Chapter 35

Su Zhouchen walked over and took Su Tongtong from Tang Yan’s hands.

Su Tongtong obediently hugged Su Zhouchen’s neck, first giving him a kiss, then introducing him in a childish voice.

“Daddy, this is my new pot pot, and this is pot pot’s daddy and mommy. Their whole family is amazing!”

Su Zhouchen turned to look at Xing Peixuan, saying, “Long time no see.”

Xing Peixuan replied, “It has been a while. I didn’t expect your child to be this big now.”

“Your child…” Su Zhouchen glanced at Xing Xiaochi and hesitated, then simply said, “Let’s go inside and sit.”

Xing Peixuan declined, “No need, we’re heading to the old house today.”

Su Zhouchen, aware of his current situation, didn’t insist, “Alright, then we’ll meet up again when there’s time.”

The two exchanged a few words, and from their conversation, Ruan Xizhi gathered that they shared a unique relationship.

Once everyone got in the car, Su Zhouchen’s previously calm eyes became cloudy, and he silently watched Ruan Xizhi’s side profile.

Perhaps he missed his little sister so much that he saw a reflection of Xixi in her.

Maybe Xixi would have grown up to be this beautiful.

Tang Yan noticed his odd behavior and linked her arm with his, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Su Zhouchen gazed at the car moving farther away until it disappeared around the corner.

He withdrew his gaze and spoke in a low, deep voice, “Nothing, let’s go inside, don’t keep Grandma waiting.”

Su Tongtong blinked her eyes, asking, “Who is Grandma?”

Tang Yan smiled and pinched her little face, “You have to call her Great-Grandma.”

Su Tongtong hadn’t met her Great-Grandma since birth because she had been abroad. She had only recently returned to the country.

Once inside, Su Tongtong saw the elderly woman sitting at the head of the table and stared wide-eyed, pouting her little mouth in confusion.

“Is Great-Grandma Grandma Song?”

Su Tongtong seemed to have discovered a new continent: “Grandma Song is my Great-Grandma!”

After mumbling to herself, she began to dance and shout, “Next time I see Pot Pot, I’m going to tell him that Grandma Song is my Great-Grandma!”

Her self-talk made everyone in the room laugh.

Meanwhile, in the car, Xing Xiaochi was also quite excited, swinging his little legs. “We’re going back to Grandmother’s house, yay!”

Ruan Xizhi looked helpless. She thought she’d have a few carefree days, but now she had to meet the parents.

As expected, the rise of Xing Xiaochi marked the beginning of her responsibility.

But no one had it better than her. She had never had a relationship, but she had a husband and a child. Now she didn’t need to worry about whether meeting the parents was appropriate.

Handling the parents, however, was something she was no good at.

She remembered how her sister-in-law had met her parents in her previous life.

Oh, right.

Her sister-in-law had authenticated a traditional Chinese painting for her parents, and afterward, her parents were completely satisfied with her. They would constantly talk about how great her sister-in-law was, and how her brother was lucky to marry her.

But not every family had a traditional painting waiting for her to authenticate.

What a coincidence, right?

When they arrived, the old house was lively, with occasional murmurs and exclamations of surprise.

Ruan Xizhi raised an eyebrow and patted Xing Peixuan on the shoulder, “I didn’t expect your family to have so many relatives.”

Xing Peixuan glanced at her, speechless.

Ruan Xizhi continued walking inside and faintly heard someone mention a traditional Chinese painting.

Her heart immediately surged with excitement. Could history be repeating itself?

Identifying traditional Chinese paintings was her forte!

This could be the easiest and most foolproof way to win over the parents.

Just like her sister-in-law.

Ruan Xizhi squeezed her way to the outer edge of the crowd and overheard someone saying, “This painting is beyond restoration. Although it was unearthed with antiques, the artist behind it doesn’t seem to be of high rank.”

“Professor Ning could repair it if he wanted, but this job is an insult to our expertise.”

An elderly woman sitting at the center, holding a cane and wearing a wine-red Tang suit, gave off an aura that seemed out of place with the people around her.

She lifted her eyelids and looked at the person speaking.

Ruan Xizhi guessed correctly: this elderly woman was likely the matriarch of the old house.

She glanced at the painting on the stone table. It was tattered, covered in mud, and at first glance, it didn’t seem worth restoring.

But when she looked more closely, she was startled.

This painting…

In her previous life, she had seen it once at an auction.

Her grandparents loved ancient paintings and even founded a Chinese painting society, so she often visited the auction house.

At that time, no one bid on the painting. First, it was damaged; second, it was unknown; some even believed it was a fake antique, so no one bid.

In the end, a mysterious person bought it for three million, and the next day, the painting went viral online.

Its price skyrocketed from three million to thirty million.

The true value of the painting was hidden beneath its dilapidated surface.

The artist was unknown, but the craftsmanship was exquisite, rivaling the true works of Tang Bohu.

Having been influenced by her grandparents, Ruan Xizhi’s interest in traditional Chinese paintings was as strong as her interest in shooting.

Due to her interest, Grandma had asked her senior brother to teach her for a while.

It was during that time that Ruan Xizhi learned how to restore paintings, bringing back the brilliance of damaged national treasures.

“If you don’t mind,” Ruan Xizhi had intended to just evaluate the painting, but now she felt the urge to try, “I can give it a shot.”

Restoring paintings is exhausting, but this particular one…

Ning Tang looked over the crowd and saw the girl from the photo—Xing Peixuan’s new granddaughter-in-law.

Ning Tang had investigated Ruan Xizhi and knew she was the fake daughter of the Ruan family, a troublemaker in the entertainment industry. But after watching “Mom is Back,” she gradually changed her opinion of Ruan Xizhi.

She even became a bit curious about this granddaughter-in-law.

It was rare for someone to keep a hold on Xing Xiaochi.

She really couldn’t thank the heavens enough.

Now, seeing her step forward, Ning Tang was somewhat surprised.

“You can do this?”

Ruan Xizhi was fully focused on the painting, not noticing Ning Tang’s unreserved scrutiny.

“I know a little.”

The female restorer who had just spoken scoffed, “You only know a little and still dare to step forward? Do you even know where you are? This is the Xing family. Though this painting might not have much value, Professor Ning isn’t looking for a street artist to restore it.”

Ruan Xizhi glanced at the woman, unimpressed. “Which eye of yours saw that I’m a street artist?”

The woman was caught off guard by her retort and huffed, “Both of my eyes.”

Ruan Xizhi wasn’t fond of people who flaunted their minor skills.

She didn’t hide her disdain. “Maybe your eyes are failing you. It’s not recommended for you to continue as a restorer.”

The woman was infuriated, no longer caring about her image. “Who do you think you are, you wild girl? Do you know the consequences of offending me?!”

She was quick to flare up, showing her true character.

Ruan Xizhi initially wanted to dismiss her with a few words, but just as she was about to, Ning Tang spoke.

“What are the consequences of offending you? Do tell.”

The woman met Ning Tang’s gaze, her lips pressed together, a little scared. “Professor Ning, I… I didn’t mean to disturb you. It’s this wild girl who spoke rudely first.”

Ning Tang stood up and said, “When you’re at home, you tend to be a bit freer. Teacher Wang, I hope you’ll be understanding.”

Ruan Xizhi paused, turning her head to look.

Ning Tang waved at her, and Ruan Xizhi raised an eyebrow, walking over to assist the elder.

The crowd looked on, and it became clear to them what Professor Ning’s words implied.

The previously arrogant woman kept silent.

Ning Tang was kindly, patting Ruan Xizhi’s hand. “Why are you here alone? Where is Xiaochi?”

Ruan Xizhi looked toward the crowd, where Xing Xiaochi was just getting up from the ground. “Grandma, Xiaochi is here, right here!”

Xing Xiaochi ran over and grabbed Ning Tang’s hand, shaking his head. “Grandma, I missed you so much! I came back with Dad and the others.”

Ning Tang ruffled the little guy’s head. “What did you miss about Grandma?”

Xing Xiaochi blinked, hesitating, then thought for a moment. “I don’t know, but… she… said it, so I just said it.”

The “she” here referred to Ruan Xizhi.

Up to this point, Xing Xiaochi had never called Ruan Xizhi “Mommy.” He was carefree on the surface but had a strong sense of self-preservation.

Ning Tang looked at Ruan Xizhi, her eyes curving in a satisfied smile.

“Come.”

Ning Tang brought Ruan Xizhi over to the ancient painting. “Since this is our first meeting, I didn’t prepare anything special. This painting will serve as your welcome gift.”

Ruan Xizhi was taken aback. “!!!”

Her feelings for Grandma had just increased exponentially.

Seeing her reaction, Ning Tang seemed intrigued and probed, “Do you dislike it?”

Ruan Xizhi smiled. “Dislike it? Then I’d be too tactless.”

She was very satisfied with the gesture, but others in the crowd shook their heads and made snide comments about her lack of experience.

Someone in the crowd recognized Ruan Xizhi. “Isn’t she the adopted daughter of the Ruan family?”

“Ah, so that’s her. No wonder.”

“I didn’t expect her to marry into the wealthy Xing family.”

“A fake is always a fake, just like the painting. No matter how well it’s imitated, it can’t hide the truth.”

Ruan Xizhi ignored their gossip.

However, Ning Tang seemed to catch onto something and asked Ruan Xizhi, “In your opinion, how long would it take to restore this painting?”

Ruan Xizhi looked up, meeting Ning Tang’s gaze. She didn’t know if it was a test or just a casual question, but she answered honestly. “This painting doesn’t need restoration.”

The crowd’s murmurs and laughter grew louder.

The people present weren’t just relatives of the Xing family—they were well-known restorers in the industry.

Ning Tang had purchased an ancient painting, and everyone had come to see what it was, only to find out it was just a nameless imitation.

“Indeed, it doesn’t need restoration. It’s completely worthless, just a damaged painting.”

“Something this ruined is beyond repair.”

But Ruan Xizhi shook her head, her finger lightly brushing over the painting. The thought of the genuine artwork hidden beneath this grime stirred something within her.

“Because it’s already a complete painting. What restoration are you talking about?”