When it came to their son, the elderly couple couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Zeng Yuqin often lay awake at night, tossing and turning as she pondered. She and her husband had shared a loving marriage their whole lives, and she believed they had created a healthy, harmonious family environment for their two children. So how was it that both of their children's marriages had turned out so poorly? Her daughter's situation was bearable - she was divorced but doing well on her own. But their son's situation was the most vexing of all.
Zeng Yuqin told Gu Zhijing, "Your uncle and aunt, they're causing trouble of their own accord. Their situation can't be explained in just a few words."
"If it can't be explained briefly, Grandma, why don't you tell me the whole story?" Gu Zhijing remembered meeting his uncle and aunt when he was seven or eight years old. At that time, his grandparents were still living in Jinjiang City. That year, his grandfather had been hospitalized for a minor surgery, and his mother had come back from abroad while his uncle and aunt had come from out of town. However, at that time, his uncle wasn't yet married to his current aunt - they were just dating.
He couldn't remember the specifics, but he did recall the two of them kissing on the hospital lawn, which had been quite shocking for his young self. His mother had eventually covered his eyes and pulled him away.
It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, and since Gu Zhijing was curious, Zeng Yuqin began to slowly recount the story to her grandson.
Gu Zhijing's uncle, Lin Qingwei, and his aunt, Tao Yunyi, were high school classmates. Although they weren't in the same class, neither of them were well-behaved students. They would skip classes, get into fights, go to karaoke bars, and cause trouble in class. They were constantly being called to the counselor's office, which inadvertently became the breeding ground for their relationship.
They became acquainted through these shared experiences, which only made matters worse. What was once individual mischief became a united front. For a while, the frequency of parent-teacher meetings was so high that even the Lin family's driver and the Tao family's driver got to know each other...
The Lin family had two children: the daughter, Lin Qingwei, was beautiful, excellent, and excelled in both character and studies. The son, Lin Qingwei, was mischievous and troublesome. Zeng Yuqin had even secretly gone to the hospital for a paternity test, wondering if there was a possibility the children had been switched at birth.
Although the two were always causing trouble, their grades weren't too bad - they were average students at school. When they reached their senior year, whether due to a sudden awakening or something else, they both settled down and started studying seriously.
Perhaps not. The parents of both families had met for dinner several times to discuss their children's "condition," worried that the two were just pretending to be well-behaved while actually planning something big.
As it turned out, they were indeed planning something big. After the college entrance exams, the two of them held hands and announced to their parents that they were together and wanted to go to the same university.
The university was far away, and perhaps because of the distance, the parents were unaware of what was happening at school. Both sets of parents thought their children had finally matured and stopped causing trouble.
As it turned out, they had been too optimistic. After graduation, things got even more out of hand. One moment they were talking about getting married, asking their parents to prepare a marital home and wedding ceremony. At first, the parents believed them and even went to look at venues. But not long after, the couple announced they had broken up.
A few months later, they said they wanted to get married again, insisting this time it was for real. Even Lin Qingwei came back from abroad for this, but then they announced another breakup. This angered Lin Qingwei so much that she gave her brother a beating.
After two rounds of this, the whole family was exhausted. They refused to believe anything the couple said anymore. But then the two actually brought home a marriage certificate.
Of course, they didn't have a single peaceful day after getting married. Even on the day their child was born, when Lin Qingwei went in to accompany the birth, the two started kissing, which then turned into an argument... The doctor was left speechless and ended up kicking Lin Qingwei out.
After their grandson was born, Lin Jingqu and Zeng Yuqin went to help take care of the baby. Living together, Zeng Yuqin felt that her son and daughter-in-law were like actors in a grand opera, never having a quiet day.
Despite arguing every day, they managed to have a second child. This time, Tao's parents also came to help with the children.
During their worst fight, the couple had a cold war for a week and finally decided to get divorced. The driver saw them walk into the civil affairs bureau and called home to report.
Thinking these two troublemakers were finally getting divorced, both sets of parents even prepared a feast to celebrate.
But the couple came back hand in hand, united in criticizing their parents.
"Is this how much you want us to get divorced?"
"We're definitely not divorcing!"
...
This time, it was for a good friend of Lin Jingqu, whose child was getting married in their thirties. The wedding was to be a grand affair, and Lin Jingqu and Zeng Yuqin were insisted upon to attend. Seeing that there hadn't been any trouble for the past half month and their eldest grandson had started kindergarten, they felt a bit relieved and decided to go home for a while.
Zeng Yuqin told Gu Zhijing, "Your grandfather and I are planning to bring Xiaofeng and Xiaoyu back with us this time. We'll rent an apartment across from Tao's parents so we can take care of the children together. As for your uncle and aunt, if they want to cause trouble, let them. We won't interfere anymore, even if things get out of hand."
Gu Zhijing was left speechless after hearing all this. He had never heard about his uncle and aunt's situation before, and he had certainly never encountered such an eccentric couple.
"They really are... a match made in heaven, aren't they?"
Zeng Yuqin, who had been upset, couldn't help but laugh at her grandson's comment. Indeed, they were a perfect match - who else could endure such chaos?
Her daughter would call home and tell them not to interfere with Qingwei's affairs anymore, to let them cause trouble if they wanted to. But Zeng Yuqin couldn't bear to part with her grandchildren. She had raised the two kids since they were little, and they were completely different from their parents - well-behaved and sensible.
"Why don't you and Grandpa bring my cousins back here? It's not like they have much of their parents around anyway."
"Maybe when they're a bit older. They're still young now, and no matter how bad their parents are, they still ask for Mom and Dad every day."
Lin Jingqu, who had been sitting quietly to the side, stood up after they finished talking and asked Gu Zhijing, "What would you like for lunch? Grandpa will cook."
"Of course, it has to be your specialty - braised pork!"
"Alright, braised pork it is!"
Gu Zhijing had dinner with his grandparents before calling the family driver to pick him up.
Before he left, Zeng Yuqin held onto her grandson's hand, reluctant to let go. Looking at him made her think of her daughter.
"Your mother, always running around the world... sigh." But it was her own daughter after all, and Zeng Yuqin couldn't bring herself to criticize her.
"Grandma, as long as Mom is happy, it's fine. If Mom is happy, I'm happy too."
"You're such a good boy."
Gu Zhijing was already much taller than his grandmother, but he bent down to let her pat his head.
"Don't take what Old Wang said today to heart. Don't let it upset you later either. Your father has been both a father and a mother for over a decade, which hasn't been easy. He's not the kind of muddle-headed person who would abandon his older child for a younger one." Zeng Yuqin didn't know the state of Gu Junxing and Nian Suian's marriage, nor did she know how Nian Suian and Gu Zhijing got along. She was worried that her grandson might have some misgivings after hearing Old Wang's words today.
"Grandma, don't worry about this. Besides, they haven't even mentioned having another child." Gu Zhijing had never worried about this. Getting angry over hypothetical situations that hadn't even happened yet - wouldn't that be foolish?