A little later, Shan Minglang left Su Xiaong’s house with the two elders of the Yin Family.
Su Xiaong saw them off downstairs.
Earlier in the house, because of Shuangshuang and Huanghuang’s antics, the knots that existed in both parties’ hearts seed to disappear for a mont.
Now that Shuangshuang and Huanghuang were not around, Minglang, having misunderstood Su Xiaong, hadn’t said a word in the living room afterwards and now didn’t know what to say.
In the elevator, the four of them were terrifyingly silent.
It wasn’t until they reached downstairs that the driver’s car had already pulled up outside the apartnt’s glass door.
"Dad, Mom, take your ti. Minglang, take care of your grandparents."
"...Okay."
Minglang responded.
The driver got out of the car to open the door for them. Zhou ngqin stood by the car door, after all, couldn’t imdiately get in. She turned back, and the look of apology in her weathered expression was enough to make Su Xiaong feel timid...
She just looked at her once, and whatever the old lady wanted to say, she understood it all.
Stepping forward, she took the initiative to hug Zhou ngqin tightly,
"Mom..."
Zhou ngqin’s wrinkled hand gently patted Su Xiaong’s back,
"I’m sorry you had to go through this."
"No, Mom..."
Zhou ngqin took a deep breath, exhaled long, patted her back twice, nodded, and then got into the car.
The sighs of the elderly revealed the heaviness in their hearts.
The departure of Yin Shixiu was an irrediable pain in the remaining lives of the two elders of the Yin Family.
Yin Shaohui also got into the car.
Shan Minglang walked over to the front passenger seat, but before pulling the door closed, he looked back at Su Xiaong, wanting to say sothing, but Su Xiaong quickly raised her hand to stop him,
"Minglang, I understand what you’re thinking."
"..."
"I will always be your Aunt, and Shuangshuang and Huanghuang will always need your care and companionship as their big brother. Whether in the next ten years, twenty, or fifty, rember that."
Shan Minglang suddenly hugged Su Xiaong tight,
"I was really scared you might impulsively marry that jerk Rong Jing! If, in the future, there’s ever a man who can treat you as well as Uncle did, Minglang won’t stand in your way, sob sob..."
"Okay, okay, I know..."
"The Yin Family isn’t that important, and nothing is more important than you living well, Aunt."
"Thank you... Minglang, you don’t know how warm your words make feel."
Shan Minglang sniffed, hugged Su Xiaong tighter, held on for a while before reluctantly letting go and getting into the car.
"Aunt, you should head up now."
Su Xiaong stood at the door, in her plain white T-shirt paired with a knee-length pleated skirt.
The night sumr breeze blew gently, lifting the pleats of her skirt in waves like... ti itself.
The car slowly drove away...
Zhou ngqin and Yin Shaohui instinctively cast their gaze toward the exterior of the apartnt building, where Su Xiaong was standing.
They seed to recall how years ago they stood there, discussing everything about Yin Shixiu and this girl, talking about how ordinary she was, how unambitious, and how she was unworthy of him...
She waved at them until the car turned the corner, and they could no longer see her figure in the rearview mirror.
Yin Shaohui grasped his wife’s hand.
————
Su Xiaong turned and went back upstairs.
Her grandfather stayed over that night, and before going to bed, he called Xiaong into the room to say a few heartfelt words.
Xiaong understood the intentions of the elders.
After her grandfather fell asleep, Xiaong returned to the living room, where the siblings, wearing their little vests, had already climbed onto the sofa.
She thought she’d have to wait a while for her mother to co out of Great Grandpa’s room.
Little did she expect that just as she sat down, her mother ca out.
Shuangshuang quickly patted the spot beside her,
"Mom, co sit!"
Then grabbed the TV remote beside her and asked earnestly,
"Mom, which channel do you want to watch?"
Su Xiaong glanced at the clock on the wall, her brow furrowing slightly,
"It’s almost nine o’clock, two little people still not going to sleep?"
Shuangshuang pouted,
"Not sleeping, keeping you company watching TV!"
