Chapter Forty-Eight: An Eye for an Eye

Tangtang looked at her older brother and sister, then frowned and asked, "Sun Shuyin, what are you doing?"

"I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year. We're neighbors, and we're the same age, so we should get along well."

"Harmony my ass!" Tangtang glared at her and said, "Get out of here, or I'll make you yell at me."

Sun Shuyin appeared calm and composed, but her heart was pounding and her hands were trembling slightly. Her father had given her a task yesterday, and she hadn't slept a wink all night. The Su family seemed amiable, but they'd never been polite to the Sun family.

“It’s really inappropriate for you to be here,” He Xu said, his deep, magnetic voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable strength. “Leave now, don’t make trouble for yourself.”

"Don't you know what kind of relationship our two families have?" He Yi spoke up, pointing to the front door. "Our two families can never get along. Now, let's leave."

"Sister Heyi,"

The three siblings were all well-educated and reasonable, but they never gave her a kind look. If Sun Yaozu had come, they would have chased him away with a broom long ago. Sun Yaozu understood this as well, and he himself wouldn't have dared to come.

He Xu stood at the front, pointing to the main gate to let her go. Looking at the boy who was more than a head taller than her, her original plan could not be carried out, so she had no choice but to leave the Su family courtyard.

Without arguing with her any longer, they simply chased her away, and the three siblings returned home. He Xu made tea for her grandparents and brought out various snacks made by her mother. She sat down with them, drinking tea and chatting. It was authentic Pu'er tea, and the family drank cup after cup.

He Yi got up to use the restroom and called her younger sister to come with her. He Xu also got up and followed, and the three siblings left the house together. The restroom wasn't far away, and after finishing, He Yi walked ahead. With firecrackers going off everywhere, she didn't hear any footsteps. As soon as she stepped out of the restroom, someone pounced on her.

"Ouch!" He Yi cried out in pain. Tangtang quickly came over and pulled Sun Shuyin, who was rushing towards her, away from leaning on her sister.

"Sun Shuyin, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Shuyin stood up straight and apologized hastily, then turned and left.

He Yi covered her head: "Hair, hair."

She suddenly remembered that her mother had written to her and her brother, telling them to be extremely careful with their hair and blood, and absolutely not to let anyone else take them. The pain in her scalp had just returned, and she immediately recalled it.

He Xu remembered his mother's words and immediately chased after her. The boy was tall and had long legs, and he caught up with Sun Shuyin at the gate of the Sun family's house.

Give me back my hair.

The girl hid her hands behind her back: "I don't know what you're talking about, what hair?"

He Xu was sensible from a young age, and because he had two younger sisters, he was especially gentle with girls. He was a little anxious at this moment, but he still reasoned with her.

“You just grabbed a handful of He Yi’s hair. I don’t know why you grabbed her hair, but please give it back to me. It’s wrong to take things without asking.”

"I don't know what you're talking about." Having made up her mind, she spoke again, her voice unusually loud. She thought to herself: Dad, come quick, here's your hair. Otherwise, they'll snatch it away.

Tangtang and her sister arrived, but she stubbornly denied it. Heyi frowned, not caring about the throbbing pain in her scalp, but this was something her mother had specifically instructed her to do, and seeing Sun Shuyin's current state, there must be a deeper meaning behind it; she absolutely couldn't let her take it.

"Sun Shuyin, give it back to me right now. You were grabbing my hair so hard just now, what are you going to do with my hair?"

Sun Shuyin was frantic, retreating step by step. She estimated her chances of success if she turned and ran now. The house was still some distance away, and Su Hexu could catch up in a few steps. So she adopted a delaying tactic, silently retreating into the courtyard.

Hearing the commotion coming from the Sun family's courtyard, Tangtang couldn't wait any longer. "Why waste words with her?"

