Chapter 40 Meeting the Two Elders
After the plane landed, the group headed straight for their destination.
Yin Zhuoxian and Qiu Manyun lived in an old-fashioned two-story villa with a small courtyard enclosed by a wall. The courtyard was full of flowers grown by Yin Zhuoxian, which was another hobby of the old man Yin besides studying mathematics.
Upon entering the courtyard, you can smell the fragrance of flowers and plants, mixed with the fresh scent of earth.
The wisteria vines climbed all over the low brick wall and stretched freely onto the bamboo trellis. Strings of "purple bells" hung down naturally, their colors varying in shades, creating a beautiful and romantic scene that added a touch of warmth to the courtyard.
Lu Yinzhao felt the vibrant spring in the courtyard, and his mood brightened up.
The courtyard gate was open, and Yin Song quietly said to Lu Yinzhao, "Zhaozhao, go in first and give your grandparents a surprise."
They had actually notified the elderly couple before they came.
They deliberately lied about the time; they said they would come on Zhao Zhao's birthday, but they actually arrived a day earlier.
If they had said they were coming today, Yin Zhuoxian and Qiu Manyun would have gone to the airport to pick them up. Yin Song didn't want them to make such a tiring trip, so after discussing it with his family, he made a decision.
“Okay, Mom.” Lu Yinzhao received the signal and crept inside like a kitten.
Lu Qi chuckled softly from behind: "Dad, Mom, look at Zhao Zhao, she's not even as tall as that pot of lilies over there."
"Shh, don't let Zhao Zhao hear you say that. He's very concerned about his height."
Lu Yinzhao did not hear these words; he had already entered the house.
The little boy looked around the room, then vaguely caught sight of two figures in the living room.
Yin Zhuoxian sat in a rocking chair reading the latest issue of the "Journal of Mathematics", while Qiu Manyun sat on the sofa, sewing a piece of floral fabric with a needle and thread.
Everything was peaceful and beautiful.
Lu Yinzhao didn't want to frighten the two elderly people intentionally, after all, they were old, and it would be terrible if they were frightened into something bad.
He made no attempt to hide anything, walking straight into the living room and calling out without hesitation, "Grandpa, Grandma, baby's here to see you!"
Yin Zhuoxian: "?"
Qiu Manyun: "!"
The two elderly people were taken aback at first, then simultaneously pushed up their reading glasses, as if they were seeing things.
"Is it... Zhao Zhao?" Qiu Manyun asked, her voice tinged with disbelief and uncertainty.
"It really is Zhao Zhao?" Yin Zhuoxian quickly put down the journal in his hand, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in his originally old and cloudy eyes.
"Grandpa and Grandma, it's me, it's Zhaozhao!" The little one took the initiative to step forward and reach out to hold Yin Zhuoxian's hand.
The old man suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Oh my! My precious Zhao Zhao, what brings you here today?"
Lu Yinzhao originally just wanted to hold hands, but Grandpa Yin suddenly picked him up, which almost scared him to death.
You know, he's gotten quite chubby now. Don't let his age fool you, he's only three years old; he's a real little chubby guy.
I'm really worried that the old man will strain his back when he carries him.
Lu Yinzhao quickly wrapped her arms around Yin Zhuoxian's neck to save him the effort of using his waist.
Qiu Manyun grinned happily and asked, "Zhaozhao, why are you all alone? Where are your parents?"
Lu Yinzhao smiled sweetly and pointed outside, "There!"
"Dad, Mom, I've brought the kids to see you two!" Lu Wenyan walked in, carrying several bags.
"Grandpa and Grandma! We're here!" Lu Qi greeted them excitedly, pulling her suitcase.
"Grandma, I want to eat your fried meatballs." Lu Cheng was hungry as soon as she got off the plane, and her stomach was rumbling.
"All you ever think about is eating! Zhao Zhao isn't even complaining about being hungry. Can't you be a little more sensible?" Lu Qi retorted to Lu Cheng.
