would think she was being a bit too ungrateful.
An Yan narrowed her eyes. She felt as though she had fallen into Bai Xiaoyun's trap.She wanted everyone in the family to think she was unreasonable!And her previous behavior had indeed been very unreasonable!
After a few seconds of silence, An Yan reached into a box and pulled out a photo of her mother and herself.
She was only one year old at the time, dressed in a fluffy skirt.
Her mother, holding her on the swing, had a serene and gentle smile, and the sun cast a faint golden light on their figures.
Despite the passage of time and the yellowing of the photograph, it quickly triggered An Yan's memories of her mother, and before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.
An Yaoluo silently watched her grief, unsure of how to comfort her.
When their mother had left, he had been ten years old, and all the unhappiness at that time had faded over the years.
But An Yan…
She had been taken away by Grandpa Luo when her mother passed away.
In her memory, she must have thought that just by coming back after a long trip, she could see her mother again, right?
His heart ached for her.
Just then, An Zhongbo, specifically prompted by Bai Xiaoyun, pushed open the door to the storeroom.
An Yan was sitting cross-legged among a pile of cardboard boxes.
A faint smile curled at the corners of her mouth, yet tears continuously welled up in her eyes.
Slender, lustrous white fingertips gently wiped across the photograph in her hand.
The photograph was of her and her mother.
Guilt surged rapidly in An Zhongbo's eyes, "Yanyan, it's all Dad's fault for putting the photo in the storeroom."
An Yan didn't speak. She wiped her tears, stood up, and brushed past him and Bai Xiaoyun, taking the photo upstairs as she left.
Bai Xiaoyun was left speechless. Unable to hide the resentment in her eyes, her voice carried a sense of loss, "It's all my fault for meddling too much. If I hadn't insisted on renovating, this wouldn't have happened."
An Zhongbo sighed, "I know you meant well. Just be more careful next time you do something, so you don't make a mistake with good intentions and upset Yanyan."
An Yan returned to her room, took out a utility knife, and based on the location in her memory, slowly scraped off the paint from the wall.
But there was nothing behind the wall!
She clenched her fist and pounded hard; there was only cement and bricks inside the wall, no trace of the safe to be found.
An Yan's face grew tense.
The safe contained her mother's notes and jewelry. What she remembered most clearly was a set of jade carvings of the Chinese Zodiac.
Her mother had once joked that if she ever needed money, she could sell the jewelry, and if that wasn't enough, she could auction off the formulas in the notebook.
Just one of them could provide for a lifetime of comfort.
But now, the safe was gone.
The notes were gone, the jewelry was gone, the Chinese Zodiac was gone.
She could certainly tell Dad that her safe was missing, but Bai Xiaoyun wasn't mute.If she dared to take it, she surely had her excuses ready.In the end, not only would the items not be recovered, but it would also make Dad and Big Brother think she was making a fuss over nothing!
「At the dinner table.」
Bai Xiaoyun kept her attention on An Yan throughout.
Any dish An Yan glanced at would appear on her plate the next moment without her lifting a finger.
She portrayed herself as someone who would swallow any grievance for the sake of this family.
An Yan was quiet the entire time, but An Shimeng was different; every time Bai Xiaoyun served her food, she would always serve back, "Mom, you eat too!"
"Mom, stop taking care of us all the time, you should eat more yourself."
After serving her mom, she didn't forget to do the same for Dad and Big Brother.
As for An Yan, she hesitated for a long while before finally picking up a piece of beef with the serving chopsticks for her.
An Yan did not refuse.
She had been pondering one question: The recipes in her mother's notebook were about medicine, and the An Family's business did not involve the medical field. Bai Xiaoyun was not a doctor either. So what would that mother and daughter do with those recipes?
"Sister."
Deep in thought, An Shimeng suddenly called out to her, "Sister, are you working now or still studying?"
An Yan swallowed her food before replying, "Studying!"
"Oh, what year are you in now? Which university are you attending?"
An Shimeng was a top student at Luocheng University. An Yan, who grew up in the countryside, how could she possibly attend any prestigious university?
"I'm planning to attend Luocheng University!"
"Sister got into Luocheng University?"
Doubt tinged An Shimeng's voice, but as soon as she had spoken, she noticed An Zhongbo across from her had a change in expression.
In a panic, An Shimeng quickly corrected herself, "Then your studies must be excellent, right? I've heard that educational resources in the countryside aren't that good."
An Zhongbo's face suddenly beamed, "Yanyan's studies are definitely good; your mother was a top student! It's only logical for you to be able to attend Luocheng University! Haha!"
Faced with An Zhongbo's pride, An Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and she admitted with a hint of embarrassment, "I didn't get in through exams!"