The Reborn Aristocrat's Daughter-Chapter 821 - 786: Unreliable Mom (2)_2

"I had some matters to deal with and didn’t realize it was so late. What’s up, did you miss me?" As soon as Xiao Muli saw Situ Xin, the gloom in his heart completely dissipated. Xiao Muli could not understand why, whenever he was in a bad mood, having Situ Xin by his side, talking to him, instantly uplifted his spirits.

"Cut it out, I wasn’t missing you. Come on, let’s have lunch, I’m hungry." Situ Xin patted her stomach and said.

"Alright, let’s go have lunch. We wouldn’t want my darlings at home to go hungry," Xiao Muli said, putting his hand on Situ Xin’s waist and semi-supporting her as they went downstairs.

When Situ Xin and Xiao Muli reached downstairs, Old Master Xiao and the others were already sitting at the dining table, waiting just for them.

Old Master Xiao, seeing Situ Xin and Xiao Muli, greeted them cheerfully: "You’re down. Come on, sit down and eat. I asked Auntie to specially make the dishes you love, Xiao Xin."

Liu Yun, watching her father-in-law’s obviously preferential treatment, felt uncomfortable again. However, she dared not voice her sentiment loudly, just murmuring under her breath: "Such lack of manners, making elders wait."

Liu Yun’s words were very soft. Her husband, Xiao Guobing, did not hear them, but Situ Xin and Xiao Muli, who have sharp hearing, did. Situ Xin did not take it to heart, but Xiao Muli’s face immediately darkened.

However, he did not react immediately, but instead helped Situ Xin to sit down and started serving her food. He remembered how Situ Xin had just mentioned being hungry, and he thought that all matters could wait until after his wife and child had eaten.

During the meal, Situ Xin ate deliciously. As she ate, she felt fortunate that she had married Xiao Muli and that she had switched all the Xiao family’s food to those from her own provision early on. Otherwise, she would have definitely struggled to adapt after marrying into the family.

Xiao Muli waited for Situ Xin to finish eating and put down her utensils. He then set down his chopsticks and lifted a serious face to look at everyone.

"Muli, what’s the matter? Is there something you want to say?" Old Master Xiao knew his grandson well. Seeing his grandson’s expression, he knew that Xiao Muli was in a bad mood and that someone had upset him.

Thus, Old Master Xiao also put down his chopsticks. These days, due to Situ Xin and Xiao Muli’s recent marriage, he had been busy and thus had stayed at home to rest without walking out, unaware of the rumors outside. Otherwise, he would not have sat calmly at the same table eating with Liu Yun.

"Muli, go ahead and say it," Xiao Guobing, having matured suddenly over this period, also realized their long-time negligence towards their son. Recently awakened, Xiao Guobing slowly started stepping into the role of a father.

Liu Yun, observing her son’s stern face and doubting if it was her imagination, felt uneasy as she sensed her son, Xiao Muli, looking at her accusingly.

Situ Xin, however, did not expect Xiao Muli to choose this moment, with her present, to bring up this matter. She had thought Xiao Muli would find a time when she was not around to discuss this with his grandfather and others.

Regardless of the occasion or timing Xiao Muli chose to talk about the matter, Situ Xin didn’t mind. Thus, Situ Xin firmly sat upright, looking at Xiao Muli, waiting for what he would say next.

"I do have something to say, and I don’t know if Grandpa and Dad have recently heard any talk outside," Xiao Muli said. Although the report indicated that this issue was unrelated to his father, he couldn’t help starting with that.

Hearing Xiao Muli’s question, Old Master Xiao and Xiao Guobing looked at each other, puzzled by what Xiao Muli meant, but both shook their heads saying, "No."

Meanwhile, Liu Yun was startled by Xiao Muli’s question, feeling a growing sense of foreboding, telling herself, "It can’t be; Muli couldn’t possibly know what I said outside." That day, Liu Yun’s jealous words slipped out without her thinking much of it. However, the following day when she heard the courtyard gossip about Situ Xin, her face unwittingly revealed a schadenfreude smile. Unexpectedly, her casual words had such a significant impact, badly tarnishing Situ Xin’s reputation in the compound, which led her to inadvertently reveal a few complaints about Situ Xin in another conversation.

After the responses from Old Master Xiao and Xiao Guobing, Xiao Muli turned his gaze towards his mother, Liu Yun: "Oh, how about you, Mom? Have you heard anything outside?"

"Ah." Liu Yun didn’t expect Xiao Muli to turn the spotlight on her. Startled, she instinctively denied it: "No, I haven’t heard anything. Haha."

Old Master Xiao and Xiao Guobing, observing Liu Yun’s abnormal reaction, figured out which play Xiao Muli was putting on. They somewhat knew that Xiao Muli’s words were related to Liu Yun. Thinking of another mess Liu Yun might have caused, Old Master Xiao’s displeasure towards Liu Yun intensified, and he asked Xiao Muli, "What have you heard outside? Tell us."

"I’ve heard a lot of things outside, but none of them were pleasant. Grandpa, Dad, take a look at this yourself," Xiao Muli, uninterested in repeating the bad things his mother had said about Situ Xin, directly handed a report his assistant had investigated to his grandfather for them to see themselves.