120 Haystack and Fireworks

The birthday feast was prepared promptly, and tens of well-prepared dishes were laid out on the table in no time.

Xia Ling was Grandma Ye's favorite and was dragged along to sit beside her. Grandma Ye kept getting her to eat more, while Big Aunt nearby continually scooped food onto her plate. Xia Ling was slightly shocked by all the pampering — though Pei Ziheng used to take care of her, she had never felt such care from elders. The elders in the Pei family were colder and more distant in nature and were not very accepting of an orphan like her. Though they did not express their disapproval explicitly on account of Pei Ziheng, the way they acted around her spoke volumes.

She used to think that all the disapproval and grievances did not bother her at all, that it was all worth it as long as Pei Ziheng continued to love her. However, now that she was being cared for by two of her elders, she realized that she could not have been more wrong.