Chapter Seventy-Five: Great-Grandmother

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[Gaga, sorry for the late update! I heard from other authors that the “Little Black Room” drafting software is great, but I got locked in today and only got out just now! What a disaster! Sigh! Also, there will be another update at midnight, to make up for the missing chapter on the 23rd!]

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Xiao Cheng gave Zhuo Qinglian a few instructions, temporarily entrusting Yun Tingyu to her care.

“Qinglian, I’ll leave Tingyu with you for now. I’ll come by tonight.”

Wang Qiyi, hearing Xiao Cheng’s words, sneered inwardly. Coming by tonight for a tryst? Don’t even think about it. Even if the old man lets you leave the family, you still won’t get past me.

“Mhm!” Zhuo Qinglian nodded.

“Sister, you’re so pretty!” Yun Tingyu, not shy in the least, knew Xiao Cheng had important matters to attend to and obediently went over to Zhuo Qinglian’s side.

Xiao Cheng smiled and gently tapped Yun Tingyu’s delicate nose. “Be sure to listen to Sister Qinglian and don’t run off!”

“I know, you’re even more nagging than my mom!” Yun Tingyu wrinkled her nose playfully, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue—she looked so adorable one couldn’t help but want to pinch her.

……

Accompanied by the Audi A8, Xiao Cheng drove all the way back to the Xiao family estate, a place he hadn’t set foot in for a long time.

He didn’t dawdle, nor did he care about whatever expression the old man might wear. He headed straight for the back garden. The old man clearly didn’t want to cause trouble before Xiao Cheng had seen his great-grandmother—lest he incur her wrath once more—so he simply let Xiao Cheng do as he pleased, making no difficulties for him.

It was afternoon; scarlet clouds painted the horizon, and the flowers, trees, and grass of the back garden were bathed in a rosy glow, tender and shrouded in mystery.

Great-grandmother sat in a chair with a blanket draped over her. Beside her, a young woman knelt, massaging the old lady’s legs. The elder’s expression was serene, betraying neither joy nor sorrow.

“Great-grandmother, I’ve come to see you!”

From a distance, Xiao Cheng called out as he entered the garden. When he reached her, he wrapped the old lady in a big, affectionate hug. From the bottom of his heart, Xiao Cheng revered his great-grandmother—not just because she had always treated him well, but more importantly because she was no ordinary person. She saw things with a depth unmatched by others, a matriarch worthy of respect.

The old lady was clearly unaccustomed to Xiao Cheng’s exuberant displays of affection. She patted him on the head and chided him with a feigned scowl, “You little rascal, do you even remember me anymore? Where have you been running off to lately? I heard you’ve been spending time with that Qinglian girl again?”

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“Now, now, in my heart you are higher than the heavens. The moment you summoned me, I crossed mountains and rivers and rushed back as fast as lightning, ready to face your verdict!” Xiao Cheng grinned, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.

In front of others, he could be cold and ruthless, but before his great-grandmother, he was always a child. Even after living a second life, he was still content to play the child—only she had ever given him the warmth of family. At her venerable age, who among them was not a child in her eyes?

So he was happy to be playful, to make her laugh.

“You little rascal, don’t be so slippery. You came in a car, not on foot—where’s the sweat?” The old lady was amused by his antics. Deep lines blossomed across her face, crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes becoming more pronounced, and all her earlier displeasure vanished like smoke.

“That Qinglian girl—when will you bring her over to sing for me? After all these years, no one sings opera as authentically as she does.” Most of the Xiao family despised Zhuo Qinglian because of what happened six years ago, but the old lady harbored no such feelings.

In her eyes, a woman willing to give herself to Xiao Cheng was showing him true affection. So what if a bit of inner strength was lost? That could be regained; chastity, however, was only surrendered once. Besides, Zhuo Qinglian never even knew about Xiao Cheng’s cultivation back then, so the old matriarch still held her in some esteem.

“Yes, yes, I’ll arrange for her to sing for you soon.” Xiao Cheng agreed eagerly. Though Zhuo Qinglian was tone-deaf in karaoke, she had real talent for opera.

“You mustn’t neglect her. She’s alone out there, with no one to rely on. You’re already eighteen—at your age in the old days, kids would be running errands for soy sauce. You ought to rein in your wild ways, settle down, and think about the future. You can’t go on like this forever.”

