Chapter 1321: Exchanging the Elderly for the Children, Neither Side Loses Out

"How about it, kid? Convinced yet?"

"Yes, convinced. You're still the master, after all; ginger really is spicier when it's old."

Zichen's flattery skills were top-notch, and Gu Zhihao laughed until his eyes disappeared into his brows.

"That goes without saying. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and crossed more bridges than you've walked roads. You want to catch up to me? You've still got decades of practice to go..."

He had lost the PK two days ago and had been holding it in ever since; today, he had finally regained his face and felt completely at ease.

At noon, besides pancakes, they made a big pot of millet and pumpkin porridge, fried small fish, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar and chili, stir-fried bean sprouts with chives, and shredded pork in bean sauce as a side dish to roll into the pancakes.

It was all rural fare, but it was incredibly fragrant.

Ever since Wang Yinghao fell ill, her appetite hadn't been great; eating a bowl of millet porridge in one sitting was considered a lot.

Today, besides a full bowl of porridge, she even ate two pancakes.

"Auntie, you and Uncle shouldn't go back. Stay and live with us. The air in the countryside is good, the environment is nourishing, and it's much more comfortable than living in the city..."

Gu Zhihao wasn't just being polite; he was sincerely trying to persuade them to stay.

Wang Yinghao didn't refuse directly, but she didn't agree immediately either. Her speech was not fluid, so she looked at her husband.

The old couple had great chemistry; basically, with one look from the old woman, Sheng Jiang understood her meaning.

He took over the conversation: "Rural life is truly good, and we two old folks really like it. Actually, I've been wanting to ask you these past two days if we could buy a house in the village? We want to move here."

"Why buy one? Just live at my place. We have few people and many rooms; living close by makes it convenient for Yuke and me to take care of you..."

Gu Zhihao was exceptionally enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that it made one feel he still had something left unsaid.

Sheng Hanyu and Shi Youxuan both noticed it, but neither of them took the bait, waiting for him to say it himself.

But Sheng Jiang didn't notice. He waved his hand and said, "No, no. If we live in the village, we'll cause you a lot of trouble. How could we be embarrassed enough to live in your house? That's absolutely out of the question."

Sheng Jiang was a bit dull, but he knew that relatives were only meant for visiting, not for living together.

A short time is fine, but a long time is inappropriate.

They were at an age where they needed to be taken care of; they couldn't add trouble to the couple, who still had to look after three children.

"Why not? How about this? Let Yulong and Meiyin go live at your house, and you and Auntie come to ours. That way, nobody owes anyone anything. Don't be embarrassed, just settle in."

As he spoke to Sheng Jiang, his eyes kept darting toward Shi Youxuan's face, waiting for her to state her position.

He and his wife had been discussing this matter for several days.

The Sheng Family's way of raising children was truly excellent!

And all of this was to Shi Youxuan's credit.

Meiyin and Yulong were both in the fourth grade of elementary school. Although Yulong wasn't biological, he had grown up by their side since he was small and was just like a biological child.

The two children went to school in the village.

The village's teaching staff wasn't bad, and the village they lived in was quite wealthy, but it still couldn't compare to the education in the city!

Without comparison, one couldn't see the difference.

Gu Zhihao and his wife usually felt their own children were quite good, better than other children their age in the village.

But this time, with the whole Sheng Family visiting, they saw the difference.

It was different; it was truly different.

If Meiyin and Yulong went to live with the Sheng Family, would they also become as outstanding and successful as the Sheng children?

Once this thought formed, it circled in Gu Zhihao's mind and could no longer be driven away.

He discussed it with his wife. To tell the truth, Yuke had also had this thought, even earlier than he did.

But Yuke had restrained herself; she didn't want to trouble her sister.

From childhood to adulthood, she owed her sister too much, more than she could ever repay in this lifetime.

Other people already had plenty of children of their own; should she force two more onto them?

No, she couldn't do that.

Rejected by his wife, Gu Zhihao didn't just let it go. He came up with an idea—an exchange!

Sheng Jiang and his wife liked the countryside, and Wang Yinghao's mobility and daily life weren't very convenient.

He invited the old couple to live in his house and moved his own two children to the Sheng Family to live and study; wasn't that perfect?

He shared his thoughts with his wife, and this time, Yuke didn't object.

But she didn't agree immediately either. She agreed to let her husband mention the idea to the Sheng Family; if they agreed, that would be best, and if they didn't, they shouldn't force it and should just act as if it never happened.

Now, Gu Zhihao had found what he considered the most suitable moment to bring it up.

The Sheng Family all agreed.

But Shi Youxuan was still a bit hesitant.

Having Gu Zhihao and his wife take care of her parents-in-law gave them peace of mind, but the medical conditions here were poor; if they had an episode, they couldn't be sent to the hospital in time.

"It's too far from the hospital here; it's not suitable." She brought it up to his face.

Gu Zhihao was a bit nervous, fearing it wouldn't work out, and hurriedly said, "It's not far. There's a health clinic in the village. Although it's a bit far to the city hospital, you can get there in just over two hours."

"Uncle just said it too; he wants to live in the countryside. Instead of the two of them living alone out there, it's better to have support at my place. I'll do the cooking, Yuke will do the washing and cleaning, and we will definitely be able to take good care of them..."

"Fine, it's settled!" Sheng Hanyu made the final decision.

He agreed, and no one else had any objections. Trading children for the elderly was thus decided.

In fact, Sheng Jiang and his wife had long had the idea of living in the countryside, but their son and daughter-in-law had always disagreed, fearing they wouldn't get used to the life and would suffer grievances outside.

But this time, the whole family came together, and this place in the countryside was truly nice.

It was very suitable for recuperation. If it weren't for the fact that Shi Youxuan and her husband had to work and take care of the children at home, they would have wanted to stay too.

And so, the matter was settled.

The whole family left the countryside, but Sheng Jiang and his wife did not leave; they stayed behind.

The Sheng Family.

Zhang Ma stood at the doorway to welcome the whole family, beaming as she said to Sheng Hanyu, "Sir, guess who has returned?"

"Lao Qi!"

Before the words had even faded, Sheng Hanyu took off running into the house!

That was right.

The guess was spot on; it really was Lao Qi who had returned.

"Chairman."

"Call me brother."

The two grown men embraced tightly.

They had not seen each other for too long and missed each other dearly.

Sheng Hanyu looked Lao Qi over and commented, "Not bad, though your skin is a bit darker, you are sturdier."

"Seventh Uncle."

"Where have you been all this time, Seventh Uncle?"

"Tell us about the things that happened while you were away..."

The Sheng Family children had almost all been watched over by Lao Qi since they were small, so they were all very close to him.

The most excited person was Litian.

Lao Qi was half a master to him; he had followed Lao Qi and Nianyin to learn martial arts since he was a child, so their bond was excellent.

"Two masters, look who is here?"

He dragged Yulong in front of Nianyin and Lao Qi, but Yulong was bashful and reluctant, struggling to hide behind him.

"Yulong?"

"Yulong has grown this big? Are you Meiyin?"

The couple Nianyin and Lao Qi were pleasantly surprised.