CHAPTER 300: CHAPTER 270: THE FIRST BIRTHDAY CHOICE (PART 2)

Yin Meng suggested from the side.

These words made Yin Shixiu a little curious too.

So then...

Little water gun, fountain pen, small hoe, piano, cello, little basketball...

"Um... it really does seem a bit too much, cough, cough."

Yin Meng said dryly.

Yin Shixiu, however, couldn’t stop laughing, seemingly quite proud of his son stuffing everything into his own hands.

"He’ll definitely be remarkable when he grows up, able to master everything."

Bai Fengmao laughed.

Prince Huang didn’t understand what "grabbing on the first birthday" meant and just realized he couldn’t hold everything in his arms.

Only then did he reluctantly drop a ball down.

"Is Shuangshuang not able to choose anything?"

Su Xiaomeng quickly patted Shuangshuang, who had stopped crying, and said, "Shuangshuang, look at the things in your brother’s hands, if you want something, go and take one."

Shuangshuang shook her head, she didn’t want anything; she just wanted her mom.

"Shuangshuang..."

"Mom..."

"Mom... want Mom..."

Shuangshuang whispered into Su Xiaomeng’s ear, causing Su Xiaomeng to feel touched for a moment.

"Shuangshuang, Mommy is right here."

"...Okay."

Shuangshuang nodded, still lying on Su Xiaomeng’s shoulder, showing no interest in the items Prince Huang had put down on the table.

In the end, Shuangshuang didn’t do the first birthday grab.

She stopped eating, stopped making noise, stopped smiling, just lay on Su Xiaomeng, and no one could take her away.

After that, Zhou Mengqin explained the reason to Su Xiaomeng, and Su Xiaomeng immediately glared at Yin Shixiu, "You scared her with such tricks, that could really frighten her."

"Shuangshuang isn’t that timid."

"Then look at how she is now."

Su Xiaomeng muttered, clearly reproaching Yin Shixiu for overdoing it.

Yin Shixiu didn’t care, believing that showering the children with constant affection wasn’t right, and that they must understand that even parents could leave if they disobeyed.

With a sense of fear, the incident of hitting a mom would never happen again.

After the banquet ended, Yin Shixiu escorted everyone out of the hotel, leaving Xiao Meng in the room with the two kids.

Shuangshuang, exhausted from crying, fell asleep and stayed quiet for a long while after.

Looking at the crib, Su Xiaomeng felt a bit of heartache seeing the woman’s red eyes, but at the same time felt a sweet warmth.

It seemed this daughter wasn’t raised in vain.

Compared to Shuangshuang, Prince Huang appeared much calmer.

He ate, slept, and participated in the first birthday grab as usual, completely unaffected.

"Mom..."

Sleeping Shuangshuang mumbled, making an almost inaudible sound.

And this sound hit Su Xiaomeng right in the heart.

Unconsciously, she bent down and kissed her daughter.

"Silly girl, how could Mom ever not want you..."

When Yin Shixiu returned after sending off the relatives, he saw this warm scene, his eyes full of tenderness, as he walked over to Su Xiaomeng...

Su Xiaomeng looked up upon hearing him, "Everyone’s gone?"

"Yes."

"Then let’s go home too."

"Yes... but hold on, there are a few words I want to say about your Second Uncle."

Yin Shixiu gazed at her, saying.

Even if Yin Shixiu didn’t say it now, Su Xiaomeng would inevitably ask when they got home.

What was the mysterious testing of her Second Uncle about?

Su Xiaomeng pulled over a chair to sit, resting her arms on the back of the chair as she looked at him, "Go ahead."

Yin Shixiu didn’t sit; he just stood there, "In the future, if anyone from your Second Uncle’s family wants to meet with you alone, do not agree; I must be present."

"...Though I wouldn’t meet them alone, either way..."

Su Xiaomeng’s brows furrowed slightly, "It’s as if he’s right, he really did offend you! Haha!"

"He didn’t offend me; he offended your mom."

Su Xiaomeng was taken aback for a moment.

"It’s not just Bai Zhenghan’s family, but also Bai Zhengxiang’s family; if they want to see you alone, you must refuse without hesitation."

At this point, Su Xiaomeng wasn’t entirely clueless...

"Back then, when my mom left home and was separated from my grandfather for twenty years... was it because of them?"

Yin Shixiu crouched down, holding her hand, "The Bai Family and the Yin Family are alike; the surface peace among relatives is a facade that anyone can put on, but who is sincere and who is not, few can discern."

"Do you think... they would harm me?"

"They can’t harm you as long as you listen to me."

"You didn’t understand my attitude towards Bai Zhenghan today, right?"

"Hmm, it’s a bit impulsive for you."

"Though a bit childish, I achieved my goal. I wanted to know how much fear Bai Zhenghan has for me, not for my parents, not for the Yin Family, but for me."

Su Xiaomeng looked into his eyes, and it seemed that in just that moment, she understood everything.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around Yin Shixiu’s neck. "So, dear husband, did you figure out how afraid he is of you?"

"Very much so."

