Chapter 288 The Xie Family
Before we even got close, we could see a group of people standing at the gate of the Xie residence.
Leading the group were Mr. and Mrs. Xie, with their children standing beside them, and behind them stood a group of other members of the Xie family's collateral branches.
Roughly counting, there were at least thirty people.
Gu Suixing said to Rui Rui in the back seat, "Those two elderly people in the front are your mother's grandpa and grandma. You can also call them great-grandpa and great-grandma."
Rui Rui nodded seriously: "Okay."
He can have two fathers, and he has many, many uncles. So what if he has many other relatives?
Anyway, I only have one mom I love the most.
The car slowly came to a stop in the open space in front of the Xie residence.
"Niannian!" Almost as soon as Lu Fengqing got out of the car, Old Madam Xie came to greet her.
The other branches of the Xie family did not move or rush over in a swarm; they simply watched quietly, and all of them, young and old, remained very respectful.
Lu Fengqing nodded slightly and greeted them with a faint smile: "Good evening, sir and madam."
Hearing her granddaughter address her as such, Madam Xie's eyes dimmed slightly, but she said nothing, instead smiling kindly and saying, "It's good that you've come."
Mr. Xie nodded slightly.
Xie Chao bent down and picked up Rui Rui, "She seems a bit heavy."
The weather was starting to get cold, with a large temperature difference between day and night, so the little guy was dressed quite warmly. He couldn't lift his clothes, so he pulled up his sleeves and pinched his arms.
It seems like I've gained weight.
Rui Rui frowned in distress.
He didn't want to get fat. He didn't want to be like Dada, whose fleshy body jiggled around whether he was running or jumping.
Other children will laugh at me.
Xie Chaoyin saw through the little guy's thoughts and said with a light laugh, "You've gotten stronger."
“Rui Rui isn’t fat at all.” Xie Chaowan added from the side, “Babies are cuter when they’re a little chubby, and it’s more comfortable to hold them.”
"Okay." Rui Rui nodded.
As long as you don't gain weight, it's okay to gain a little bit.
Xie Chaoyin said softly, "Come visit Grandpa this weekend, he has a gift for you."
The gifts from her grandfather were all nice things, and Rui Rui's eyes lit up, instantly forgetting all about meat or not.
Madam Xie and Mr. Xie introduced the other relatives to Lu Fengqing and Gu Suixing.
The Xie family has many extended relatives, most of whom work in various places, but they always regard the Xie residence as their root. Apart from those who work in other places and cannot come back, the others who remain in the city rushed back as long as they had time after receiving Mr. Xie's notice, to meet the "new member" of the family.
Lu Fengqing and Gu Suixing greeted each of the elders.
Mr. Xie: "Go in."
Xie Chaokun and Gu Zhenying helped carry the things the family of three had brought, and the group entered the Xie residence together.
Along the way, many elders stared at Rui Rui, who was being held in Xie Chaoyin's arms, especially those with younger relatives of marriageable age.
Before Rui Rui, the youngest child in the Xie family was already in elementary school; the Xie family hadn't had a child this young for a long time.
"Chaoyin, your little grandson is so cute," a cousin-in-law couldn't help but say.
Xie Chaoyin: "Let A-Lin give you a lovely little grandson too."
"Forget it." The cousin-in-law got angry when she mentioned her son. "He's over thirty and doesn't even have a girlfriend. I doubt he's ever even held a girl's hand. I'd rather have a second child myself than wait for him to give me a grandson."
The middle-aged man standing next to the cousin-in-law coughed lightly, covering his mouth.
"Go ahead and have one!" someone chimed in, as if the excitement wasn't enough. "We used to be afraid of losing our jobs, so we didn't dare have many children. Now that the three-child policy has been relaxed, we can have as many as we want."
"It would be best to have a daughter. Look at Chao Yin's daughter, how beautiful she is. When I was pregnant with my son A Yu, I dreamed of having a daughter and buying her pretty little dresses. Unfortunately, I ended up having a son instead."
The person speaking was Xie Chaoyin's cousin's wife. Her son was still in college, and she didn't want to have a grandson. She just longed for a daughter, and her eyes lit up when she looked at Lu Fengqing.
Lu Fengqing smiled and subtly observed the large family. She discovered that the Xie family was indeed as Gu Suixing had told her on the way here: there was an imbalance of male and female, with more men than women.
Xie Chaowan joined the chat: "They all look good. We don't have any ugly or deformed children in our family."
The cousin's wife scoffed, "A bunch of good-looking boys. What good is being handsome if they're all bachelors!"
Gu Zhenying, who also longed for a grandson, nodded in agreement: "They're all useless."
Xie Qingtang, an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire: "Mom."
The others all laughed.
The family's harmonious and joyful atmosphere was exceptionally good.
Looking at these people, Lu Fengqing couldn't help but wonder what she would become if she had grown up in such a family.
Will she, like most members of the Xie family, have a high level of education, become a highly educated individual, and dedicate herself to academic research or education, staying away from the glitz and glamour of the world? Perhaps she will still date, but she won't be forced to break up, nor will she have premarital children; her life will proceed as planned.
Gu Zhenying quietly asked Lu Fengqing, "When are you and Sui Xing planning to have a younger brother or sister for Rui Rui?"
Lu Fengqing naturally wouldn't say she wouldn't have children in front of so many people; she simply said, "We'll see."
More than thirty people filled the three large tables.
It was lunchtime, and the servants brought out the food one after another.
The Xie family didn't have any rules about not speaking while eating or sleeping; they chatted while eating.
Perhaps the two elders had given prior notice, because no one asked Lu Fengqing when she would "return" to the Xie family, nor did they mention Xie Chaoyin or her background. They were neither overly enthusiastic nor cold towards her, maintaining a very proper balance.
This way of spending time together actually made Lu Fengqing feel much more at ease.
Just like yesterday at the Gu residence, after dinner and chatting with the Xie family for a while, Lu Fengqing and Gu Suixing got up to leave.
This time, only Mr. Xie and Mrs. Xie saw them off.
Apart from Xie Chaoyin, who was also leaving, Xie Chaokun and his wife, as well as Xie Chaowan and others, stayed to continue chatting with their relatives.
“Chaoyin, Niannian.” Madam Xie suddenly took two steps forward.
She can convince herself to accept that her granddaughter doesn't acknowledge them, but she can't help feeling sad whenever she sees them leave.
She wanted her son and granddaughter to stay at the Xie residence, but she knew they wouldn't agree.
They all resented her.
Xie Chaoyin paused, turned around, and looked at his mother.
His gaze lingered on her graying temples for a moment, then he said softly, "Let's go back."
Madam Xie's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
Mr. Xie patted her on the shoulder, "Go back now."
He was already very happy that his son and granddaughter could come back tonight.
After getting into the car, Lu Fengqing glanced at Xie Chaoyin's car and asked, "Has he still not moved back to the Xie residence?"
“No,” Gu Suixing said as he started the car. “Don’t frown. It’s not entirely because of you and your mother. Back then, the old lady would rather keep an outsider than him. Anyone would feel resentful in that situation.”
The old man's biological son, whom he raised from childhood, turned out to be worse than a stranger. Even if he has now come to his senses, the damage he has caused cannot be erased.
It's good enough that they can come back for a meal.
Meanwhile, the sisters-in-law chatting in the Xie residence were also talking about the father and daughter.
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