"Good, good! We have everything prepared at home. Just tell us what you want to eat, we have it all!" Qiu Manyun looked at her grandson and granddaughter, whom she hadn't seen for many years, and was so excited that she didn't know what to say. She just wanted to let the children have a hot meal as soon as possible.
“Grandpa and Grandma, you rest, we’ll do it,” Lu Xun said, stepping forward.
Qiu Manyun was not listening to anything at that moment; she rushed to the kitchen, wanting to cook a big meal for the children.
"No need, no need, you just wait to eat."
“You definitely can’t manage all by yourself. How about this, we’ll help you out. You tell us what vegetables to wash and what meat to cut, and we’ll do it. You’re the chef, so you just need to handle the wok!” Lu Qi leaned over and took Qiu Manyun’s arm, acting coquettishly.
"Yes, Grandma, please let us help you." Lu Cheng was too embarrassed to be served food, as he was afraid that Qiu Manyun would be working too hard to cook for them.
At this age, the elderly should be enjoying the blessings of their children and grandchildren.
"I can't refuse you little rascals, come on, all of you come on." Qiu Manyun said this, but she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.
The children have all grown up and become sensible, which is wonderful.
In the end, even Zhao Zhao was assigned work.
The little boy sat on a low wooden stool, diligently peeling broad beans.
Seeing Zhao Zhao's earnest expression, Yin Song couldn't help but take out his phone and snap a picture of him.
Grandpa Yin tried to help several times, but Zhao Zhao waved her little hand and refused.
"Grandpa, go have some tea and read the newspaper. I need to finish shelling the beans quickly; Grandma is waiting to cook them." Lu Yinzhao bent over and threw the shelled beans one by one into the colander.
Yin Zhuoxian: "..."
It seems like he was just... taken over by a three-year-old?
The old man couldn't help but sigh, "You two have raised Zhaozhao very well. She's so quick-witted, like a little adult."
Lu Wenyan felt slightly guilty: "It's because Songsong taught well."
Lu Wenyan dared not claim the credit, as he was rarely home.
Yin Song said, "I really didn't teach him much. Zhao Zhao has always been very obedient, smart and quick-witted, and he can remember anything after hearing it just once. Dad, maybe he inherited it from you."
That last sentence really pleased the old man; his lips never left his mouth.
"You should stay here for a few more days. If you have time, I will definitely take Zhaozhao to visit our courtyard."
Yin Song knew immediately that the old man was trying to show off his son again.
I suddenly remembered that when Lu Xun was just born, her father did the same thing once. At that time, none of the other people of the same generation in the neighborhood had grandchildren yet, but her father insisted on showing little Lu Xun to everyone, which made the child socially anxious. When she came back, she was crying her eyes out.
Looking back now, it still seems quite funny.
However, Zhao Zhao shouldn't be socially awkward. This little guy is very good at reading people's expressions and has an incredibly sweet tongue.
"Grandma, I've finished peeling them." Lu Yinzhao carried the small vegetable basket into the kitchen.
Qiu Manyun bent down and kissed her precious baby, "So good, our Zhaozhao is so capable! Now leave the rest to Grandma, Grandma will make you something delicious! Zhaozhao, go play outside for a while, the food will be ready soon."
“Okay, Grandma.” Lu Yinzhao smiled and said, “Grandma, you’ve worked hard cooking, don’t tire yourself out.”
Qiu Manyun felt particularly comforted by the word "hard work". This was the day she smiled the most. She had been smiling ever since she met Zhaozhao.
It's been a long time since our house has been this lively.
After the food was prepared, it was served one by one.
Just as we were about to start eating, we heard the sound of someone dragging a suitcase outside.
"Hey? Is that Xiaoyuan? Come in quickly!" Qiu Manyun said hurriedly.
"Grandpa, Grandma." Lu Yuan walked in, looking travel-worn. He had just finished work and rushed to the airport, almost missing his flight.