"..."
Su Xiaong sat beside Shuangshuang, and as soon as she sat down, Prince Huang wriggled his way from behind and settled on the other side of Su Xiaong.
"Watch, watch channel 15."
Prince Huang proposed.
"I was asking Mom, not asking you, brother."
Shuangshuang said quickly, holding the remote tightly as if holding the remote ant she held the whole world in her hands.
"Mom, you decide."
The little girl lifted her chin, her deanor undeniably cheeky.
Prince Huang, who wasn’t asked, kept his silence, his face blank as he stared at the yet-to-be-turned-on TV, clearly also prioritizing his mom’s preference.
"Let’s just watch channel 15 then."
Shuangshuang nodded, ceremoniously pressed the power button on the remote, turning on the TV, then carefully pressed 1 and 5.
The TV channel switched to channel 15—the children’s channel.
"Hehe."
Shuangshuang looked up at Su Xiaong, blinking her big eyes at Su Xiaong, grinning...
"She’s waiting for you to praise her."
Bai Sixian ca out from the kitchen, laughing, "Ever since she learned to use the remote to turn the TV on and off, she’s been flaunting her skills, wanting to help people turn on the TV and change channels."
Su Xiaong hugged Shuangshuang into her arms,
"My daughter is indeed smart."
"Hehe."
Shuangshuang, satisfied, shifted her gaze from Su Xiaong, holding onto the remote control as if it were her beloved doll.
"I can also do it..."
Prince Huang mumbled softly, without the showy manner of Shuangshuang seeking her mom’s praise, rely stating a fact calmly.
Su Xiaong quickly reached out to embrace her son, gently nuzzling him,
"My son is, of course, very smart too."
Bai Sixian observed this mont of warmth among the mother and her children, a scene so touching it inspired envy.
If Yin Shixiu were here, it would all be complete.
It was already ti for Shuangshuang and Huanghuang to sleep. Even though it was a children’s channel airing cartoons, the two little ones couldn’t stay awake for long and soon fell asleep.
Xiaong initially planned to carry them to their room to sleep, but Bai Sixian held her hand,
"Wait a mont."
"Huh?"
Su Xiaong looked at her mother; beneath Bai Sixian’s gentle appearance, her eyes held many unspoken words.
"Earlier... about you saying you want to be a widow for Shixiu for the rest of your life... were you serious?"
"I swore it, so how could I joke about it?"
Bai Sixian furrowed her brows,
"But you’re still young. You know you’re only twenty-three, right?"
"..."
"The years ahead are long. It’s not easy to live a long life, especially when he’s already gone. Mom doesn’t want you to make such commitnts or vows prematurely—it’s unnecessary."
Bai Sixian took a deep breath, her eyes full of lancholy,
"Shuangshuang and Huanghuang will grow up and eventually fly to places they dream of, just like you."
"What will you have after that?"
Su Xiaong looked down steadily.
"The two elders from the Yin Family didn’t co today to make you swear to remain Shixiu’s wife forever. It’s just that Shixiu has only recently passed away, and with rumors of your engagent with soone from the Rong Family circulating, they felt unsettled."
"If you et soone better in the future, they won’t stop you."
"There won’t be anyone better."
Su Xiaong softly interrupted her mother.
Bai Sixian furrowed her brows in surprise.
"Mom, back when Uncle Su Jianyi went to prison, when Zhou Wenxiu had people ransack Dad’s flower shop, kill Brother Cheng, and when Dad was seriously injured during surgery and almost didn’t make it.... I saw you at that ti preparing to end it too, didn’t I?"
Bai Sixian tightened her lips as the color drained from her face.
"You thought I didn’t know, but I saw it."
Su Xiaong looked at Bai Sixian, "If Dad hadn’t pulled through back then, I wouldn’t have just lost a father. I’d have beco an orphan...right?"
Bai Sixian pursed her lips, the color draining from her face.
Su Xiaong held her gaze steadily,
"I understand the situation you’re all in."
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