Chapter 47: Going to work to earn money for milk powder for the child
Although Old Mrs. Zhou had dinner with them today, she didn't say much and left after eating a bowl of white porridge.
Shi Huai glanced at Zhou Jibai who was eating beside her, and she coughed lightly.
Zhou Jibai looked at her and asked, "Is the porridge stuck in your throat?"
Shi Huai: “…No.”
My eldest brother and his wife were still sitting at the dining table.
Zhou Xu put the fish meat with the bones removed into Ruoyu's bowl and told Ruoyu to eat more.
Ruoyu sighed softly, her gaze fixed on Shihuai, who was standing across from her. Last night, Shihuai had messaged her, saying he had something to ask her in the morning. She had no idea what it was.
Zhou Xu rarely eats breakfast at home on weekdays, and if he does, he always eats within ten minutes. He has never been as slow as today.
She put the fish meat that Zhou Xu had picked the bones from into her mouth and chewed it slowly.
The atmosphere seemed to be stagnant.
Zhou Jibai put down his bowl and chopsticks, picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth twice: "Go to work, earn money for milk powder for the child."
Zhou Xu then noticed that it was getting late and he wanted to spend more time with Ruoyu during breakfast.
"You go first."
Zhou Jibai sighed, "You're already an adult, and you still need someone to coax you at work?"
He walked up to Zhou Xu and stood behind his and Ruoyu's seats without doing anything, making things difficult for Zhou Xu.
Zhou Xu glanced coldly at his unruly second brother behind him: ...
With him staring at him from behind, Zhou Xu couldn't eat anymore. He stood up with a sullen face and rubbed Ruoyu's head before leaving.
Seeing that the two brothers finally left, Shi Huai let out a long sigh and strolled to Ruoyu's side.
"Sister-in-law, do you know where grandma went?" Shi Huai asked.
Ruoyu whispered, "We should be inside the residence at this point."
A few days ago, I was chatting with Shi Huai and mentioned that my grandmother was always depressed at this time. When Zhou Xu came home in the evening, Ruoyu couldn't help but ask.
I thought Zhou Xu wouldn't say anything, but he just closed the door quietly, held Ruoyu in his arms and told her the whole story.
I didn’t expect the reason for my grandma’s depression was so serious.
At first, Ruoyu simply thought that grandma just missed grandpa.
Now, when she heard Shi Huai asking about Grandma again, Ruoyu hesitated, wondering whether she should talk to Shi Huai about it. She told him that it would be best if he did not disturb Grandma during this period.
Shi Huai also looked at Ruoyu at this time. Their eyes met, and for a moment no one knew what to say.
"That... Shi Huai."
"Sister-in-law."
After hesitating for a moment, the two spoke almost at the same time.
Ruoyu smiled and said, "You speak first."
Shi Huai clenched his fists, his eyes were extremely determined: "I want to help grandma get out of depression, I need your help."
Ruoyu was surprised for a moment, then tilted her head and looked at Shihuai, "You know everything about grandma?"
"Zhou Jibai told me yesterday." Shi Huai replied.
Thinking of the depressing things that happened to her grandmother, Ruoyu's eyelashes trembled, and heartache flashed in her eyes. The old lady loved them, the younger generation, the most. When she first married into the Zhou family, she was only in her early twenties. Zhou Xu was a wooden man, usually with a cold face and no words. She was a little afraid of Zhou Xu when she first got married.
The only person who could speak in the entire manor was Grandma. Although she was old, she had a good attitude and would take the initiative to hold her hand to talk to her and take her shopping and traveling. In Ruoyu's heart, Mrs. Zhou was already an extremely important relative to her.
Now that Ruoyu heard that Shi Huai wanted to work with her to help her grandmother get out of depression, she naturally felt obliged to do so.
"How can I help?"
Shi Huai raised the corners of his lips slightly: "Do as I say."
Zhou Jibai said that the last straw that broke the old lady's back was the engagement gift that was soaked and destroyed by rain.
