Wu Shufen sighed. "That's right. Your father and I find it hard to believe sometimes. At first, we were constantly worried that in a week or two, she'd go right back to her old lazy, greedy ways."
Lin Guozhu said, half-joking and half-serious, "Mom, I think you and Dad are half-responsible for how Little Lan used to be."
Wu Shufen wasn't angry. "I know. The other day, I saw your Second Aunt's son, Littlebo, and told her she was spoiling him rotten. Your aunt just said I was pretending to be nice."
"Seeing her act that way reminded me of when people used to warn me not to spoil Little Lan. They'd say coddling a girl isn't loving her, it's harming her. I didn't like hearing it back then. It wasn't until Little Lan was tricked and ran off with that scoundrel, Yang Laoyao, that I was sick with regret."
Lin Guozhu looked at his mother. "We brothers were accomplices, too. We helped you spoil Little Lan."
