I have to say, the first semester of freshman year was packed with courses, plus various club and student union activities. The entire half year was truly fulfilling.
Ignoring Mu Rou’s occasional provocations and Chen Yan’s occasional “small talk”, An Xi felt this university life was much better than her previous life. Not only had she become best friends with Dai Xue and Ye Ling, but her relationship with Yan Qing was also developing smoothly…
Unfortunately…
One semester flew by quickly, signaling the time to go home for the New Year, with school reopening in about a month and a half.
For An Xi, the holiday didn’t matter much…
She and Yan Qing were from the same city, not far apart, so going out to play during the holiday was definitely doable. Ye Ling was also from her city, but Dai Xue wasn’t a local and had bought a train ticket home early, which was a bit regrettable.
Returning home, An Xi’s mood was somewhat complicated.
She had always been spoiled at home. Since her mother passed away after giving birth to her, her father remarried.
Although her stepmother had been waiting for her acknowledgment for over a decade, An Xi had never intended to make peace. Eventually, her stepmother and father had a son.
Her stepmother’s son was very young, but he had been a thorn in An Xi’s eye since birth. She had always been intolerant of them, finding opportunities to bully her stepmother’s son…
Thinking about it now, her stepmother had been quite kind, always letting her young son be bullied by this “older sister”. She used to love seeing her stepmother’s son look terrified.
Her stepmother had never done anything wrong to her, and her son was even more innocent… Despite her past cruelty, even after her death in her previous life, her stepmother still visited her grave with her son…
Reborn in this life, An Xi wouldn’t treat them that way again… But how to make peace was still difficult…
Lost in her thoughts, An Xi had already reached her home’s doorstep but couldn’t bring herself to press the doorbell.
In her bag were scarves for her father and stepmother, and chocolate for her stepmother’s son… But how should she start?!
Just then, the door was opened from inside.
Stepmother Li Wan was apparently preparing to go out with a grocery basket, and her three-year-old son Jiang Xin was obediently following behind, head down.
“Xian Xian… Come in quickly! Cough cough… You didn’t even call ahead… What would you like to eat? Auntie will buy it for you?”
Li Wan was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, smiling warmly and opening the door, taking An Xi’s bag. Her slightly hoarse voice obviously indicated she had a cold.
An Xi felt strange inside…
She thought, in her previous life, this woman must have had terrible luck encountering someone like herself… Yet she had still treated her like her own daughter for so many years.
“Auntie, I’ll go buy groceries today! You rest at home.
An Xi naturally took the vegetable basket from Li Wan’s hand and said, looking at Jiang Xin as kindly as possible, “Would little Xin like to go buy vegetables with sister?”
“…”
Jiang Xin took a step back in terror, then suddenly burst into tears with a “Wah”.
An Xi felt a bit awkward and touched her nose… was she really that scary?
“Xian Xian, Auntie is fine, cough cough… just a minor issue.” Unlike Jiang Xin, Li Wan felt a slight joy in her heart.
Usually, when An Xi called her, she would use terms like “hey”, “you there”, or “you”. Today was the first time she had softly called her “Auntie”.
Hearing the subtle change in Li Wan’s tone, An Xi knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling. She felt that the woman in front of her was living a truly heartbreaking life, and the culprit was her own immature self.
“Auntie, I can’t call you mother right now… but I will try,” An Xi relaxed, trying to make her tone sincere.
Although she was changing, she couldn’t immediately bring herself to call her “Mom”…
“It’s okay… it’s okay, Xian Xian… cough… this is good enough…”
For Li Wan, this response was beyond her expectations.
Poor Jiang Xin had been crying for a while, and finding that no one was paying attention to him, he could only stand to the side, sobbing and secretly looking at An Xi.
“Ka-cha.”
The door opened again, this time it was An Xi’s father, An Cheng, who had returned. Seeing the scene, he thought Jiang Xin had upset An Xi again and immediately frowned, striding over.
Jiang Xin, who had just stopped crying, immediately sensed something was wrong and burst into tears again with a “Wah”.
“Dad! Won’t you give your daughter who hasn’t seen you for half a year a hug?”
An Xi silently moved in front of Jiang Xin and stretched out her hand with a smile. Wheedling with her father was something she was good at… In her previous life, she had done this often, though the ultimate goal was always to “torment” Jiang Xin.
“Xian Xian… what are you doing?”
An Cheng naturally saw An Xi’s small move and didn’t get angry, instead hugging her.
Jiang Xin, who was suddenly blocked, also took a small step back. It seemed… he wasn’t going to be scolded by dad?!
“Talking with Auntie…”
An Xi continued, pursing her lips: “Auntie is already sick, and you still let her go out to buy groceries? You really don’t know how to care for people!”
“Oh, are you criticizing dad now? Let’s not go out to buy groceries today. Dad will call and have some dishes delivered home!” Although An Xi’s change was inexplicable, An Cheng was happy to see this transformation. No matter the reason, family harmony was always what he hoped to see.
“Dad is the best! This is a scarf for you,” An Xi quickly took out a scarf, “…and one for Auntie.”
“Xian Xian is too polite.”
Li Wan held the scarf, momentarily not knowing what to say. It was like something she had been trying to grasp for a long time had suddenly been within her reach.
“And for little Xin, this is for you,” An Xi bent down, handing a chocolate to Jiang Xin.
Jiang Xin was still young. She believed that if she started being kind to him now, he would definitely feel it. They say children are sensitive – whether treated well or poorly, the effect would be the same.
That night, when the family gathered for dinner, the harmonious atmosphere made An Xi unexpectedly like it. Perhaps she had previously shattered this family, but now she was starting to repair it… She thought that one day, these cracks would be restored.
Just like… in this life, she would follow Yan Qing’s footsteps.
Whether he would stop for her or not didn’t matter. She would follow his steps.
