“Mom, I’ve always been good. I never cause trouble,” Zhu Yanyi raised her hand first to protest.
“Mom, Ani and I never argued when we were little, and we never went out to cause trouble either,” Zhu Yanli answered with a smile.
Zhu Zhibin also spoke up: “Mom, I don’t remember ever causing trouble.”
Xie Xinlian looked at the three who were dragging their feet and said directly, “When you were babies, you peed and pooped every day, making everything dirty. Didn’t I have to clean it all up?”
(⊙o⊙)… Isn’t that normal? Every baby is like that.
The three siblings looked at each other and fell silent. There was no way to argue. The mother was the boss at home. If she said the sun was square, everyone had to agree with her.
Seeing the three stay quiet, Xie Xinlian was satisfied and let them go.
Zhu Yanyi whispered to the side, “I feel like Mom is spoiled a bit too much by Dad.”
“It’s okay. I spoil you too,” Yan Aohan answered softly.
The meal ended with warmth filling the room. Only Zhu Zhibin complained that being alone was too lonely. Just then, the baby monkey cried. He quickly picked it up and laughed, saying, “Now only my nephew and I are keeping each other company.”
After eating, everyone helped clean up and then sat in the living room.
Zhu Xinfu had recovered about seventy or eighty percent. As long as he persisted, he would fully recover soon.
“Grandpa, you don’t need medicine anymore. Just eat medicinal food every few days. The most important thing now is rest. You can go out and practice Tai Chi every day,” Zhu Yanyi said with a smile.
Yan Aohan added, “Grandpa, has the welfare from above been distributed to you on time?”
“Yes. They even offered to arrange a house for me, but I refused. I didn’t make a huge contribution back then, so why should I take a house? Besides, I haven’t spent much time with my son in recent years. I want to spend this time with him. After this period of closeness, my wife and I will find a quiet house to live in by ourselves.” Zhu Xinfu was not stubborn. He was educated. Although living with sons was traditional, he believed that distance makes the heart grow fonder, while closeness breeds contempt.
Zhu Xinfu knew he was staying with his son because his health wasn’t fully recovered yet. If he stayed too long after recovering, there might be arguments. It was better to find a separate house. Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Gathering during festivals was enough.
Zhu Shun Yao was unhappy: “Dad, what are you saying? I am your son. If I don’t support you, and you live with Mom alone, people will point fingers at me.”
“I’m not saying you can’t care for me. I just feel that your mother and I missed over forty years together. Now that we can finally be together, we should enjoy our time as a couple. You are grown up. Why follow us?” Zhu Xinfu said with a look of disdain.
Zhu Shun Yao wanted to say more, but Zhu Xinfu waved his hand: “Enough. I’m not saying I’ll go far away. I’ll still stay in the capital. My wife and I just want a quiet life. If we get tired of it, maybe we’ll come back here.”
Zhu Yanyi thought for a moment and said, “Grandpa, what kind of house do you want? I can help you get one.”
“Your grandmother and I are old. We don’t care much for modern houses. An old-style residential house would be best,” Zhu Xinfu said after thinking.
Yan Aohan smiled: “That’s easy. Grandpa doesn’t know, but I really liked courtyard houses for a while, so I bought more than ten. There is one courtyard house that isn’t very big. It was converted from an old residential building. It has two courtyards and three main rooms, plus a large yard. You two can grow flowers or raise chickens there. After renovation, besides the main hall, living room, and dining room, there are three or four bedrooms. Guests can stay there if you have any.”
“That sounds good,” Zhu Xinfu said seriously. “I’d like to see it.”
Yan Aohan added, “The house isn’t far from this villa. It’s only three streets away. It will be easy for Dad and Mom to visit you.”
“Then let’s go see the house tomorrow?” Zhu Shun Yao decided immediately. Since his father wanted to live with his mother, he wouldn’t stop them, as long as he could take care of them daily.
Yan Aohan nodded: “I’ll come early tomorrow to take Dad and you to see it. If you like it, I’ll have the ownership transferred.”
“You can transfer it, but you must charge money,” Zhu Shun Yao glared at Yan Aohan. “The house is still yours.”
“Alright,” Yan Aohan understood Zhu Shun Yao’s character, so he didn’t rush to refuse the money.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t discuss this matter. The house was Yan Aohan’s, so he could do as he pleased
“It’s settled. We’ll go see the house tomorrow,” Zhu Xinfu said. He wanted to see the new house too.
“Okay. I’ll pick you up early tomorrow,” Yan Aohan set the time. He could leave the next evening anyway.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Yan Aohan but didn’t stop their arrangement.
Zhu Xinfu seemed to remember something and said, “By the way, I have something to show you. Wait a moment.” Zhu Xinfu stood up, went back to his room, and came out holding a box.
Yan Aohan was slightly surprised. He knew this box well. It was the one they found under the camphor tree at the village entrance when they went to the Zhu family in Zhu City.
Zhu Xinfu placed the box on the coffee table: “Little Yan should know this box.”
“Yes. I remember when Uncle Tai and I went to pick you up, Grandpa, you asked me to find it under the camphor tree at the village entrance. You said it was very important,” Yan Aohan said seriously.
Zhu Xinfu chuckled: “Yes. I hid this box for over forty years. Over forty years ago, I suffered a disaster, and this was half the reason.”
Zhu Xinfu paused: “You must have heard the rumor that Zhu Yongfu once saw fragments of the future.”
Yan Aohan nodded slightly: “I’ve heard it. It was said that Zhu Yongfu disappeared for a while. When he returned, he said he went to a place and saw fragments of the future.”
Zhu Xinfu nodded: “It’s not a rumor. It’s true.” This matter had been buried in Zhu Xinfu’s heart for over forty years. Now he could finally speak it out.
“Zhu Yongfu accidentally entered a narrow rift. There was nothing else in the rift except a mirror. In the mirror, he saw the future of the Zhu family. The main branch of the Zhu family was not in Zhu City, but in Sicheng Town. And the decision-maker of the Zhu family was not my brother Enfu, but me,” Zhu Xinfu said with a bitter smile.