Mute Beauty

Chapter 34: Butterfly

—What's wrong with Ting Ting?

Ran Ling noticed Yu Ting was dazed and cast her a curious look, appearing innocent, unaware that Yu Ting was deep in thought about things related to her.

Yu Ting remained composed and replied softly, "I was just thinking about what to do after we finish eating."

Today? It was indeed a good time to consider what they should do. After all, this was the first time since their marriage that Ting Ting had a whole day free, allowing them to spend the entire day together, which was precious for Ran Ling.

The weather outside was lovely, the sun shining on the earth without bringing any heat. After Yu Ting finished her breakfast, Ran Ling invited her to the yard to see the flowers, and Yu Ting didn't refuse.

Their backyard was Ran Ling's exclusive garden.

Most of the flowers were ones she had transplanted and were now in full bloom, while others were newly planted and had yet to sprout. Yu Ting observed closely and noticed that Ran Ling seemed to have a preference for purple. However, she couldn't name many of the purple flowers; she only recognized the peacock flower, hyacinth, bellflower, and iris. The entire flowerbed displayed a harmonious blend of purple, white, and pink, warm and gentle, just like Ran Ling herself — non-threatening and somewhat romantic.

If Yu Ting lived alone, she wouldn't be able to enjoy this pleasant beauty. Thinking of this, she vaguely remembered that two months ago, when she brought Ran Xue back to the Ran family for dinner, she hadn't seen many flowers in their backyard.

"Does Sister Ling not plant flowers when she's at home?" Yu Ting casually asked this question based on her thoughts. Ran Ling was taken aback for a moment and then casually told her that Aunt Zheng was allergic to pollen, so they didn't plant flowers in the yard. She only had some in her room.

This answer left Yu Ting somewhat stunned.

Suddenly, she recalled a question she had pondered earlier — the fragility of Ran Ling.

Zheng Qinyan was not her biological mother, and since Ran Xue was only four years younger than her, that meant Ran Ling had been living under her stepmother's shadow since at least the age of four. Yu Ting didn't know whether Zheng Qinyan treated her well, but it was evident that Ran Ling only had politeness towards her and no closeness. Ran Xue had been spoiled into the willful person she was now, casually addressing her sister by her name and referring to their two elders as "my dad and my mom," naturally excluding Ran Ling.

From this, Yu Ting could roughly guess Sister Ling's situation in the Ran family and her childhood growing up there.

She vaguely remembered that she had gone abroad for medical treatment in middle school and never returned, spending all that time studying there.

At that time, only she had left Yu Ting's life; Ran Xue was still there, Zheng Qinyan was still there, and Ran Long was still there. Only she had disappeared all alone. Yu Ting couldn't recall any details from that time — did she take Sister Ling to the airport? Was Sister Ling very sad after leaving? What was the last thing Sister Ling said to her before she left?

Yu Ting couldn't remember at all and couldn't find a direction to force herself to recall.

Ran Ling sat on the swing in the yard, and Yu Ting leaned against the railing, watching her sway gently. She suddenly thought back to how she felt when she first met her — Sister Ling looked like a fragile butterfly resting on a branch.

Yu Ting suddenly asked, "When did Sister Ling come back to the country?"

Ran Ling looked at her and gestured, "One year ago."