Seventeen years ago on the rainy day.
Old Mister Sheng’s old illness broke out again. The doctor informed them about his condition. Old Madame Sheng was worried that her husband couldn’t meet their son and daughter-in-law for the last time. She knew clearly that day the rain was so heavy. It would be dangerous to drive. But she still called him. He was in Zhang Jia Jie, and he and his family just rushed home.
At last they didn’t meet their son and daughter-in-law. They just got a grievous news.
Old Madame Sheng thinks about the past and couldn’t help to start to cry.
Old Madame Yan wipes her tears: “This is fate.” That year she also blamed Sheng family for this incident that makes her loses her daughter and daughter-in-law. They were not in good relationship.
But as the time passes by, she suddenly understands. This should be fate. It’s not only her that feels sad because of it, Sheng family also experiences the same feeling.
It’s just every night, Old Madame Yan keeps on thinking. In her life, she always tries to be good and generous. She never does anything that is mean. How can God punish her this way?
They both clutches each other hands. Old Madame Jing also feels sad. Maybe it’s because of her old age, she can easily become emotional.
Ye Qing Xin comes out from the kitchen with a crystal fruit bowl. She could notice the sad atmosphere in the living room. She could guess what was happening.
They probably think about the accident.
Ye Qing Xin also feels sad because of it.
She thinks about it and smiles. She uses her happiest tone: “Yan Nai Nai and Sheng Nai Nai, are you guys feel touched and cry that I went away to wash grapes for you?”
She puts down the bowl. She takes two sheets of tissues and passes to them. She smiles: “I’m so embarrassed that you are so moved by this. If you don’t dislike it. Then next time I’ll bring even more to your mansion and wash it cleanly for you guys okay?”
Ye Qing Xin’s words are not a joke. It’s just her clear face shows her innocent that let Old Madame Sheng feels hard to resist. Old Madame Yan snorts and takes tissue to wipe her tears. She cannot help but to blame her: “Your words are pleasant to hear. But since the last time you went to Nai Nai house, after that you never come over again!”
Ye Qing Xin moves closer to Old Madame Yan and holds her arm to act like a spoiled child: “I just think that Nai Nai has Qiao Qiao Jie by your side? I am afraid to add trouble to come over.”
“What trouble.” Old Madame Yan holds Ye Qing Xin’s hand: “even you are a trouble, but you are the small trouble that Nai Nai likes.”
Old Madame Yan says again: “Then in the future , Xin Xin needs to come to give trouble for Nai Nai, okay?”
Her tone shows her pain and longing.
Ye Qing Xin feels sad for her and nods.
Old Madame Yan is happy.
Old Madame Sheng watches Ye Qing Xin’s face for a while, then says: “No wonder that you like this girl. She looks like Tong Tong.”
Old Madame Yan says: “Right, you also think that way right. There’s a lot of people in this world. There’ll should be one or two that looks similar. Xin Xin looks like our Tong Tong. It should be fate that I met her.”
Old Madame Sheng nods. She doesn’t know whether it’s because of her poor sight, but she feels that this little girl not only looks similar to Tong TOng but also her Wen Jun. She doesn’t know what part of her that makes them look a like. But she feels that way.
In the past she never looks at this girl this closely.
“Xin Xin, where are you come from?”
Ye Qing Xin smiles: “S city, T town.”
“It’s quite far from here.” Old Madame Sheng seems to remember something and she says: “Xin Xin, for that day matter. It’s Qing You’s fault. We spoil her too much. Now she is in Qing City. The day she was there, she was being robbed, she was also hit. She has been hospitalized for several days. This should be her karma. Xin Xin, you are a good kid. Please forgive her.”
Yu Qing You was hit?
Ye Qing Xin is startled.
She just smiles and says: “Sheng Nai Nai, if you don’t mention it, I already forget about it. Moreover for that incident, I didn’t really suffer a loss too.”
Old Madame Sheng smiles and looks at Old Madame Jing: “Your granddaughter is really a wonderful person, she can speak well.”
Old Madame Jing just smiles but her eyes show her proud. She then asks Old Madame Sheng: “Is Qing You okay now? Those robbers are caught yet?”
Old Madame Sheng sighs: “She just being discharged yesterday. She broke her rib. It should be recover soon. The robbers are the habitual offenders, Qing You is unlucky.”
Old Madame Jing wants to ask further, but Ji Yi comes out from the kitchen: “It will be dinner time soon. Ma, you can take Yan Bo Mu (Auntie Yan), Sheng Bo Mu (Auntie Sheng) and Xin Xin to the dining room. I’ll go up to call Pa and others.”
Old Madame Jing asks: “Fen Fen, Xian Xian, Suo Suo, are not home yet.”
Ji Yi says: “No need to mind them. I just called them. Fen Fen is at Qing City, Xian Xian and Suo Suo have things to do. They will not go home.”
Very quickly, Ji Yi goes up. She then goes down with group of old and young men. Jing Bo Yuan walks at last.
The dining room is very spacious. It is designed in ancient european style. In the middle, there’s a round table with two meter fifty centimeter radius. There’re around tenth chair. Ye Qing Xin feels that she is in five-star restaurant.
During the dinner, Old Madame Jing and Old Madame Yan seem to be afraid that Ye Qing Xin will not be full. They keep on taking food for her. Halfway the dinner, Ye Qing Xin already feels so full.
But once again Old Madame Yan picks another crab sticks to her bowl. Ye Qing Xin is having a hard time: “Nai Nai, I’m full.” She is afraid that Old Madame Yan doesn’t trust her. Ye Qing Xin says it with serious tone: “Really.”
