Zhuang Jiawen decided to pull his brother’s leg because she was aware of what he had in mind. “Are you sure we’re supposed to have wine with noodles? Shouldn’t you get us another few dishes to go along with the wine instead?”
Smiling, Zong Yanchen served his brother a glass of wine. “You should be grateful you’re not starving.”
“Yanchen, you know what? I’m afraid you’re not a match for me.”
After they finished their meal, Lin Xinyan and Shen Xinyao decided to leave the two brothers alone.
She said, “Mom, I’m afraid they’re going to get drunk. I’ll go make them another few dishes to go along with their drinks. It’s a bad idea to have them drink excessively when they had merely savored a few mouthfuls of the noodles.”
“Mmm. How long has it been since they last met each other?” Lin Xinyan placed the dishes in the basin and asked.
Truth be told, it had been almost two years since she last saw Zong Yanchen.
Shen Xinyao thought about it, but she couldn’t be sure either because it had been quite some time. “I think the last time they met one another was the time we dropped by to visit you. It’s almost two years.”
Lin Xinyan started sighing in her mind because she didn’t want her son to get himself involved in such a dangerous job that would require him to spend most of his time away from home. However, she knew she shouldn’t get in his way because he had grown up and had his own career.
Although she was concerned about his eldest son’s safety, she decided to keep it to herself instead of asking him to stay by her side.
She felt guilty because her youngest son had been sent away since he was young. He had to take over the task to manage the corporation and even got married ahead of his elder brother.
Lin Xinyan asked while preparing the ingredients for the dishes, “Yao, is Jiawen exhausted?”
“Nope. I mean, he’s a young man. He won’t get exhausted that easily.” Shen Xinyao started preparing a serving of stir-fry beef for the two brothers.
“Please take good care of him on our behalf in the future. I’m sure you’re conscious he has left us since young.”
Shen Xinyao figured out the meaning behind Lin Xinyan’s words instantly. She beamed her reply and assured her mother-in-law, “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll definitely take good care of him. You should stop behaving as such because you have never mistreated him. In fact, you have given him more than he could ever ask. Have you forgotten the number of things you gave him when we got married back then?”
Then, she added, “You should be proud of them because they’re the only siblings that have never gotten themselves in any conflict because of money.”
Lin Xinyan looked in the direction of the dining hall and noticed her sons were in the middle of a conversation with their arms wrapped around one another’s shoulders.
Although she wasn’t aware of the content of their conversation, they seemed to be having a great time.
Grinning, she was proud and grateful to see that Zong Yanchen was fine, and her two sons were on good terms with one another.
Meanwhile, Zong Yanxi brought Zhuang Zijin over to Baicheng.
Even though the old manor of the Cheng family had been inhabited since years ago, the entire place was relatively clean. It seemed as though someone had occasionally dropped by and cleaned it.
Zhuang Zijin, who was a relatively skinny old woman, couldn’t even walk properly on her own. Staggering, Zong Yanxi supported her and made their way into the manor.
“It’s still the courtyard I’m familiar with!” Surveying the surroundings of the courtyard, she recalled the time she spent with Cheng Yuwen. There was a time when they spend half a year here during one of their visits to Baicheng.
All of a sudden, she felt as though she had traveled through time and space taking a trip down memory lane.
Previously, they spent most of their time in the courtyard under the gigantic tree.
In fact, the swing he had made for her was still around.
“Do you still remember this place?” Zhuang Zijin held on to the rattan chair that could be found in the courtyard and took a seat.
Zong Yanxi had merely been there once when she was young. Thereafter, she had not dropped by the place anymore.
She sat on the swing and said, “I can’t really recall.”
Although she could recall being there, those were but vague memories fragments. She couldn’t even recall the time she had spent there.
“We have dropped by and stayed for a few nights back then before making our trip to B City.” Zhuang Zijin caressed the marble table and recalled the blissful scene of dining with Cheng Yuwen there. Initially, she felt a heartwarming sensation deep down, but the moment she recalled they couldn’t relive the moment anymore, she felt a sense of despair.
“I see.”
Zong Yanxi brought herself down from the swing and approached her grandmother. “Grandma, do you love my Great-uncle?”
Zhuang Zijin and Cheng Yuwen had fallen in love in the autumn of their lives. Thus, they were never a significant part of each other’s life when they were in their prime.
Therefore, Zong Yanxi was curious if the feeling they had for each other was those of family or love.
