After Qiao Zhixia brought the two children back to Guangzhou, she contacted her parents and asked them to come over. She would pick them up at the station.
In order to make them feel more comfortable, she decided to entertain them in the house she bought, because she knew her mother's character. It was fine for them to stay in Qin Yunlang's villa, but they would definitely feel uncomfortable if they really stayed there.
Having not been back to live for more than a month, she left the noisy Yangzai with his grandmother and took Yibao back to do some hygiene, and took advantage of the fine weather to dry the bedding.
She prepared a sunny room for her parents, changed into a brand new four-piece suit, and also prepared pajamas, slippers, toiletries, etc.
After a busy day, she took some time out in the evening to take Yibao to her own restaurant, where Xu Xinlan had made an appointment for dinner. After returning, they took a bath and fell asleep together.
Two days later, Qiao Zhixia brought her two children to the train station to pick up Qiao Xinguo and his wife.
As soon as they got off the train, the couple hurriedly picked up a little grandson each. Seeing them grow up a lot, their eyes were filled with excitement.
The family chatted enthusiastically on the platform for a while. Qiao Zhixia asked them to hand over their luggage to the bodyguards and then took them out of the station.
The light blue Mercedes that Qin Yunlang prepared for her was parked at the exit, looking particularly eye-catching.
The driver immediately got out of the car, opened the door for them, and respectfully invited them to get in.
The two children, who had lived a simple life for most of their lives, felt uncomfortable looking at the group of drivers with attentive bodyguards.
"This car is expensive, right? Why do you hire so many people? How much do you pay them?"
Qiao Zhixia listened to her mother's nagging and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It was all arranged by your son-in-law. He paid for it..."
"You have to spend it sparingly! Whose money comes from the wind?" Qiao Xinguo took over the conversation.
"If he calls you in the evening, will you tell him?" Qiao Zhixia said with a smile as she fastened their seat belts.
Qiao Xinguo scratched his head and simply changed the subject: "By the way, did you two really get the marriage certificate? You didn't lie to us, did you?"
Qiao Zhixia helplessly held her forehead and said, "I really accepted it. I'll show it to you guys when I get back."
"That's good. It's always unreliable without a certificate. What's it like to be nameless and without status?" The two kids chattered all the way, sometimes marveling at the tall buildings in Guangzhou, sometimes talking about interesting things in their hometown.
The two little ones also excitedly shared with their grandparents what they saw and heard in the port city. Yangzai looked so excited while talking that everyone in the car burst into laughter.
When she was about to talk about the thrilling "gun battle", she was stopped by Qiao Zhixia's eyes. She didn't want to worry the two old people.
Before we knew it, the car had entered the neighborhood where she lived.
The bodyguards helped carry the luggage upstairs before leaving. Qiao Zhixia changed their slippers, took them into the bedroom where they would stay for the night, and showed them around her house.
Qiao Zhixia thought she had kept the house very clean, but her mother always found fault with it, as if Qiao Zhixia was a child who had never grown up and made her worried everywhere.
Qiao Zhixia let her chatter for a while, drank some tea, and rested for a while before taking them to Qin Yunlang's villa to have dinner with Ruan Fengjiao.
When Ruan Fengjiao learned that the two in-laws were coming, she attached great importance to it. She personally arranged for the kitchen to prepare their favorite meals early on, and asked Qiao Zhixia about their interests and hobbies in order to prepare gifts.
When the car stopped in front of the villa, Qiao Xinguo and his wife became reserved. When they saw the noble lady in cheongsam waiting at the door, they were even more speechless.
It was Ruan Fengjiao who took the initiative to come forward and greeted them warmly: "My dear relatives, welcome to Guangzhou. You have worked hard on the journey. Come in and take a seat."
Several servants immediately bowed politely and greeted them: "Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. In-law..."
The two boys had never seen such a scene before, so they bowed stiffly and returned the favor before entering the house.
