Chapter 111: Nineties: The Spring Water Family Chapter 111: From the First Glance at You, I Already Accepted You

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

A smile blooms, a hundred charms arise; a beauty like jade, naturally graceful!

The old man's pupils contracted sharply, and for a long while he could not recover his senses.

The young girl before him gradually merged with that graceful shadow from deep in his memory, gone for many years yet never forgotten.

"Sixth Grandpa, you're back."

A clear, bright voice interrupted the young girl's elegant mood of reading, and also pulled the old man back from his memories of the past.

"Xiyu, come here, greet Sixth Grandpa."

Guben lifted the curtain and came out from the living room, giving Lin Xiyu a tacit, understanding look.

"Hello, Sixth Grandpa."

Lin Xiyu rose from the stone stool, walked to Guben's side, bent at the waist, and performed a respectful bow.

"Sixth Grandpa."

Guben reached out his hand, with an extremely firm posture, and grasped her hand: "She is the Lin Xiyu I told you about, my girlfriend."

"Come with me to the study for a bit."

The old man's gaze fell on their clasped hands, his eyes narrowing, revealing a few degrees of cold severity.

"Alright."

Guben agreed readily, without the slightest fear.

The old man walked toward the study; Lin Xiyu felt a bit nervous.

"Relax."

Guben patted the back of her hand, to reassure her: "You keep reading, wait for me to come out."

"Mm."

Lin Xiyu understood his deeper meaning, let go of his hand, and returned to sit on the stone stool by the fish pond.

The story was quite interesting; before long she was immersed in the book again, tossing the old man to the back of her mind.

What she didn't know was that the study's curtains were wide open, and the old man stood at the window the whole time, observing her every move through the gap.

"A steady, composed girl; rare to be able to keep her cool, unhurried and unflustered when things happen — just judging by her face, she appears slightly lacking in fortune."

"My birth chart is hard......"

Guben's gaze was firm: "I've got her covered."

"You, this child."

The old man laughed from anger: "Second Brother just called me not long ago, asking me to pick a suitable marriage for you, and you pull a stunt like this on me."

"Actually, Grandpa has already accepted Xiyu."

Guben stated the facts: "It's just that Grandma still won't give up, and egged on by my mother, she wants to throw up a few more obstacles, force me to yield."

"Force you?"

The old man seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing from the bottom of his heart: "That Second Sister-in-law of mine is still too dull-witted; she doesn't understand her own grandson — would you be someone who yields easily?"

"Naturally not."

Guben gave a teasing smile: "So I came to you, to cut the ground from under their feet, leave them with no schemes left to use."

"You brat......"

The old man wore an 'as expected' expression: "I knew it — coming to BJ at this critical juncture, you definitely had an ulterior motive."

"This is only one part."

Guben's gaze was frank: "There's also the fact that two friends came along with me; they're both my childhood friends, and they want to stay in BJ in the future. Sixth Grandpa loves to mentor the younger generation, so I had them come pay you a visit."

"You mean Qu Peng and Li Liang?"

The old man had already gotten a general sense of the two's dispositions from the phone call earlier.

"Right, those two."

Guben nodded: "And there's Wang Fan; his family does business, and we get along quite well. The two of us plan to go to Shanghai to make our way together."

"You really don't want to come to BJ?"

The old man sighed, revealing a few degrees of regret.

"After the Dragon Bed incident......"

Guben spoke the plain truth: "Grandpa also gave up the idea, stopped pressing me to go into politics, and allowed me to develop freely."

The old man's brows and eyes were cold and sharp: "The Dragon Bed matter wasn't your fault; that surnamed Zhang brought it on himself."

"That's the right principle, no mistake."

Guben gave a teasing smile: "Grandpa thinks my IQ is too high, that I'm a bit too clever for my own good; he's afraid that if I went into politics I wouldn't submit to discipline, would become a thorn in the side, and bring disaster."

"Sigh."

The old man sighed deeply: "Among the Gu family's grandchildren, you're the one I think most highly of; the other brothers' sons and grandsons are all mediocre talents, not a single one capable of great things."

"Actually I think......"

Guben spoke bluntly: "In officialdom, not sticking your head out, not standing out, being a bit mediocre is actually better — you live longer."

"You......"

The old man looked at him deeply, silent for a long while, then finally smiled with relief: "Forget it; since Eldest Brother has already agreed, I won't say anything more either. We're all old now; from now on it's you young people's world — do whatever you want to do!"

"The sky is high, let birds fly; the sea is wide, let fish leap. As long as you have the ability, no matter what you do, you'll make a name for yourself. Sixth Grandpa believes in you — even if you don't go into politics, you'll still be the most outstanding one among the Gu family's descendants......"

