CHAPTER 671: CHAPTER 451 PERSUASION

It was already the first watch of the night.

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"Mom’s right, that’s what I think too," Chuxia paused for a moment, then smiled bashfully at everyone, "At my age, thinking like this, I won’t seem too pathetic, will I?"

Lin Yanqiu deliberately rolled her eyes at her: "By that logic, do you think Mom is pathetic?"

"No, no... Mom gave up her career for the family, my situation is different. Uh, I’ve finished eating, and I’d like to go see Grandpa Wan, is that okay?"

Old Master Wan was supposed to come to the Zhou family for a gathering last night, but his daughter and granddaughter arrived in the afternoon, so he couldn’t make it to the Zhou’s.

Lin Yanqiu knew about the bond between Chuxia and Old Master Wan, and didn’t want to make it difficult for her, so she waved her off smilingly, "I’m just teasing you, you look so scared, go ahead."

Yingying slid off the chair in a hurry, worried about whether it would be convenient at Old Master Wan’s place. Zhou Xikang scooped her up, saying, "Yingying, today your eldest maternal uncle will take you to kindergarten, okay?"

After a moment’s hesitation, Yingying looked towards Chuxia. Seeing her nod, the child cheerfully agreed, "Okay."

Chuxia laughed to herself, realizing the child was not utterly dependent on her; as long as someone cared for her, she’d be very happy. Alas, she had been too presumptuous after all.

"Let’s go." Mikang had already gone upstairs to fetch her backpack and, draping her shoulder, began walking out with her, their harmonious and natural synergy inviting envy in Yu Tao’s eyes.

Noticing his wife’s expression, Zhou Xikang, holding Yingying’s hand in his left and draping his right arm around his wife’s shoulder, said with a smile, "Taozi, let’s go." Even their words were the same, making Yu Tao’s face turn red, and in her flurry, she knocked his hand off her shoulder and scampered out the door.

"Tsk tsk, everyone is so affectionate. It seems I must also hurry up," Zhou Huakang said as he stood up to say goodbye to the elders.

In a blink, only a few elders remained in the hall.

Old Madam Zhou then looked at Zhou Shanping who was attempting to leave: "Stay a while, your mother has something to say to you."

"Hmm," muttered Zhou Shanping gloomily, sitting back down.

Seeing this, the second aunt, Liang Xiaohong, made the excuse that she was running out of time and hurriedly dashed out, to the amusement and exasperation of Old Madam Zhou.

Lin Yanqiu felt conflicted as she sat there. What excuse could she find to leave?

At this point, it would be inappropriate for her to stay, yet if she just got up and left, wouldn’t Zhou Shanping feel awkward when he saw her in the future?

She understood her brother-in-law all too well. With his gentle demeanor and scant words, when he was in a bind, nothing anyone said would help. It seemed that Chuxia’s explanation had indeed eased some of the pressure in his heart, but for the moment, he couldn’t get over the hit to his pride. Perhaps that’s why the old lady wanted to talk to him alone, wasn’t it?

Seeing her dilemma, Old Madam Zhou said cheerfully, "Yanqiu, don’t overthink it. We’re all family, there’s nothing to hide."

"Mom, I’m not overthinking..." As she spoke, Lin Yanqiu herself felt her words lacked conviction, so she chose to close her mouth and remain silent.

"Shanping, you know why I kept you here, don’t you?" Old Madam Zhou asked.

"I know."

Old Madam Zhou pressed on: "Why?"

"I shouldn’t have let Qin Mei come to our door. If I hadn’t avoided the situation, she wouldn’t have come to make a scene. Even though things are clear now, but..." Zhou Shanping bit his lip, "but I indeed handled it poorly."

Old Madam Zhou continued to probe: "What did you handle poorly?"

"I shouldn’t have thought about settling for her just because I was lonely at the time, without really understanding her."

"Slap!"

Old Master Zhou suddenly stood up and gave Zhou Shanping a hefty slap across the face. Everyone except Old Madam Zhou, including Zhou Jingping and his wife and Zhou Gangping, was shocked and had no idea what had triggered the old man’s anger.

"Repeat what you just said?!" Old Master Zhou said, trembling with rage.

"Dad." Zhou Shanping looked at his father, baffled, not understanding where he had gone wrong.

Old Madam Zhou sighed and turned to Old Master Zhou, "At your age, you still have such a hot temper. Sit down and talk to him slowly. You know what his temper and his mind are like. If he could understand and clear it up, he wouldn’t have torn his family apart at his age."

"Mom, where did I go wrong? Could you give me a hint?" Zhou Shanping turned his helpless gaze toward Old Madam Zhou, looking like a pitiful child.

Her heart softened immediately, as no matter how old her child was, he was still a child in a mother’s eyes. She sighed, "Right now, all you’re thinking about is shirking responsibility. Have you truly considered that in this matter, the one most at fault is actually you?"