Chapter 209

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"Isn't that Guben's wife?"

"Aren't they broken up? I saw her on a blind date with someone else......"

"What's going on here? She just came back and already has a child."

"She doesn't look like that kind of person, but her private life is so messy. She has a child and Guben still wants her—what's he after?"

"The Gu Family is finished now. Which good family's daughter would be willing to marry him? Any children they have will be dragged down too. Trying to join the Party and get promoted will be difficult."

With Wu Meng's public scolding as a prelude, on the way home, the aunt and niece inevitably attracted a lot of attention again.

Hearing the rumors in her ears, Lin Xiyu couldn't help but flare up with nameless anger.

"Auntie......"

Seeing her like a pot that had exploded, with anger surging, Xiao Ruirui trembled a little in fear.

Lin Xiyu was about to blow up and scold those gossipy women, but noticing Xiao Ruirui's expression was off, she swallowed her anger back down.

"Hug."

Xiao Ruirui was a little scared and instinctively hugged her thigh.

"Ruirui is good, don't be afraid."

Lin Xiyu bent down and picked up Xiao Ruirui.

The three-and-a-half-year-old little cutie weighed heavily on her arm; she breathed a bit uncomfortably, shifted his small body slightly, so she could hold him more comfortably.

"Auntie, go home."

Xiao Ruirui was already sensible, could distinguish good from evil, and could tell the old women's gossip was ill-intentioned.

He hugged her neck like a little quail, burying his small head in her embrace.

Feeling Xiao Ruirui's dependence, Lin Xiyu's emotions gradually calmed down.

Arguing with a bunch of gossipy old women was useless; she needed to find a way to clarify the facts and not let rumors affect her mood or leave a shadow in the child's heart.

——

She was pondering what excuse to use to explain things, and coincidentally, the opportunity arrived.

Furong Street was crowded; a little girl about Xiao Ruirui's age, only three or four years old, ran out from the hutong diagonally across the street with her head down, bumped into a passing pedestrian, fell to the ground, and wailed loudly.

The crying attracted many gazes; among the gossipy women, someone recognized the little girl, and they all gathered around together.

"You can't blame me; she bumped into me herself."

The passing pedestrian explained with an embarrassed laugh, afraid the little girl's family would pester her, then dropped a remark and ran away in a flash.

"Who is this......"

"She hit the child and didn't even apologize, just left like that."

"Young people these days are too much......"

The women arrived a bit late and couldn't catch the person, cursing and swearing in great anger.

Lin Xiyu hurried a few steps, arriving at the little girl's side before the women, squatted down, put down Xiao Ruirui, and picked her up.

Xiao Ruirui's attention was also drawn to the little girl; seeing her crying pitifully, she took out a piece of milk candy from her pocket and stuffed it into her hand.

The little girl wasn't actually hurt much from the fall; she was just instinctively wailing, all thunder and no rain.

With the milk candy, she sniffled a few times and stopped crying.

Lin Xiyu patted Xiao Ruirui's head dotingly, very grateful for his divine assistance.

"Little Sister, does it hurt?"

"Why are you running out to play alone? Is no one with you? Where do you live?"

Next, she fully exerted her affability, chatting very gently and considerately with the little girl to soothe her emotions.

The little girl stared with her innocent big eyes, looking at her somewhat helplessly.

"Eat candy."

Xiao Ruirui provided divine assistance again, taking out another piece of milk candy from his pocket and handing it to the little girl.

Seeing the milk candy, the little girl's eyes lit up; she took it and pointed to the small alley behind her.

"She is Liu Daniang's granddaughter."

A woman watching the excitement spoke quickly, not waiting for Lin Xiyu to ask again, and volunteered: "She lives at Courtyard No. 4, Pingquan Hutong. Her grandmother's legs and feet are inconvenient; she can't walk and can't watch her. The little girl often runs out alone to play outside."

"Courtyard No. 4, thank you."

Lin Xiyu pretended not to know she was one of the people who had just slandered her, smiled good-naturedly, and thanked her.

"Little Sister, shall Auntie take you home?"

After speaking, she didn't wait for the little girl to answer; holding her hand with one hand and Xiao Ruirui's with the other, she walked into the alley.

Behind them, discussion arose; busybodies were plentiful, and someone bored and idle secretly wanted to follow and keep watching the excitement.

Lin Xiyu did this on purpose, walking a bit slower to give them enough time to consider whether to follow.

Sure enough, after a while, behind the one adult and two children—three figures—noisy footsteps came again, sounding like more than one person.

Lin Xiyu's mouth corner curved slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

——

Courtyard No. 4, Pingquan Hutong.

