Chapter 156: Chapter 149: A Lifetime Is Not Enough to Make Amends 1
Feels like if I argue with him, I’ll bleed to death first!
"If you don’t hide from me, why would I stare at you?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Um... is your grandpa really called Bai Fengmao?"
Su Xiaomeng still couldn’t believe it.
"You know my grandpa too?"
"...Yeah, I know him. He’s really very kind. Amiable and approachable, I really like him! Oh, by the way, how is Grandpa Bai doing lately?"
Su Xiaomeng started reminiscing about Grandpa Bai, realizing she hadn’t found time to visit him up the mountain.
She needed to discuss with Yin Shixiu about taking Shuangshuang and Huang Huang to visit Grandpa Bai, after all, if it weren’t for Grandpa Bai, her babies might not have landed safely!
"Are you very familiar with my grandpa?"
Bai Shunyuan raised his eyebrows at Su Xiaomeng’s expression.
"Not really... can’t I just be concerned?"
Bai Shunyuan put his hands in his pockets, "Oh, it’s quite timely for you to show concern. After class, I’ll take you to see him."
"Huh?"
"He’s in the hospital."
Su Xiaomeng’s heart skipped a beat, and her brows furrowed, "Are you lying to me?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Bai Shunyuan glanced at her, "That’s my actual grandpa, why would I curse him just to lie to you?"
Su Xiaomeng thought about it. What he said made sense, but Bai Shunyuan’s lighthearted tone...
"He’s getting old and has some cardiovascular issues. It’s not that serious. You can visit or not, I don’t care."
Su Xiaomeng pressed her lips.
Grandpa Bai was ill; she had to visit, but...
She glanced at Bai Shunyuan, "Let’s talk later. I need to get to class. If I don’t go now, I’ll really be late."
"Talk later? Do you even have my contact details?"
"Give me your phone."
Su Xiaomeng instinctively shook her head, but her phone was snatched away.
"Can you stop acting like a robber all the time?"
Isn’t Grandpa Bai’s family similar to the Yin Family? How could such an unreasonable and uneducated person come from such a wealthy family?
Bai Shunyuan swiped open the phone, looking at the picture of a family of four on the screen. Yin Shixiu holding one of the kids in each arm, and Su Xiaomeng leaning by his side, looking very cozy...
He suddenly pulled his mouth into a sneer, "Isn’t this like an old dad with three kids?"
Su Xiaomeng was slow to react. When she realized, she immediately kicked him!
Bai Shunyuan raised an eyebrow, "Yo, quite violent!"
"Give it back!"
"Why rush." Bai Shunyuan called his phone using hers before returning it, "That’s my number."
She took the phone without looking and started to walk away.
"Hey, Su Xiaomeng."
"What now?"
"Why are you, being so young, with an old man?"
"Is that any of your business?"
Bai Shunyuan didn’t know why he was sticking his nose into this boring matter, but...
He stood in front of her again, "You’re just a girl from the countryside in Chengdu, barging into a rich family like the Yin Family, being with a man so much older than you, what are you after?"
"Bai Shunyuan, I think there’s really something wrong with you."
"I’m just very curious."
"For things I can’t understand, I tend to be persistent, so... if you could give me an answer, maybe I’d stop staring at you."
Wow, his way of thinking really isn’t like most people.
She took a deep breath, "I see you’ve dyed your hair blonde, looking quite trendy, are you actually an old relic inside?"
"In this day and age, who cares about age gaps? As long as he treats me well, as long as I like him, even if he’s thirty years older, I’d still be with him."
"As long as he treats you well..."
Bai Shunyuan pondered over this line, then said, "When Grandma Yin hit you, I didn’t see him speaking up for you. The Yin family doesn’t accept you... why are you so devoted?"
Su Xiaomeng looked at him.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Seeing her remain silent, Bai Shunyuan thought his words had struck a chord with her, and he was about to continue—
"Are you sick or something?!"
Su Xiaomeng suddenly exploded!
"My mother-in-law hit me because of whom? Isn’t it because of you? Didn’t I say I was going home to take care of the kids? Weren’t you like a thug dragging me away?"
Earlier, she’d spoken nicely, mostly because he seemed to seek peace rather than causing more trouble for her.
But based on those last two lines, was this seeking peace?
This was clearly—
"I’ve never seen such a bad person like you! Trying to cause discord?! Me and my uncle, is it your place, this thug and hooligan, to meddle?!"
After yelling, Su Xiaomeng still felt unsatisfied, she glanced around, squatted down, picked up some leaves, and threw them at Bai Shunyuan’s face.
Gave him a fierce look of disdain, then turned and ran off!
Bai Shunyuan shook his head, spit out the dirt that got into his mouth, and watched her dart away without chasing after her.
He didn’t know why a subtle feeling of melancholy was sprouting inside him.
"...Shunyuan?"
A soft voice sounded behind him, Bai Shunyuan turned back, and Shanshan was there with two small braids on her shoulders, smiling at him.