Suddenly, Tangtang lunged forward and tried to snatch it. Seeing her sister make a move, He Xu quickly stepped in to protect her. He Yi, being a girl herself, didn't have any concerns about the proper conduct between men and women, and immediately stepped forward to help her sister.

"Hey, why are you two fighting over me?" Shuyin shouted loudly, "Dad, Dad, come out quickly! The Su sisters are trying to take me away!"

Seeing how protectively she held her hands, Tangtang and her sister became even more determined to get it back. With two against one and a strong young boy named He Xu nearby, Tangtang forcefully pried Sun Shuyin's hands off.

"Wow, you actually grabbed so much of my sister's hair."

He Yi was also shocked; no wonder her scalp hurt so much. "Sun Shuyin, are you crazy? What are you going to do with all this hair you're pulling?"

Sun Yaozu rushed outside upon hearing the commotion, but he was too late. He hadn't expected the Su family's youngest daughter to be so fierce; she attacked without a word. Sun Shuyin, you're such a useless piece of trash! You even managed to grab her hair and still get it snatched away!

"What are you doing?" He stood next to Sun Shuyin. "How could you rob me like that? Let's talk this out."

Sun Shuyin seized the opportunity to cry: "Dad, those two stole my hair."

He Yi frowned, utterly disgusted with the Sun family. If before there was a chance that adult matters wouldn't affect the children, now she felt that, indeed, a rat's son will dig a hole. This Sun Shuyin, raised by them, was no good at all.

She grabbed my hair.

He Xu stood in front of his two younger sisters. "Sun Shuyin first tried to get close to me at my house, and when that failed, she ambushed me outside the toilet and grabbed my hair hard. What do you and your daughter mean by this? What are you doing on the first day of the Lunar New Year? Coming to our Su family to cause trouble, thinking we're easy to bully?"

Shu Yao and Su Xiangdong arrived just in time to hear their son finish speaking. Su Xiangdong stepped forward, his broad shoulders and muscular build causing Sun Yaozu to involuntarily step back.

"Sun Yaozu, are you looking for death? I haven't laid a hand on you in a long time, and you're itching for a beating."

"No," Sun Yaozu explained instinctively, but then glanced at He Yi and then at He Xu. It was just a lock of hair, yet they insisted on not letting him take it. The combs in the house were spotless; clearly, Shu Yao was wary of him. He was furious, his blood rushing to his head.

"Su Xiangdong, what right do you have to talk back to me? He Yi and He Xu are my children, the bloodline of the Sun family. Shu Yao married you with my child, and you've been trying to take my child away from me for so many years. Now that I want my hair to be tested for genetics, you've been so careful to prevent it. You're hiding something. Otherwise, would you dare to say in front of the two children who their biological father is?"

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people get up early and habitually visit each other to exchange New Year's greetings. The commotion here has already attracted a lot of onlookers, and everyone is discussing it.

"Are the twins Sun Yaozu's children?"

“He said that before, but then he firmly denied it.”

"Shu Yao did have many premature births back then, and maybe that's true."

"No way?"

The onlookers were buzzing with discussion, while He Yi and He Xu looked utterly incredulous. The siblings turned to look at their mother, and just as He Xu was about to retort, Su Xiangdong beat him to it.

"Sun Yaozu, have you lost your mind? I've seen people rob money and goods, but this is the first time I've seen someone rob a child. What, you see someone else's child is well-raised, so you want to rob your family?"

"Ha ha,"

Su Xiangdong's face was a mixture of helplessness and sarcasm. His humorous words drew laughter from everyone; those who had been somewhat skeptical just moments before now only felt ridiculous. It's true, no matter how well someone else raises their child, they're still their child; you can't just claim them as yours because you're jealous.

“Su Xiangdong,” Sun Yaozu’s cheeks burned at his sarcasm, but he didn’t forget that Shu Yao didn’t respond to force, and that a direct confrontation would be ineffective.

"Shu Yao, I'm begging you, just tell me the truth." He said, tears streaming down his face. "I know I've wronged you, it's all my fault."