——

"Thank you, Sixth Grandpa."

Guben was overwhelmed with gratitude; he opened his arms and gave the old man a warm embrace.

"How many days do you plan to stay in BJ?"

The old man looked at his most beloved junior; the cold severity between his brows and eyes completely dissipated, transforming from an awe-inspiring superior into a kind and amiable old man.

"We'll see how things go."

Guben didn't commit to a definite answer: "The Television Station hasn't sent notice; if I'm not in a hurry to go back, I can stay a few more days."

"Just stay at home."

The old man smiled amiably: "It's a rare visit; keep Sixth Grandpa company and play a few more games of chess."

"Has your chess skill improved?"

Guben feigned distress: "I won't be like Grandfather, playing all those years and still being a terrible player, right?"

"Don't compare me with him."

The old man refused to accept it: "Let's go play two rounds right now; Sixth Grandpa must let you witness my true ability."

"The old man's temper is quite big, just like when he was young."

Guben spoke very casually with the old man: "Let's agree first, best of three games, three games max; the loser isn't allowed to welsh, and we can't play endlessly without stopping."

"Best of three it is."

The old man didn't hold his great disrespect against him; on the contrary, he laughed very happily.

"Xiyu, go to the Kitchen and brew a pot of tea."

Guben followed him out of the room to the Fish pond: "I'm playing chess with Sixth Grandpa."

"Sure thing."

Lin Xiyu saw the two with smiles in their brows and eyes, their bearing very relaxed, and she quietly let out a breath of relief.

One old, one young, sat down at the stone table by the Fish pond.

Nanny Li Shen, who was responsible for taking care of the old man's daily life, very perceptively brought over the Chinese chess set.

Qu Peng saw they had finished discussing proper business, gave Li Liang a look, and the two of them also walked out of the room, gathering around the stone table.

Lin Xiyu finished brewing the tea, carried the teapot to the stone table, and poured a cup for each of them.

"Don't busy yourself; you sit down too."

Guben wanted her to curry favor in front of Sixth Grandpa.

Lin Xiyu was sharp-witted; naturally she could also understand his painstaking intentions. She didn't sit next to Guben, but instead sat down next to the old man.

They say "watch chess in silence"; she did the opposite.

Helping the old man welsh, deliberately taking back moves, conceding moves, winning three rounds in a row, she indeed amused the old man greatly.

"Xiyu ah."

The final piece fell; the old man looked at her, his gaze clearly different: "In the future, if Xiao Bin bullies you, tell Sixth Grandpa; Sixth Grandpa will get justice for you, teach him a lesson."

Guben's eyes brightened at those words; looking at the old and young getting along so well, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a trace of a successful smile.

This trip to BJ was not in vain.

With this sentence from him, no one would ever be able to separate them again.

Not even his biological mother.

——

While the three played chess, Wang Fan wasn't idle either; he strolled into the Kitchen alone, chatting very warmly with Li Shen.

Li Shen was an authentic Beijing native, with a standard Beijing accent; she could talk and chat.

Wang Fan took the opportunity to ask her about local renovation market conditions; unexpectedly, he had asked the right person.

Li Shen's son does renovations; he knows the renovation industry very well.

Hearing the quote, Wang Fan couldn't help but gasp.

Renovating a 70-square-meter two-bedroom one-living-room unit, BJ's quote was more than double Jinan's; the profit margin was huge.

A money-making idea rapidly emerged in his Brain; he couldn't be satisfied with the status quo, he had to expand the market, recruit manpower locally in Jinan, and open a branch in BJ.

——

A dinner banquet, under the deliberate livening of the atmosphere by several young people, was eaten very happily.

The old man got drunk; supported by Guben and Li Shen, he returned to the Bedroom to rest.

Only at this moment did Lin Xiyu, whose heart had been suspended all Afternoon, truly relax, and she had the good mood to joke and chat with Guben.

The two walked out of the Small Courtyard, strolling to digest their food in the winding, deep old Beijing hutongs under the night.

"Can you tell me now? What else needs to be done? How can I pass your Sixth Grandpa's assessment?"

"No need to worry anymore."

Guben smiled meaningfully: "Your performance was very good; you've already obtained Sixth Grandpa's approval."

"Ah?"

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it: "That's it? It's that simple? Coaxing him a few sentences during chess counts as finishing it? You? He hears a few flattering words and approves a person......"

Guben smiled faintly: "The first time Sixth Grandpa saw you, he already approved you."

"How do you know?"

Lin Xiyu was baffled: "Could it be you're a roundworm in his Stomach, able to see through his heart?"