"What are you doing here?"
Bai Shunyuan asked.
Shanshan stepped forward and took his hand, "I’ve been looking for you. Don’t you have no classes this afternoon? Shall we go out and play?"
Bai Shunyuan looked at Shanshan, the girl in front of him had a sweet face, and her every smile was endearing.
But beneath the pretty, lovable exterior, lay a heart full of strong vanity.
She liked him because he was strong; he chose her because she was easy to control.
"And you? No classes this afternoon?"
"Just one PE class, I don’t want to attend it. It’s been so long since we went out together."
"PE is still a class, go back and attend it. We’ll go out another time when we’re free."
Bai Shunyuan let go of Shanshan’s hand and started to walk away.
"Shunyuan..."
She called out to him again, her voice as sweet as honey, yet it didn’t stop the defiant young man’s departing steps.
Shanshan stood still, her brows slightly furrowed, and glanced complexly in the direction of the language school building...
The news of Grandpa Bai being hospitalized tormented Su Xiaomeng all afternoon.
As soon as class ended, she called Yin Shixiu to tell him about it.
Yin Shixiu thought for a moment, "Hmm, we should go and see him. Tomorrow is Wednesday, you probably don’t have classes in the afternoon, so we’ll go then. We shouldn’t take Shuangshuang and Huanghuang, the hospital is full of germs, we can take the kids to visit once Mr. Bai is better."
"Okay!"
With her husband’s words, she felt more at ease.
Otherwise, she would have wanted to rush to the hospital to see Grandpa Bai that very night.
When she got home, she first fed the two children milk.
Su Ma was cooking dinner in the kitchen, but Mom’s phone was on the living room coffee table, constantly buzzing with messages.
Out of curiosity, Su Xiaomeng glanced at it, oh, it was from Dad.
Since it was Su’s father, Su Xiaomeng impolitely swiped to take a look...
That one look left Su Xiaomeng dumbfounded...
—— Darling, no one’s cooking for me tonight, so I had to go downstairs to buy some Shaxian snacks! Rest assured, with you not at home, I won’t waste money recklessly, Shaxian is the cheapest!
—— Darling, Shaxian actually told me they ran out of steamed dumplings!!!
—— Darling darling... could you at least reply to me? I want to see my precious grandson and granddaughter...
—— Darling, I feel like I’m going crazy... the house is empty, it’s just me alone at night, so scary...
—— Well... after all, our daughter is more important... but we agreed, just half a year...
—— Can you please reply!!!
As Su Xiaomeng read on, tears fell onto the phone screen, and she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve!
Taking a sniff, she replied, "Dad, I’m sorry..."
The vibrations from WeChat stopped, and there was silence on the other end for quite a while before suddenly sending a long message!
—— Meng, how could you read your mother’s phone! And you’re scrolling through WeChat, where’s your mom? How can she not understand privacy protection...
With his rambling on and on, Su Xiaomeng went from crying one second to laughing the next.
"Mom’s cooking. Hehe!"
—— When you’re saying ’hehe’, did you think about your dad eating Shaxian snacks?
Su Xiaomeng sniffled, then simply decided to call her dad...
He picked up, "We were chatting fine on WeChat, why call? Doesn’t this cost money?"
"Dad..."
"Oh dear, why are you crying! Meng, you’ve taken my wife, don’t make it seem like Dad’s bullying you..."
"Pfft..."
Su Xiaomeng laughed and cried, "Uh... Dad, stop being silly..."
"Dad, why don’t you come to Beijing too..."
"If I come to Beijing, then no one’s watching over our house! What if someone takes advantage when all our family members are away and makes off with valuable stuff?"
"Pfft... haha, if they do, I’ll buy it for you!"
Su Xiaomeng wiped her tears as she said this.
"Oh wow, you’re boasting so much, you’ll buy it? Where will you get the money to buy it for me?"
"Uh... my husband has money, he’ll buy it for you! His money is my money!"
Su Xiaomeng patted her chest as she spoke.
But she had never actually said this in front of Yin Shixiu.
"Come now, Xiao Yin has already bought us a villa, and now you want him to buy this and that, don’t you feel embarrassed!"
Su Xiaomeng blew her nose with a tissue from the coffee table, nasally asking, "What villa..."
Su’s father realized he slipped up!
"Uh..."
Su Xiaomeng blinked, "He... bought you a villa?"
"Uh..."
Su Xiaomeng was shocked, "Does Mom... know?"
"Uh..."
"Mom... doesn’t know?"
"Uh..."
"It can’t be just you and Uncle planning this, right?"
"Uh..."
"Dad! Are you crazy! Such a big thing..."
"Shh! Shush, don’t shout so loud, your mom will hear!"
Su Xiaomeng quickly lowered her voice, "Dad, what are you up to?"
"This... why don’t you ask Xiao Yin about it later, okay?"
Su Xiaomeng sniffed, thinking to herself that since Dad couldn’t explain it clearly, she’d just ask Uncle herself in the evening.