Although Grandpa was feeling a bit better, he still kept his eyes fixed on his grandson.
Gu Zhijing's grandmother, seeing how tall and handsome her grandson had grown, and how his features now resembled his mother Lin Qingwei even more than when he was young, became emotional, her eyes reddening.
Seeing this, Gu Zhijing immediately put his left arm around his grandmother and his right arm around his grandfather, joking, "Grandma, aren't you happy I'm here? Why are you crying?"
Grandmother Zeng Yuqin quickly replied, "Of course I'm happy! How could I not be happy that you're here?"
Gu Zhijing then gave his grandfather Lin Jingqu the items his father had instructed him to bring.
"Why did you bring gifts to your grandfather's house?"
Gu Zhijing chuckled, "Dad told me to bring them. Isn't it right for him to show filial piety to you?"
Zeng Yuqin asked, "Where's your father? Why didn't he come? And why didn't Sui Sui come either?"
"Dad had something to do, he went to pick up a Dutch expert. Sui Sui? You don't mean Aunt Nian, do you?" Gu Zhijing still respectfully called Nian Suian "Aunt" in front of his grandparents.
"Yes! I even held her when she was little!"
"Oh, what a coincidence." Fearing his grandmother would ask why Nian Suian didn't come, Gu Zhijing quickly joked, "Grandma, isn't me being here enough? I'm standing right in front of you, and you're still mentioning others!"
"It's enough, it's enough! You're grandma's favorite!"
Seeing the grandmother and grandson chatting away in the courtyard, Lin Jingqu quickly reminded them, "Let's get Zhijing inside. Why are you all standing out here talking?"
Zeng Yuqin slapped her forehead, "Right, right, look at me, I'm getting old and forgetful."
As Gu Zhijing entered the house, he was surprised to find someone else inside.
"This must be Zhijing, right? You've grown so big! Do you remember me?"
Gu Zhijing thought for a moment, recalling someone he had met as a child, "You're Wang Grandpa, aren't you?" He sweetly added, "Wang Grandpa, you're looking younger than ever. I almost didn't recognize you."
Gu Zhijing's flattery made Wang Grandpa laugh heartily, saying the boy was still as silver-tongued as when he was little.
Wang Grandpa lived next door and was an old friend of Zhijing's grandfather Lin Jingqu. Not having seen each other for a long time, he had been coming over every day recently to chat with his old friend.
He said to Zhijing, "Your grandparents can't stop talking about their grandson."
Seeing the three of them getting along so well, Wang Grandpa thought of Gu Zhijing's parents and sighed. Unable to control his talkative nature, he blurted out,
"Zhijing, is your stepmother good to you?"
This question actually made Gu Zhijing a bit uncomfortable, but he knew Wang Grandpa was probably just concerned about him. So he didn't show his discomfort and simply nodded, saying she was fine.
Zeng Yuqin, however, added a few words, "Sui Sui is a good girl. I liked her when she was little. I never imagined she'd have this connection with our family."
"Well, that may be true, but after all, one's birth mother is always the best, isn't that right?"
Gu Zhijing thought to himself, a stepmother is a stepmother, and a birth mother is a birth mother. It's not a competition, why do the two mothers need to be ranked?
"Grandma, I'm going to the bathroom," Gu Zhijing excused himself and stood up. He had often visited as a child and was familiar with the place, so he didn't need anyone to show him where the bathroom was.
Seeing his grandson leave for the bathroom, Lin Jingqu finally spoke up, "Old Wang, Qing Qing and Jun Xing's matter is years old now. Zhijing is all grown up, and both of them have new lives. Why bring up the past now?"
"Ah, it's just that seeing Zhijing reminded me of the old days. Back then, everyone said Qing Qing and Jun Xing were a perfect match."
Zeng Yuqin waved her hand dismissively, "Outsiders don't know what goes on behind closed doors. Looking like a perfect match is useless if you can't live together. They wouldn't have divorced if they were truly compatible." Zeng Yuqin believed that if a couple couldn't make it work, they should separate. Forcing an incompatible couple to stay together would only result in a pair of resentful spouses, which would be even worse. Of course, the most important thing was that her daughter was happy now, and nothing else mattered.
Old Wang felt that his two old friends were thinking too positively about the situation. He couldn't help but remind them, "That may be true, but you should also consider Zhijing's situation. Jun Xing is still young, what if he has another child in the future? If they have their own child, what will happen to Zhijing?"
Lin Jingqu and Zeng Yuqin remained silent, but they were thinking: What could be done? Their daughter had already divorced the man. Were they supposed to go to their former son-in-law and tell him he couldn't have more children? That would be unreasonable.
To say they weren't worried at all would be a lie. But they thought that Zhijing was no longer a child; he could speak for himself if things weren't good. Besides, they had watched Gu Junxing grow up, and he wasn't the type of father to be cruel-hearted. It was Lin Qingwei herself who had said she wouldn't fight for custody, so they had no standing to say anything now.
"Wang Grandpa, is your grandson married yet?"
Gu Zhijing had returned from the bathroom at some point and asked this question.
Lin Jingqu and Zeng Yuqin looked at their grandson's expression, thinking he hadn't heard the earlier conversation.
Old Wang didn't think much of it either and just answered, "Not yet. My grandson is only twenty-three, there's no rush."
"How is that not urgent? My dad was twenty-three when I was already running errands. It's not easy to find a partner these days. You should start making arrangements for him."
Old Wang wanted to say that not many people have children at twenty like your father did. Back then, people in the neighborhood had gossiped quite a bit about this. Of course, he couldn't say this in front of Lin Jingqu; if he did, their friendship would surely be over.
He could only stand up to leave, "Old Lin, I'll be heading back now. I won't disturb your family time."
Lin Jingqu understood everything now. He knew his grandson had overheard the conversation and was angry. So he went along with it and saw Old Wang out.
"Zhijing, you're grown up now. What do you think about your father's situation?"
Without hesitation, Gu Zhijing replied, "Whether he has more children or not is his business, I don't care. I feel the same way about my mom."
Gu Zhijing thought to himself, how could a son dictate whether his father has a second child? Besides, even if there was a second child, so what? It's not like the first child would cease to exist.
Zeng Yuqin patted her grandson's hand, "That's right. Zhijing, you don't need to worry. Your grandparents have set aside good things for you too. They're yours whenever you want them."
"Grandma, Dad said you shouldn't give me money now."
"Your father is worried you might be led astray. When you're older, grandma will give it to you."
Gu Zhijing could feel the love from his grandparents. He hugged Zeng Yuqin and said playfully, "Grandma, now that you're back, why don't you stay here instead of going back to uncle's place? I'll come visit you every week."
Lin Jingqu and Zeng Yuqin were reluctant to leave too, not just because Gu Zhijing was here, but also because this was their home.
"Ah, grandma doesn't want to leave either, but your uncle and aunt are constantly threatening divorce, and we can't just leave the two kids with the nanny." Zeng Yuqin was angry just talking about it. Things had just started to get better recently, with the couple taking the kids to the park and amusement park. She and Gu Zhijing's grandfather had felt reassured enough to come out for a while. But yesterday, the nanny called to say they were fighting again, and this time it was worse - they were throwing things and hitting each other in front of the children.
Seeing his grandparents' expressions sour at the mention of this, Gu Zhijing asked curiously, "If they want to divorce, why don't they just do it? Why all the drama?"