Chapter 170: Chapter 163: Entering the Yin Family Tree—Did You Ask Me? (Part 1)
Instruct Housekeeper Lin to bring over the family tree and the ink and paper.
As Housekeeper Lin went out, a servant walked in, "Master, Madam, the elder of the Bai Family has arrived, and asked me to inquire if it’s convenient for him to come in for some tea?"
Zhou Mengqin was taken aback for a moment. Upon hearing it was Bai Fengmao, Yin Shaohui immediately stood up and said, "Brother Bai is here! What do you mean by convenient for tea? This old brother is truly..."
Saying this, he propped himself on a cane and left the study.
Zhou Mengqin also stood up and walked to the study door, seeing Yin Shaohui leading Bai Fengmao inside.
As he walked, he couldn’t stop smiling, "Brother Bai, in the future just come in directly. Why even bother with the servant to announce? You’re too polite!"
"Haha! I’m afraid I won’t be welcome."
Bai Fengmao said this with his mouth, but in his heart, he scoffed: What do they know, this is called etiquette before confrontation!
Yin Shaohui didn’t give much thought to Bai Fengmao’s motives for coming over, enthusiastically inviting this ticking time bomb into the study.
"Ah Su, brew another pot of early spring Dragon Well tea and bring it over."
"The Yin Family’s ancestor worship is such a grand event every year... The ancestors must be delighted! The descendants are so filial!"
"Brother Bai, nowadays, people tend to forget more easily. If we don’t regularly lead the descendants in worshipping the ancestors, in another ten years or so, they might forget almost everything about what the Yin ancestors did and where they came from!"
"...That’s true."
Bai Fengmao placed his hands behind his back, "Seeing this, you all are... discussing family matters? I seem to have come at the wrong time!"
"Brother Bai, how can you say that! Let me introduce, this is my second brother Yin Shaohuai, third brother Yin Shaoting, and younger sister Yin Shaoqun."
Bai Fengmao nodded with a smile, then his gaze paused on Yin Shaoqun, "Sister Shaoqun... Could it be the renowned international pianist?"
Yin Shaoqun hurriedly waved her hand, "Getting old, I can’t claim to be an artist!"
"Modest!"
Bai Fengmao pointed at Yin Shaoqun, smiling as he repeated, "So modest, young sister!"
Yin Shaoqun smiled and quickly invited Bai Fengmao to sit, "Brother Bai, please have a seat."
Bai Fengmao didn’t immediately sit down but looked again at Yin Shaohui, "Brother Shaohui, are you sure I’m not interrupting your family talk?"
"No, no! Please, have a seat!"
With Yin Shaohui’s insistence, Bai Fengmao finally sat down.
Despite saying he wasn’t interrupting, this was only Yin Shaohui’s perspective. On the other side, Yin Shaoting scratched his short hair.
He thought differently...
Originally, after introducing the family tree to the two children, they could prepare to go home, but now... who knows when they’ll be able to go back to sleep.
"Brother Bai, what brought you over today?"
"I was unwell a while back, getting old and less capable, stayed in the hospital for several days, and just returned today. After lunch, I took a walk, saw the Yin Family so lively, got a bit thirsty, and came in with Zhengxiang."
"Zhengxiang is... your eldest son, right Brother Bai?"
Bai Fengmao nodded.
"That Mr. Bai Zhengxiang who spearheaded the electric vehicle industry in the country?"
Yin Shaohuai added.
"I don’t know much about how the kids are developing outside, he’s outside, I’ll have him come by later to meet the uncles."
As Bai Fengmao spoke, Ah Su had already brought up the freshly brewed Dragon Well.
"Is everything okay with Brother Bai’s health?"
"It’s fine! Although I’ve been in the hospital these past few days, my spirits couldn’t be higher!"
"Hahaha, for someone as optimistic as Brother Bai, such an attitude is indeed rare."
"Optimistic? Haha, Brother Shaohui, you’re complimenting me again!" Bai Fengmao patted Yin Shaohui’s hand, then leaned in mysteriously and said, "My daughter has returned."
"Ah! Is it your youngest daughter who left home?"
"Indeed! That little girl is so heartless, gone for twenty years, I thought she’d never come back to see this old father again!"
"Congratulations, Brother Bai! Speaking of which, I haven’t met your youngest daughter yet, have I?"
"You’ll have the chance in the future."
Bai Fengmao said, glancing at Zhou Mengqin, "Sister Zhou, managing such a large family is truly not easy for you."
"It’s expected."
Zhou Mengqin smiled.
For Bai Fengmao, she wasn’t as enthusiastic as Yin Shaohui.
Perhaps it was a tumultuous life that shaped her, or maybe it was a woman’s intuition, but Bai Fengmao’s sudden visit felt as if he had ulterior motives.
Yet, from Bai Fengmao and Yin Shaohui’s conversation, she couldn’t discern any hidden agenda.
Until Housekeeper Lin brought the family tree and ink and paper.
Seeing this situation, Bai Fengmao made a motion to get up, "I shouldn’t be present for this, should I?"
Yin Shaohui hurriedly pressed Bai Fengmao back onto the sofa, "The family tree is meant to be passed down, it’s not something private. Brother Bai, stay seated!"
"Since you put it that way, I’ll join in on the excitement and stay here."
"Please, have a seat."
Housekeeper Lin ground ink nearby.