"We weren’t there back then, so it’s hard to say, but I can be sure that it was those two men, who appear so noble, pushing things from behind the scenes."

"Bai Sixian acknowledged his ancestry, and you called Mr. Bai ’Grandfather.’ You gained extra love, but for Bai Zhengxiang and Bai Zhenghan’s families, it’s nothing but an unimagined threat and detriment."

"If they can use tactics against their own sister, what more against you?"

"They... are afraid that by entering the Bai Family, I would harm their interests? But I never thought about getting anything from Grandfather..."

Yin Shixiu reached out and pinched her cheek, "If you were just Su Xiaomeng, a niece brought back by a long-lost sister, they wouldn’t be afraid... But now you have me."

"And having you, what does that mean?"

"Having me means whatever you want, I’ll fight for it for you."

Not long after the birthday banquet, Bai Zhenghan actually contacted Su Xiaomeng privately, wanting to invite her to his home for a meal.

And Su Xiaomeng, following Yin Shixiu’s advice, did not go.

Both Bai Zhenghan and Bai Zhengxiang, who she called uncles, whatever intentions they had for her, she wouldn’t speculate.

Even what Yin Shixiu said, she didn’t take as completely correct.

The human heart is deeper than the sea and more tangled than a mess of threads.

Even with the husband she admired, she didn’t believe he could quite grasp and discern Bai Zhengxiang and Bai Zhenghan’s sinister plans towards her.

But...

She knew Yin Shixiu was right about one thing.

When their parents suffered those torments, even though they weren’t there, it’s not hard to guess that someone was pulling strings.

Mom had a father who held her as a treasure, and she had three brothers.

How could she end up expelled from the family just for loving an ordinary man?

Many things, it’s not that they’re unsolvable mysteries; as long as you think a little more, you can see clearly and distinctly.

After Bai Zhenghan was turned away, he didn’t bother seeking out Su Xiaomeng again for a while.

And Su Xiaomeng didn’t take this second uncle too seriously either. Speaking of which... who asked her to marry into a family as large as the Yin Family?

Relatives are indeed plenty.

The sweltering August wasn’t as unbearable as imagined, at least not for Su Xiaomeng.

With summer vacation, staying at home with the air conditioner, taking care of the kids, studying English vocabulary for two hours each day, and practicing speaking for an hour.

In her spare time, she studied the children’s diet more.

Yin Shixiu wasn’t as comfortable as her, with meetings every few days, one day a project, the next a proposal...

In short, he couldn’t be idle.

Shuangshuang and Huanghuang are growing fast; they seem different every week.

Children’s clothes change frequently too.

On a weekend when Yin Shixiu was free, Su Xiaomeng left the children to him and went out with Ah Su, planning to buy some clothes for Shuangshuang and Huanghuang.

They walked into a large mall. Even looking up at ninety degrees, she couldn’t see the top, yet it was so large, the air conditioning was amply cool.

Ah Su wasn’t much older than Su Xiaomeng, and Su Xiaomeng didn’t act like a Young Madam. The two were like best friends, walking arm in arm through the baby clothing stores.

Children’s clothes all looked nice, but more than the appearance, Xiaomeng valued the fabric.

It’s summer now, and Shuangshuang and Huanghuang only wear one piece of clothing at home, all close to their skin.

"Take those two sets down for me to see."

Su Xiaomeng pointed to two sets of baby clothes on the wall, and the shop assistant enthusiastically took them down.

Ah Su leaned over and touched them carefully. While the two were discussing, a graceful figure caught Su Xiaomeng’s peripheral vision.

Her eyes involuntarily looked up, following the elegant figure...

Su Xiaomeng blinked, as if suspecting she saw it wrong, and stood there staring for a long time...

"Young Madam, what are you looking at?"

Ah Su asked hurriedly.

"Nothing..."

Su Xiaomeng said as she confirmed that the woman was Guo Tong, her cousin.

After all, with such looks and temperament, she thought, she was striking in any crowd.

Curiosity filled her mind...

Looking at the branded shopping bags she was holding...

Which item under those brands wouldn’t surpass four figures?

How could she be in Beijing? And how could she be here?

Plus... did she strike it rich? Buying so many things...

Su Xiaomeng didn’t dare to make wild guesses.

Back in Bali Island, when Yin Shixiu finally didn’t let her join the Yin Family business, it actually upset the whole cousin’s family.

Actually, their displeasure was unreasonable. Even though Yin Shixiu is her husband, it doesn’t mean they must go along with it and do this unnecessary favor.

After that, the cousin’s family stopped contacting theirs.

Now encountering her in this big mall, Xiaomeng really felt like she had seen a ghost.

"Ma’am, do you want these clothes or not?"

The shop assistant gently asked, bringing back Su Xiaomeng’s drifting attention.

"Oh, okay, please pack them for me."

Su Xiaomeng said and handed the card to Ah Su for payment.

The shop assistant’s eyes curved into smiles, taking a small toy nearby and putting it into the shopping bag, "This is a gift, perfect for a slightly over one-year-old to play with."