Chapter 197

"Wash your hands, it's time to eat. Would you like Great-Aunt to hold you, darling?" The woman walked over to Zhengzheng.

"Great-Aunt."

"Yes, dear."

The woman was delighted.

Her own grandson rarely came back after starting school. She had always loved children, but her daughter-in-law also wanted to look after him. Fortunately, tomorrow was a holiday, so her son and grandson would both be coming home.

"When you got married, I couldn't travel to Rong City because of my leg problems. I didn't get to see you wed. Why don't you stay in South City for a while this time?"

Sun Lufei's face seemed to bear the marks of a lifetime, with wrinkles giving him a weathered appearance.

"Uncle, at my mother's funeral, you and my father...?" Xu Xiuhe brought up events from over a decade ago, causing Sun Lufei to fall into deep thought.

"Ah, I thought you were too young to remember, but I didn't expect you to ask about it. When Wenting married Xu Guimin, my parents - your grandparents - didn't approve. What parents want their daughter to marry far away? Your grandmother was worried Wenting wouldn't have a good life there, so she sent a lot of dowry, hoping it would give your mother some status in the Xu family. Later, when your mother contacted us, she only shared good news, never the bad. She basically never brought you back to visit. Then, the next news I received was that your mother was gravely ill."

"I wanted to bring you to South City, but your father refused. He had promised to take good care of your mother. Your grandparents felt guilty until their dying day, regretting their anger towards your mother, knowing she had suffered so much. They... they didn't look kindly upon you."

"Are you saying my mother insisted on marrying Xu Guimin?" Xu Xiuhe asked.

"Yes. Before your mother passed, she left me some assets to manage for her, to be given to you when you came of age."

Xu Xiuhe fell silent for a moment.

"How is Xu Guimin doing?" Sun Lufei inquired.

"I don't know. I haven't been back since I was 18," Xu Xiuhe replied.

"What? Did your stepmother mistreat you?"

Xu Xiuhe didn't respond.

Did Yang Cui mistreat him? Yes and no.

Not long after his mother's death, his father had married Yang Cui, bringing along a son three or four years younger than him. It was clear that Xu Guimin had been unfaithful for a long time.

He was old enough to understand everything then. He often caused trouble for Yang Cui, so Xu Guimin frequently scolded him, saying he was inconsiderate and didn't respect his elders.

"How did you get here? By plane?" Sun Lufei asked.

Rong City was in the east, slightly towards the center, while South City was, as its name suggested, in the south.

The two cities were quite far apart. By plane, it would take less than two hours; by high-speed rail, over three hours; and by car, nearly 12 hours.

That's why Sun Lufei asked this question.

"No, we're not busy lately, and Zhengzheng is over two years old now. We decided to take him on a trip. We came in an RV."

"That must have taken a long time, then?"

"It wasn't too bad. We didn't drive non-stop."

"Since you're out traveling, why not stay in South City for a while? There's plenty to see and do here," Xu Xiuhe's aunt suggested.

Shen Yin glanced at Xu Xiuhe.

"Uncle, Aunt, we'll stay until after the Mid-Autumn Festival, then we're planning to spend a few days in Yun City," Xu Xiuhe said.

"That's good. Yun City is beautiful, with great scenery and fresh air. It's perfect for a short stay," Sun Lufei agreed.

"That may be true, but you need to be careful. It's near the border, so the security might not be as good as here."

"We will."

After dinner, Sun Lufei had the housekeeper prepare a bedroom for the family of three.

Zhengzheng was still a bit resistant to water, but thankfully, the room was well-lit. Xu Xiuhe joined them in the bedroom, and together with Shen Yin, they managed to bathe Zhengzheng without him crying.

In a hotel in Tibetan City, Shu Yi was drinking the local specialty liquor while Chang Zhiyuan emerged from the bedroom.

The man wore a white bathrobe, his black hair still dripping with water. As he came out, he seemed to radiate heat from his body.

"I'm done. You can go wash now. I used the towel, what will you do?" Chang Zhiyuan asked.

Only now did he realize that there was only one dry towel in the bathroom. This room was originally meant for a single person, so the conditions here were certainly not as good as the hotels in Rong City.

However, it was evident that this hotel was considered quite good in Tibetan City. Well, of course – Shu Yi was something of a wealthy woman herself, and she had a reputation to maintain. How could she possibly settle for staying in hotels with poor conditions?