——————
Liu Guilan calmed her emotions before slowly revealing her purpose:
"Shanni, my great-niece, I won't go on about my gratitude. Those are just empty words. Truth be told, I'm just a miserable old lady whose only remaining blood relative in this world is your Sister Chen. You nobly saved her and her child's life, which is tantamount to saving mine. You are my root now!"
As she said this, even the usually silent Feng Chunling couldn't help but feel deeply moved, her eyes reddening. She comforted her mother-in-law by gently patting her back, feeling a wave of bitterness in her heart.
"Liu Auntie..." Zhang Shanni saw the pain on her face as she recalled past events, as well as Feng Chunling's similarly troubled expression, and hurriedly tried to interrupt what she was about to say next.
However, Liu Guilan shook her head to indicate it was fine and, with Zhang Shanni's interruption, managed to gather herself somewhat before continuing:
