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Chapter 48.1
“Ah, you’re back? This must be Xiao Ying, right? Come in, come in!” Chen Xiangyun looked through the faint light and saw the tall young woman standing behind her granddaughter.
At a glance, she recognized her; there was no mistaking it, as the young woman resembled her mother too closely.
Faced with such a familiar face, Grandma Chen instantly felt no sense of strangeness and warmly invited her inside.
Xie Ying, who was holding her young son, felt her anxious heart gradually settle as she saw the elderly woman’s warm and loving smile.
Her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she managed not to cry. Her voice was slightly choked as she said, “Grandma Chen, sorry to bother you.”
Chen Xiangyun reached out to take the little one who had fallen asleep in Su Xi’s arms. After cradling him, she instinctively rocked him and lowered her voice, “No need to be so polite; we’re all family. Hurry inside, we can talk more inside. It’s chilly in this late spring cold, so come in and have some hot soup to warm up. You don’t want to catch a cold, don’t you?”
Chen Xiangyun’s loving expression and sincere words were so natural—as if she was facing her own grandchildren, she reminded Xie Ying of her grandfather, making her feel even more at ease.
Su Xi handed the package she was carrying to Su Dong, who had also come out to greet them, and then took Xie Ying’s cold hand and led her inside. “Sister, don’t worry. I told you on the way here; that everyone at home knows about your situation. Just settle in and relax.”
Xie Ying thanked Su Xi again before following her steps.
The child was asleep, so they needed to settle him first.
Grandma Chen who was holding the child in her arms, moved swiftly and led the way to Su Xi’s room.
She also reminded, “Dongdong, put the luggage in the room and then go serve the food. Everyone must be hungry.”
Xie Ying then took a moment to glance at Su Dong, who was standing nearby, realizing that he was her sister-in-law’s brother.
It was just past 7 PM, and under the dim light, Xie Ying could only make out a blurry outline of a tall young man.
She did not look further and quickly followed Su Xi. Soon, they had passed through the courtyard and entered the room.
Chen Xiangyun was very considerate and sentimental. When Su Xi went to fetch them, she had changed all the bed linens to fresh ones and had even cut a few branches of the winter jasmine from the garden to place in a vase on the bedside table.
This small touch made the entire room appear soft and warm in the yellowish light.
Xie Ying was not without awareness; she was even more grateful for the Su family’s unconditional acceptance of her and the children.
She placed the children on the bed and pulled the covers over them.
Seeing their innocent and cute sleeping faces and thinking about her husband, who was suffering somewhere unknown, Xie Ying felt a pang in her nose and almost cried again.
Since her husband’s accident, she had shed more tears in these few days than she had in her entire life.
Using the excuse of tucking in the children, Xie Ying wiped away her tears with the pads of her fingers and then turned around, smiling as she thanked Grandma Chen.
She could see clearly that the room had been specially prepared for her.
Her heart was filled with countless feelings of gratitude, which ultimately condensed into a simple, heartfelt, “Thank you!”
She thought she would always remember that at her most confused and helpless moment, her sister-in-law had smiled and brought her home.
And this home… was incredibly warm.
—o—o—o—
In J City.
At the same time, in a military compound.
“Xiao Ying hasn’t arrived yet? She hasn’t sent any news. I wonder where she could be.” Tang Siyun, with a plain face and very simple attire, sat beside the phone, restless. She glanced at the phone from time to time, unable to help but mutter to herself.
According to plan, Xiao Ying should have already arrived at her destination, but since she hadn’t sent any news for even a moment, her mother couldn’t help but worry.
During this period, the world had changed so rapidly that everyone seemed to be on edge.
After the incident with her son-in-law, Tang Siyun was overwhelmed and looked much more haggard, appearing to have aged several years.
In the past, she would have spent a great deal of effort on maintaining her appearance, but now she had no mood for that.
“Old Xie, say something!” Tang Siyun looked at her husband, who sat beside her with a deep, contemplative expression.
Xie Bo sighed, wrapped his arm around his increasingly anxious wife, and patted her shoulder to comfort her. “No news is good news. Don’t worry; I’ve arranged for someone to follow Xiao Ying. If anything happens, he will definitely call me.”
Tang Siyun didn’t know about this arrangement but felt somewhat relieved to learn that someone was following her daughter.
However, thinking about the increasingly severe situation outside, her eyes reddened, and she worried, “Have you called home to check if everything is alright?”
Xie Bo, a tall and imposing figure, exuded an authoritative presence even while seated.
His gaze was cold and stern. “Our daughter hasn’t done anything wrong. If someone crosses us, the Xie family is not easy to mess with.”
Tang Siyun trusted her husband completely. In her eyes, Xie Bo had always been a steadfast and authoritative figure.
Sending their daughter away was not due to fear of being implicated by their daughter but to provide her with a cleaner living environment.
Staying in J City could expose her to harmful rumors.
Tang Siyun leaned into her husband’s embrace, her face no longer carrying the aloofness she had shown when first meeting Su Xi.
At this moment, she was just an ordinary mother worried about her children.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, she sat up straight and said angrily, “That little rascal Xie Zhen, how come he hasn’t sent any news yet? Xiao Ying can’t send word, but can’t he?”
Xie Bo’s expression darkened. He hadn’t told Ah Yun because he didn’t want her to worry too much.
Hours earlier, he had already received several updates from the people he sent to secretly escort his daughter.
Xie Zhen was on a mission, and now it was up to his wife to handle things.
Thinking about it, Xie Bo’s stern face also showed signs of fatigue. There had been too many issues recently, and even he was struggling to cope.
The situation had been too rushed, and it was indeed somewhat inappropriate. He did not want his daughter’s issues to create any rift between his son and daughter-in-law.
He hoped that the daughter-in-law he had yet to meet was indeed as good as his wife and son had described. Otherwise, the only option left would be to ask He Qiong to temporarily take Xiao Ying in, but that would be a last resort.
As Xie Bo’s mind was racing with thoughts, the long-silent phone finally rang.
Tang Siyun was startled and jumped up, staring at the phone as if it were a monster.
Xie Bo glanced at his anxious wife, who was hesitant to answer the phone and reached for the receiver.
After answering, Xie Bo exchanged a few casual words with the person on the other end. Then, as if making small talk, the man on the line said with a laugh, “Old Xie, you’re a fortunate man.”
Such an ambiguous statement immediately made Xie Bo understand its meaning.
A rare smile appeared on his usually stern face, and after chatting a bit more with the caller, he hung up the phone with satisfaction.
Then, seeing the eager look on his wife’s face, he stood up, pulled her into his embrace, gently patted her increasingly frail back, and spoke soothingly, “Ah Yun, everything’s fine. Xiao Zhen is on a mission and it was Su Xi who went to pick up our daughter. Our son is quite fortunate.”
Realizing the meaning of her husband’s words, Tang Siyun burst into tears.
She buried her face in her husband’s chest, crying loudly—her decades of carefully maintained image forgotten.
Xie Bo’s heart ached at the sight of his wife’s tears, and his eyes began to redden.
Despite his outward strength, he had his vulnerabilities.
His wife and children were his soft spots, and his concern for his daughter was no less than his wife’s.
But as a husband and a father, he could not show any weakness, otherwise, his wife and children would be afraid.
Since her son-in-law’s incident, Tang Siyun had been holding back her emotions. Now that her daughter and grandson were settled, she could no longer contain herself and had a good, hard cry.
After crying everything out, she felt that the pent-up frustration in her chest had eased considerably.
She had complete confidence in her daughter-in-law; she was a wonderful and kind person.
Now that her daughter was with her daughter-in-law, although the island was somewhat isolated, it provided a more comfortable environment for the children.
But there was still the matter of her son-in-law…
“Old Xie, what about Wen Yuan? He has only us as his family in the country,” Tang Siyun asked after washing her face, her spirits much improved. Her gaze towards her husband was filled with anticipation.
Xie Bo was also pained for his talented son-in-law, but it was not the right time. He said in a deep voice, “He will face some hardships in the next six months. I’ve already had someone contact him and advised him to hold on. I will find a way to get him into a better environment. What will happen in the future is uncertain, so we’ll have to wait and see…”
Tang Siyun sighed, understanding her husband’s concerns, and chose not to discuss the troubling topic even further.
Things would eventually get better, as they always did. Her daughter was already on the right track!
She trusted her husband completely!
Having worried about her daughter, she had been eating and sleeping poorly. It was now around seven or eight in the morning, and she was feeling quite hungry.
With no maid available to help, she had to do everything herself.
Tang Siyun, who had enjoyed decades of comfort, was not used to this.
She helplessly got up and headed towards the kitchen, and asked: “Old Xie, shall we have some noodles tonight?”
Xie Bo, who had been sitting on the wooden sofa thinking, immediately stood up when he heard his wife was going to make dinner.
Noticing Tang Siyun’s surprised look, he cleared his throat and said, “I’ll do it.”
He was tired of eating just plain noodles.
Tang Siyun: “…”
—o—o—o—
The next morning, at the break of dawn, Su Xi was already up. She had a habit of going for a morning run.
After getting dressed, Su Xi stepped out and immediately heard some sounds coming from Xie Ying’s room.
The noises were deliberately kept low, clearly meant not to disturb them.
Su Xi glanced at her watch—it was only five o’clock. She approached the door, raised her hand, and knocked gently.
The door opened quickly. After a night of rest, Xie Ying looked much better than the day before. She smiled and said, “Xixi, you’re up so early? Come in. Are you here to get some clothes?”
Su Xi stepped inside, a bit concerned. “I had already taken care of the clothes last night. I heard noises from your room and came to check. Did you not sleep well last night? Why are you up so early?”
Xie Ying was touched. “No, no, I slept well. It’s just that the kids woke up early. After becoming a mother, my schedule revolves around them.”
As she spoke, Xie Ying looked down at her legs, her children clung to her legs dependently.
The children were curiously staring at Su Xi.
Su Xi, who had never raised children or paid much attention to them, felt reassured by Xie Ying’s words.
She looked at the two beautiful little ones.
Their bright, round eyes were fixated on her.
Su Xi smiled brightly and then crouched down to make eye contact with them.
The two children looked identical, each holding onto one of their mother’s legs, observing Su Xi with curiosity and caution.
The little ones had fair, tender skin with chubby faces, large watery eyes, a cute little nose, and pouty lips. Everything about them was adorable, making Su Xi’s heart flutter.
Yesterday’s situation had been so hectic that she hadn’t had a chance to properly see the children’s faces. Now, after taking a closer look, Su Xi couldn’t help but marvel, and think of how utterly adorable these little ones were.
Her eyes turned into crescent moons as she spoke gently, “What are your names?”
In the world of children, there was also a sense of beauty and ugliness. Even at three years old, the Wen family twins had inherited their father’s intelligence and could speak quite fluently.
Perhaps they sensed Su Xi’s kindness, so, the elder child, although still a bit cautious, spoke with his tender voice, “I’m the older brother. My name is Wen Zheng.”
The other child, hearing his brother speak, also answered in a small, babyish voice, “I’m Wen Rong, the younger brother.”
Su Xi was further moved by their adorable voices, and her smile grew even sweeter. “So, our Zheng Zheng and Rong Rong are hungry? Would you like to come with Auntie to find something tasty to eat?”
The two cute kids instinctively looked at their mother, their big eyes sparkling with desire.
The children were indeed hungry. Xie Ying wasn’t being pretentious; she was planning to make milk for them. Hearing Su Xi’s suggestion, she picked up the toiletries and decided to go out for a meal first.
Noticing that the kids were still a bit wary of her, Su Xi did not insist on holding them. Instead, she took the toiletries from Xie Ying and, with Xie Ying holding one child in each hand, they went together to the kitchen.
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stillnotlucia[Translator]
( •̀ ω •́ )✧ Hi~ Lucia here~ I love translating 60s-90s and Ancient Times themed novels! If you have any recommendations for me to translate or pick up, feel free to comment below~ Oh, If you like my translation, please consider buying me a coffee 🍵☕