Old Madame Yan looks at her pointy chin: “Look,you are so thin. Eat more.” She says it and takes another slice of beef stewed in soy sauce.
“……..” Ye Qing Xin’s left hand secretly pulls Jing Bo Yuan’s sleeve on his elbow.
Jing Bo Yuan turns her head and looks at her face that is suffering bitterly.
She doesn’t say anything and he just directly takes her bowl to his front. He says to Old Madame Yan: “Xin Xin cannot finish it. I’ll help her to eat.”
Old Madame Yan cannot help to smile when she looks at how intimate they are. She doesn’t force Ye Qing Xin to eat again.
After the dinner.
Several men go upstair to continue their chess game. Ji Yi prepares tea and brings it up.
Ye Qing Xin follows Old Madame Jing to accompany both Old Madame Yan and Old Madame Sheng to chat. Young people usually feels bored to chat with elders. But Ye Qing Xin is calm and doesn’t show any boring. She keeps on listening to their talk. She smiles when she listens to them.
After quite sometime.
There’s a doorbell.
The maid answers the intercom and says to the people in the living room: “Ms Gu is here.”
Gu Qiao comes inside and changes her shoes to slippers.
The maid takes high-class boxes from Gu Qiao and follows her inside: “Old Madame, Ms Gu bought you a lot of nutriments. She is thoughtful.”
Old Madame Jing looks indifferent.
With Jing family’s situation. They are not lacking of anything. They don’t see the gifts but the one that gives it.
Someone that closes to her, if he/she just gives her an apple. She will also be happy. But for someone that is not so close to her, even he/she gives her a gold chair, she will not take it to her heart.
But since Gu Qiao bring something, it shows her kindly feeling. Old Madame Jing just smiles and says politely: “Qiao Qiao, you take a lot of trouble over this.”
Gu Qiao smiles and comes forward to greet everyone: “Jing Nai Nai, Sheng Nai Nai, Nai Nai….” then lastly she looks at Ye Qing Xin: “Xin Xin.”
Ye Qing Xin stands up and greets her: “Qiao Qiao Jie.”
Old Madame Jing smiles: “Sit down. Don’t stand there.”
Ye Qing Xin sits down and Gu Qiao goes beside Old Madame Yan and sits down beside her.
“Why are you here?” Old Madame Yan holds Gu Qiao’s hand and asks.
Gu Qiao smiles: “I come to pick Nai Nai and Ye Ye to go home. A day without meeting you, can make me miss you to death. I was impatient and came over to pick you.”
Old Madame Yan smiles: “It’s not even a day. This afternoon, we had lunch together right?”
Gu Qiao smiles: “I am not lying. Not meeting you a day, it’s like three round of spring. Half day will be half spring.”
Old Madame Yan pokes her head: “You kid, your words are too sweet!”
Gu Qiao jokes, “Nai Nia, do you prepare to throw me away after you have Xin Xin?”
Old Madame Yan laughs, Old Madame Sheng and Old Madame Jing are laughing too. Old Madame Sheng says: “You are closer with your god-granddaughter more than me and my granddaughter.”
Old Madame Yan smiles and looks at Gu Qiao.
Gu Qiao looks at the remaining red grapes on the table, she takes one and eats it: “Nai Nai, if you don’t want me anymore, then just give me to Jing Nai Nai. Jing Nai Nai’s grape is sweeter than ours.”
This girl is so smart in giving elders happiness.
Old Madame Yan glares at her: “You can be bribed with just a grape?”
Gu Qiao gurgles: “Nai Nai since you are unwilling, then you need to be better to me. Love me more?”
The atmosphere in the living room turn more relaxing and happier.
Old Madame Jing laughs and says to Gu Qiao: “This grape is bought by Xin Xin. If you like it then you should go follow our Xin Xin.”
Old Madame Jing’s words show her proud feeling toward Ye Qing Xin. She is showing off Ye Qing Xin.
Gu Qiao is a smart one, of course she notices it.
She feels somewhat disappear that Old Madame Jing seems not really happy to receive her gift. Gu Qiao hides her feeling, she smiles and says to Ye Qing Xin: “It should be inconvenient for Xin Xin if I follow. I don’t want to be the third-wheel.”
Ye Qing Xin just laughs.
She sits down for a while.
Gu Qiao just notices that Old Mister Yan is nowhere to be seen: “Where’s Ye Ye?”
Old Madame Jing replies: “He is upstair, he is playing chess with others. If not you can follow Xin Xin upstairs. You guys keep on accompanying us the elders, you should be boried.”
Gu Qiao smiles: “I want to go up to watch them play chess, but it’s not because I’m bored with Nai Nai. Jing Nai Nai you shouldn’t think that way about us…”
Old Madame Jing smiles: “Xin Xin, go up with Qiao Qiao.”
Ye Qing Xin nods: “em.”
Gu Qiao stands up and holds Ye Qing Xin’s hand: “Let’s go.”
Old Madame Yan looks that they are in good relationship, she feels happy: “Gu Qiao seems to be in good relationship with your granddaughter-in-law.”
Old Madame Jing says: “Your Qiao Qiao is also a good woman. This late night she personally drives the car to pick you guys. She is filial toward you guys.”
Old Madame Yan is happy and says: “Em, Qiao Qiao is good. Luckily, she doesn’t grow up like her mother.”
Old Madame Jing: “Your god-daughter-in-law indeed it’s not a good one. She is very unkind. But your god-son is good. He knows to be grateful. You don’t need mind other as long as your god-son and god-granddaughter are sincere. A Huang Wei Juan also cannot do anything.”