40 Cousins (1/2)

After Bai Feng had left, Bai Zhexi walked over to the photo frame and looked at the family photo with a complicated expression.

It had once been a happy family of four. When she was sixteen, it had all collapsed overnight. She had left the once warm home with her mother, or in other words, they had been chased out of the Bai Clan.

Why did Bai Feng ask for this person just now?

There were so many people on the photo frame, so many of them, but he had to ask about her father.

Bai Zhexi carefully considered the Bai brothers' appearance and tried her best to recall her brother's looks when he was young.

She thought to herself, 'Bai Lanting and Bai Feng are probably her nephews.'

The Bai brothers' and Chao'er are cousins.

Bai Zhexi looked at the tightly shut door of Wan Chao's room and bitterly smiled. No wonder Bai Feng treated Cha'er so well. Blood ties were indeed a wondrous thing.

In her room, Wan Chao was immersed in her studies. Today, she spent most of her time outside, doing the business for the soy sauce vegetables. Once she got home, she would fight for every second of the time to study.

Wan Chao reached out to turn on the lamp and listened for any sound outside, but couldn't hear anything.

After thinking for a while, she stood up, opened the door and walked out.

The living room was shrouded in darkness. She could faintly make out a figure sitting by the dining table, very similar to Bai Zhexi.

”Mom?” But there was no response. She quickly turned on the light in the living room.

The sudden ray of light caused Bai Zhexi to raise her hand to shield her eyes as she came back to her senses.

”What's wrong, Chao'er?” Bai Zhexi looked at her daughter.

Wan Chao sized up Bai Zhexi with a puzzled expression. When she noticed the tear stains on her face, she asked puzzledly, ”Mom, have you been sitting here all this time? Has something happened? ”

Upon seeing her daughter look at her in such a manner, Bai Zhexi subconsciously wiped her face to conceal her thoughts. ”Nothing.”

Wan Chao's expression was grave. She walked up to Bai Zhexi, crouched down, and held her hand as she spoke.

”Mom, is there something troubling you? If you can't tell me, who else can you tell? I don't want your heart to be filled with any worries, that would be bad for your health. I want my mother to be healthy and cheerful, and live with me for the rest of her life. ”

Bai Zhexi was both touched and sad at the same time. She was sad that her daughter had lost her father at such a young age.

She patted Wan Chao's hand, smiled and said, ”It's really nothing, I just remember your grandma, that's why I'm a little sad.”

Subconsciously, she didn't want Chao'er to know about the Bai Clan. She wanted to protect her mother's honor.

Wan Chao breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. ”Mom, I'll accompany you on the next vacation to burn some paper for Grandma.”

”Sigh, alright.” Bai Zhexi smiled as she agreed, and changed the topic, ”Chao'er, what do you want for dinner? Mom will do it for you. You can read and study for now. ” She stood up and headed to the kitchen.

It was already 7: 30 in the evening, which was about an hour later than dinner time.

”Whatever Mom cooks, I like it. You can do it.”

Bai Zhexi smiled contentedly as she entered the kitchen.

After dinner, the mother and daughter duo went to check up on the business situation.

In the end, Bai Zhexi took a wad of money and said: ”There are ten hotels that are now considered stable partners. The biggest customers are the Beijing Hotel and the county hotel”.

”It'll be enough for both of us to eat and drink together, and we can save up five yuan a day. When you go to university, you can save two thousand yuan, and with the help of some of the family members, it'll be enough for your first year's school fees. No, we'll have to save a bit more in the future, and if you eat at home every day, you can save more money every day. ”