CHAPTER 523: CHAPTER 356 CONCERNS

The first watch of the night had come.

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"Chuxia did the right thing," said Zhao Yulan as she hugged her daughter. "Having a sensible daughter like you, your father and I consider our lives worthwhile.

You don’t know, the biggest worry your dad and I used to have was that you only thought about yourself. Now it seems, we worried for nothing."

It wasn’t that you worried for nothing, it was that I changed... Chuxia thought to herself, but of course, she dared not say this out loud. Instead, she put on a sincere face and said, "Dad, Mom, I was immature before and caused you concern."

Zhao Yulan replied, "Worrying when you were young so we could rest easy when you’re older is much better than having it the other way around."

"Mom, are you thinking about Zhong Hongying’s situation again?" Chuxia chuckled. "Did you and dad used to be really envious of Aunt Zhong for having such a capable daughter?"

"Not at all!" The couple said in unison.

"Hehe..." Chuxia grinned contentedly.

"Chuxia, you should head back now..." Glancing at the clock and seeing it was past eight, Zhao Yulan hurried Chuxia to go back home, "Your mother-in-law is old and needs to rest early. We can’t be too inconsiderate."

"Dad, Mom, are you really okay?" Chuxia looked at her parents worriedly. "You can’t just pretend everything’s fine in front of me, and start crying your eyes out as soon as I leave."

Old Master Wan, who had come out of the study, joined in with a smile, "You really underestimate your parents. Their awareness is quite high."

"Uncle Wan understands us," Lin Baohe waved at his daughter, "Your mom and I will stay a few more days before we leave. There’s plenty of time. Your in-laws must be feeling quite upset with Xiaomi having just left. The more it’s like this, the more you need to treat that place as your home. Once you’re married, you have to consider your husband’s family’s feelings. Your mom and I will be fine no matter what."

Jing Zhe, who had been silently standing by like a setpiece, finally spoke with a smile, "The Zhou family is so fortunate to become in-laws with Uncle Lin and Auntie Zhao. Chuxia, let’s go, I’ll take you home."

With her parents so insistent, Chuxia had no choice but to obediently follow Jing Zhe out. After they left, Zhao Yulan’s brows furrowed tightly. "What’s wrong?" Lin Baohe asked.

"Although Xiao Zhe and our Chuxia are like brother and sister, him picking her up and dropping her off every day will surely lead to gossip. Even if the Zhou family members are broad-minded and don’t mind, it’s still inappropriate," Zhao Yulan let out a sigh. "I was about to bring this up just now, but I hesitated when the words were on the tip of my tongue.

You know Xiao Zhe has helped us out a lot. If I had said something like that, it would have been too hurtful, don’t you think?"

"I’ve been thinking about this too," Lin Baohe said. "I feel that once we’ve left, Chuxia won’t be able to come home every day, so there wouldn’t be a need for Xiao Zhe to pick her up and drop her off daily.

Coming back twice a week in Xiao Zhe’s car shouldn’t cause any gossip. Everyone knew about the god-parent relationship when we two families agreed to it, and the people living around here are all reputable. Surely they’re not so gossipy, right?"

Hearing Lin Baohe’s uncertain attempt to reassure Zhao Yulan, Old Master Wan laughed, "Xiao Zhe is openly going to the Zhou family’s place, and the Zhou and Jing families are aligned factions. You can rest assured. Even if there are one or two bad apples, they can’t spoil the whole pot of porridge."

"Uncle Wan is right," Zhao Yulan’s face visibly relaxed. "We were overthinking it. After our child is married, it’s impossible to avoid all social interactions. Besides, we can’t expect Chuxia to ride a bicycle to and from work alone. How could we be at peace with that? If the Zhou family were to assign a driver just for her commutes, there would probably be even more gossip. So, the current arrangement is indeed the best."

"It’s not that without Xiao Zhe’s car she would have to ride a bicycle," Wan continued. "We do have a bus that goes to Route 401, but like you said, Chuxia’s safety comes first.

It’s fine when she has the morning shift, but if she has a night shift, we wouldn’t feel comfortable letting her take the bus alone. That child is just too eye-catching..." he said, chuckling. "Sometimes, I marvel at how the two of you managed to have such a stunning daughter. If she hadn’t come out and encountered such a family, imagine how much worry she would have caused you?"

"Uncle Wan, you’ve hit the nail on the head," said Lin Baohe, instantly feeling even closer to Wan. He moved to sit nearer to him, taking his hand, and said, "It was our biggest concern, too. That’s why we tried to arrange a marriage for her early.

Turned out, it caused quite a stir and didn’t work out. But fortunately, it didn’t succeed. If it did, her whole life would have been ruined. You were so right back then. Chuxia is blessed. How else could Regimental Commander Zhou have taken a fancy to her at first sight, right?"

