Chapter 698 Sometimes, Selflessness Breeds Selfishness


    Upon returning from Wyndon, Lilly seemed gloomy for a few days.


    Bettany tried to cheer her up by preparing delicious meals, assuming that something had happened


    during her trip that affected her "cultivation."


    But when Lilly opened the door and excitedly ran down the stairs, she eximed, "Granny, what are we


    having for dinner today?"


    Bettany finally let out a sigh of relief, observing Lilly''s radiant face with a hint of bittersweetness.


    Children bounce back quickly, but... other children never have to face such challenges.


    "Uncle Max mentioned that Lilly enjoyed cream soup and creamy bacon carbonara in Wyndon, so


    Grandma decided to make them at home too," the kind olddy said. "Go wash your hands and see if


    my cooking lives up to the authentic taste."


    Lilly happily replied, "Alright!"


    "Mmm, so yummy, so yummy," she murmured with delight.


    Bettany smiled and asked, "Who taught you that?"


    "Mmm noodles, they call it that in Wyndon," Lilly innocently replied.


    Bettany was speechless.


    After the meal, Lilly went to help Max with his move.


    Max had chosen a ce, and Lilly swiftly moved the items out.


    Max was quite overwhelmed.


    It was easy to move things around, even scraping off some wall dust in the process.


    But moving them out was a different story. First, they had to remove the floor tiles... they were


    renovating andying new ones.


    The wall dust couldn''t be taken out, so they had to repaint it.


    Then they brought out the fixed fixtures, installing them bit by bit.


    Finally, they dealt with the misceneous items that needed to be installed...


    It would take months to finish it all. Lilly asionally went over and secretly took some "construction


    materials" when the workers weren''t around.


    In the blink of an eye, seven days passed, marking the seventh day since the olddy''s passing.


    Lilly, out of habit, summoned the olddy''s spirit and prepared to offer prayers for her to find a new life.


    Josh held a camera while several children huddled in Max''s room.


    Max looked nervous, his eyes fixed on the camera, wondering if he would encounter a ghost... Was it


    all a coincidence thest time, or had it always been like that?


    If this camera could see ghosts, then he would be no match for his niece. It would mean that he had


    wasted twenty-something years studying...


    But then, Lilly lit three incense sticks, burned yellow paper, and suddenly, the figure of the olddy


    appeared silently before her.


    It was the same olddy who had passed away during the typhoon, huddled in a corner.


    Max felt his hair stand on end, a tingling sensation running through his body.


    A camera that could see ghosts!


    Inside the camera, the olddy slowly turned her head and looked their way...


    At the same time, the door creaked open.


    Josh eximed, "Holy shit, ahh!"


    Max blurted out, "Damn it! Click, click, click!"


    Bettany stood at the doorway.


    Thebination of the surreal and reality made Max and Uncle Josh hug each other tightly.


    Drake, on the other hand, was at a loss for words!


    Bettany, inexplicably, said, "What''s all the fuss about?"


    She held a tray with a bowl of white rice and a chicken on it.


    Bettany grumbled, "Lilly, I know you''re kind-hearted and want to pay respects to the olddy, but why


    hide in the room?"


    "How about next time we do it behind the garden? What if you identally set Uncle Max''s room on


    fire, and then Uncle Max would have to sleep in the garden."


    Lilly blinked innocently and replied, "I understand, Granny."


    Bettany waved her hand and left, saying she didn''t want to meddle in the children''s affairs. But if they


    needed help, she would lend a hand.


    "Well... by the time we''re done, this chicken might be cold... but it''s okay, it''ll be perfect for General."


    General, passing by, looked confused. Lately, it felt a bit tiresome to walk, having to run ten kilometers


    with ke every day just to maintain its majestic appearance.


    Eat?


    General quickly slipped away.


    Inside the room, the olddy was dressed in burial clothes, her hair still slightly damp. On closer


    inspection, her attire wasn''t in perfect condition, as her sons'' families hadn''t taken the time to arrange it


    properly.


    But she looked content.


    "I''m not cold anymore," she smiled and said. "Speaking of which, thank you so much..."


    The olddy looked at Lilly and sighed, "I didn''t expect to trouble outsiders in the end, causing trouble


    for you all."


    Lilly shook her head, "Olddy, it''s no trouble. I just have a question I don''t understand."


    The kind olddy said, "Go ahead, ask."


    Lilly looked puzzled, "I want to know, when your children were young, were you not good to them? Why


    did they turn out like this when they grew up?"


    The olddy couldn''t help but feel a sense of loss and sighed, "I wasn''t unkind to them."


    She reminisced about how well-behaved her children were when they were young. They would


    constantly fight over her, one saying, ''She''s my mom,'' and the other saying, ''I want Mom too!''


    But as they grew older, they distanced themselves, saying she''s your mom, she''s also your mom...


    "We always gave everything we had to the children first, whether it was food, drink, or new clothes," the


    olddy recalled. "They were always the priority."


    She couldn''t bear to let them do any chores or suffer any hardships. She took care of all the household


    tasks herself, even tidying up her children''s rooms.


    "I thought I never let them down, that I was good to them," the olddy sighed again. "But now I realize


    sometimes..."


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "Parents who are too selfless can end up raising selfish children."


    The olddymented, "My sacrifices were only moving to myself."


    "Back when we were still in business, during holidays and special asions, we were always so busy.


    We would ask them to help, and at first, they would. But then they would say they had homework to do,


    or they needed to study for exams... We thought education was important, so we let them go."


    "At mealtimes, my husband and I would just sit down, only to find that the food had already been half


    eaten. We thought, well, the children must be hungry, so it was okay."


    "During holidays, I would prepare arge feast, and when my husband came back from work, our


    children would finish eating and leave behind a mess. I would often clean up until midnight...


    Sometimes, even when they needed to use the bathroom at night, they would say, ''Mom, don''t worry


    about it, go rest.''"


    The olddy chuckled at herself, back then she even found it heartwarming that her children were


    considerate. But were they considerate? Would considerate children let their mother clean up until


    midnight without offering to help?


    And then... she remembered when her eldest son went to college. At that time, the family was building


    a new house, and all the money went into the construction.


    "It was then that my eldest son said all his ssmates hadptops, and he needed one too, otherwise,


    it would be difficult to keep up with the sses. We borrowed money and bought one for him..."


    "My daughter was more responsible and stayed behind to help. She helped day by day, but she would


    alsoin."


    Sheined that her brothers weren''t responsible, and that their father spoiled them too much.


    "I mostly cooked meals, maybe because of that, my daughter grew up longing to leave home, not


    wanting to cook anymore."


    Lilly nodded, "So she felt it was unfair."


    The olddy sighed countless times, "After they graduated, my husband and I thought we could finally


    enjoy our lives, but we didn''t expect..."