The engagement gift from grandma and grandpa was a calligraphy and painting with historical background, which was an authentic work passed down from generation to generation in the Zhou family as a family heirloom.
Shi Huai thought, what a coincidence.
Her grandfather was an ancient painting restorer when he was young, and the old man seemed to be quite famous.
It seems like he is the 23rd generation successor of some sect?
When I was little, before my grandparents separated, I would often sit on a small stool next to my grandfather and watch him repair ancient paintings that had been damaged by the passage of time. Later, after watching him for a long time, I was able to follow his lead.
She accompanied her grandfather in restoring one ancient painting after another. She had steady hands and sharp eyes, and she could learn the skills her grandfather taught her quickly.
Everyone praised Shi Huai for her rare talent. Her grandfather devoted much of his time to her cultivation, even wanting her to join him in the art of refining ancient paintings, becoming the 24th generation heir. However, her grandmother coldly refused.
She had to please both sides every day. Her grandmother wanted her to learn Chinese painting and Suzhou embroidery from her, while her grandfather wanted her to concentrate on learning how to restore ancient paintings.
Later, her mother passed away, and her heartbroken father left for work in Changjing. She drifted around like a floating duckweed, initially staying with her grandparents in Guangnan. But when she was in junior high, her father told her that the education in Changjing was better and asked her to come there. So she left Guangnan for Changjing.
During the summer vacation of her third year in junior high school, her father passed away. She could not accept the blow for a while. Under the persuasion of Tang Xiaoling, she gave up her place in Changjing No. 1 Middle School and returned to Guangnan. She studied in high school for three years under the careful care of her grandparents.
When she was in college, she initially wanted to study Cultural Relics Conservation and Restoration, but her grandmother rejected her plan, saying it was unpopular and would be difficult to find a job. She instead chose Chinese painting.
She knew that her grandmother had her reasons for being annoyed and dissatisfied with her grandfather. Shi Huai didn't want to argue with her grandmother, so she followed her arrangements and concentrated on learning Chinese painting.
However, when he was in college, Shi Huai would participate in club activities in his spare time and met many professors and senior students who specialized in ancient painting restoration.
This major is indeed unpopular. The number of students in the four classes of university, including teachers, professors and graduate students, does not even exceed 50 in total.
She had only just left university this year, so her skills were not new. As long as she could see the ancient paintings, she was confident that she could help the old lady out of her depression.
Shi Huai hugged the petite and lovely Ruoyu and whispered his plan in her ear.
After hearing this, Ruoyu suddenly looked up at Shihuai in shock: "How, how can this be possible!?"
"Sister-in-law, are you willing to believe me?" Shi Huai's eyes flashed with anticipation, and he raised his eyebrows at Ruoyu.
Ruoyu was a little hesitant: "What if we get discovered..."
"If we're caught, I'll say it was Zhou Jibai who did it."
Ruoyu's mouth twitched: "...Is this really okay?"
As expected, there are two different people sleeping in the same bed... Why does Shi Huai always like to do things that can easily get him punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall?
Zhou Jibai, who had already arrived at the group to prepare for a meeting, suddenly sneezed.
*
"Old lady, the eldest and second young ladies are here with the young lady to see you."
Mrs. Zhou's personal maid, Aunt Zhang, hurried to the basement to call Mrs. Zhou.
After breakfast, the old lady locked herself in the basement and refused to come out.
Now that the two young ladies have brought their little daughter to find the old lady, Aunt Zhang will do everything she can to pull the old lady out of the basement to get some fresh air.
Old Mrs. Zhou looked at the calligraphy and paintings mounted on the wall that were already rotting, reached out and touched them, sighed a few times, and then left the basement.
When she walked out of the basement, she concealed her sad expression and replaced it with her usual generous and elegant smile.
Seeing two beauties playing with a little baby in the living room, Old Lady Zhou stepped forward and called out, "Little Joy, come and let Grandma hold you."
Huanyu also liked her great-grandmother, and ran over quickly when she heard her great-grandmother's voice.
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