Chapter 688: Bernice Pays a Visit

"Hey, Xiaonan, look!" Amanda Chapman had a keen eye. Pointing at the tractor on the bridge, she asked, "Isn’t that the homewrecker who seduced Huo’s dad?"

Tang Xiaonan looked up. The woman on the tractor wore a high-end cashmere coat, a beret, and sunglasses—an outfit that wouldn’t be out of place even in the modern era. ’I have to admit,’ Tang Xiaonan thought, ’this mistress really knows how to dress, and she has a certain flair.’

Unlike Rosalind Green’s timid and submissive nature, Bernice was confident and radiant. Although her features weren’t as delicate and beautiful as Rosalind Green’s, Bernice had a sparkle of her own that could just as easily capture a man’s attention.

If Rosalind Green was a delicate, parasitic vine, then Bernice was a tenacious creeper. Both depended on men, but while the delicate vine would wither away without its host tree, the creeper could wind itself around a man until it choked him—or simply find a stronger tree to cling to.

’Still, it’s a welcome development that Rosalind Green, under Phoebe Huxley’s coaching, is becoming more and more of a fierce tigress.’

"It’s her. What is she doing here?" Tang Xiaonan asked, confused.

’Jacqueline Spann isn’t on Millstone Peak anymore. Or maybe the mistress doesn’t know that yet?’

"Now we’ve got a show to watch."

Amanda Chapman dragged Tang Xiaonan along to watch the commotion. With Jacqueline Spann having been sold by Linden’s mother, there was no way Bernice would let it slide. It would be a miracle if she *didn’t* cause a scene.

The two girls followed the tractor. Along the way, they ran into Jim Thorne and Gentry Chapman having a snowball fight with a gang of boys, and they dragged them along too.

Bernice was, in fact, there to find Jacqueline Spann. She had received a letter from Jacqueline, but the end of the lunar year was the busiest time, and Bernice was completely swamped. The letter sat on her desk unopened for the better part of a month. It was only a few days ago that she finally had a moment to open it and learn that Jacqueline had been sold.

Especially that one line—

"If there is a next life, can I be your daughter?"

That line, combined with the tear stains on the page, struck a nerve in Bernice’s hardened heart and awakened a rare feeling of tenderness. She thought of her own daughter, who had gone missing. Bernice had searched the entire country for her, but there had been no word. It was highly likely she was no longer alive.

Whenever she thought about it, Bernice’s heart ached as if pricked by needles. She had struggled for the better part of her life and had finally achieved some success, but her daughter was gone. She had failed her daughter more than anyone, yet heaven seemed unwilling to grant her a chance to atone. Perhaps they would never meet again in this life.

That night, Bernice couldn’t sleep. She finally made a decision. ’Since I can’t find my daughter, I’ll just raise my niece. This niece seems decent enough. If I train her properly, she’ll definitely be a big help to me when she’s older.’

So, after dealing with her most urgent business, Bernice had rushed over.

By the time Tang Xiaonan and her friends arrived at Linden Golding’s home, they could already hear arguing from a distance. It was Bernice arguing with Linden’s mother.

"This is human trafficking! My niece is only ten years old, and you sold her! Believe it or not, I can go get the police right now. When they get here, not a single one of you will escape. You’ll all be going to jail!"

Bernice had a formidable aura. Having traveled all over the country, she was worldly and experienced. She could handle the most difficult of clients, so a rural woman like Linden’s mother was no match for her. It only took a few words to leave her thoroughly intimidated.

"Who the hell are you? We couldn’t afford to keep her, so we found her a good family for adoption. What law did that break? Don’t you try to scare me—I’m not afraid of you!"

Linden’s mother was trying to act tough. Though terrified of prison, she truly believed she had done nothing wrong. ’Back when times were tough, plenty of people gave away children they couldn’t afford to raise, and the police never came to arrest them. Why should she be the only one to get arrested?’