Chapter 417 - Bickering

Han villa.

It was quite cold the next morning as Xia Liqin woke up. She shuddered a little and felt pain in her right feet. She sighed.

Not again…

Whenever it would be cold, Xia Liqin would have slightly swollen and painful feet. Siying was peacefully sleeping beside her, apparently muttering something in his sleep.

"...whoosh! Hah! The tower is destroyed!"

"Follow me...We will defeat…the army!"

She chuckled.

Aiyo, my grandson looks so cute sleep talking.

She squished his cheeks and kissed them. Siying pouted in his sleep but still kept sleeping.

Xia Liqin wasn't in the mood to lie back and sleep again, so she stepped out of the room, albeit feeling painful.

Ah, ah, ah! Why does this happen to me…? She cried.

Sobbing at her fate, she opened the door only to bump into someone. She gasped, feeling afraid and was about to shout when Han Tian suddenly blocked her mouth.

"Sshh! It's me."

Xia Liqin was relieved. She glared at him and shook his hand off her mouth. "Tian!" She urgently whispered in the early morning's dead silence, "What are you doing approaching like an intruder? You really scared me!"

His lips twisted into a grimace. "It's so early and quiet. I cannot bang my way in now, can I?"

Xia Liqin pursed her lips. "Whatever...What are you doing in front of my room anyway?

Han Tian lowered his head and glanced at her right foot.

As I thought…

"You...why are you walking when you have cold feet?"

Xia Liqin saw the hot compress he was holding in his hand, and she looked at him, startled. "...You brought that for me?"

Han Tian slightly clenched the compress. 

She folded her arms and stared at him. "So you still remember about my cold feet?"

He met her gaze.

Not just cold feet, I remember everything about you, Liqin. I haven't forgotten a single thing in all these years.

He didn't answer that question of hers. Instead he said, "I will help you with the compress."

She looked away. "I am fine. I will do it myself."

He stiffened. He gritted his teeth. "Of course, you can do it yourself, provided you actually do it yourself."

She glared at him. "Huh?"

"Don't feign innocence, Liqin. I know the compress is just gonna lie in the dust somewhere in the corner, but you will never take the effort to treat your cold foot."

Her mouth twitched.

"It was always like this before. I had to chase you like crazy to get it done, and you would pass me off saying you will do it later, but you never did until I was left with no choice but to do it for you. So go back and use this compress right now."

Xia Liqin said, "Gosh, you are so nagging just like my maid who worked for me abroad! She was also so stubborn like you!"

His brow twitched.

"Yeah so what if I was like that? You weren't any less troublesome yourself! When you used to do your paintings, you would sit with such an awful posture to work that I felt painful watching you like that! And then you would complain about back pain and even have the audacity to ask why your back hurt! Seriously?"

A look of guilt flashed in his eyes.

"And even when I repeatedly told you to straighten your posture for your good health, you never did! You just used to shoo me away! Did you listen to me? I am surprised you haven't turned into an ugly hunched old man!"

Veins popped on his forehead, and he pointed his trembling finger at her. "Stop nagging me like my assistant! Gosh, he was just as irritating as you!"

She snorted.

"Guess it was my fault worrying about you. I was stupid to bring this compress for you!"

"Yeah, give me back all my worries too that I wasted on your deaf ears over all these years!"

Their faces were livid with anger. Han Tian cursed.

Ugh! This was not how it was supposed to go! Why are we arguing!? I just wanted to treat her cold foot.

"Why are Grandma Grandpa fighting?" Siying came from behind Xia Liqin, adorably rubbing his eyes.

They froze.

"Si-Siying…"

Damn, I forgot the door was still open…

Han Tian quickly said, "Sorry to wake you up. Go back to bed. It's still early."

Siying stared at them and giggled. "Grandma Grandpa are so lovey-dovey."

"..."

"..."

What part of our fight was lovey dovey?

Xia Liqin smiled. "It isn't like that…"

He puckered his lips. "It is. Grandpa says that those who bicker actually care for each other a lot."

They choked.

Did Dad say something like this?

They couldn't imagine Han Huizhong telling something so sentimental to Siying.

No wait…

"Are you talking about Xinyi's father?"

Siying nodded hard. "Grandpa Soo!"

Xia Liqin awkwardly smiled. "We weren't bickering. I was just reminding your Grandpa how awful he was."

Han Tian's expression turned ugly. He sneered. "Yeah. And I was reminding your Grandma how uselessly stubborn she was."

Her shoulders trembled in rage.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind them. "Fight your lover's quarrel somewhere else."

Han Huizhong stood in front of them, his eyes filled with disdain. "Thank you for such a good wake up call so early in the morning. Please have some mercy on us, and don't ring this type of alarm bell again in the future."

Both immediately quietened down in guilt.

"Sorry, Dad."

Han Huizhong saw the compress in Han Tian's hand and Xia Liqin's cold foot.

"What are you two making a traffic jam here for? Tian. Take her away and get done with the compress already."

Xia Liqin said, "It's okay. I will do it-"

He sneered. "Yeah sure, ex-daughter-in-law. You will surely do it after I die. That's how 'short' you would take."

Her face flushed red in embarrassment.

Then he looked at Han Tian. "And you. If you become a hunched man one day, do me a favor. Quietly disown yourself from the family and never show me your face. I refused to have a hunched-back son."

"..."

"Now get going, you two!"