Chapter 737: Ordinary Life (Part 2)

The door was flung open. An old woman who shared some of Rosalind Green’s features stood in the doorway. The moment she saw Rosalind, she embraced her tightly and cried, "You’re finally back! How could you be so heartless? You didn’t write a single letter! I wrote you so many, but they were all returned, marked ’addressee not found.’ Your father and I were worried sick..."

"Mom, it’s all my fault..."

The mother and daughter wept in each other’s arms, drawing a crowd of onlookers from the neighborhood. Most were new residents who didn’t recognize Rosalind Green and were craning their necks curiously.

"Come inside to talk. What a spectacle to make in the doorway."

Mr. Green suppressed his excitement and appeared very calm. He missed his daughter just as much, but he would never show his emotions in front of outsiders.

Mrs. Green wiped her tears and pulled Rosalind Green inside. She was taken aback for a moment upon seeing Adrian Hawthorne, but then her face broke into a happy smile. "Kenneth has gotten so tall! He’s the spitting image of my son-in-law. Oh, right, why didn’t he come along?"

"He’s busy with something."

Rosalind Green was deliberately vague, but the Green family didn’t suspect a thing. Even before the Hawthorne family ran into trouble, Ethan Hawthorne had rarely come to visit. Except for a brief appearance during the holidays, he would show up, say very little, sit for a moment, and then leave.

Adrian Hawthorne greeted everyone in turn. His maternal grandparents were both quite striking, especially his grandmother. Despite her age, one could still see the beauty she must have possessed in her youth. Rosalind Green had completely inherited her grandmother’s beauty, though she also had her grandfather’s large eyes and high-bridged nose.

His uncle, Liam Green, on the other hand, was quite plain. The two siblings were as different as night and day; Rosalind Green seemed to have inherited all the family’s best traits, while Liam Green had combined all the flaws. He was passably fair, of average height, with unremarkable eyes and brows, and carried a certain petty air about him. Yet, he bore an uncanny resemblance to his grandfather—anyone could see he was his grandfather’s son.

There was also a tall, thin woman in her thirties with an ordinary appearance, but her eyes held a shrewd, worldly look. This was Liam Green’s wife, Rhonda. She came from a worker’s family and was a bus conductor, while Liam Green was a technician at the shipyard.

There was also a seven or eight-year-old boy, delicately featured and pretty as a picture, who bore a slight resemblance to Rosalind Green. This was Liam Green’s son, Dalton Green. He was a perfect example of traits skipping a generation.

"Auntie, Cousin."

Dalton Green was very well-mannered. Rosalind Green was delighted. She pulled a red envelope she had prepared the night before from her coat pocket, which contained ten yuan, and pressed it into her nephew’s hand.

After the initial excitement, the family sat down to catch up. The Green family was still in the middle of dinner. Only Rhonda was still eating; she got off work late and was usually the last one to eat. Adrian Hawthorne glanced over: braised hairtail fish, but only a piece of the head and the tail were left. It looked like the dish had been eaten over several meals.

There was also a bowl of stir-fried greens and half a fried egg. ’Their standard of living is actually pretty good,’ Adrian thought. ’At least they can afford hairtail fish and eggs.’ Rhonda quickly shoveled down her rice, ate the half-fried egg and the remaining greens, and started to clear the table.

Adrian Hawthorne watched as his aunt took the plate, with its cleanly-picked fish bones, and put it back in the cupboard. ’She’s probably going to get another meal out of that,’ he thought, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Rhonda went into the corridor to wash the dishes, and Dalton Green followed her out. He pressed the red envelope into his mother’s hand. When Rhonda returned, she was beaming, and she suddenly became exceedingly attentive.

"How have you been all these years? You seem to be doing well. And your husband... he treats you well, doesn’t he?" Mrs. Green asked in a rush. She noticed that while Rosalind Green’s hands had grown a little rough, they were still fair and soft. Her face was as beautiful and delicate as ever, bearing no traces of hardship, which put her mind at ease.