Chapter 79: Grandpa asked us to...
As the car drove out, Song Yu pointed to the right and said, "Let's go to the mall first. I want to buy some gifts for Grandpa Zhou and Grandma."
"No need! I've already prepared it. It's in the trunk. Just tell grandpa and grandma that you bought it."
Song Yu frowned: "Isn't this a bad idea? It makes me look insincere."
"It's okay, the old lady doesn't care about this, but..." Zhou Ci glanced at her sideways, "You should change your address."
Song Yu blushed, and his voice became much softer. After a long while, he said, "I understand."
Zhou Ci said nothing more, looked back ahead, drove the car out of the Song family's auxiliary road, merged into the traffic flow, and concentrated on driving.
As soon as the two arrived at Zhou's house, the guard had already opened the gate to make it convenient for them to drive the car in. He then used the intercom to say hello to the people in the main building, telling them that the young master had returned.
As soon as Zhou Ci parked the car, someone came up to open the door for them. Zhou Ci took out two gift lists from the trunk. Someone naturally helped him get the other things that were difficult to carry. He held Song Yu's right hand with his left hand and walked into the Zhou residence together.
This was not the first time Song Yu held hands with Zhou Ci, but every time their fingers were intertwined, Song Yu felt inexplicably nervous. Zhou Ci's hands were dry and warm, and felt very good to the touch, but Song Yu didn't know why he felt nervous.
The nanny's meal was ready, and the cold dishes were already on the table, waiting for the two of them to come and eat. In the living room, people from other branches of the Zhou family gathered around Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou to show their filial piety.
Zhou Ci's eldest aunt was a straightforward person. She saw Zhou Ci holding Song Yu's hand and walked in, and joked to Mrs. Zhou: "Mom, look at our cold-faced Mr. Ci. In front of his wife, his smile is as worthless as it is worthless. If I hadn't watched him grow up, I would have suspected that they were not the same person."
Zhou Ci's second aunt just looked away and agreed with a smile, "Isn't it? Xiao Ci is the most handsome one in our four generations. I used to wonder which girl was worthy of him. After looking around, the only one who came up was the beautiful fairy Ru Ru. I didn't expect Ru Ru to actually become his wife. Fate is really something you can't explain."
Zhou Ci's aunt laughed and said, "It's so pleasing to the eyes to see these two walking together. Just looking at them makes my eyes feel comfortable."
Finally, it was Old Lady Zhou who spoke up: "Alright, alright, this is Ru Ru's first time to eat as a granddaughter-in-law, so each of you should be more reserved. She's shy, and she'll be embarrassed by you later."
"Grandma, you're biased." Zhou Ci's eldest cousin's wife said angrily, "With the new bride coming in, we old ones have all fallen out of favor."
"You're the only one who can talk, right?" Old Mrs. Zhou scolded with a smile.
While joking, Zhou Ci and Song Yu had already walked up to them. Song Yu was no stranger to these people. She was pretty and had a sweet voice. She greeted them one by one: "Good evening, Grandpa and Grandma, hello, auntie, hello, auntie."
"Ruru is here." Old Master Zhou smiled and was very friendly. He was very satisfied with Song Yu's change of heart and waved his hand, "Come sit here with grandpa."
Zhou Ci stepped forward at the right time and handed the gifts in his hand to Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou respectively, "Grandpa and grandma, this is the gift Song Yu bought for you."
Mrs. Zhou smiled from ear to ear: "We are not strangers, why are you being so polite?"
Song Yu smiled. She wasn't shy at all and joked in a very open and generous manner: "Grandma, I'm not being polite. I'm trying to please you. If you accept my gift, you must speak up for me in the future. If Ah Ci dares to bully me, I'll ask the elders to help me get justice."
Aunt Zhou Ci smiled and said, "It's Ru Ru, you really know how to talk."
Zhou Ci prepared gifts for every room. To show that he treated everyone equally, each room prepared the same gifts. Only the gifts for Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou were different.
The two old men took it with smiles on their faces: "Ru Ru is so thoughtful!"
Everyone was polite enough not to open it on the spot, but they treated Song Yu even more affectionately.
When the restaurant announced that dinner was ready, Mr. Zhou got up first and said, "It's getting late, let's eat!"
As soon as he spoke, everyone followed him to the restaurant. As they walked, Mr. Zhou talked to Zhou Ci in a low voice. They chatted about nothing but company matters.
