"Elder Mrs. Qin, can we discuss this matter?" Lin Xiao Tian looked at the old lady.
Elder Mrs. Qin nodded.
Then Lin Xiao Tian bid farewell to Elder Mrs. Lin and walked out of the room with Qin Yu Xiang.
Inside the house, Elder Mrs. Qin sighed.
"I knew it would be like this. It's all my fault. If I hadn't forced her back then, it wouldn't have ended up like this."
Elder Mrs. Qin's eyes were filled with melancholy.
She looked at Elder Mrs. Lin, "Han Zhi, you are so open-minded, letting both your daughters choose their own paths. Look at me, I have two daughters, but now they must both hate me."
Elder Mrs. Lin remained silent.
She knew a bit about the Qin family's affairs.
The Elder Mrs. Qin before her had only two daughters, the elder of whom was Qin Yu Xiang's birth mother.
Back then, the Qin family, aiming to restore their influence, had considered arranged marriages. Elder Mrs. Qin's two daughters were both beautiful and thus prime candidates.
However, Elder Mrs. Qin knew her daughters were unwilling, so she proposed to the family to only marry off one.
One was enough for the Qin family, and the family also didn't want to push too hard, so they agreed.
Thus, Elder Mrs. Qin's elder daughter was the first to be engaged to the Yang family.
But unexpectedly, the elder daughter was spirited and refused to obey the family's arrangements. She already had someone she loved, so she outwardly agreed to the family but had actually eloped with him.
Elder Mrs. Qin only found out about it when her elder daughter was pregnant and about to give birth.
The Qin family was furious upon hearing this, and Elder Mrs. Qin felt utterly disgraced. To vent her anger, she secretly sent people to deal with her son-in-law. Her original intention was just to teach him a lesson, but unexpectedly, they accidentally killed him.
The elder daughter was heartbroken and passed away not long after.
Elder Mrs. Qin was full of regret, but at this point, the Yang family came demanding a bride. The family ended up using Elder Mrs. Qin's second daughter, Qin Yuan, to take her elder sister's place.
It was said that their marriage was very unhappy, and eventually, the man from the Yang family died of illness. With the old-fashioned marriage customs of reclusive families and Qin Yuan marrying into a prominent family like the Yangs, she was left to live as a widow.
In contrast, the Lin family was also in a similar position to the Qin family back then, but Elder Mrs. Lin insisted on not arranging marriages, so both her daughters had free unions.
"Han Zhi, I, Qin Mei, have made mistakes my whole life. Now that I'm old, I only wish to make amends. If Yu Xiang is unwilling to return, please help me keep her at the Lin family for now. In my lineage, she is my only descendant left." Elder Mrs. Qin's eyes were dim.
Elder Mrs. Lin sighed and nodded helplessly.
The two chatted for a while longer. Seeing that Lin Xiao Tian had not returned, Elder Mrs. Qin had to leave.
On the way back, Elder Mrs. Qin sat in the car, not saying a word to Qin Hai.
"Auntie, shall I try to persuade Yu Xiang again? She is, after all, a member of our Qin family. If she keeps staying with the Lin family, what does that make us?" Qin Hai spoke up.
Qin Hai meant well, but Elder Mrs. Qin suddenly glared at him.
"Qin Hai, Auntie has always thought you were a smart child. But you must understand that even smart people need to learn to hide. If someone constantly shows off their intelligence, they might become feared, or even united against and suppressed." Elder Mrs. Qin looked at him meaningfully.
"Auntie, I have no ill intentions. Otherwise, why would I tell you about this? I'm already having trouble explaining things to Qin Yuan." Qin Hai sounded somewhat aggrieved.
But Elder Mrs. Qin had weathered far greater storms.
How could she not see through Qin Hai's little tricks?
"If you ask me, your painstaking efforts to bring Yu Xiang back are for Lin Xiao Tian, aren't they?" Elder Mrs. Qin cut straight to the point.
"Auntie, you misunderstand me."
"Misunderstand?" Elder Mrs. Qin sneered. "Ever since our Qin family's eldest son died, do you think I don't know about your overt and covert struggles? Little Hai, you underestimate this old woman too much! I'm just old, not dead!"
Hearing that the old lady was truly angry, Qin Hai dared not pretend anymore.
"Auntie, if we can win over Lin Xiao Tian, wouldn't that be a good thing for our Qin family?"
"Yu Xiang is our Qin family's person, and he, Lin Xiao Tian, has no real ties to the Lin family. Why shouldn't we seize this opportunity?"
"Moreover, it's not safe for Yu Xiang to stay with the Lin family. Given Lin Xiao Tian's relationship with the Jiang family, if the Jiang family gains power in the future, she would be affected. Bringing Lin Xiao Tian to our Qin family is also for Yu Xiang's own good." Qin Hai explained.
After listening, Elder Mrs. Qin's expression did not ease much.
"I will naturally consider Yu Xiang's affairs. I have already spoken to my eldest brother, and he will accept Yu Xiang in the future. She is my granddaughter, and I will handle it myself. I warn you both, neither you nor Xiao Yuan, to even think about scheming for Yu Xiang. I have made one mistake, and I will not make another. If I see either of you bothering Yu Xiang again, don't blame me for showing no mercy in future family votes!"
Hearing Elder Mrs. Qin's words, Qin Hai immediately apologized.
"Auntie, please don't be angry. It's my fault. I swear by the name of our family that I will not interfere with Yu Xiang."
Only after Qin Hai made his guarantee did Elder Mrs. Qin's demeanor soften.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao Tian also began to discuss matters with Qin Yu Xiang.
Upon learning of her background, Qin Yu Xiang's emotions were complex.
She never expected to be from the Qin family, and the Teacher Qin who had taken care of her was her aunt.
But why?
Why, knowing they were related by blood, had they never told her all these years?
If not for Lin Xiao Tian, she might never have learned the truth.
"Yu Xiang, do you want to go to the Qin family?" Lin Xiao Tian asked.
"Do you want me to go?" Qin Yu Xiang asked.
"I don't want you to, but if you wish to go, I will absolutely not stop you."
"You don't want me to, so I won't go." Qin Yu Xiang looked at him.
To Qin Yu Xiang, the Qin family was too unfamiliar. Only with Lin Xiao Tian did she feel at ease.
"However, if one day, something goes wrong with the Lin family, I hope you will go to the Qin family." Lin Xiao Tian suddenly said.
"What do you mean, if something goes wrong with the Lin family?" Qin Yu Xiang looked bewildered.
Lin Xiao Tian pondered for a moment, then decided to tell Qin Yu Xiang everything about the current situation of the Lin family. All this time, he had chosen not to tell her to protect her.
But perhaps now was the time. Lin Xiao Tian also needed to make some preparations for the future. If Qin Yu Xiang remained ignorant, she would be in greater danger.