This was an apology to his past life; he gave a bitter smile, truly regretting his past actions. "My parents, whom you've called 'Dad' and 'Mom' for so many years, do you really want them to have no peace in the afterlife? The Sun family had clearly been passed down through a single-lineage line, but now it's become childless and without descendants."

Shu Yao said coldly, "The Sun family has nothing to do with me, and the twins have nothing to do with the Sun family either."

Sun Yaozu took several deep breaths: "If you're really so sure, why don't you dare let me test it?"

"Why should we let you test our child? Who the hell do you think you are?" Su Xiangdong cursed without giving him any face.

Sun Yaozu looked at Shu Yao and said, "Shu Yao, you know best in your heart. Do you dare to say in front of the two children who their biological father is?"

Just as Shu Yao was about to speak, He Xu, who was standing to the side, realized what was going on. "Our biological father is naturally my dad. My dad's name is Su Xiangdong, and we are all children of the Su family."

He Yi nodded in agreement with her brother: "That's ridiculous. If you want a son, go have one yourself. Does being jealous of others' children make them your own?"

Sun Yaozu staggered back two steps, his gaze shifting back and forth between the twins. Both children were top students from prestigious universities, their eyes radiating confidence and brightness. He Xu was tall and handsome, while He Yi had bright eyes and white teeth. They seemed even more outstanding than he remembered, but the words they spoke were colder than he remembered. They were like the coldest days of winter, carrying a chill that could freeze a person to death.

"Shuhua, Shuqing, you've both been deceived by your mother. She deceived both of you, and Su Xiangdong too—you're not Su at all..."

"Shut up." Even He Xu, usually a gentle child, couldn't help but get angry today. "Don't go crazy. You have your own daughter, stop thinking about other people's children. Our surname is Su, and my name is Su He Xu. 'He and Mai Jin Yan, Xiang Zhi Xiang Xu'. Our birth was filled with our parents' strong expectations, and your envy and jealousy are useless."

He Yi nodded in agreement with her brother, "Stop talking nonsense. We have nothing to do with you. Don't try to scam us."

Sun Yaozu, finally snapping out of his daze from the children's words, turned his gaze to Shu Yao. "Shu Yao, how could you be so heartless? My parents saved you back then..."

"Your parents paid eighty-eight silver dollars," Old Master Shu, who had just arrived, stepped forward. "You smuggled yourself out of the country, broke your arm, had a high fever, and suffered from malaria and typhoid. We hired people to take care of you in the hospital, and we paid for all the expenses. Both were life-saving efforts. Not to mention how much work my daughter did for your family, this life for this life, how can you still have the nerve to use this to manipulate her?"

Shu's mother gritted her teeth in anger: "Shameless scoundrel. We saved your life and helped you stay abroad. What, is all that less than the help your parents gave my daughter? Besides, we didn't set any rules for you like your parents did, making you earn money for us."

Tangtang helped her grandmother up: "You're shameless. My grandparents never mentioned how they helped you, but they keep bringing up how your parents helped my mother back then. My mother worked for your family like a farmhand, handing over all her wages to your family and still having to do your laundry and cook for you. My mother doesn't owe you anything, so don't mention this anymore."

The onlookers were abuzz with discussion, only then realizing that Sun Yaozu had gone abroad because Shu Yao's parents had paid for his medical treatment and helped him establish himself. He hadn't mentioned it a single time since he returned.

"Honestly, how come you don't remember how much kindness those parents have shown you? You haven't even mentioned it when you came back."

"They're just manipulating Shu Yao. They used to want her to do chores, but now they've set their sights on her two kids. It's outrageous. No matter how outstanding her kids are, they're still hers."

"I've never seen anything so outrageous, that someone would actually want to possess someone else's child."

