"Are the two of you looking down on my cooking?" Xian Guiying suddenly walked towards them and glanced at Qin Gengxin. "We have our own food. There's no need to go to sister-in-law's for food."
She then glared at him. "What kind of wild ambition are you harboring? Am I not good enough to cook?"
Qin Gengxin smiled apologetically. "No, no, you cook the most delicious food. Who wants to go to their house to eat rice?"
Xian Guiying burst out laughing. Xian Zihao only raised his eyebrow, showing a helpless expression towards the two of them.
• • • •
G City.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Xiaowen looked at his wife, who was sitting next to him.
Mrs. Qin also listened to what Qin Gengxin had said. During the conversation, she only had an indifferent attitude and just sat next to her husband in silence.
"Your family's matters should not affect the happiness of our son's marriage." Qin Xiaowen said softly. "Guiying is innocent after all. Besides, we have our granddaughter. Because of the unfamiliarity of our family, she isn't close to us at all."
Mrs. Qin sighed. "You think I want to do this? I haven't seen my father since I was born. My mother raised me on her own and she's always been unwilling to instigate the hatred in me. If I didn't keep pressuring her to tell me about my father, maybe I would never know about this. My mother had hated Xian Tingfeng all her life. Now that they're going to bring him here, I really don't know what kind of attitude she will have when she meets this bastard."
Qin Xiaowen nodded. "Then mom …"
"I don't know how to tell her." Mrs. Qin sighed. "Let me think again. Gengxin said that Xian Tingfeng wanted to come to see her. What's the point? After years of quarreling, whether he comes to apologize or not, my mother suffered for her whole life, so what's the point?"
Qin Xiaowen was familiar with his wife's and mother-in-law's temper.
No matter how eccentric his wife was, she wouldn't be too eccentric.
He understood the Old Woman quite well, just as he understood the suffering of Qin Gengxin and Xian Guiying.
"But the kids...I could tell that Guiying and Gengxin weren't on good terms after they were married, but Gengxin later told me that he really liked her. If it wasn't for the matter with mom, they wouldn't suffer so much. We're both old now; they're young, let these young people go. Don't implicate them." Qin Xiaowen said.
"Yes, I used to think Gengxin didn't like Xian Guiying. When he rushed over and grabbed my wrist, his eyes reddened. I think our son must have felt bad in his heart and I actually regretted it a lot. While I don't know what happened between her and the guy surnamed Wei, I actually shouldn't have attacked them."
"You have been quiet all your life, but now that you are old and careless, what is the point of reciting Buddhist scriptures every day?"
Mrs. Qin smiled helplessly at his words. "If she wasn't Xian Tingfeng's granddaughter, maybe I would ..."
"So what if she's Xian Tingfeng's granddaughter? Do you really think she wants to be born in that family? To be treated as an enemy by her husband? She wants her daughter not accepted by her-in-laws? Or do you really hope those husband and wife aren't close at all?" Qin Xiaowen snapped.
Mrs. Qin no longer spoke. Thinking of Qin Wenqian, thinking of her son, thinking of Xian Guiying, Mrs. Qin did not say much.
At some point, the Old Woman had come down the stairs, carrying shoes, which she had recently put away, and was looking for something.
"Mom, what are you looking for?" Mrs. Qin saw her and walked over.
"Find a plastic bag to put the shoes in. It looks like it's going to rain in these two days, I don't want the shoes to get wet. When the time comes, I won't be able to burn them for your father." Old Woman turned to look at Mrs. Qin. "Why are you two sitting there? Xiaowen, you're not going out today?"
"Mom, leave your shoes here and ask the servant to find a bag to pack later. Don't be busy." Qin Xiaowen said.
"It's fine, I can't stay idle." As the Old Woman spoke, she walked back and forth. Suddenly, she thought of something. "Oh yes, will Gengxin return? I'm still waiting for him to come with me to pay respect to his grandfather."
Mrs. Qin and Qin Xiaowen exchanged glances before Mrs. Qin smiled and said, "He's back."
"That's good."
"And ..." Mrs. Qin hesitated for a moment. In the end, she did not dare to say that Xian Tingfeng would also follow. She just said, "Xian Guiying will come too."
The Old Woman paused for a moment and did not say anything else. She looked at them indifferently. "Let her come then. Do you think I can intentionally break them apart?"
"Mom, when they come back, if there's something you're not happy about, just tell me, don't hold it to yourself."
"That's enough, stop wasting my breath. Although I don't like that girl, but Gengxin is my biological grandson after all. I will try my best to suppress my emotions." The Old Woman was clearly unhappy, but after so long, she had even accepted their marriage. No matter how unhappy she was, this was her grandson.
"Mom, you haven't bought clothes in the last two years. In the afternoon, I will take you around the streets and buy two sets of clothes that suit you." Mrs. Qin smiled. "It's just the right time for me to hang out with you and exercise your legs."
"Do I have to change my clothes when Xian Guiying comes home? This is not the new year." The Old Woman reluctantly sat on the opposite couch. She then glanced outside. "Then will Qianqian be back tomorrow as well? Tell the servant to take the puppies to the neighbor's house for two days, and order them to clean up the whole house so that the child would not be allergic."
With that, the Old Woman expressionlessly took the shoes and slowly went upstairs.
Mrs. Qin sighed lightly and turned her head to look at Qin Xiaowen. He also frowned on the inside.
"I wonder if tomorrow will be peaceful again." Qin Xiaowen said. "It's also the day of your father's death anniversary. This is no doubt the snow on top of the frost¹. Or perhaps, Xian Tingfeng also comes to pay his respects."
Mrs. Qin didn't say a word. She just watched the Old Woman's figure with worry.
• • • •
"Grandfather, we're here." As the car stopped at the intersection between Qin Residence and Jiang Residence, Qin Gengxin glanced at the car in front of him before turning his body to look at the Old Man sitting in the front passenger seat.
After two days and two nights of hard work, the Old Man sitting in the car looked a little tired. He followed Qin Gengxin's gaze and looked at the intersection in front of them for a moment before slowly saying, "She lives here?"
"Yes, all these years, my grandmother has been living with my parents. My father's parents left early, so only my grandmother on my mother's side was left. That's why my parents asked her to live with them." Qin Gengxin said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Let me take a look inside first. Grandfather, you and Guiying are waiting for me in the car."
Qin Gengxin turned to look at Xian Guiying. She sat in the back while Qin Wenqian slept in her arms.
As Qin Gengxin got out of the car, Old Man Xian watched his figure as he entered the house. He knew that there was still a small distance between here and the Qin Family Residence. They were just at a crossroads.
Qin Wenqian rubbed her eyes as she stuck to Xian Guiying's bosom and said, "Mommy, I'm so tired. I really want to sleep. I want to sleep on the bed ~"
And then she said with a bit of grievance, "My body hurts so much …"
After sitting in the car for so long, it was certain that her body would be sore. Xian Guiying massaged her child's shoulders and body as she raised her head to look at the silent Old Man. "Grandfather, how are you?"
Old Man Xian gently opened the car door and looked in the direction that Qin Gengxin had left. "I want to go over and take a look."
.
.
Glossary:
¹ One disaster on top of another / to make things worse in a bad situation.