Seeing the polished green inkstone, Bai Fengmao’s eyes lit up, saying, "That’s a fine inkstone!"
"Haha, Brother Bai can recognize that?"
"I don’t have many hobbies, usually just dabble in books, ink, and antiques. This jade is invaluable, and this inkstone looks ancient..."
Yin Shaohui acknowledged with a sigh, "It was passed down from my grandfather’s generation, it’s quite old."
"Is this... to use the ink for the family tree?"
"Yes."
"Who is being added to the family tree?"
Bai Fengmao asked.
Yin Shaohui paused for a moment, and Bai Fengmao quickly said, "Oh! I shouldn’t have asked that, I shouldn’t have asked, it was out of line!"
"Brother Bai, no, no, it’s just that I was surprised you’d ask, it’s not that you can’t ask."
Yin Shaohui hurriedly explained.
Zhou Mengqin’s eyes slightly narrowed, always feeling that today Bai Fengmao was somewhat unusual.
Particularly... particularly... rowdy!
"Shixiu’s two children, Brother Bai, you should remember, we still owe you thanks, otherwise... those two children..."
"Oh! I remember! Are they the two kids Xiao Meng gave birth to?"
Bai Fengmao touched his head, expertly feigning ignorance.
Yin Shaohui nodded.
Zhou Mengqin felt increasingly uneasy inside.
She knew Bai Fengmao was protective of Su Xiaomeng, he had even said he wanted to recognize Su Xiaomeng as his granddaughter...
"That little Meng girl is really something, so young but added two newborns to your Yin family, must have made you two, as grandparents, very happy?"
"...Yes."
Yin Shaohui responded.
Zhou Mengqin did not respond verbally, vaguely sensing that Bai Fengmao’s words were primarily praising Su Xiaomeng.
Seeing the lukewarm response, Bai Fengmao then looked towards the older brothers and sisters of the Yin Family, "The first time I met Su Xiaomeng, she was particularly adorable, with her big belly at the time, looking rather disheveled and young. She was crying to me, ’Grandpa... I’m starving to death... sob sob...’ Oh, anyone would have their heart broken seeing that."
"Haha, how was she disheveled? And said she was starving to death?"
Yin Shaoqun, finding it interesting, hurriedly asked.
Bai Fengmao chuckled and waved his hand, "Let’s not get into that now; later you’ll have to ask Brother Shaohui and Sister Zhou yourselves, I shouldn’t say too much!"
Zhou Mengqin was still smiling, but she couldn’t help muttering inwardly, not saying too much... wasn’t that already enough?
Yin Shaohui smiled awkwardly, "It’s in the past, all in the past."
"Yes, it’s all in the past, thankfully both mother and child are safe now."
Bai Fengmao said with a smile.
Inwardly he sneered: Yes, my granddaughter’s suffering is all in the past, but the trouble and bullying haven’t stopped! This old couple is really good at playing dumb! Do they take me for an idiot?
The intentional use of the words "safe" hinted that mother and child weren’t exactly "safe" before.
How exactly they weren’t "safe" was left for these old folks to ponder.
"By the way, what are the names of the two children?"
Bai Fengmao asked, continuing to feign ignorance.
"Oh," Yin Shaohui said, "The older brother is named Yin Huaiyu, and the younger sister is Yin Jinxi."
"The names are quite well chosen, Huaiyu and Jinxi... to remain true to oneself."
Hearing Bai Fengmao’s praise, Yin Shaohui couldn’t help feeling a trace of pride, but he still pretended to be modest, saying, "In old age, I could only borrow some classical allusions to give my grandchildren names that aren’t unsatisfactory."
"Ah?"
Unexpectedly, Bai Fengmao looked shocked, "The names were picked by you and Sister Zhou?"
Yin Shaohui’s expression froze for a moment, "If not, then who?"
Bai Fengmao chuckled, "No, no... I was just surprised, because I had met Shixiu before, he mentioned the children were born in Chengdu, I thought it was Xiao Meng’s parents who named them."
"They gave them nicknames."
Zhou Mengqin said, her tone slightly stiff.
She really didn’t want to bring up Su Xiaomeng’s family in front of her younger siblings.
"If it were me, with the children born in Chengdu, I would definitely name them! It seems Xiao Meng’s parents are quite open-hearted and easy-going."
"...Hehe, not quite. Her mother is quite tough."
Zhou Mengqin interjected suddenly, getting a bit flustered listening to Bai Fengmao praising Su Xiaomeng.
When thinking of Su Xiaomeng’s parents, what came to her mind was that young woman in her forties, storming into the Yin family, full of arrogance, with a disdainful look.
"Oh?"
Bai Fengmao laughed, eyes narrowing with amusement, "Is she really that hot-tempered?"
"Barged straight in as if our Yin family owed her something, no wonder her daughter turned out so undisciplined."
Zhou Mengqin said.
Bai Fengmao’s old eyes flashed a sharp light, then quickly concealed it.
Yin Shaohui tugged at Zhou Mengqin, signaling her to stop.
Zhou Mengqin took a shallow breath, "Brother Bai, I know you’re very protective of that Meng girl, but you’ve not interacted with her much, whether she deserves your protection or not, it’s uncertain."
Bai Fengmao simply smiled and didn’t continue discussing Zhou Mengqin’s remark but instead asked, "By the way, where’s Shixiu? Since the children are being added to the family tree, he’s not coming over?"