"Exactly, exactly..." Wan nodded again and again. "You sure are smitten with your daughter." Lin Baohe’s joyful expression suddenly froze, but Old Master Wan laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Just teasing you. This is good. If you hadn’t raised her well, how could she have such a good personality? Alright, you two should get to bed early too. I’m getting old, and I really can’t handle staying up late. I’ll go to sleep first."

"Uncle Wan, we’ll go to bed in a bit, goodnight." The couple said quickly, already accustomed to these early and late greetings from their days living in the city.

"Dong!"

The wall clock let out a somber chime, and Zhao Yulan turned her head to look, just as it struck half-past eight. Puzzled, she turned to her husband, "Uncle Wan usually goes to bed at nine o’clock, how come he’s tired so early today? Could he be feeling unwell?"

"I noticed Uncle Wan didn’t look too well just now..." Hesitating for a moment, Lin Baohe stood up, "Let’s go and check, in case the old gentleman is enduring some discomfort on his own."

Sister-in-law Yin had taken the day off, so tonight it was just the couple and Elder Wan.

Upon reaching the door, Lin Baohe was about to knock when he heard Elder Wan speaking inside. He reflexively withdrew his hand, wanting to hear what the old man was saying but feeling it wasn’t proper. Yet, by ignoring it, he worried something might be amiss with Elder Wan. He stood there frozen, unsure of what to do.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing his troubled expression, Zhao Yulan drew closer and, upon hearing the voice from inside, she too paused. However, without Lin Baohe’s reservations, she pressed her ear against the door to listen:

"...My dear, just look at how well Baohe and Yulan have raised Chuxia. Seeing them makes me think, we really failed, how did we end up raising our daughter like that?

With them here, there’s some liveliness in the house, and I have something to look forward to. My dear, why’d you have to leave so early? If you were here with me, I wouldn’t be so lonely..."

Tears streamed down Zhao Yulan’s cheeks as she silently pulled Lin Baohe away. After closing the bedroom door, the two sat in silence, lost in thought.

"Baohe, we’re luckier than Uncle Wan," Zhao Yulan said.

"Mm," Lin Baohe nodded, "How about we go back the day after tomorrow? The sooner we get things settled, the sooner we can return, and everyone will be at ease."

"Okay."

In just a few words, the couple decided on the day they would return home. They mentioned it to Chuxia early the next morning, and she was immediately stunned, "Dad, Mom, didn’t you say you’d go back in five more days? Why the rush now? Is it really so urgent? Did I do something wrong, or are you uncomfortable staying at Grandpa Wan’s home?"

"What are you thinking, child?" Zhao Yulan gave her daughter a stern look and said, "We’re doing this so we can come back sooner. Roots can’t be forgotten; the old house back home must be properly taken care of. Otherwise, your father and I won’t have peace of mind staying here."

"But does it have to be this rushed?"

"The sooner it’s dealt with, the sooner we return. Otherwise, both your mind and Uncle Wan’s will always be preoccupied with us going back. And those things you bought, they’re not good if left for too long.

Your father and I have come to an understanding. From now on, we won’t fuss over the things you give us as tokens of filial piety. In the end, we’ll repay the Zhou family with our own efforts.

And besides, your mother-in-law is right. Once families are united through marriage, they become one. We can’t have you always worrying about us. Only if we’re doing well can you live your own life at ease."

"It’s about time," Chuxia smiled happily. "I’ll let Big Brother Jing know later. All the stuff is still piled up in his little warehouse. I’ll help him get things ready tonight, so that early the day after tomorrow, I can see you off on your way home.

And, let me see if I can take some time off. If I can, I’ll come with you. After all, Big Brother Jing is driving. It doesn’t make a difference if there’s one more or one less person, and I won’t feel lonely with him as my company on the way back, right?"

"You child..." Zhao Yulan slapped her daughter lightly on the forehead, "How can you be so naive? If people see you with Xiao Zhe and think you two are a pair, how would we explain?

’That’s not my son-in-law; he’s my son-in-law’s friend.’ Everyone back home loves to gossip, you know that. They’ll start rumors about you not being proper."

"It’s so complicated..." Chuxia covered her head, her face showing her confusion. "Why does everyone have to think so much?"

"Even if others didn’t, Zhong Hongying’s mother would. With her temperament, she’d make sure the whole town knows if she couldn’t swallow her meals. Her daughter was sent back, and if you don’t lend a hand, do you really expect her to wish you well?

Chuxia, you’re an adult now. You need to think things through before acting. If you keep this up, you’re going to suffer for it. Your father and I can’t always be by your side, can we?

It’s odd. In other areas, you’re so smart; how can you be such a blockhead with this? Ah, you’re really worrying me to death. How can I be at ease..."

Her mother’s endless nagging got on Chuxia’s nerves, and she looked desperately at Lin Baohe for help.

"That’s enough, Yulan," he said. "Uncle Wan will be back soon, your breakfast..."

"The breakfast is ready!" Zhao Yulan shot a glance at her husband, "Just go along with her, will you? When she suffers for it, we’ll see where your regret gets you." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for recommendation and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)