Chapter 196: Fiercely Confronting the Scummy Father’s Family

Chapter 196: Fiercely Confronting the Scummy Father's Family

Shuang Hong froze for a moment as a girl in rough clothes ran up to her.

Dan Hong eagerly rushed up to her.

"We finally found you!"

Another more childish voice chimed in, "Big sister, I want a meat bun! Can you get me one?"

A grubby little hand reached for the new jacket Lu Lingyun had just given her.

Seeing the hand reaching out, Shuang Hong quickly stepped back to avoid the touch.

The child, seeing Shuang Hong avoiding him, immediately started wailing, "Dad! Grandma! Big Sister doesn't love me anymore!"

As he cried, the grandmother from Shuang Hong's childhood nightmares stood up. She had aged significantly and had lost the intimidating presence she once had. She protected the boy in her arms, her eyes full of doting love.

"Don't say that, Little Treasure is the light of our lives. How could your big sister not love you? She'd give you anything, even the stars in the sky!"

Meanwhile, an old man in worn-out clothes stood up and scanned Shuang Hong from head to toe, his eyes filled with greed and an unsettling gaze.

He rubbed his hands together and said in a simple, honest tone, "Shuang Hong, that's your real brother! I'm your father. Don't you remember?"

Seeing this whole family appear, Shuang Hong felt like she had swallowed a bitter pill and couldn't say a word, her brows furrowed in frustration.

At that moment, a man sitting at the eight immortals table in the private room spoke up, "Shuang Hong, are you surprised?"

Captain Qian, with a look of anticipation and seeking praise, looked at Shuang Hong.

Shuang Hong: "......."

Surprise.

What a "wonderful" surprise.

Shuang Hong was forcefully pulled by Dan Hong to sit at the table, where the whole family seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Her grandmother, brother, and father all stared intently at Shuang Hong.

They stared at her like vultures circling a feast.

Unaware of the tension, Dan Hong beamed with joy, her face full of happiness as she said, "Sister, we're finally reunited as a family."

"Yes, Shuang Hong, you're reunited with your family," Captain Qian chimed in with a simple, foolish tone.

Yes, yes, what a load of nonsense!

Shuang Hong glared angrily at Captain Qian.

Captain Qian, sensing Shuang Hong's gaze, was a bit confused.

At this point, her grandmother spoke up, "We owe you so much, Captain Qian."

"Elder, you don't need to call me Master Qian. Just call me Captain Qian like everyone else. You're all Shuang Hong's close relatives, so we're like family. No need to be polite," Captain Qian said warmly.

His words made everyone across from him look even more eager.

But Shuang Hong lost her temper. She suddenly stood up, her face flushed with anger as she looked at Captain Qian, "Who's family with you!"

Captain Qian, sensing her anger, quickly tried to mediate, "What I meant is, we're all from the Marquis's Mansion, so naturally, we're family."

Shuang Hong was even more frustrated. She had always been slow to speak and struggled to express herself. Frustrated and at a loss for words, she finally snapped, "I am me, you are you, and they are them. None of us are family!"

Shuang Hong's outburst silenced the room. Captain Qian, who had been grinning, thinking he had done something good, now looked embarrassed.

He stared at Shuang Hong, bewildered and confused, completely not expecting that his well-intentioned attempt to please her would make her so angry.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Just then, Dan Hong stepped in, "Brother Qian, why don't you go out for a bit? Let us talk to my sister in private."

Understanding the situation, Captain Qian immediately got up and left the room, leaving the space for Shuang Hong and her family.

After he left, Dan Hong looked at Shuang Hong with concern. "Sister, are you feeling unwell?"

Shuang Hong's face turned red with anger. As she glared at the people in front of her, her gaze softened only when it fell on Dan Hong. "What do you want from me?"

Her voice trembled with hurt. Thanks to Lu Lingyun's words of advice, she had seen through these people.

They had sold her, and now she belonged to another family. Why were they still seeking her out?

"We're not here for anything specific. Everyone just misses you," Dan Hong said.

The old woman beside her stood up, her face filled with feigned excitement as she rushed forward to hug Shuang Hong. "Shuang Hong, my dear granddaughter, I finally get to see you again! I've missed you every day, my dear!"

A cold dread washed over Shuang Hong.

She instinctively backed away, avoiding the old woman's embrace.

"Look, she's rejecting us!" her younger brother's voice piped up. Little Treasure pointed at Shuang Hong, his face filled with dissatisfaction.

"Don't talk nonsense. We're family. Shuang Hong is your elder sister, and she's my granddaughter. How could she reject us?" the old woman said.

As she spoke, her old, frost-filled eyes stared directly at Shuang Hong. Though she tried to hide it, Shuang Hong could see the cold, calculating look in her eyes.

It reminded her of her childhood, when she was slapped repeatedly and held underwater, being scolded as a worthless girl.

"Have you forgotten how you treated me when I was young?" Shuang Hong stepped back.

"Shuang Hong, I was confused back then. It's all in the past. Can't you forgive your grandmother?" the old woman said, her face full of feigned remorse.

Shuang Hong said firmly, "I will never forget how you treated me and my mother!"

Seeing that the emotional appeal wasn't working, a cold voice came from the corner.

"Shuang Hong, you're different now. You dress well and eat well, but you don't recognize us, your poor parents!"

Her father, with a gleam in his eyes, said, "Let me tell you, I gave birth to you! Even if I sold you, I'm still your father for life! You can't deny me!"

Shuang Hong was trembling with anger. Looking at the people in front of her, who had a tight grip on her and made her feel like she could never escape, she thought of Lu Lingyun. Suddenly, her thoughts became clear, and she shouted with newfound confidence, "Our young mistress said that from the moment you sold me, I owed you nothing! If anyone is to be considered my parents now, it's the Marquis's Mansion! You don't deserve to claim me!"

Indeed, after Shuang Hong's words, the people could no longer argue back.

They were bullies who preyed on the weak.

They might have thought they could control Shuang Hong, but they wouldn't dare challenge the Marquis's Mansion.

Once Shuang Hong brought up the Marquis's Mansion, they didn't dare to push the matter any further.

The indenture is held by the Marquis's Mansion. How can they just ignore that!

Just then, another voice spoke up.

"Sis, why are you being so cold! We're family, blood thicker than water!" Dan Hong stood up.

She looked at Shuang Hong, her face a mix of hurt and confusion, as if she couldn't understand why Shuang Hong was being so distant.

Shuang Hong turned to face her, "Dan Hong! Have you forgotten what they did to us and Mom back then! How many times she tried to drown you in the water vat, and we only saved you because Mom and I got down on our knees and begged!"

Dan Hong frowned, and her grandmother pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Dan Hong, I was wrong back then, and now that I'm older, can't you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Dan Hong snuggled into her grandmother's warm embrace and looked up at Shuang Hong.

"Sis, let's not dwell on the past. Grandma's apologized, and we're still family."