The neighbors found it both funny and infuriating; they had never seen anything so outrageous. Sun Yaozu, unable to refute the barrage of criticism, had retreated to the innermost part of the doorway.

"No, no. I didn't mean to manipulate her. I just want my child back." He looked at Shu Yao again: "Shu Yao, I beg you. Even if we have disagreements, you've called my parents 'Dad' and 'Mom' for over ten years. How can you bear to let the Sun family line end and make my parents unable to rest in peace?"

Shu Yao appeared motionless, but her heart was in turmoil as he softened his tone and spoke pleadingly. All the grievances and humiliations she had suffered in her past life were now being flung at his face.

To say she didn't hate him would be a lie. He had provoked her into a coma in the hospital, and the resentment and anger in her heart had already filled her entire body and soul. She left the Sun family resolutely, filled with hatred, determined to sever all ties between him and the child. Subconsciously, she wanted to see him regret it.

Now, more than twenty years later, he finally begged her to tell the children the truth and return them to him.

"I'm sorry," Sun Yaozu apologized again.

"It's all my fault." He said this with all his might. He had undergone a comprehensive examination abroad and was diagnosed with congenital low sperm count, which had completely lost its viability. He would never be able to have any other children in his life.

"I have no other request, I just want you to tell the truth."

Shu Yao appeared outwardly unresponsive, but her body was actually trembling slightly. In truth, as she and Meng Xi went from arguing to their relationship breaking down, and step by step towards a complete rift, she knew that she felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

The scumbag and the mistress, two adulterers who claimed it was true love, finally reached the point where their true colors were revealed. She had been trying to convince herself to let go, but only now did she realize that her true revenge had finally brought her the ending she desired.

Sun Yaozu, you only have these two children in your life. But now, no matter how much pain, sorrow, regret, or guilt you feel standing before your parents' graves, you have to bear this burden. You and the Sun family have had only one son for generations, and now there is no more descendant.

She was taking deep breaths silently. He Yi reached out to support her, but she gently pushed her away. She didn't want her daughter to see that she was trembling, and she didn't want anyone to know that beneath her calm exterior, her heart was like a category 12 storm.

"We are not your children," He Xu said before Shu Yao could calm down. "From the moment my mother divorced you, we had no further relationship. Our father is Su Xiangdong, we are children of the Su family, of the Su family bloodline. Even when we die, we will be buried under my parents."

Sun Yaozu looked at his son's handsome and resolute face, his words of resolute farewell spoken with unwavering conviction. He seemed to hear the sound of despair, and his body swayed as if he were about to fall.

"He Xu," he finally called out the unfamiliar name, but not with approval, but with a plea, not wanting to further provoke him. "There's genetic testing technology abroad that can use blood or hair follicles. You really are my children, if you don't believe me, we'll get tested."

“There’s no need,” He Xu said firmly. “Whatever dreams you’re having, it’s time to wake up. We only have one father, my dad. Our surname is Su, and that will never change in this lifetime.”

He Xu understood that Sun Yaozu's true intentions were for him. Because he was a boy, in Sun Yaozu's mind, he was someone who could carry on the family line. The reason for taking He Yi's hair was that they were twins, to prove that He Yi belonged to him, Sun Yaozu, so that Su He Xu wouldn't be able to escape.

He personally and decisively refused, and Sun Yaozu felt as if a sword had pierced his heart. The pain made him clutch his chest, unsteady on his feet, and stagger backward. His face was ashen, and the pain in his heart was so real that he could almost see the blood surging within him.

“He Xu, how can a man not acknowledge his ancestors? I am your biological father. If you don’t believe me, come with me for a blood test. Overseas genetic testing will reveal everything.”

“My father’s surname is Su, and my ancestors were also from the Su family. I have made it very clear that I can only ever be a child of the Su family. I only have one father, and that is Su Xiangdong.”

After He Xu finished speaking, she turned to look at her father beside her. "Dad, let's go home."

He Yi also spoke up: "Let's go, ignore him, he's a madman."