Zhou Ci listened quietly, nodding from time to time. He held Song Yu's hand tightly, as if afraid that she would get lost. He would look back at her from time to time. His caring look made the women of the Zhou family laugh from time to time.
Zhou Ci's aunt was a talkative person. She said sarcastically, "No wonder Xiao Ci hasn't even found a girlfriend in all these years. It turns out he already has someone in his heart."
Zhou Ci's second aunt supported Mrs. Zhou's other hand and asked Song Yu, "Ruru, tell me, when did Xiao Ci start to like you?"
"Yes! Xiao Ci is too tight-lipped. I've never heard him mention it. If you weren't getting married, we would still be kept in the dark." Zhou Ci's aunt also spoke.
"We're afraid everyone's too curious, so Ah Ci and I have been keeping it a secret from our family." Song Yu easily changed the subject. She even pulled Old Madam Zhou in to silence her, saying coquettishly, "Grandma, look at my aunt and my auntie."
Good-looking juniors are naturally likable. Song Yu is sweet, well-behaved, and can act like a spoiled child. She is the kind of junior that the elders love the most. Seeing her blushing and embarrassed look, Old Lady Zhou smiled and said, "Don't ask any more questions. Ru Ru is shy. If you ask again, you won't even dare to eat and will run away."
The meal was a joyful one. The Zhou family was very attentive. Perhaps Zhou Ci had given some instructions, so there were five or six dishes on the table that Song Yu liked.
This dinner was just a small gathering. Afraid that Song Yu would feel uncomfortable, they only invited a few female elders from the Zhou family to join them. Except for Old Master Zhou, none of the male elders from the Zhou family came.
The four sons of Old Master Zhou each had their own place to live. They usually didn't live in the Zhou residence. After dinner, they would go back to their own homes. Zhou Ci sent them to the car one by one and watched them leave. When there was no one around, he said to Song Yu, "Grandpa asked us to stay here today."
Song Yu felt exhausted during the meal. Dealing with elders was more tiring than negotiating with others, especially with elders she was not very familiar with and with whom she was in competition. She had to speak up, but she was afraid of making mistakes if she spoke too much, and it was difficult to grasp the right tone.
After finally finishing her meal and sending the guests off, she was about to go home and have a good rest when Zhou Ci suddenly said this. Her eyes widened: "Are you serious?"
"When have I ever spoken without thinking?"
"How do you sleep then?"
Her question was a bit silly, which made Zhou Ci laugh. "How do you sleep?"
"How do I know if sleeping in separate rooms will expose our situation?" Song Yu was worried. "If we don't sleep in separate rooms, how will we sleep? Will you sleep on the floor?" She asked the last sentence carefully.
"There aren't enough quilts on the floor. If I go to the other guest bedrooms to get quilts, the cleaning lady will easily see it and tell grandma."
"Then what should we do? Can we just say we don't live here? I didn't bring any spare clothes with me. What should I wear after taking a shower?" Song Yu was really depressed.
"I've already talked to Grandpa, but he won't let me go. He has something to discuss with me tonight. I have some unworn T-shirts in my room as a change of clothes. We have disposable items at home, so you can wear whatever you want. I'll have your assistant bring it to you tomorrow morning."
Song Yu was still unwilling: "No, what does grandpa want to discuss with you? Can't we wait until grandpa finishes discussing with you before leaving?"
"My bed is big. You can use one quilt and I can use another, so we can completely avoid disturbing each other. If you still mind, I can sit on the sofa for the night." Zhou Ci looked at Song Yu. Under the dim street light, the expression on Zhou Ci's face was not very clear. "Song Yu, this can't be helped. We will definitely have to share a room and even a bed many times in the future. My grandfather is old and not in good health. There are many things I don't want to disobey him."
Song Yu knew there was no other way. Ever since she agreed to a contract marriage with Zhou Ci, she had actually prepared herself mentally for this. She had even prepared for worse scenarios. If it was unavoidable, she wouldn't make it difficult for Zhou Ci. After all, people still have to have a sense of contract. "Okay, I understand. Let's move in."
Zhou Ci smiled: "Thank you for your understanding!"
The two returned to the Zhou residence. Grandpa Zhou and Mrs. Zhou were still waiting for them in the living room. Mrs. Zhou held Song Yu's hand affectionately and said, "Ruru, are you still not used to it? It's okay. Just treat grandma's place as your own home. Grandma will take you to Xiaoci's room to have a look, okay?"
