Chapter 3812

The elderly woman couldn’t help but feel envious of Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson had a daughter, and while the old lady’s grandchildren were all boys, Mrs. Johnson’s great-granddaughter, Avah, was a sweet and easy-to-care-for child who rarely cried. In her more than 80 years of life, the old lady had never encountered such a laid-back little girl.

Tania mumbled, “How is this our fault? Mom, you didn’t have a daughter either. It would have been nice if you had. When you were younger, you could have adopted a daughter. Maybe we’d have a girl in our family now.”

The old lady sighed. “Do you think I didn’t try? When I was young, a friend of mine had several daughters. I liked one of them and decided to bring her home to raise as my own. But within six months, she fell ill repeatedly and was on the verge of death. She seemed half-dead from all the sickness, and I had no choice but to return her to her birth mother. Strangely, after she went back, she quickly recovered and was healthy within a month.

“I didn’t believe in superstitions, so I tried again with another friend’s daughter. But the same thing happened—she was always sick, and my friend became so frightened that she rushed to take her back, claiming that the York family, like a Buddhist temple, couldn’t raise a daughter of our own, nor could we care for anyone else’s. So, I gave up.”

The old lady knew that her in-laws and ancestors had daughters in the previous two generations, but those daughters had not survived.

Serenity gently interjected, “Maybe it’s because Grandma didn’t know how to raise a daughter. You wanted a daughter so much that you were overly cautious, but sometimes being too careful can make a child more susceptible to illness.”

“You raised your sons with little fuss, almost like you were raising livestock,” she chuckled. “But if you suddenly had a daughter, you’d treat her like a precious treasure, which might not be good for her well-being.”

The old lady had raised several sons in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. However, her approach would have differed with a daughter, as being overly protective can sometimes have unintended consequences.

Serenity added, “Plus, when you were younger, you were busy helping Grandpa build the family business. It’s only natural that you couldn’t devote all your attention to a child.”

“If you had raised your daughter the same way you raised your sons, Zachary would probably have at least one aunt by now, even if she were adopted.”

The old lady hesitated. “Is that so?” she murmured, reflecting on how she had treated the two baby girls she had brought home years ago. Sighing deeply, she noted the contrast to how she raised her sons and grandsons. “Perhaps I just didn’t know how to raise a daughter, and I wasn’t meant to have one.”

She then made a promise to herself: if she ever had a great-granddaughter, she would simply enjoy holding and playing with her, leaving the responsibility of raising her to her grandchildren. After all, the younger generation has their own parenting methods.

“Grandma, Seren just woke up and is probably hungry. Let her eat something first,” Zachary interjected, concerned that the conversation might pressure Serenity to have a daughter.

Both the old lady and Tania quickly chimed in, “Seren, go eat something! Don’t stay hungry!”

The old lady then turned to Zachary, scolding him, “You should take Coron to—”

She hesitated. “Is that so?” she murmured, reflecting on how she had treated the two baby girls she brought home so many years ago. Compared to how she raised her sons and grandsons, she sighed deeply. “Perhaps I just didn’t know how to raise a daughter, and maybe I wasn’t meant to have one.”

She then made a promise to herself: if she ever had a great-granddaughter, she would simply enjoy holding and playing with her, leaving the responsibility of raising her to her grandchildren. After all, the younger generation has their own parenting styles.

“Grandma, Seren just woke up and is probably hungry. Let her eat something first,” Zachary interjected, concerned that the conversation might pressure Serenity into having a daughter.

Both the old lady and Tania quickly chimed in unison, “Seren, go eat something! Don’t stay hungry!”

The old lady then turned to Zachary, scolding him, “Zack, you should take Seren to eat. How could you let her go hungry? Pregnant women need to eat small, frequent meals. Make sure she eats often!”