"My daughter." Whenever Qin Grandfather spoke of Susu, his face beamed with pride.
"Daughter?" Qin Jinfang's mouth hung open in shock, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor.
"Doesn't she resemble us? Look at our Susu darling's eyes, her nose, isn't she the spitting image of me and your eldest sister?"
When it came to his daughter, Qin Grandfather's expression naturally exuded pride and indulgence.
"Yes, yes! Like dad and mom!" Susu chimed in.
"This can't be, elder brother, you can't be joking with us like this," Qin Jinfang refused to believe such an absurd tale.
Could his elder brother and sister-in-law at their age still bear children? He and his wife had not even had marital relations for the past ten years! Let alone getting pregnant and having a baby!
Madam Qin, upon hearing this, was displeased: "Who's joking with you? Susu is our daughter, absolutely genuine! I'm telling you, our Susu is a blessing to our family, a gift from the heavens to the Qin Family!"
Qin Jinfang listened, utterly dumbfounded.
A blessing, a gift from the heavens? Was this some kind of joke?
Had his elder brother and sister-in-law gone to the countryside and returned with a belief in feudal superstition?
"Elder brother, elder sister, cut the crap, you adopted this child, right?! Having your own is just too far-fetched!" Qin Jinfang still refused to believe that this tender little girl before him was his niece.
"Believe it or not, that's up to you, but our little darling here will still call you 'uncle' if she speaks to you," Qin Grandfather retorted, not one for wasting words.
Seeing that Qin Grandfather was getting unhappy, Qin Jinfang quickly plastered on a smile: "No, no, it's not about disbelief, it's just a bit too shocking, you know!"
Making his elder brother angry over the origin of a little girl was not worth it.
Qin Jinfang could still recognize what was important.
To show he didn't distrust them, he hurriedly prompted Qin Luoyun to step forward and call Susu, "Yunyun, call her auntie."
On Qin Luoyun's small face was a look of reluctance.
Grandpa said she was the first girl born in the Qin Family in a hundred years and the only one at that.
So why was there suddenly another one now? And why should she call her auntie?
Qin Jinfang urged her, "Say it! Quick, call her, don't forget your manners! Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother are watching!"
Qin Luoyun bit her lip: "Auntie."
After calling out, she awkwardly hung her head, avoiding looking at Susu.
"Hmm, good!" Susu responded, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of candy for Qin Luoyun.
As an elder, Susu had indeed prepared welcome gifts for her younger relatives!
Of course, that was for those who addressed her as an elder.
The one who called her a little monster didn't count! He wasn't nice, no candy for him!
Qin Luoyun hesitated for a moment then slowly accepted the piece of candy.
A cheap plastic wrapper, it seemed like the sort of fruit candy sold for a penny at the rural stores, the kind she had seen when visiting the countryside before.
Qin Luoyun felt somewhat disdainful but, not wanting to be disrespectful in front of the adults, reluctantly held on to it.
Seeing that this issue was over, Qin Jinfang said to Qin Grandfather with a chuckle, "Elder brother, you and elder sister are coming back to stay for good, does that mean you've sorted out the will?"
"The will? Why are you so interested in that thing?" Qin Grandfather said, displeased.
"I'm just asking, you're my elder brother, it's only natural that I care about your affairs!" Qin Jinfang explained.
"Spare me, I know what you're really thinking. When have you ever come to me for anything other than money? You're asking about the inheritance because you want to know if you'll get a piece of it ahead of time," Qin Grandfather bluntly revealed.
Caught out, Qin Jinfang shamelessly grinned, "Elder brother, you can't say it like that. You only have me for a brother; you are a person of stature. If I look shabby, it reflects poorly on you too, doesn't it?"