Watching Gao Mingxiu's straight back disappear at the study door, Old Master Gao felt a tinge of regret.
Mingxiu was deeply in love, and especially since the girl he fancied didn't think highly of him, Mingxiu's rebellious spirit was at its peak. His methods had been a bit too harsh.
Gao Wenqi lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Liu Ailing wanted to chase after her son but stopped herself.
Old Master Gao waved his hand at her: "Go, go help him pack some daily necessities. When he's suffered enough outside, he'll understand the happiness of family protection."
"Thank you, Father," Liu Ailing said, and hurried out of the study.
Old Master Gao said to his younger son: "Your greatest accomplishment in this life is raising a son with an upright spirit."
"Go, keep an eye on your second sister-in-law. Don't let Mingxiu end up hating the Gao family."
"Yes."
Gao Wenqi also withdrew from the study.
Only silence remained in the study.
Old Master Gao sighed. His descendants were not up to par; he had to bear the burden alone. He was tired.
...
At the Yu family's home, dinner was dumplings.
Old Master Shen loved dumplings the most.
The nanny, Sister Yuan, used the fresh celery and minced meat brought by Tian Jing and them to make the filling.
Old Master Shen ate over sixty dumplings and simply couldn't eat anymore:
"Back in the day, I could eat over a hundred dumplings in one sitting and still feel hungry."
"Now, after more than sixty, I'm stuffed."
"Grandpa," Yu Ziyu continued to eat dumplings. She ate slowly because there were many people and many dumplings were made, so she didn't need to rush.
"You ate coarse grains back then. Your stomach had no oil, and you had high physical activity."
"Now, a walk is considered exercise, and you eat meat at every meal."
"Your stomach and intestines are full of grease. Otherwise, why would your blood lipids be so high?"
Old Master Shen pointed at his young granddaughter: "You little girl, are you saying I have a greasy gut and a fat belly?"
Yu Ziyu looked at her grandfather's beer belly: "You're pot-bellied."
Old Master Shen waved his hand: "Go! Aren't we the same?"
"You eat quickly. After eating, take Grandpa and Xiao Bo for a walk."
Yu Ziyu was surprised: "You need me to take you?"
"Otherwise?" Old Master Shen retorted, "I'm a guest."
Yu Ziyu: "..." Are there guests who directly use a key to open the door and come in?
It wasn't until she took her grandfather and boyfriend out for a stroll that Yu Ziyu understood what her grandfather intended to do.
"Hahaha. Old Sun, this is my grandson-in-law. What do you think? Is he more handsome than Gao family's Mingxiu?"
"Hahaha, Old Zhao, look at my grandson-in-law. Isn't he handsome? Kid, Ziyu only likes handsome men. It's a shame that the boys from these compounds have all grown up poorly."
"Hahaha, Old Qian, look at my grandson-in-law. Doesn't he look spirited? Handsome yet heroic – that's the standard for a handsome man!"
Yu Ziyu covered her face. Grandpa, I'm too embarrassed to face them.
Li Weibao moved her hands away and intertwined his fingers with hers:
"Grandpa likes me. He praised me for being handsome and manly."
Yu Ziyu pinched him gently and chided him: "Don't learn from Grandpa. Grandpa is old now, and he doesn't care about these things, only about showing off."
"I know," Li Weibao's voice was not low: "The fact that I can be a target for Grandpa to show off means I'm presentable."
"Hahaha," Old Master Shen was very happy. "That's right, Xiao Bo is right. You're very presentable, worthy of Grandpa's pride."
"See," Li Weibao swung his girlfriend's hand. "Grandpa praised me."
Yu Ziyu: "..." Can I go home and hide under the covers?
After a stroll and showing off, Old Master Shen returned to the Yu family with lingering excitement:
"There are too few people I know in this compound."
"Xiao Bo's vacation is too short. Otherwise, I'd take him back to the Beijing compound and show those old guys what a handsome man is."
Yu Ziyu: "..." You've paraded around and shown off to everyone, both acquaintances and strangers in a military compound, and you're still complaining about knowing too few people?
Meanwhile, within the family compound, Old Master Shen's actions stirred up a buzz.
It was the admiration for the man Old Master Shen called Xiao Bo's appearance and speculation about his identity.
Given Old Master Shen's personality and Shen Jianrong's pride, they wouldn't have a nameless person as their son-in-law.
Even if he were a live-in son-in-law, his circumstances wouldn't be too poor.
Moreover, Li Weibao stood beside Yu Ziyu and behind Old Master Shen, not appearing timid.
If he was just pretending, then one had to admire the young man's acting skills.
Those with greater curiosity and connections began to investigate this person named Xiao Bo.
Those without connections pricked up their ears, hoping to hear firsthand news from others.
Lou Caiyun pouted. He's just a handsome man, after all. Isn't he just relying on his mother's good looks?
Just like Mingxiu.
However, speaking of appearance, Ziyu's boyfriend was more pleasing to the eye than Mingxiu.
Gao Wenshi picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Mingxiu was kicked out of the Gao family by Father."
"Really?" Lou Caiyun sat up straight: "Why?"
Gao Wenshi said dismissively: "Still because of that Lili."
"No matter how beautiful a woman is, she can't escape the ravages of time."
"Women with only beauty are more likely to become annoying."
Lou Caiyun's eyes were fixed on her husband: "You saw Jianrong's in-laws. What do you think of that woman compared to Liu Ailing?"
Gao Wenshi's lips curled into a sneer: "Timid and shrinking. No matter how beautiful, she's just like a wildflower that blooms brightly for a moment by the roadside."
"How can she compare to Liu Ailing? Back then, Liu Ailing was a celebrated 'group flower'."
"Now, aren't those wrinkles appearing one after another? Beauty fades quickly, that saying is true."
Her husband's words soothed Lou Caiyun. When her husband was sent down to the countryside to her village, she had fallen for him at first sight.
She had pursued him for a long time, sending countless gifts, before he finally relented.
Fortunately, her efforts paid off, and her husband returned to the city...
"This afternoon, I called Liu Ailing..."
"She was evasive. Now that her son has been kicked out of the Gao family because of that Lili, wouldn't she hate Lili to death?"
"You're mistaken." Speaking of this matter, Gao Wenshi had a grievance:
"Mingxiu overheard your conversation with Liu Ailing."
"In front of Father, he exposed your scheme."
"Father warned me that if we dare to use the Gao family's reputation to scheme against our family members again, he will not be lenient with us."
Lou Caiyun was annoyed: "This Liu Ailing must have used the speakerphone again. I've heard it many times."
"So, what should we do now? Father warned us, he must still have expectations for Mingxiu."
"Will our Mingfei and Mingxue have no future?"
"If you don't know how to use idioms, don't use them," Gao Wenshi said unhappily. "What do you mean 'no future'? Is anyone suppressing them?"
"They've only been in the unit for two years, and they want to get promoted? Let them go to space, rockets go up fast."
"Bang!"
Gao Wenshi slammed his teacup down and returned to the study.
Another "bang" as he slammed the study door shut.
Lou Caiyun was startled twice.
She gazed resentfully at the study door. Tonight, her husband would not be sleeping in their bedroom again.
She raised her hand to touch her face.
Beauty fades, but she wasn't beautiful; why was she aging so quickly?