Chapter 1813 - 1813: Live to a Ripe Old Age
The other grandchildren came over to Xia Jun one by one to kowtow and say their well wishes as they received their red packets. Qiao Mei was the last one and brought Xia Fan and Xia Xing over to Xia Jun, saying, “Babies, greet Great-grandfather~
‘Great-grandfather!” Xia Xing shouted out with a crisp voice. Although she could not articulate the words clearly, it was enough for everyone to know who she was addressing.
“Good, good, good! My darling baby! Great-grandfather has prepared a big gift for you! I don’t know if you like it?” Xia Jun happily took out a box from his pocket. Inside was one of Wu Min’s belongings, a gold hairpin with jade inlay.
“Grandfather, this is really too valuable. She’s still so young and can’t accept such a valuable gift. You can give it to her when she’s older,” Qiao Mei said in a panic.
“l don’t even know if I’ll still be around when she’s older! If I don’t give it to her now, I might not have the chance! I think it is a good time to give it to her! This is my gift to her for the new year!” Xia Jun said.
“Pfft, pfft, pfft! What nonsense is Grandfather saying! Gosh, pfft, pfft! Grandfather still has to stick around and see Xia Fan and Xia Xing grow up!’ Qiao Mei said anxiously.
“l have indeed said something wrong just now. I’ll punish myself with a drink!” Xia Jun picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. He took out Xia Fan’s gift from his other pocket. It was his first merit medal from his younger days. Even Xia Mao had never seen it before, which was enough to show how much Xia Jun cherished and doted on Xia Fan.
“Thank you, Grandfather,” Qiao Mei said happily.
Just as the family was enjoying themselves, there was another knock on the door. Could it be that there were other members of the Xia family coming back for the new year gathering?
Qiao Mei looked in the direction of the noise and realized that the entire Shao family was here. Moreover, Shao Yin was carrying a baby in her arms.
“It’s been a long time. How are you, in-law? It’s the new year and we’re here so that you can have a family reunion,” Shao Zhuang said as he looked at Xia Guang.
Xia Wen and Xia Xing were still smiling just now, but their expressions had darkened by now. Since the Shao family had come at this time, it must be about that matter. They thought they had already settled that matter clearly.
This child’s father could not be either of them. Xia Xing had even fanned the rumor about him being infertile, but it looked like this Shao family just would not give up.
“Uncle Shao, what are you talking about? Why is it that we don’t understand what you’re saying? I wonder who among you is our family member?” Qiao Mei asked.
“Of course it’s this child! Who else can it be?” Shao Zhuang questioned.
“Impossible! This is definitely not my child!” Xia Xing said agitatedly as he pointed at the child in Shao Yin’s arms.
“This child was conceived during that period when we lived together. This is your son! If you don’t believe me, come and see if he looks like you when you were young!” Shao Yin said.
Xia Guang had been in the army for most of his life and did not care about his family matters at all. Among the people present, only Xu Lan and Liu Fang had seen Xia Xing when he was young.
“Let me take a look,” Xu Lan said.
She walked over and carried the child. This child really resembled Xia Xing when he was young and looked like he was carved from the same mold.
However, she knew she could not confirm that this was Xia Xings child.
“l can’t tell. It’s been too long. I can’t remember what he looked like when he was young,” Xu Lan said with a guilty conscience.
Qiao Mei looked at Xu Lan’s expression and knew what was going on. She looked at Shao Yin and said, “It’s been so long, but you only come over during the new year. What are you trying to do? If this is Xia Xings child, why didn’t you come and look for us the moment he was born but only come now?”
“The child was very weak after he was born! We have to ensure that the child is safe and sound first! Otherwise, how can we forgive ourselves if the child dies!” Shao Yin said.
“But we all saw with our own eyes what happened with you and your cousin when all of you were at my house. Who knows who the father of this child is?” Qiao Mei questioned.
For a moment, there was a deadlock. Xia Jun did not want to deal with these trivial family issues on such a festive occasion. He said impatiently, “The Xia family has already split up. Since this is my third son’s family matter, Xia Guang can handle it himself. Go back to your own house and settle your own issue. Don’t cause trouble for me here.’
The family members of the Xia family’s eldest and second sons went back to their seats obediently. They quietly waited for Xia Guang and Xia Xing to leave
with the Shao family..