Beryl climbed up to the fourth floor in one breath. There were two houses on each floor of the old-fashioned building. When she knocked on the door, then her uncle Jamal opened the door.
Seeing her standing outside, he politely welcomed her in. "Beryl."
"Uncle Jamal." Beryl greeted politely. After taking off her shoes at the entrance, she looked at her aunt in the living room. "Auntie."
"Back already?" Auntie's attitude was a bit cooler compared to her uncle's. After all, they were family, and the relationship was closer, making her displeasure at Beryl's arrival more evident.
Beryl knew they didn't want her to come, and though their child was staying in a boarding high school, there was still a place to live. Having one more person around was probably inconvenient.
Beryl understood all of this. After all, she was the one inconveniencing them, and having a place to stay was already good enough.
So, she didn't take it to heart. Even though she was young, she wasn't delicate. As soon as she came in, she offered to help pour water, saying, "Auntie, my dad is in the hospital during this time, so I'll be bothering you and uncle."
"It's no trouble. We're family. What's there to be polite about?" Jamal waved his hand and handed her a banana, not taking the more expensive orange beside it.
The orange was more expensive, probably couldn't bear to give it to her.
But Beryl wasn't planning to eat it either. She politely accepted it and placed it aside, saying, "I usually stay at school or the hospital. I eat in the cafeteria, and I only come back to sleep at night. There's no major problem with my routine. You don't need to worry."
"What's there to worry about? The only thing I'm concerned about is whether we can take good care of you. Your mom might worry."
"It's okay." Beryl smiled, "I'm grown up now; I can take care of myself."
"That's good then." It seemed like he was waiting for her to say that. He immediately said, "Your aunt and I work busily all the time. Sometimes we will go to the hospital to see your dad. If there's any inadequate hospitality, please don't mind."
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