Cui Ciyou cautiously glanced at Rowin in the corner.
The old father had lost every trace of color. He looked like a stone statue weathered for a thousand years, radiating a gray aura of utter despair.
He huddled in the shadows, staring blankly at the floor, looking as though he had watched the world end three times over.
Cui Ciyou opened his mouth, intending to ease the atmosphere with a few polite words, something like, "Please don't take it to heart, sir," or, "I'll treat Roxy well."
But Rokari clearly knew her husband better. She couldn't even be bothered to spare him another glance. Wearing a warm smile, she took her daughter Roxy with one hand and affectionately clasped Cui Ciyou's hand with the other, leading them toward the cozy hearth.
"Never mind that daughter-obsessed fool."
"Come, Roxy, sit with Mom and have a good chat."
Rokari settled the two of them onto the soft pelts, then sat cross-legged beside them.
Her blue eyes, identical to Roxy's, sparkled with curiosity and a burning hunger for gossip.
"I want to hear how you've spent all these years, too. And your... love story."
"Come to think of it, Ciyou, you were in such a hurry when you visited a few years ago. You left after only a few days."
"I thought you were a good boy back then. It's a shame we didn't get to talk more."
She turned to her daughter again, her voice tinged with hurt and reproach. "And you, young lady, were heartless too. You left and didn't come back to see us even once in over twenty years..."
When her mother brought up how she had "run away from home," Roxy's relaxed expression immediately grew awkward.
In front of Cui Ciyou, she had always worked hard to maintain