Song Yu nodded: "Thank you, grandma!"
Mr. Zhou also waved to Zhou Ci: "Come with me to the study."
Zhou Ci didn't move. He glanced sideways at Song Yu and asked softly, "Can you do it alone? Do you want me to accompany you back to the room?"
"No need, go to the study with grandpa and talk about your things." She smiled and pushed Zhou Ci towards Grandpa Zhou affectionately, "I have grandma to accompany me."
"Okay, I'll go back to your room after I finish talking to grandpa." He handed the cashmere coat hanging on his arm to Song Yu, and also handed over the car keys in his trouser pocket. He smiled at Song Yu and walked towards Grandpa Zhou wearing only a white shirt.
The couple has a good relationship, and the happiest person is the elder. The smile on Mrs. Zhou's face deepened. She took Song Yu's hand and walked towards the elevator affectionately. As she walked, she explained to Song Yu: "Xiao Ci's room is on the fourth floor. He likes quietness and doesn't like others disturbing him. He refused to live downstairs."
The Zhou residence has been renovated, and the fourth floor after the renovation is occupied by Zhou Ci alone. Usually, when the Zhou family comes back, they live on the second and third floors. No one would be so ignorant as to run to Zhou Ci's territory on the fourth floor.
Zhou Ci is very capable. He has made the Zhou Group prosper over the years and has greatly increased its market value. No one can defeat him, and although they are unwilling, they have no choice but to follow him.
The color scheme of the fourth floor is black, white and gray, which suits Zhou Ci's personality. Outside the living room is a whole row of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, where all of Grandpa Zhou's books are collected. In his own words, Zhou Ci is the best reader in the family, and these books will not be wasted only in his hands.
Old Mrs. Zhou sent Song Yu to Zhou Ci's room, talked for a while, and then went back.
Song Yu called home and told her mother that she would not be going back tonight and that the Zhou family elders would let her stay at the Zhou house. After her mother gave her a few instructions, the mother and daughter hung up the phone.
She prepared to shower, walked around Zhou Ci's room, and opened the closet. Zhou Ci only stayed overnight at the Zhou residence occasionally, so there weren't many clothes here, but there were clothes for all seasons, most of which were new. She also saw a few T-shirts in the closet, only black, white, and gray. Song Yu picked out a large black T-shirt and went to the bathroom.
According to Zhou Ci, Song Yu found the disposable items she needed in the cabinet on the sink. When she came out of the shower and her hair was half dry, Mrs. Zhou came again.
Old Mrs. Zhou stood at the door of the bedroom and waved to Song Yu with a smile: "Ruru, come here."
She was holding a carved wooden box in her hand, which was inlaid with agate and jade. The wood shone with a soft and warm light. It was obvious that it was an old object that was often played with and had become greasy.
Song Yu put down the hair dryer and walked over. She looked at what Old Lady Zhou was holding in her hands and asked curiously, "What is Grandma holding?"
Mrs. Zhou replied with a smile, "It's something Xiaoci's mother left behind. It's the only thing she left behind." She sighed, "She told me to give it to Xiaoci's wife after he gets married."
I don’t know what Mrs. Zhou remembered, her eyes were wet, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. Seeing that Song Yu was still standing, she hurriedly asked her to sit down.
Song Yu sat on the sofa next to Old Lady Zhou. She was not curious about what treasures were in the antique wooden box. She just said, "Grandma, I don't want it."
Mrs. Zhou joked, "Grandma doesn't want to give such a good thing to her, but it belongs to Xiao Ci's mother. Grandma is just a custodian. If she said she wanted to give it to her daughter-in-law, then she must give it to her."
She opened the wooden box, and inside was a jade three-piece set: a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. The color, water content, clarity, and craftsmanship that only top-grade jade can have, each of these three pieces of jewelry represents their priceless value.
"Take it! This is a gift from Xiaoci's mother. If she were still alive, she would definitely like you very much." Old Mrs. Zhou closed the wooden box in her hand and put it in Song Yu's hand.
"This thing is too valuable, let grandma keep it for me!" Song Yu really didn't want to accept it. This was a generous gift from Zhou Ci's mother to her daughter-in-law, but she and Zhou Ci were not in that kind of relationship.
"I've kept it for more than ten or twenty years. At my age, I live one day at a time. Who knows when I'll close my eyes and never wake up again? If I still have it in my hands at that time, I'm afraid something might happen. It's better to arrange it early. After I give it to you, whether you give it to someone else or do whatever you want, it's none of my business."
