Mo Tiange lowered her head, enduring the scrutiny of the mean woman sitting on the rattan chair.
This was the patriarch's wife, Madam Zheng, Mo Tiange's grandmother in name.
However, ever since she was young, she rarely saw her grandmother except for New Year's Day.
After a long time, Madam Zheng snorted and said to the servant woman on the side, "Aunt Lin, clean up the room next to the kitchen for her to live in. Take her out to help clean up."
The sturdy middle-aged woman responded and said coldly to Mo Tiange, "Come here."
Mo Tiange still lowered her head and followed Aunt Lin out of the room.
In the entire Mo Family's Village, there were only five or six well-off families. The patriarch's family could be regarded as a local tycoon. They owned hundreds of acres of good farmland, built a large house, and had several servants to do rough work.
The young masters of the Mo family split up after they got married, leaving only the eldest young master to inherit the family business.
The room next to the kitchen was originally a grocery room. Mo Tiange followed Aunt Lin to move the sundries out and clean the room.
Aunt Lin moved a few pieces of old furniture and put them in the room. She also fetched bedding and bed curtains from somewhere and left after putting them on the bed.
Mo Tiange sat in the room for a while before she started to look around.
This room had always been a grocery room and hadn't been repaired. There were several cracks on the walls, it was very humid, and there was moss in the corners.
Although Aunt Lin had swept the floor, there was still dust everywhere, making it look very old.
She got up and went to the courtyard to fetch water to wash the furniture.
She was small and weak, so she only carried half a bucket of water. She went to the kitchen and asked for a rag from Aunt Lin, who was cooking, to slowly scrub.
As she wiped, her tears started to fall.
Her mother was gone, and she knew no one cared about her anymore. There weren't many people in this house, but there were many empty rooms, yet they made her live in this kind of room.
"Tiange, Tiange!"
A voice came from outside. Mo Tiange hurriedly wiped her tears. Before she could answer, she saw Mo Tianqiao rushing in from outside.
Seeing her wiping the bed, Mo Tianqiao said, "Why do you have to clean it yourself? Where's Aunt Lin?" She was about to go outside to call her.
Mo Tiange hurriedly stopped her. "No need. Aunt Lin already helped me clean it. It's me who thinks it's not clean."
"Then let her wipe it clean …"
"Tianqiao!" Mo Tiange interrupted Mo Tianqiao. After a moment of hesitation, she changed the topic and asked, "Why were you looking for me?"
Mo Tianqiao was simple-minded, so her attention was immediately diverted. She picked up the only clean chair and sat down. She said, "I came to see you. In the future, we'll live in the same courtyard, so it'll be more convenient for me to look for you to play."
Mo Tiange didn't answer. She just threw the rag into the bucket and started to make the bed.
Seeing that Mo Tianqiao was struggling, Mo Tianqiao jumped down from the chair and shouted, "I'll help you."
The two little girls didn't have much strength and didn't know how to do this kind of thing. They just spread out the mattress in a haphazard manner and used it as a mattress.
Mo Tianqiao and Aunt Lin really had no choice but to rush out and call for Aunt Lin.
Aunt Lin came in and muttered a few words of dissatisfaction before hanging up the account book.
Before leaving, she said to Tianqiao, "Miss, it's time to eat. You should go to the dining room first.
If Eldest Young Madam knew you were doing this kind of thing, she would scold me. "
Mo Tiange didn't know what to say, but Mo Tianqiao was very annoyed. "This Aunt Lin is really something! Who does she want to show her face to? I just told her to hang up the account book, but she's so talkative!"
She naturally wouldn't have any complaints about hanging the account book for the master, but what kind of master was she?
After these past few days, Mo Tiange knew that aside from Tianqiao, no one in this family would take her seriously, so she just pretended not to hear anything.
Moreover, Aunt Lin also reminded her that asking Tianqiao for help would make Eldest Aunt angry.
Mo Tiange said, "You should go eat. Everything's done, so I'll just pack up my luggage."
Mo Tianqiao said as if it was a matter of course, "Of course we'll go eat together. You don't have to pack up for now. We'll talk about it later!"
"This …" Mo Tiange was a bit hesitant. She wasn't sure whether she could go to the dining room to eat. She knew clearly that her grandmother didn't treat her as a family member at all. Who knew if she was going to let her eat alone in the kitchen?
"Let's not talk about this and that. Let's go!" Tianqiao pulled her and ran towards the dining room.
The two of them ran into the dining room, only to see that the old man and Madam Zheng were already inside. Mo Tiange hastily let go of Tianqiao's hand, lowered her head, and stood behind them.
Sure enough, Madam Zheng frowned. "How can a girl be so impatient?!"
Mo Tiange didn't dare to answer, but Mo Tianqiao made a funny face. "Grandma, I'm hungry!"
Madam Zheng glared at her and showed half a smile. "That'll do. Quickly sit down."
Mo Tianqiao beamed with joy and sat in her seat.
When she turned around and saw that Mo Tiange was still standing there, she waved her hand. "Tiange, come here!"
Mo Tiange didn't move. There originally wasn't a seat for her here.
Madam Zheng coldly glanced at her then said to the side, "Aunt Lin, add a stool."
Aunt Lin responded and moved a stool to Tianqiao's side.
Mo Tiange heaved a sigh of relief and cautiously sat down. She then called out in a low voice, "Grandpa, Grandma."
The old man nodded and continued to rest with his eyes closed.
Madam Zheng turned to the side. "Aunt Lin, where are the others?"
Mo Tiange already knew this, so she didn't feel disappointed. She just lowered her head and reminded herself not to care about her grandmother's attitude.
Aunt Lin said, "The Eldest Young Master will be here soon. The Youngest Young Master already told Uncle He to look for them."
Right after she finished speaking, they heard footsteps coming from outside. The Eldest Young Master and the Young Madam of the Mo family came in with Mo Tianjun.
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
Without waiting for his parents to greet him, Mo Tianjun already shouted and ran between the two old men. He started chatting happily, amusing the two old men so much that they immediately doted on him like a precious darling.
Madam Zheng, who always had a cold expression towards Mo Tiange, now had a kind smile on her face. She kissed Mo Tianjun again and again before telling him to sit down and eat.
Mo Tiange didn't have time to think. When Mo Tianjun saw her, he immediately widened his eyes and said, "Why are you here?
This is my house! "
Before she could answer, Mo Tianqiao already said, "Tiange will be in our house from now on. Don't bully her, or I'll …" She was about to tell her father, but she remembered that her father was here, so she changed her words. "Or I'll make you pay."
Mo Tianjun immediately objected. "Hey, Mo Tianqiao, I haven't said anything yet, but you already want to make me pay!
I'm your older brother, okay? Why are you so intimate with someone else's family?! "
"What do you mean someone else's family? Tiange is obviously our family. If you don't recognize her, I will.
In any case, I've already told you. Just do as you see fit! "
Mo Tianqiao didn't show weakness at all. Although Tianjun was their family's precious grandson, she was also their precious granddaughter.
Although Mo Tianjun was a devil incarnate, he couldn't do anything to his twin sister. Now that he was threatened by her, he saw that the adults didn't intend to do anything, so he could only pretend he didn't hear anything.
His expression, however, caused the adults to laugh.
Madam Zheng said with a smile, "Let's eat."
During this meal, Mo Tiange buried herself in eating.
She clearly felt that they were a family.
They served food to each other and gossiped, but she couldn't blend in at all.
She thought of the small courtyard in the east of the village, the simple dining table, her mother serving her food and listening to her talk about trivial worries.
That was her home.