Lu Cheng pouted and said, "You really know how to pick your time. There's food right away when you arrive."
After washing his hands, Lu Yuan sat down next to Lu Yinzhao, completely ignoring Lu Cheng's words, and went to tease the little one, "It's been a while since I've seen you, Zhaozhao seems to have grown a bit more."
"Because the baby is three years old." Lu Yinzhao imitated an adult and picked up the chopsticks on the table, wanting to use them to eat.
Yin Song quickly changed his chopsticks to children's chopsticks. She had taught him once at home, and Zhao Zhao had learned how to use them. Now he can eat well with chopsticks without anyone's help.
“Yes, tomorrow is Zhao Zhao’s birthday, shouldn’t we celebrate?” Yin Zhuoxian said.
“Of course we should celebrate, but you and Mom don’t need to make a big fuss. Just like today, let’s have a meal together as a family,” Lu Wenyan said.
“Grandma, you can bake cakes, right? How about we make a handmade birthday cake for Zhaozhao together tomorrow?” Lu Qi suggested.
“Xiaoqi and I are thinking the same thing. I was just about to ask, what shape of cake does Zhaozhao want? Grandma can make any of them,” Qiu Manyun said.
Lu Yinzhao gently bit her chopsticks, thought for a moment, and then said in a soft, sweet voice, "I want one shaped like a star."
"Okay! We'll do whatever our little darling says!" Qiu Manyun nodded.
"Zhaozhao, you're our family's little sun, why don't you make a little sun cake?" Lu Wenyan asked deliberately, trying to tease the little one.
Lu Yinzhao said with a serious expression, "Dad, you don't understand, do you? The sun is also a star in the sky; it's a fixed star."
Lu Wenyang: "..."
Yin Zhuoxian: "You're right! Zhaozhao knows quite a lot! Hahaha!"
Caught up in the atmosphere, everyone burst into laughter.
"I knew you were smart, but I didn't expect you to know this too?" Lu Wenyan smiled helplessly and reached out to pat Zhao Zhao's head.
"They said it on TV." This is Lu Yinzhao's current go-to response formula.
Don't ask, I found out from watching TV.
When he stays home and doesn't go out much in winter, the TV in the living room is turned on for him for an hour every day.
Now everyone in the family knows that Zhao Zhao doesn't watch cartoons much; instead, she prefers watching educational channels.
Actually, Lu Yinzhao wanted to watch a movie more, but ever since Lu Cheng accidentally switched the wrong movie, his family has been very careful about this. They would never switch out a movie that was not suitable for a three-year-old.
The more Grandpa Yin looked at Zhaozhao, the more he liked her.
He couldn't wait to show those old men just how smart and adorable his son was.
"Zhaozhao, how about going for a walk with Grandpa later? Grandpa has a few friends who live around here. They've all heard of you, but haven't met you yet."
"Okay," Lu Yinzhao agreed casually, without thinking much about it.
Yin Song whispered a reminder: "Dad, take it easy, don't hurt Zhao Zhao."
Yin Zhuoxian said with dissatisfaction, "What kind of talk is that? You used to like keeping the kids locked up at home, which was so boring. Kids need to go out and move around more, don't they?"
“Fine—whatever you say—” Yin Song said, drawing out the words, not arguing about the matter.
Lu Yinzhao also wanted to go out for a walk.
Today was the first time I met Yin Zhuoxian. He was pretty much the old man I had imagined. He liked to take walks and grow flowers. He seemed like a kind old man.
He didn't pay much attention to academia in his previous life. Perhaps his maternal grandfather was also a "big star" in academia in his original world.
"Grandpa, I'm full. When are we going out?" Lu Yinzhao got off the chair and obediently looked up to ask.
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Author's Note: [Old Men's Group] —
Grandpa Yin: Meet at the usual place, I have something to show you.
Grandpa Zhang: ? [Question mark]
Grandpa Wang: ? [Question mark]
Grandpa Zhou: ? [Question mark]
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