"What's wrong with being old? I am no longer a woman just because I am old?! Can't you learn from your son? Look at him..."
The old lady's eyes drifted to Xia Xingchen's fingers again.
Xia Xingchen's scalp felt numb.
I finally understood how I had offended the old lady just now, and I also understood why the old lady looked at my ring like that.
The old lady yelled at the old man, and finally hung up the phone with a smile. I don't know what the old man said on the other end, but the old lady's mood suddenly improved. She turned around and talked to Xia Xingchen, and she also regained her previous kind expression.
"Have you arranged for dinner tonight?" asked the old lady.
"Go back and make it yourself, and just eat whatever you want."
"Since you don't have an appointment, then come with me back to Zhongshan to eat. You haven't met his uncle yet, right? Now that we're here, come with me to meet him."
Although they didn't meet formally, they actually met today. Xia Xingchen thought of Wei Yang and said, "Madam, today I..."
"Okay, it's settled. Come with me. Leave your car here. I'll have the driver come and drive it back to you later."
The old lady's words were like a seal of approval. The whole family was like this, without giving anyone a second thought. When she came to her senses, she had already been dragged out of the mall by the old lady.
The driver drove the car and stopped in front.
…
On the way, Xia Xingchen remembered Bai Yeqing's words that he should not go to Zhongshan Old House in the near future. However, now that he was in the car, he could not refuse. So he just went and made the best of it.
But when I thought about facing the old man again in a while, I still felt a little nervous.
It was still early when we arrived at the old house in Zhongshan.
Xia Xingchen followed the old lady into the house, and the old lady asked, "Where is the old gentleman?"
"The old gentleman has returned from the hospital and is in the study now."
"Did he take anything with him when he came back?" the old lady asked, her eyes darting around.
"Yes. Please wait a moment, I'll get it for you." The servant said, taking out an exquisite gift box.
The old lady was overjoyed when she saw it. Inside was a brocade box. When she opened it, a pair of rings suddenly appeared. Xia Xingchen then understood why the old lady was so happy after hanging up the phone with the old man.
I see.
"Xingchen, come and see!" The old lady was busy showing off like a child, with a hint of pride in her smiling eyes, "Grandpa has a good eye, right?"
"Yes. The old man has a very good eye." Xia Xingchen quickly responded.
"Don't be fooled by the fact that the diamond on this ring is not as big as yours. The old man knows that I like this kind of simple and low-key style."
Do you really like simple and low-key
When she was trying on clothes just now, she could see that the old lady was also a fashionista. She always wore very trendy clothes nowadays. The low-key and simple style was definitely not her type.
However, she certainly didn't expose him, but just nodded, "Yes, the old man knows your preferences, so he will naturally cater to your preferences."
"I really can't believe that the old man has such good taste."
As the saying goes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The old lady kept staring at the ring, simply unable to let it go. She tried it again and again, and kept asking Xingchen if it looked good.
"Oh, by the way, let's just look at the ring." After putting the ring on, the old lady remembered the important matter and took out a few bags from a pile of shopping bags. "This is the clothes I just bought for his second uncle. You can give it to him to try and see if it fits him?"
"Should I go?" Xia Xingchen pointed at himself.
The old lady was unhappy. "You are so unhappy. Do you want me, an old lady, to carry such a heavy bag?"
"Of course not." Xia Xingchen explained, "I was worried that it would be a bit rash for me to go there."
"His uncle is not the same kind of person as the old man. Go ahead, I'll go upstairs to find the old man." The old lady pushed the bag into Xia Xingchen's arms and went upstairs impatiently.
Xia Xingchen looked at the pile of things, feeling quite helpless. Aunt Lin smiled, "Miss Xia, don't mind. The old lady treats you as one of her own. Please sit down. I can send you off."
"No. I'll go." Xia Xingchen stopped Aunt Lin, glanced upstairs, and said with a smile: "If the old lady knows that it was you who sent it, I'm afraid she will blame me."
Aunt Lin nodded and didn't insist any more.
… … … … … … … … …
Xia Xingchen walked all the way to another villa.
This side is much quieter than the main building. The ivy forms a path leading to the front of the small building. The winter wind blows and it is still very cold.
Xia Xingchen looked around and saw that the fence was full of various flowers and plants. It could be seen that they had been carefully trimmed and looked very beautiful.
As soon as she arrived, a servant came out to greet her.
"Ms. Xia."
Xia Xingchen nodded slightly, "Is Mr. Bai here?"
"Yes. He is in the greenhouse tending to his flowers and plants. It's cold outside. Please come in first and I will let him know."
The servant said as he took the bag from her hand.
Xia Xingchen followed her and walked in slowly.
The whole house is filled with the charm of literati. Every decoration on the table and in front of the shelves is exquisite. There are domestic collections and foreign antiques, all of which are treasured by famous artists.
It can be seen that Mr. Bai spent a lot of time and effort collecting these things in order to decorate this place.
Xia Xingchen stood in the hall and saw a picture album on the easel in the corner. She walked over and flipped through it. When she opened it, she felt a little sad.
The picture in the album is a woman. She is on every page.
The woman in the painting was lively and vivid. Although time had passed, Xia Xingchen still recognized her at a glance. Who else could this person in the painting be but Madam Lanting
It was a thick picture book with hundreds of pictures. Every picture was of her.
Different expressions, different occasions, different outfits.
There are sketches and watercolors.
It seems that this was probably written by the old man in prison.
Xia Xingchen sighed. Time passed, but the feelings were still there. Unfortunately, this world was too cruel, and they were separated for more than 20 years.
"Ms. Xia."
Just as he was sighing, Mr. Bai's voice sounded from behind.
Xia Xingchen came back to his senses, quickly put away the sigh in his heart, closed the sketchbook, turned around, and said, "Uncle, you can just call me Xingchen. And..."
She carefully put the sketchbook back to its original place and said, "I'm sorry, I moved your sketchbook out of curiosity. I hope you don't mind."
Bai Qingrang was wearing a dark blue Tang suit today, and he looked quite energetic. He shook his head, "It's just a small matter, I don't care."