Old Mistress Yuan clearly did not expect Yuan Xuan to agree with her at this moment.
She was overjoyed. "Little Xuan is the most sensible one. The rest of you, stand aside!"
Zhao Ruoxin stood up and wiped away her tears. She looked at Yuan Xuan with a delighted expression, her pretty face blushing.
"Thank you, Brother Xuan!" Zhao Ruoxin said cautiously.
As she spoke, she cast a glance at Mu Chenyan who was standing by the side.
Mu Chenyan ignored the other party's subtle provocation and leaned in closer to Yuan Xuan.
However, Yuan Tian, who had been silent all this while, could not hold it in any longer.
She saw that Mu Chenyan was acting cowardly and oblivious by not objecting. Wouldn't letting this woman live here be the equivalent of welcoming a troublemaker into the house?
Yuan Tian commented in a low voice, "Brother Xuan? That's an awfully familiar way of addressing him. Are you very close with Third Brother?"
Zhao Ruoxin's complexion changed, and she ashamedly lowered her head. At the same time, her eyes began to water.
Old Mistress Yuan glared at Yuan Tian and snarled, "You're speaking out of turn!"
Yuan Tian refused to back down, and she maintained a polite and humble tone as she spoke, "Grandmother, of the three brothers in the Yuan Family, Eldest Brother already has Sister-in-law Wen Ya, while Third Brother has Sister-in-law Chenyan. You aren't thinking of keeping this girl here for Second Brother, are you?"
Lu Shan was so appalled that she quickly tugged at her daughter. "Stop talking nonsense!"
Yuan Zhuan, who was standing by the side had suddenly been dragged into the crossfire. He was terrified, and he secretly waved his hand at Yuan Tian to stop.
"Mother, didn't you just hear Grandmother explain that because of the friendship between her and the Shu Family's grandmother, she had Qinger stay at our home with the intention of letting her marry into the Yuan Family?
"Qinger encountered a tragedy later on, but now there's a replacement. Since the other elder brothers are already married, who else can she marry other than Brother Yuan Zhuan?"
Yuan Tian was outspoken and straightforward. She held nothing back as she immediately cause everyone to feel rather awkward. Lu Shan, on the other hand, was almost about to cry out of embarrassment.
"You little ancestor, continue spouting nonsense and you will be the death of your father and I!"
"Mother, I'm only speaking the truth. Brother Yuan Zhuan already has someone in his heart. Hasn't Nan Sheng gotten your recognition? You can't be asking for Sister-in-law Wen Ya and Chenyan to give way to her, right?"
While speaking, a smirk formed on Yuan Tian's face, as if she were saying 'dream on'.
Zhao Ruoxin bit her lip and looked like she was about to cry again...
"In my opinion, since Grandmother remains nostalgic about the old friendship and holds on to her old friend's request, and considering the fact that the Yuan Family has a vast fortune, it won't matter if we hold one less property. Wouldn't giving one of the Yuan Family's property to Miss Zhao be a better option? Why must she live in the mansion?"
Mu Chenyan looked at Yuan Tian and suddenly understood the uniqueness of this girl in the family—amid the old and trite family regulations, Yuan Tian was still able to keep her conscience!
However, she had forgotten that allowing Zhao Ruoxin to stay here was not only Grandmother's wish, but that Yuan Xuan had also supported the idea.
Mu Chenyan knew that Grandmother had her own selfish motives regarding today's arrangement, but Yuan Tian might suffer some form of punishment by exposing her plan so brutally.
Unexpectedly, however, Old Mistress did not flare up but instead merely sighed.
The people in the side hall immediately held their breath.
Old Mistress Yuan stood up, looked at her children and grandchildren by her side, and said plainly, "The plan Tian Tian has mentioned is not something I've not considered before.
"It's just that Ruoxin seeking shelter at the Yuan Family is really because she has exhausted all other options."
The ordinary people did not have Yuan Tian's courage and were used to complying with whatever Old Mistress said. Even though they might not comprehend her thinking, they still would not dare to raise any questions.
Seeing that everyone had their doubts and yet were not saying anything, Old Mistress continued. "Ruoxin found a suitable heart donor and had just undergone surgery, while Zhao Yanni is mentally deranged and has been admitted to a psychiatric ward."
True enough, Zhao Ruoxin began to snivel again. Her eyes were by now slightly red and swollen, causing everyone who looked at her to feel sympathetic.
"My foster father is a gambler and owed some loan sharks a huge debt. When he realized that the people in the casino had cheated him, he fought with them and beat the people in the casino to death. These people later threatened to seek out my mother and I for revenge. We were so scared that we fled from City C back to Luo Hai."
As Zhao Ruoxin wept, her small hands continuously wiped her tears away. The area around her eyes were soon smudged with makeup.