"His attitude explained everything."

Guben said something startling: "Someone like him who has mixed in officialdom for many years, what kind of situation hasn't he encountered? A strange girl appearing in his house for no reason — how could he not be vigilant? Even if he didn't drive the person out, he would at least interrogate a few sentences, right?"

"But he didn't; he tacitly accepted your existence, his gaze toward you was full of deep meaning, as if through your silhouette he was remembering someone. At that moment I knew, I had gambled right; he not only wouldn't separate us, but would also take you under his wing, protecting you as much as possible."

——

"A gamble?"

Lin Xiyu keenly caught the key point: "What are you gambling on? Why gamble?"

"Before, I was afraid you'd get tense, uncomfortable if you knew, so I didn't say it outright......"

Guben weighed his words: "Now that Sixth Grandpa has accepted you, I have no more concerns. Since you'll still have to face the other Gu family members later, knowing the inside story, with Sixth Grandpa covering for you, you'll be able to interact with them more calmly and with ease."

——

"What person did your Sixth Grandpa think of through my silhouette?"

The more Lin Xiyu listened, the more she felt it was eerie: "To make you so certain he'd stand up for me, protect me? Could it be his first love from when he was young, the one he loved but couldn't have?"

"Smart."

Guben's eyes brightened, giving her an appreciative look.

"It's really true?"

Lin Xiyu found it hard to believe: "His first love looks a lot like me?"

"That's not it......"

At this point, Guben had no need to continue hiding it, and revealed the truth in one sentence: "Actually, it's not that you look like that person, but that your age and temperament are similar."

"See those orchids in the yard? Those flowers were specially planted by Sixth Grandpa to reminisce about the person upon seeing the object. The person he liked was named Liu Lan. Sixth Grandpa looks at all things carrying orchids with special regard — not just flowers, but people too."

——

"Orchids?"

Lin Xiyu lowered her head, looking at her white skirt with orchids, suddenly realizing: "No wonder you insisted on buying me this skirt that day. Turns out you'd calculated it all then — you wanted me to wear it for your Sixth Grandpa to see."

"This skirt was a coincidence."

Guben didn't deny it: "I didn't expect Wu Meng's house just happened to have such a skirt. Originally I wanted to buy you a similar cheongsam, but with this skirt, the cheongsam wasn't needed."

"What about the ice-type floating blue flower jade ornament?"

Lin Xiyu raised her snow-white wrist, waving it before his eyes: "Was that also you......"

"Cough cough."

Guben coughed twice, not denying it.

"It really is!"

Lin Xiyu laughed in exasperation: "Your ability to scheme people's hearts is truly admirable. You even tricked me. I thought you were truly deeply in love, wholeheartedly good to me, that's why you'd spend so much on such expensive jewelry."

"Deeply in love is a must."

Guben quickly defended: "Although there was the pretext of fooling Sixth Grandpa, the point is giving it to you. Any other woman wanting me to buy for her, I wouldn't buy. Only you are worthy of possessing my true heart."

"Tch~~, sounds nice."

Lin Xiyu said she disliked it with her mouth, but her heart was sweet with delight.

Guben glanced at her tsundere little appearance, gave a teasing smile, and deliberately dangled bait: "Want to know the story of Sixth Grandpa and his white moonlight?"

"Want to."

Lin Xiyu indeed perked up, her gossipy little eyes shining.

"Kiss me once."

Guben pointed at his own cheek.

"Kiss what kiss, let people see......"

Lin Xiyu glanced around. A few dog barks came from the courtyard wall not far away, startling her so her heart and liver trembled.

"No kiss, no tell....."

Guben smiled black-belliedly, continuing to tease her: "I'm risking being scolded by Sixth Grandpa to leak his old man's secret. Can't have zero benefit."

"You, this person, really are, calculating."

Lin Xiyu ground her back molars, surging with the impulse to bite him.

"Don't want to listen, I'm leaving."

Guben let go of her hand, pretending to head back.

Lin Xiyu had already been hooked with interest. Not listening would be unbearable. Helpless, she could only tiptoe and kiss his face once.

"And here too."

Guben smiled black-belliedly, pointing at his own lips.

"Don't push your luck."

Lin Xiyu was exasperated, stomping one foot on his instep.

"Ow ow ow......"

To match the skirt and look good, she'd specially worn six-inch high sandals.

The thin heel stepping on his instep — that was a sour-refreshing pain.

Guben stopped smiling, wailed in pain, and bent over at the waist in agony.

"Serves you right for provoking me?"

Lin Xiyu proudly raised her eyebrow, then lifted her left foot, posing to stomp him again.