The little girl was called Liu Xiao, nickname Niuniu; her parents worked in the South and were often away from home.

Niuniu had been raised by her grandmother since childhood; her grandmother had bone spurs in her knees, which hurt terribly in winter, making her limp and unable to walk properly.

Niuniu was young and fond of play, often slipping out of the yard alone when her grandmother wasn't paying attention.

Today was no different; seeing that it was getting late and time to make lunch, Liu Nainai took a basin of vegetables to the pool, and in the time it took to wash them, her granddaughter was gone again.

The old lady grew anxious, hobbled out of the yard with her crutch, but the little girl had already vanished without a trace.

When Lin Xiyu brought little Niuniu back to the doorway of Courtyard No. 4, Liu Nainai was anxiously craning her neck to look outside.

"Grandma, have some candy."

Seeing her grandmother, Niuniu let go of Lin Xiyu's hand, ran over happily, and handed her the piece of milk candy she had been clutching.

"Where did you get this milk candy?"

Liu Nainai didn't take it, eyeing Lin Xiyu warily.

"That big brother gave it to me."

Niuniu wouldn't lie, and gave little Ruirui a sweet smile in return.

"Who are you?"

Liu Nainai's gaze at the aunt and nephew pair was full of suspicion.

As the biological grandmother, she noticed her granddaughter's oddity at a glance—dust on her pants and a slightly hoarse voice, clearly she had been crying.

Her granddaughter had fallen, and most likely these two people were involved.

Maybe they were the ones who bumped into her!

—

"It's not our business..."

Lin Xiyu saw the displeasure in her eyes and hurried to explain: "We saw the child had fallen, helped her up, and brought her home."

"Is that so?"

Liu Nainai looked down at her granddaughter.

"Mm."

Niuniu understood and nodded very seriously.

Liu Nainai's expression improved a little, and she thanked them with an embarrassed smile.

"No need to thank us."

Lin Xiyu took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with the grandmother and granddaughter: "We only brought her back because we were worried about her young age; such a little child shouldn't be running around outside alone—if she ran into child traffickers, it would be trouble."

"That's true."

Liu Nainai gripped her granddaughter's hand, still frightened: "I'm always worried sick, afraid of losing the child and not being able to explain it to her parents."

"Niuniu, don't sneak out to play alone anymore; listen to your grandmother..."

Lin Xiyu smiled gently and coaxed the little cutie: "Or if you feel bored alone, you can play with the big brother; he has lots of milk candy. Want some?"

"Want."

Niuniu's little eyes lit up, and she looked longingly at little Ruirui's bulging pockets.

Those two pieces of milk candy just now had come from the pockets, and there must be many more inside.

"Ruirui."

Lin Xiyu gave little Ruirui a hint with her eyes.

Little Ruirui understood and grabbed another handful of milk candy from her pocket.

A three- or four-year-old child has small hands; a handful was actually only two or three pieces.

Seeing the candy, Niuniu was very greedy and instinctively reached out, wanting the milk candy.

"Niuniu, you mustn't be so unashamed."

Liu Nainai slapped her granddaughter's hand away and scolded her displeasedly.

Niuniu pouted, feeling wronged and wanting to cry.

"It's just a few pieces of milk candy; if Niuniu wants them, let her take them."

Lin Xiyu took the opportunity to reveal their identities: "My little nephew has more; he can't eat that many by himself..."

"This is your nephew?"

Liu Nainai was very capable and got straight to the point.

"Yes, this is my partner's eldest brother's child."

Lin Xiyu had been waiting for these words and silently gave Liu Nainai a thumbs-up.

"No wonder..."

Liu Nainai was also a person of influence and very good at continuing the conversation: "I was just wondering, you're so young, how could you already have a child."

"I don't have that good fortune to have such a smart and well-behaved son."

Lin Xiyu seized the opportunity and deliberately showed off: "Ruirui's father is a pilot, flies fighter jets, and will also participate in this year's National Day Military Parade on October 10th, flying a plane over Tiananmen Square; that skill is truly amazing."

"Participating in the parade? That's truly remarkable; for us common people, it's a matter of bringing honor to the family."

Liu Nainai was indeed shaken; the change in her attitude was beyond Lin Xiyu's expectations.

"Hehe."

Little Ruirui understood, saw her praising her father, happily lifted her small face, and looked toward the sky.

The clear blue sky happened to have a plane flying across it, leaving a clear trail.

"Plane, it's a plane, the plane is pulling a line."

Little Niuniu also saw it, pointing at the plane very excitedly.

"Daddy..."

Little Ruirui's gaze followed the plane, and she involuntarily called out the word "Daddy."

