“When will the baby be back? I’m leaving tomorrow.” Wen Xiaoji asked.
He was here mainly for the little one, and to see Lin Xinyan at the same time.
The mother replied, “They have been out for a while, should be coming back soon. Since you are here, let’s join us for lunch.”
“Alright!” Wen Xiaoji agreed happily.
Lin Xinyan then asked Aunt Yu to prepare more food for the guests.
Worrying that Aunt Yu might be overwhelmed, she asked Wen Xiaoji to spend his time at the study.
“Don’t worry about me, go do whatever you need to.” Wen Xiaoji was very casual about it.
Lin Xinyan stood up, “Great, I’ll go and prepare lunch now.”
“I’ll come and help.” Chen Shihan was getting ready to stand up as well.
Qin Ya said, “Hey, you are pregnant. Stay here, I’ll go.”
“It’s just the first trimester, I’ll be fine.” The former stood up again only to have Lin Xinyan press her down by her shoulders. “We have enough help. If you are bored, watch some television shows.”
The latter felt a little embarrassed. “How could I stay here while you are so busy in the kitchen?”
Lin Xinyan smiled, “Family doesn’t talk stuff like that.” With that, she walked out of the living room with Qin Ya following behind. Upon entering the kitchen, she held her friend’s hand, “Are you alright?”
Qin Ya shook her head, “I’m fine.”
Lin Xinyan sighed. She was worried about her.
Even though Qin Ya managed to hide her disappointment well earlier, Lin Xinyan could still sense some of her sorrow.
When Aunt Yu saw the two of them in the kitchen, she said, “I’ll be fine on my own.”
“How long will you take to do this all by yourself? It’d be faster with more hands.” Qin Ya said. She nudged Lin Xinyan, “You didn’t do this on purpose, did you?”
After all, Chen Shihan had once been eyeing her man but was now a relative of hers. Well, a twist of fate, wasn’t it?
Lin Xinyan glanced at her friend. “Why does it feels like you are mocking me?”
“I myself is a joke, who am I to mock others?” Qin Ya then went up to Aunt Yu and said, “I’ll cut the vegetables.”
Aunt Yu said, “Alright, I’ll wash them then.”
Lin Xinyan said, “Then I guess that makes me the chef.”
Many hands made light work. With the three of them, lunch was ready in no time. Right then, Zhuang Zijin had brought the baby back. When Wen Xiaoji picked up the baby from Cheng Yuwen’s arms, he realized that the little boy really resembled Lin Xinyan a lot.
“Go take some rest, I’ll get you a glass of water.” Cheng Yuwen told Zhuang Zijin.
The latter walked to them, “How can I let you do that? I’ll do it myself. I guess you’re more tired than I do. You were the one who kept carrying the baby.”
She then poured a glass of water and passed it to him.
Cheng Yuwen smiled.
Aunt Yu shouted as she served the dishes, “Wash your hands, lunch is ready.”
Hearing her, everyone took their seats at the table.
Zhuang Zijin looked around and asked about Zong Qifeng, who was not there again.
The man had been going out a lot lately, saying that he was meeting his friends elsewhere.
The mention of Zong Qifeng stopped Lin Xinyan’s smile for a while. However, she quickly regained her composure and restored the smile for the sake of her guests.
“At his age, it’s good to go out more frequently and meet some friends. Now that the kids are in school, it would be too boring for him to stay at home all the time.” Chen Shihan said.
Lin Xinyan used to think that way too. Now that Cheng Yuxiu was gone, he was very lonely. Socializing with friends would be good for him. Being his children, all they could do was to take care of his daily needs. As for his emotional needs, that had to and could only be fulfilled by their other half.
Came to think about it, they had been rather careless. Both she and Zong Jinghao were not aware of his illness at all.
Guiltiness crept into her. She was sorry for not showing enough concern to the elderly.
Scooping some soup for Cheng Yuwen, she asked, “How have you been?”
Zong Qifeng’s illness had affected Lin Xinyan a lot. She was now especially worried for the people around her. Despite the old age, Cheng Yuwen was still working in the factory at C City.
“I’m fine. Now that I have something to do, I feel much more energetic. If only you could come over, that’d be even better. Then I’d get to see my little grandchild more often.”
Cheng Yuwen suddenly realized that he had spoken too much, “Jinghao will definitely not allow you to do so.”
Previously, Lin Xinyao was still hesitating if she should go, but she was now determined to stay by Zong Jinghao’s side. The man was so occupied with his work, she had to help him with those family matters.
After dinner, Wen Xiaoji spent some more time with the baby before returning to the troops. Upon leaving, he told Lin Xinyan, “We will come to visit again!”
Happily, the host replied, “Alright, see you.”
Qin Ya had frequented the household a lot, so she’s practically family. Naturally, she helped Aunt Yu with the dishes while Lin Xinyan handled the baby.
After cleaning, up, she still had not received any message from Su Zhan, and she was a little worried.
Hence, she sent him a text message but there was no reply from the man.
Did something happen to Grandma Su? She wondered.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t Su Zhan text her?
She felt more and more unsettled. Noticing that Qin Ya was standing by the window, Lin Xinyan came over with the baby in her arms. “What are you thinking?”
“Huh?”
The younger lady turned around and said, “Nothing.”
But it was quickly followed by, “Grandma Su fell down, and I don’t know how is she now.”
She had nothing to hide in front of Lin Xinyan.
“When did that happen?” The latter asked.
“This afternoon.” Qin Ya replied.
Lin Xinyan took out her mobile phone, “I’ll call and ask.”
Qin Ya looked at her and agreed. She was really concerned about Grandma Su’s condition. Uneasiness occupied her as Su Zhan did not contact her.
