Chapter 396 Bad Dad
Fang Hua looked at Zhou Xiye holding Shang Shang and felt it was all so unreal. She wiped away her tears and turned to Zhou Chengyu, asking, "Chengyu, am I dreaming?"
Zhou Chengyu, with tears in her eyes, said, "No, sister-in-law, Xiye is really back."
After confirming that this was his father, Xiao Zhou rushed over and happily pressed on Zhou Xiye's knees, calling out "Dad!" repeatedly. He didn't know how to say much else.
Not knowing how to express my excitement, I just kept calling him "Dad".
Shangshang would keep asking in her childish voice, "Daddy just got home? Where did Daddy go?"
Zhou Xiye still found it somewhat amazing. When he left, the two little babies who could only lie there drooling could now run and talk.
He touched Shangshang's little braids, which looked like a shuttlecock: "Shangshang..."
He only had to call out her name when Shangshang started chattering away: "Dad, my name is Shangshang, I'm two years old, I can recite ancient poems, and I can count to one hundred."
"I can read, I know so many words."
The little girl counted on her chubby little fingers, feeling very proud of herself.
Zhou Xiye was somewhat surprised; would there be so many two-year-olds?
Zhou Chengyu explained with a smile, "Our Shangshang is much smarter than other children her age. From the time she started speaking, Zhizhi has been teaching her to recite ancient poems and count every day. Over time, she has actually memorized quite a few."
"She also knows a lot of flowers. When we go to the park, she recognizes all the flowers there."
Shang Shang immediately nodded her little head: "Peony, peony, rose, wild rose..."
She chattered on and on, her pronunciation still a bit off, and her soft, babyish voice made her all the more endearing.
Zhou Xiye held his daughter's small hand tenderly and looked at Fang Hua: "Mom, is Zhizhi alright?"
Seeing Fang Hua still wiping away tears, Zhou Chengyu quickly came back for her: "Good, everything's fine. Zhizhi and Professor Jin's research group have developed quite a few children's medicines over the past year, and they're still in the experimental stage..."
Before she could finish speaking, Fang Hua interrupted her directly: "How can it be good? How can a widow with two children have a good life? People look at her with pity when she goes out."
"And then there are those who don't know the truth and think that a widow is easy to bully."
Zhou Chengyu quickly grabbed Fang Hua's hand: "Sister-in-law, why are you talking about this? Xiye is back now, and our family is reunited. Let's not talk about these unhappy things."
Fang Hua looked at Zhou Xiye with tears in her eyes, feeling both heartache and resentment: "How could I not speak up? I'm standing up for Zhizhi. You have no idea how Zhizhi has been living these past year! If it weren't for her two children, she probably would have collapsed long ago."
Zhou Xiye felt a sharp pain in his heart, and his grip on Shang Shang tightened involuntarily.
Shangshang is delicate; she gets upset at the slightest pain and starts whimpering and twisting her little body.
Zhou Xiye quickly let go, full of guilt: "It's my fault."
Looking at the scar on his son's forehead, Fang Hua suddenly couldn't bear to say anything harsh. He moved closer and reached out to touch the scar. Only when he sat down did he realize that the scar extended to the back of his temple, and there was a half-finger-wide area of baldness at the back of his head.
It must have taken a lot of injuries to stay alive!
Tears welled up again as she touched the scar, saying, "Such a serious injury, it must have hurt a lot back then, why couldn't you have told your family?"
Zhou Xiye's eyes reddened, and he raised his hand to put his arm around Fang Hua's shoulder: "Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore, it's all over now."
Fang Hua choked up again: "The past, how can we get through it? Will you still leave in the future?"
Zhou Xiye shook his head: "I'm not leaving. I'll stay in Beijing from now on."
Fang Hua was finally satisfied: "I don't ask you to become a high-ranking official or have a bright future. I just want you to be well in the future, and for our family to live together peacefully. If something like this happens again, we can't bear it."
After saying that, she couldn't help but cry again. Only now did she dare to release the longing and sorrow that she had suppressed for more than a year.
Zhou Chengyu watched and wiped away her tears as well.
Shang Shang and Xiao Zhou looked blankly at Zhou Xiye and then at Fang Hua with wide, curious eyes.
Shang Shang pouted, then suddenly pushed Zhou Xiye's arm and stretched out her arms to Fang Hua: "Grandma, I want Grandma to hold me, I don't like Daddy."
Little Zhou quickly rushed into Fang Hua's arms, resting her little head on Fang Hua's leg, and gently patting Fang Hua's leg with her little hands as if soothing a baby.
The two little ones simply believed that it was their father's fault for making their grandmother cry.
Fang Hua, with tears still in her eyes, reached out to take Shang Shang from her, then couldn't help but smile: "Our Shang Shang is worried about Grandma, isn't she? Grandma's fine, Grandma's just happy."
Shang Shang pouted, about to cry, her eyes already brimming with tears. She stretched out her little arms and hugged her grandmother's neck, her little face pressed tightly against Fang Hua's cheek: "Daddy's bad, I don't want Daddy."
"Grandma, don't cry, Shangshang is all right."
As she spoke, she pouted and smacked Fang Hua's face repeatedly.
Fang Hua laughed and hugged Shang Shang: "Our Shang Shang is so good. Grandma doesn't love you. It's not Daddy who made Grandma cry. Grandma is happy."
Shangshang cupped Fanghua's face in her little hands, her face full of confusion. Grandma was clearly crying, so why was she saying she was happy?
Because of this, the two children ignored Zhou Xiye. No matter how he called out to them, they acted as if they didn't hear him and stayed close to Fang Hua, oblivious to his presence.
Little Zhou was all smiles when he saw Fang Hua, but the moment he turned around and saw Zhou Xiye, his face instantly tightened and he adopted a very serious expression.
Fang Hua couldn't help but laugh, hugging Xiao Zhouji and then Shang Shang: "My dear grandson, Grandma didn't spoil you for nothing, but this is your father."
Zhou Xiye looked at Shang Shang helplessly. As soon as the little girl met his gaze, she immediately turned her head and hid behind Fang Hua's neck, refusing to look at him at all.
The atmosphere, which was originally joyful yet tinged with sadness, was completely ruined by the two little ones.
Shang Shiying came over to bring dumplings to the two children. As soon as she entered the yard, she called out, "Shangshang, Xiao Zhouji, your grandma made your favorite little fish dumplings, come quickly..."
Normally, as soon as she calls out, the two little ones will come running out like little butterflies.
Upon hearing Shang Shiying's voice, Fang Hua glanced at Zhou Xiye and said, "Go back inside first. I'll tell Shiying before you come out, so as not to frighten her."
Zhou Xiye obediently got up and, just as Shang Shiying was about to push the door open, went to his and Jiang Zhizhi's bedroom.
The two children had already rushed to the door like little bees, eagerly waiting for their grandmother to come and open it.
As soon as Shang Shiying entered, she noticed that Fang Hua had red eyes. She was about to ask what was wrong when she came in.
Shangshang rushed up to her, hugged her leg, and cried like a little parrot: "Great-aunt, Great-aunt, Daddy's bad, Grandma's crying..."
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