"That's not Daddy."

Lin Xiyu squatted down and gently hugged Ruirui in her arms: "Ruirui's Daddy is in BJ, in training; on October 1st, during the National Day Military Parade, Ruirui will be able to see Daddy."

"Go to BJ."

Xiao Ruirui heard BJ, his eyes lit up, and clearly expressed his anticipation.

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu couldn't refuse such a pair of pure and clear big eyes, nodding along with his wishes: "On National Day, Auntie will take Ruirui to BJ; after the National Day Military Parade, Ruirui will be able to see Daddy."

"Mm-hmm."

Xiao Ruirui heard the answer he wanted, happily spread his arms and hugged her.

"We should go home."

Lin Xiyu had achieved her goal, picked up Xiao Ruirui, and took her leave from Liu Nainai and her grandson.

"Come play again with the child when you have time......"

Liu Nainai's gaze toward Xiao Ruirui at this moment was already more eager than toward her own granddaughter.

"Fine."

Lin Xiyu harbored her little scheme and agreed very readily: "You've eaten lunch, take a nap first; this afternoon I'll bring Ruirui over again, so he can play with Niuniu together."

"That would be great......"

Liu Nainai was very happy: "With you accompanying her, Niuniu won't run around everywhere anymore."

"We're leaving first, see you this afternoon......"

Lin Xiyu politely said goodbye, holding Xiao Ruirui as she left Pingquan Hutong.

Behind her, the women who had wanted to watch the fun and make a few cutting remarks, upon hearing that Xiao Ruirui's father was a Pilot participating in the National Day Military Parade, all showed eager and envious expressions.

The wind direction changed quietly.

From criticism to worship, it took only an instant.

—

Wangfu Pool West Street.

"Today is a good day, everything in your heart can come true; today is a good day, open the door and we welcome the spring breeze......"

Lin Xiyu used a little trick to settle those provocative women, humming a little tune in good spirits as she entered the house.

"Went to Hu Nainai's house, so happy?"

Guben heard the noise and came out smiling from the living room to welcome her.

"Yes, just happy......"

Lin Xiyu stuffed Xiao Ruirui into his arms, very smugly raised her eyebrow: "I was quite capable today; without bloodshed, without wasting a single drop of spit, I settled that bunch of gossipy women."

"You ran into them too?"

Guben's eyes flashed with a cold light: "What gossip did they say again, did they do anything to you......"

"I'm fine......"

Lin Xiyu put one hand on her slender waist, exuding domineering confidence: "With just that bit of tongue-wagging skill of theirs, it's not worth a glance; once I revealed my Eldest Brother's identity as a fighter Pilot, they all obediently shut their mouths; that envious, jealous look made me so happy I could laugh all day."

Guben showed rare surprise: "You brought up Eldest Brother?"

"Of course."

Lin Xiyu said righteously and confidently: "They slandered me, I'm thick-skinned, it doesn't matter; but they criticized Ruirui, then I can't stand it."

Guben frowned: "What did they say?"

"They said Ruirui is my illegitimate child."

Lin Xiyu didn't expect there were other people in the living room, treating it as a joke, and recounted everything that happened at Pingquan Hutong in detail.

"You're planning to do child diplomacy?"

Guben was meticulous and immediately understood her intention: "Using the child as a bridge to ease neighborhood relations."

"Smart!"

Lin Xiyu's eyes brightened, giving him an appreciative look: "As expected of my husband, you guessed it right."

"Hehe."

Guben was amused, letting out a pleasant laugh from his throat.

—

"This child is Xiao Zheng's son?"

Grandpa Gu was eager to see his great-grandson, couldn't wait for Guben to carry the child in, lifted the curtain himself, and came out from the living room.

"Ah?"

Lin Xiyu didn't expect anyone else in the room, her heart trembled in shock, and she stuttered magnificently: "Grand, Grandma Grandma, Grandma......"

"Stop saying Grandma......"

Guben smiled gently, teasing her: "Keep going and you'll really become a stutterer."

"Why didn't you tell me......"

Lin Xiyu was angry enough to hit him: "Making me embarrass myself in front of Grandma again."

"I wanted to tell you, but you didn't give me a chance."

Guben dodged: "Looks like you're quite pleased today, your little mouth keeps chattering, almost catching up with your female cousin."

"You still dare say......"

Lin Xiyu was furious, rolled her eyes, and didn't want to deal with him anymore.

"It's okay."

Grandpa Gu was very gratified: "You young couple have a good relationship, Grandpa is truly happy from the bottom of my heart......"

"Grandma..."

Lin Xiyu's ears flushed slightly: "You know about my marriage registration with Guben?"