Tangtang snorted coldly at Shuyin: "Sun Shuyin, you are never allowed to come to my house again. If you dare to step into my house, I will beat you every time I see you."

She made her decision in front of so many people to avoid Sun Yaozu pressuring her later. Besides, it was indeed inappropriate for the two families to have any further dealings.

"He Xu, how could you not consider blood ties? Blood is thicker than water, how could you..."

As Sun Yaozu watched the Su family leave the Sun family's gate, he hurriedly chased after them, his words incoherent. He stretched out his arm, his eyes filled with urgency; he couldn't bear to see his son right before his eyes, yet his lineage would be extinguished.

"Shuyao, Shuyao, tell him he's my son. I was wrong, I know I was wrong, you can't be so cruel..."

He was about to enter the Su family's gate, but no one paid him any attention. He grew impatient and grabbed He Xu. Facing his son, who was half a head taller than him, his longing was deeper than ever.

"son,"

"Shut up." He Xu snapped at him, forcefully shaking off his hand. "I'll say it again, I'm not your son. I only have one father, and that's my dad who raised me from childhood. Don't give me that blood is thicker than water thing. The blood flowing in my veins can only be my dad's. It has nothing to do with you."

“He Xu,” Sun Yaozu trembled all over, the feeling of his heart being torn apart made him stagger. “You’re still young now, but you’ll understand when you become a father. Father is not just a superficial relationship, not just a title. It has to be a blood connection, it has to be the same genes, it has to be the closest of kin…”

He Xu stopped and turned around as she listened to the surrounding chatter. "My father earns money to support the family with one hand and shelters us from the wind and rain with the other. He carries the responsibility on his shoulders and keeps all the fatigue in his heart. He was the one who supported and held me when I was a child, and the one who is the mountain behind me when I grow up."

He Xu was usually very gentle, but at this moment he looked cold towards Sun Yaozu. "I know what a father is. I have a father. You don't need to say more."

"son,"

“Shut up,” He Xu snapped at him. “If you keep this up, I don’t mind bringing this to the police station. You’re disturbing public order and morals; you’ve broken the law.”

Sun Yaozu's lips were bleeding from the retort of his own son; it was unclear where he had bitten them. He turned back to look at He Yi slowly. In his past life, he was only close to his mother, and in this life, he would still stay by her side.

“Heyi, everything I said is true. You and your brother are both my children. You…”

“My brother and I only have one father, so stop acting crazy here.” He Yi frowned. “I’ve never seen anyone like you, suddenly running out to claim someone else’s child. It’s simply outrageous.”

"We are blood relatives..."

"You're really sick in the head." He Yi said coldly. "Let me put it this way. Even if... I mean even if, although I know it's impossible. I'm saying this just to stop you from going crazy. Even if we're related to you by blood, so what? We were raised by my father, and we only have this one father in our lives. Nobody else should get involved."

Sun Yaozu looked at He Xu, the boy standing beside his father, looking at him with utter disdain. "Get out of here, and stop saying these things. Don't even think about stealing our blood or hair samples for testing; we won't accept it. No matter what you say or what test reports you have, we won't accept them. In this life, I only have one father."

After a heated argument, dawn broke. The crackling of firecrackers mingled with the unfolding drama, drawing a large crowd of onlookers.

Sun Yaozu looked at Shu Yao, feeling as if he were immersed in ice water, chilled to the bone. He felt dizzy and his heart was breaking; he thought he was about to faint.

"Shu Yao, your revenge..." Pierced by a thousand arrows, his heart was breaking. He deeply regretted saying he didn't like her, didn't like the child she bore. How could he have been so stupid? But the words were already spoken and couldn't be taken back. He lost consciousness from the pain and collapsed in a daze.

A neighbor helped Sun Yaozu up, and someone brought a cart to help take him to the hospital. Sun Yaozu had maintained good relations with his neighbors since his return, giving them small gifts to win them over, so they all lent a hand.

