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 to inquire if it’s convenient for him to co in for so tea?"
Zhou ngqin was taken aback for a mont. Upon hearing it was Bai Fengmao, Yin Shaohui imdiately stood up and said, "Brother Bai is here! What do you an by convenient for tea? This old brother is truly..."
Saying this, he propped himself on a cane and left the study.
Zhou ngqin 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 co in directly. Why even bother with the servant to announce? You’re too polite!"
"Haha! I’m afraid I won’t be welco."
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 ti 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 ca from!"
"...That’s true."
Bai Fengmao placed his hands behind his back, "Seeing this, you all are... discussing family matters? I seem to have co at the wrong ti!"
"Brother Bai, how can you say that! Let 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 imdiately 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 ho, 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 ca 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 co by later to et 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 soone as optimistic as Brother Bai, such an attitude is indeed rare."
"Optimistic? Haha, Brother Shaohui, you’re complinting 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 ho?"
"Indeed! That little girl is so heartless, gone for twenty years, I thought she’d never co back to see this old father again!"
"Congratulations, Brother Bai! Speaking of which, I haven’t t your youngest daughter yet, have I?"
"You’ll have the chance in the future."
Bai Fengmao said, glancing at Zhou ngqin, "Sister Zhou, managing such a large family is truly not easy for you."
"It’s expected."
Zhou ngqin 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 ant to be passed down, it’s not sothing private. Brother Bai, stay seated!"
"Since you put it that way, I’ll join in on the excitent 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 mont, 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 ngqin’s eyes slightly narrowed, always feeling that today Bai Fengmao was sowhat unusual.
Particularly... particularly... rowdy!
"Shixiu’s two children, Brother Bai, you should rember, we still owe you thanks, otherwise... those two children..."
"Oh! I rember! Are they the two kids Xiao ng gave birth to?"
Bai Fengmao touched his head, expertly feigning ignorance.
Yin Shaohui nodded.
Zhou ngqin felt increasingly uneasy inside.
She knew Bai Fengmao was protective of Su Xiaong, he had even said he wanted to recognize Su Xiaong as his granddaughter...
"That little ng girl is really sothing, so young but added two newborns to your Yin family, must have made you two, as grandparents, very happy?"
"...Yes."
Yin Shaohui responded.
Zhou ngqin did not respond verbally, vaguely sensing that Bai Fengmao’s words were primarily praising Su Xiaong.
Seeing the lukewarm response, Bai Fengmao then looked towards the older brothers and sisters of the Yin Family, "The first ti I t Su Xiaong, she was particularly adorable, with her big belly at the ti, looking rather disheveled and young. She was crying to , ’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 ngqin 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 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 nas of the two children?"
Bai Fengmao asked, continuing to feign ignorance.
"Oh," Yin Shaohui said, "The older brother is nad Yin Huaiyu, and the younger sister is Yin Jinxi."
"The nas 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 so classical allusions to give my grandchildren nas that aren’t unsatisfactory."
"Ah?"
Unexpectedly, Bai Fengmao looked shocked, "The nas were picked by you and Sister Zhou?"
Yin Shaohui’s expression froze for a mont, "If not, then who?"
Bai Fengmao chuckled, "No, no... I was just surprised, because I had t Shixiu before, he ntioned the children were born in Chengdu, I thought it was Xiao ng’s parents who nad them."
"They gave them nicknas."
Zhou ngqin said, her tone slightly stiff.
She really didn’t want to bring up Su Xiaong’s family in front of her younger siblings.
"If it were , with the children born in Chengdu, I would definitely na them! It seems Xiao ng’s parents are quite open-hearted and easy-going."
"...Hehe, not quite. Her mother is quite tough."
Zhou ngqin interjected suddenly, getting a bit flustered listening to Bai Fengmao praising Su Xiaong.
When thinking of Su Xiaong’s parents, what ca 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 amusent, "Is she really that hot-tempered?"
"Barged straight in as if our Yin family owed her sothing, no wonder her daughter turned out so undisciplined."
Zhou ngqin said.
Bai Fengmao’s old eyes flashed a sharp light, then quickly concealed it.
Yin Shaohui tugged at Zhou ngqin, signaling her to stop.
Zhou ngqin took a shallow breath, "Brother Bai, I know you’re very protective of that ng 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 ngqin’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?"
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