Having said that, if Song Yu didn't want it, Old Lady Zhou would be really unhappy, and might even think too much about it. She could only take the wooden box and say, "Thank you, Grandma." But in her heart, she was thinking that she would give this thing to Zhou Ci when he returned to the room. After all, it was something for Zhou Ci's future wife, so what was the point of keeping it with her?
Old Mrs. Zhou sent the things out and didn't stay any longer. Song Yu sent her to the elevator, watched her get in, go down to the first floor, and then turned around and went back to the room.
-
There was nothing wrong with Grandpa Zhou letting Zhou Ci live at home. It was just that his grandson's wife had just come into the family, and he wanted to help her adapt to the Zhou family faster. Another reason was that he was itching to play chess with Zhou Ci.
Zhou Ci was indifferent to it. No one could tell what he had in mind, so he just agreed.
From Zhou Ci's current perspective, Grandpa Zhou is just a terrible chess player. He is not good at chess, loves to play, and can't afford to lose. However, it is a good thing that the old man is becoming more and more like a naughty boy as he gets older, which shows that he has a good mentality.
Now the black pieces were surrounded again, and Mr. Zhou's CPU was about to burn out, but he made another bad move and Zhou Ci took away a lot of his pieces.
He snorted angrily, glaring at Zhou Ci for taking his child in without any hurry. The more he saw Zhou Ci's relaxed and carefree look, the more he disliked it. He wanted to make him unhappy: "How are you planning your wedding? Are you really not going to invite your dad over?"
Zhou Ci lowered his eyes and put away the chess pieces, his face calm and his voice cold: "I don't have such thoughts. I have only one request for my wedding, and that is that he is not allowed to attend. This is the bottom line."
Mr. Zhou understood the importance of the word "bottom line," but he still had to say, "This is a bit awkward. How could a father not attend his own son's wedding?"
"Why not?" Zhou Ci looked up at Old Man Zhou. "Grandpa, didn't you attend his second wedding? Not only did you not go, you also didn't allow anyone in the family to go. I learned this from you."
Mr. Zhou coughed, feeling a little embarrassed: "I was just embarrassed."
Zhou Ci said pertinently: "Yes, I feel ashamed too."
"Why are you treating me like that? He's your father. People already say you're ruthless. If this gets out, people will say you're so cruel that you can't even tolerate your own father."
"People outside can say whatever they want. They don't have the guts to say it to me anyway. I'm not afraid of gossip. I only care about the benefits I can get. Grandpa, please stop trying to persuade me. There's no chance of reconciliation between him and me in this lifetime. Seeing him annoys me, and it makes me feel bad, which makes me prone to making wrong decisions. You never know which one will affect the development of the Zhou Group."
"Oh? Threatening me?" Old Master Zhou snorted.
"How dare I threaten Grandpa? I'm just telling the truth. When I see him, I think of how he treated me before. As long as he stays where I can't see him like this and doesn't show up until he dies, it's not like I can't let him go. If he's not afraid of death and still jumps in front of me, I'm not sure what I would do. Maybe I would send him to jail. I have a lot of his things in my hands, and this is all thanks to Shen Zhiyan, the gift he gave me."
It was unknown whether the father and son had committed some sin in their previous life, but they were fighting like enemies. Old Master Zhou was deeply troubled. He just ignored them because he couldn't control them. "It's up to you. I'm old and can't control you anymore."
Zhou Ci then smiled and took back his hand that had placed the chess piece. "Grandpa, you lost."
"What?" Old Master Zhou was shocked. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the chessboard carefully. Wow, he was surrounded without realizing it. "Come again!" He rubbed his hands, ready to play another big game.
Zhou Ci threw the chess pieces into the basket and said, "No, I'm not coming. I'm so tired from work today. I want to rest early."
Old Master Zhou rolled his eyes at him and said, "Don't think that just because he's old he doesn't know what this kid is thinking."
The old man stared at the chessboard, wondering how his grandson had won. He waved his hand, nonchalantly saying, "Go away! Don't disturb me while I review the game."
Zhou Ci immediately stood up, full of energy: "Thank you, Grandpa, I'll go back to my room."
After he finished speaking, he disappeared in a flash, so fast that Old Master Zhou was left staring at the empty study door in silence.
Look at what he has accomplished.
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