The Su family went inside and closed the street gate. Shu Yao took a couple of deep breaths and made tea for everyone. "Don't be angry, it's not worth it for someone like that."

Everyone came over for tea, and He Xu downed a cup in one gulp. "Dad, don't be angry, that Sun Yaozu is a madman."

He Yi nodded. "That's right. Dad, don't be angry, we won't pay any attention to him."

Su Xiangdong laughed. He hadn't said much earlier; the two kids were providing more firepower than he was. No wonder Sun Yaozu was furious.

Good! The children have finally grown up. He knew that no one could take away the children he raised. Sun Yaozu, you can't get angry now, it's no use.

Shu Yao stood to the side, her expression equally light, a smile playing on her lips. Ah, so good, so good, she could finally let out a sigh of relief. Years ago, she had fainted from anger, and her two children had been hurt by his words; now, all of that had come back to haunt him.

Sun Yaozu was so enraged that he suffered a stroke and spent several days in the hospital before being out of danger. He heard this news from the neighbor lady on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. At that time, his third aunt was also at the Su family home, and the whole family was in the main room.

"I heard that everyone was stunned and didn't say a word."

"If you're sick, you should get treatment."

"I heard that Meng Xi went to serve him, that's really..."

The Su family didn't say much about it. After the aunt finished gossiping, she left, and the third aunt also left with Su Juan. Su Xiangdong had to go to work today, and the three children went out to play with their classmates, leaving Shu Yao and her parents at home.

Shu's mother sighed silently, "Yaoyao, I have a feeling this isn't as simple as it seems. The two children seem fine on the surface, but could they be feeling uneasy inside?"

After checking that no one was outside, Mr. Shu closed the gate and asked in a low voice, "There's no one else, just your mother and me. Tell me honestly, whose children are they?"

Shu Yao bit her lip, unsure whether to speak. Her mother took a deep breath and said, "Child, although your son-in-law's attitude seems normal, the neighbors all think these two children have nothing to do with the Sun family. However, genetic testing technology is already very advanced overseas."

“Sun Yaozu is right.”

Facing her own parents, she chose to tell them the truth. The two elders sighed upon hearing this; they had pondered this for many days, never expecting it to actually be like this.

"So, you're not planning to tell the two kids?"

"Yes. I don't want them to know that I'm determined to sever all ties between them and the Sun family, both outwardly and inwardly. I want them to have absolutely no connection with the Sun family."

Shu's mother frowned in worry, but Shu's father remained calm. "Don't overthink it. The two children will never acknowledge him, even if he provides the test results."

When the three children came home in the evening, the couple prepared a delicious meal in the kitchen. The family ate together in a harmonious atmosphere, and He Xu sat next to her father, clinking glasses with him several times.

"Dad, I salute you."

"Okay, my son has grown up."

Shu Yao had been quietly watching the two children, but after several days, they seemed perfectly fine, which made her increasingly anxious. However, her father's words had reassured her, and now, looking at the children again, she suddenly felt less anxious.

Don't tell me the two children don't know; even if they did, so what? In their past life, they did know, and they were always by her side. But Sun Yaozu's irresponsible attitude—he only cared about himself all day long—made them distant from him; they always sided with her.

After finishing their meal and clearing the dishes, the twins went to the kitchen. Tangtang made tea for her grandparents, Su Xiangdong played chess with his father-in-law, and she chatted with her grandmother, listening to her grandmother tell her stories of the past and about life abroad.

In the kitchen, He Yi looked around to make sure no one was watching, then whispered to her brother, "Brother, aren't you even a little curious? Why is Sun Yaozu so sure that we're his children?"

He Xu looked up at her younger sister, and instead of answering, asked, "What, are you curious? Do you want to go ask?"

"No way!" He Yi stared, not understanding why her brother would say that. They had always had a great understanding of each other since they were little, how could her brother not understand her?