The old lady sighed softly and continued, “Your elder brothers died young, leaving behind four widows. You should look after them. Our Xiao family can’t expect those four women to support everything; sooner or later, the burden will fall to you.”

Xiao Cheng nodded solemnly—he understood these things well.

“You, go now.” The old lady waved her hand, dismissing the young woman massaging her legs.

Xiao Cheng’s spirit sharpened. If his great-grandmother was sending others away, she surely had something important to say.

Once the woman was gone, the old matriarch’s expression returned to normal. She narrowed her aged eyes and said, “Your four sisters-in-law are all capable and beautiful women. They can’t be expected to remain widows in the Xiao family forever. Just a few days ago, I heard the Fang family is considering finding another husband for your sister-in-law Yujia.”

“Is that true? How could that be?” Xiao Cheng blurted out, surprised—this was nothing like what he remembered.

In his previous life, this had never happened; Fang Yujia had lived quietly in the Xiao household, and her family had never tried to remarry her. Why was it happening now? Was it because he had changed the course of fate?

The old lady noted his startled expression and nodded inwardly. It seemed Xiao Fusheng’s story about the affair was indeed true.

She smiled and went on, “Your sister-in-law Yujia was born into a prominent family, trained to be obedient. She was forced to marry into the Xiao family, all for her family’s benefit. They’re extremely calculating, treating marriage as a transaction. Now that she’s a widow, it’s no surprise that they’d try to make another deal.”

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Xiao Cheng frowned. What the old lady said made sense, but since the Fang family didn’t do this in his previous life, something must have changed. The greatest variable between then and now was himself. The Fang family’s desire to remarry Fang Yujia must somehow be connected to him.

A sudden thought occurred to Xiao Cheng. Perhaps Xiao Fusheng was the one pushing things along. The Fang family, though prominent, still fell short of the Xiao family’s might; they’d never dare offend them on their own.

In other words, the Fang family must believe they could act without offending the Xiaos—and only Xiao Fusheng, as the family head, could give them that confidence.

And with Xiao Fusheng’s notorious pride, he certainly had the motive. The recent scandal about him and sister-in-law Yujia would have shamed the household; Xiao Fusheng would want to nip it in the bud. If Yujia remarried, the matter would be severed from the Xiao family, preserving his reputation.

Xiao Cheng sneered inwardly, now convinced of his theory. To save his pride, the old man would do anything—even force the Fang family to push the remarriage, just to keep up appearances. Xiao Cheng had always known how much the old man cared about face, but it seemed he’d underestimated the extent.

But now that he knew in advance, Xiao Cheng would never let anyone push sister-in-law Yujia into the fire. If they forced a marriage, he’d do whatever it took. If they thought it was amusing to force a marriage—

Whoever dared marry her, he’d simply kill them. Wasn’t that simple enough?

“I just want to ask your attitude on this matter—do you support it or oppose it?” the old lady asked with a teasing smile, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes.

“Naturally, I oppose it.” Xiao Cheng answered as if it were self-evident, not noticing the peculiar look in her eyes. He’d never guarded himself against his great-grandmother—if he had to be on guard even with her, what was the point of living?

The old lady lifted her drooping eyelids, her withered lips stretching into a rare, contented smile. She felt deeply gratified. Xiao Cheng seemed to have grown up today, finally understanding what responsibility meant. Without a sense of duty, he wouldn’t have opposed so decisively.

“Good! That’s exactly what I want to hear from you, little rascal. As long as this old woman lives, no one will dare scheme against your sister-in-law Yujia!” she declared coldly, her eyes flashing with unshakable confidence. Then she asked, “And if the other three sisters-in-law face the same situation, what will you do?”

“I’d still oppose it!” Xiao Cheng had no idea why she was asking, but he didn’t hesitate. In his previous life, all four sisters-in-law had treated him well; before the family’s destruction, they had given their lives so he could escape. How could he possibly stand by and watch now?

The old lady suddenly burst into hearty laughter, the wrinkles on her face deepening, her white hair trembling, her withered lips whistling as she laughed. She hadn’t expected Xiao Cheng to be so greedy—one Yujia wasn’t enough; he wouldn’t let go of the other three either.

In her heart, she quietly gave him a thumbs up. Why should the fat of the family flow to outsiders?