Zhou Wenbing’s words rang out powerfully, leaving everyone momentarily silent.

Xia Xiaolan had considered this approach too, but she didn’t have Zhou Wenbing’s position.

After all, what power did she have to suppress Yuan Han for life?

Old Master Zhou closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had made his decision:

“You are Zhou Yi’s father, and Zhou Yi is an adult in her twenties now. I think Zhou Yi’s life has been too comfortable! Since you’ve made your decision, do as you see fit. Zhou Yi needs to taste some hardship… First, find her and ensure she’s safe, then leave the rest alone. She’s still young, she can afford to choose the wrong person, and the Zhou family can still catch her if she falls.”

If you don’t take a big fall while young, falling when older is worse – even if you regret it and want to start over, youth has already passed, half a lifetime wasted, and regret comes too late.

Though the old master spoke with acceptance, Xia Xiaolan guessed he was deeply hurt.

But Old Master Zhou, having weathered life’s storms, wouldn’t easily show weakness before the younger generation.

If he truly didn’t care, why had he come in the middle of the night?

If he truly didn’t care, why did his departing figure seem so unsteady?

With Zhou Wenbing having made his decision and the old master’s approval, Xia Xiaolan had no position to advise further, so she left the Zhou house.

Zhou Guobin walked her to the door:

“You spoke well today. Zhou Yi was clever and lovely as a child, but poor guidance has made her so foolish… Xiaolan, Uncle Zhou knows you don’t need to concern yourself with these matters yet, but because you and Zhou Cheng are close, Uncle Zhou thanks you for sharing your worries.”

“Uncle Zhou, you and Aunt Guan, and Grandfather and Grandmother have all been good to me, this is what I should do.”

Zhou Guobin didn’t argue with Xia Xiaolan.

What in this world is truly “should do”? If we talk about what should be done, Jiang Hong loved Zhou Yi like her own eyes, and now she’s bedridden in the hospital – shouldn’t her daughter be at her bedside taking care of her?

That’s what should be done!

Zhou Yi hadn’t done what she should, and Zhou Guobin, as her second uncle, was deeply disappointed.

They used to say Xia Xiaolan was too ambitious, but now they saw that ambition was secondary – young people needed clear heads, the ability to distinguish priorities, and recognize right from wrong!

After running around the Zhou family for several days, Xia Xiaolan finally found time to go home and accompany her mother.

Zhou Yi’s situation couldn’t be kept secret anymore. Liu Fen was shocked: “Zhou Cheng’s aunt must be heartbroken.”

The Zhou family men had decided to let Zhou Yi suffer, but Jiang Hong probably didn’t know about this decision yet! A child is the flesh of their mother’s flesh, carried for ten months before birth – Jiang Hong would surely be the one who could least accept this.

Grandmother Yu scoffed: “What’s there to be heartbroken about? A child is born a blank slate, however, they turn out to be their parents’ achievement. Zhou Yi is lucky to be born into the Zhou family, with everyone looking out for her, even catching her when she stumbles. If she were a daughter of an ordinary family, one moment of blindness could ruin her entire life.”

Two formerly ‘blind’ mothers and daughters stood before Grandmother Yu. Liu Fen was too slow to make the connection to herself, while Xia Xiaolan gave a reproachful look – Grandmother Yu was completely uninhibited in her speech now.

Grandmother Yu paid no attention, muttering:

“Fortunately, you won’t stay in China too long. By the time you return from being an exchange student, Zhou Yi might already have children running around. No matter how miserable her life becomes, it won’t be your responsibility.”

“Grandmother Yu… she is still Zhou Cheng’s cousin.”

Xia Xiaolan knew it was the truth, but some truths were better left unspoken.

“Yes, yes, yes, she’s Zhou Cheng’s cousin after all. Being a woman isn’t easy – you fear marrying a worthless man, but also fear marrying someone too successful. Both situations are exhausting!”

Grandmother Yu muttered, leaving Xia Xiaolan both amused and exasperated.

This was how Chinese family relationships worked – those who completely disregarded family ties were rare.

Extreme relatives like Xia Changzheng and Zhang Cui weren’t common either. She would need time to care about Zhou Yi’s situation, and as Grandmother Yu said, by the time she went abroad as an exchange student, Zhou Yi’s situation might already be settled.

“I’ll go abroad early next year. When the department asked my preference, I only had one requirement – to go to America. Grandmother Yu, I haven’t forgotten my promise to you, please don’t worry.”

Grandmother Yu was doing well in Beijing, and with Xia Xiaolan and Liu Fen watching over her, she had stopped eating foods unsuitable for diabetics.

Given her current health and optimistic mood, if she followed medical advice, she could easily live another decade.

Xia Xiaolan brought up the old matter to reassure Grandmother Yu.

As long as they hadn’t confirmed her son’s death, there was hope of finding him somewhere in America.

Grandmother Yu had just mocked Zhou Yi’s parents for poor child-rearing, but now she felt uncomfortable herself. She had been good at raising children – her son had been filial, initially refusing to leave her and her husband behind when going abroad. She had tricked him, telling him to take his wife and children first, saying leaving in two groups would attract less attention.

Her earlier mockery was partly born of jealousy.

No matter how troublesome Zhou Yi was, she still had parents who loved her, while Grandmother Yu was separated from her son by an ocean, without any news!

“If I can’t trust you, I don’t know who I can trust.”

Back in her room, Grandmother Yu counted her exchanged dollars over and over.

As an old woman, she had little use for so much money – spending it on finding her son was better than taking it to her grave.

Two years ago, when ancestral properties were being returned, she got back her courtyard house in Shangdu, but the ownership of the small building on Er’qi Square remained disputed. She had been discouraged then and hadn’t truly tried to fight for it. Even if she won it back, it would be useless – such property in the hands of a lonely old woman wouldn’t be a treasure bowl, but possibly a death warrant.

Now things were different.

Xia Xiaolan would soon go to America, and she should fulfill her promise – that small building on Er’qi Square… well, the building itself wasn’t worth much, it could all be demolished and returned to State Cotton Mill Three, the real value was in the land.

That plot of land, Xia Xiaolan would surely like it – this girl desperately accumulated land, and while Shangdu couldn’t compare to the Special Zone, Er’qi Square was still in the city center.

“Whether we find him or not…”

Whether they found him or not, Grandmother Yu had decided to give the Er’qi Square plot to Xia Xiaolan.

In her youth, she had helped many people, judged some correctly, and was betrayed by others.

For many years after, Grandmother Yu hadn’t trusted anyone.

Xia Xiaolan was full of schemes and focused on money, but Grandmother Yu found her more trustworthy than those who spoke of morality and lofty ideals.

She needed to consult with Ning Yanfan about reclaiming the property rights to the Er’qi Square plot before Xia Xiaolan went abroad, so this grand gift would motivate her to be more devoted.

The next day, Grandmother Yu went to see Ning Yanfan.

After hearing her purpose, Ning Yanfan asked, “Aren’t you afraid of misjudging someone again?”

A trace of sorrow appeared on Grandmother Yu’s stern face, but she quickly straightened her back:

“Then that’s just my fate. If it’s not meant to be, so be it. Whether I judge right or wrong doesn’t matter – at my age, how many years do I have left to live!”