“I’m just a little curious, but I won’t ask. He’s too certain. Is it because my mother was born prematurely? Besides, my mother is obviously wary of him taking our hair for some kind of test.”

He Xu stopped what she was doing and took a deep breath. "I've thought about it these past few days. It's not that it's unimportant, it's not important why he's so convinced that it's unimportant, and it's even less important why Mom is wary of him."

"Then what's important?"

“What we think is the most important thing.” He paused, looked at his sister, and continued, “Whether Mom made a mistake or did it on purpose, it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that Dad raised us as his own children, and in his heart, he is our biological father. We have regarded him as our biological father since we were little, and he is our only father.”

He Yi nodded. "That's what I think too. So, we're definitely not going to do any genetic testing. No matter what our genes are like, we only have one father, Dad."

"Of course we can't do that. What if Mom makes a mistake? How devastating would that be for her? In this life, we only have one father."

"Um."

After a brief moment of curiosity, the siblings quickly settled on the general tone. They knew their mother had divorced Sun Yaozu and immediately remarried their father. Whether their mother had made a mistake or Sun Yaozu was faking it, they refused to acknowledge it.

From childhood to adulthood, that was their biological father. This was the consensus, held by themselves, their family, and outsiders alike—an undeniable fact.

Shu Yao observed the child carefully for a few days and, finding nothing wrong, let go of the baby. She had already quit her job and was preparing to open a shop. Her older brother had already helped her source the goods, most of which were imported. Now that she had nothing to do, she was spending time at home with her parents, enjoying some quality family time.

"Mom, are you leaving too?" The three children's winter vacation was over, and they were starting their regular jobs this year. The twins were assigned to Kyoto and would have to go back to work after the New Year. Their parents were also preparing to say goodbye and leave. She was a little reluctant to part with them, holding her mother's arm tightly and clinging to her.

“There are many things to take care of. We’ll go back and finish them, and then we’ll come back to settle down by the end of this year. We’ll hand over the company to your two older brothers, and then we’ll be completely free.”

Her father chimed in, "The visas should be ready by summer, then we can bring the kids along."

"Okay." This was something that had been decided long ago, and Su Xiangdong had already started making preparations, arranging his work so that the whole family could travel together.

I saw my parents off to Kyoto for their connecting flight, and felt a little empty on the way back. Luckily, my little daughter has been assigned to the local tax bureau. Although it's far from home and she usually lives in a dormitory, she'll definitely come home on weekends.

"Oh my daughter, thank goodness you're here."

Tangtang smiled happily: "That's right. Mom and Dad, I'll take care of you when you get old."

Shu Yao laughed heartily: "Do whatever you want, your dad and I are still young."

Su Xiangdong nodded in agreement: "That's right, you don't need to worry about our health. You're both young, do what you want to do, go wherever you want to go. Don't leave any regrets for yourselves. I'll take care of your mother, so don't worry."

Shu Yao smiled and scolded him, "I'm several years younger than you. Who knows who will take care of whom then?"

Su Xiangdong laughed heartily: "Yes, I'll try my best to exercise. I'll take care of you; I'm too worried about you taking care of me."

Tangtang rubbed her arms: "I can't stand you guys, showing off your love in front of your daughter."

The elderly couple didn't care at all about what their daughter said; they'd always been like this their whole lives. Their skin had been thickened by their children's playful teasing. They knew that while their children seemed to be complaining, they were actually envious and gratified.

Growing up, their parents had a good relationship, and the family atmosphere was exceptionally loving. Even though their father was sent to the countryside for several years, they didn't suffer from the psychological trauma that other children might experience. In their eyes, it was as if their father had been working elsewhere for a few years, and they received just as much material support and love as before.

Shu Yao chose a day to visit her third aunt and bring her back with her. She had promised to take care of her in her old age, and she had long considered the old woman as her own family.