Looking at the six-meter-high crystal chandelier hanging from the second floor in the spacious living room, both girls' jaws almost dropped to the ground.
"It must be very hard to rub this lamp, right?" Qiao Xinguo asked Qiao Zhixia in a low voice.
Qiao Zhixia didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You don't need us to wash it. If it gets dirty, just send it back to the original factory for cleaning."
"My dear in-laws, mother-in-law... you are all from our own family, so please don't be shy. Just sit down and chat!" Ruan Fengjiao took them to the sofa and asked someone to serve tea and snacks.
The two kids were so nervous that they didn't know where to put their hands and feet. It wasn't until the two little kids came over and sat next to them that they slowly relaxed.
After the two children chatted with their mother-in-law for a while, they found that Ruan Fengjiao was not arrogant at all, and was very friendly and easygoing, so they gradually opened up.
Qiao Xinguo was embarrassed to order the servants around, so he ordered Qiao Zhixia to bring the things he brought over.
They knew that the Qin family had no shortage of money and had nothing good to give as a gift, so they brought more than ten kilograms of rice from their home, a few dozen matsutake mushrooms, a few good-looking ginseng plants, and a few bunches of new varieties of fresh grapes.
"Mother-in-law, these are all grown by us in the countryside, please don't dislike them."
"My dear in-laws, you are too polite. This is your thoughtful gift. How can I reject it? Besides, these are all good things that are hard to buy even if you have money!"
Ruan Fengjiao immediately asked the servant to deliver the things they brought to the kitchen, and suggested cooking a pot of Matsutake rice with the rice they brought in the evening.
In order to make the two relatives fully integrate into this family, Ruan Fengjiao told them her own story of being a poor person from the countryside.
After hearing this, Qiao Xinguo and her two daughters immediately became closer to her. The two women even went to the kitchen together to cook and learn cooking skills from each other.
Qiao Xinguo accompanied the two little ones to play on the slide by the swimming pool at the back, and Qiao Zhixia took the opportunity to go over and talk to him about his background.
Qiao Zhixia told Qiao Xinguo that Xu Xiaolan was his biological niece and her real surname was Bai. Qiao Zhixia made an appointment with Xu Xinlan to meet at her grandparents' cemetery tomorrow.
Qiao Xinguo felt mixed emotions after hearing this, but still agreed to the appointment.
The next day, the weather was a little gloomy, and Qiao Zhixia brought Qiao Xinguo and Xu Xinlan to meet in front of the cemetery.
When the two girls met Xu Xinlan, she was wearing a neat white suit and holding two bunches of white chrysanthemums in her hands.
When she saw Qiao Xinguo, she smiled and said in a hoarse voice: "...Uncle."
Qiao Xinguo looked at her red eyes, and his awkward hands tightened and unclenched, and after a moment he nodded stiffly in response.
"Take me to see them." He said in a harsh voice.
"Well, follow me." Xu Xinlan took the lead and walked forward.
Qiao Zhixia followed them silently, and after wandering around for more than ten minutes, they came to two tombstones placed side by side. Buried inside were Xu Xinlan's grandparents, Qiao Xinguo's biological mother and father.
Qiao Xinguo looked at the blurry photo of the man on the tombstone. He could still vaguely see his very similar outline, although it was as if they had never met before. At this moment, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
He was once a child who longed to be cared for and loved by his family!
His childhood was filled with ruthless beatings and scolding, and he was demanded endlessly. At the age when he longed for love the most, he never received any love.
He developed a character of compromise and humility, but fortunately he did not lose the power of his lover.
At this moment, seeing the tombstone of his biological mother, all kinds of complicated emotions entangled in his heart. He didn't know whether it was more resentment or regret that made him cry unknowingly.
"Uncle, grandpa and grandma loved you, but you were stolen and they couldn't find you. If they were still here, they would definitely say sorry to you."
Xu Xinlan's words helped him break free from his painful emotions. He raised his hand to touch his mother's tombstone, and gradually let go of his tears...