Zhuang Xihua saw that Madam Luo looked unhappy, and asked quickly, "What's wrong?"
Madam Luo looked at Chi Yue steadily with a serious expression. After a while, she suddenly smiled and said, "I think this handsome boy looks familiar."
She raised her well-maintained hand, pressed it against her temple, and said, "I'm old now, and have seen too many people and too many things, so it's normal to have mixed memories. Next time I'll research some medicinal food that can refresh the mind and nourish the brain, and we can all eat it together."
Upon hearing this, Luo Zhenduo and Xiyin's faces turned pale. Zhuang Xihua quickly brought the pot and said to Mrs. Luo, "It's just a small gift. It's not a sign of respect."
When Mrs. Luo saw it, her face was immediately filled with smiles: "Oh, I have wanted this kind of pot for a long time, Hua, you are really a genius."
Zhuang Xihua said: "This is what Chi Yue picked. He likes the soup you made."
Madam Luo glanced at Chi Yue again and said, "No wonder she called me grandma so sweetly, it turns out she drank my soup."
Several people laughed, and then they were sure that Chi Yue's call of "Grandma" did not offend Madam Luo.
The Luo family mansion is luxuriously decorated. The interior looks more fashionable than the exterior. It is not confined to the retro style, but also has many modern features. For example, there are many paintings by avant-garde painters hanging on the walls, which strongly illustrate the owner's taste.
Mrs. Luo was an eloquent person. Although she was old, she knew all the new things. She could chat with Zhuang Xihua about business affairs, or talk to college students about their majors and studies. She was graceful and dignified, a respectable lady.
Zhuang Xihua and Chi Yue toured the Luo Mansion. During the tour, Zhuang Xihua said a lot of compliments, all from the bottom of his heart. Madam Luo smiled and said, "Xihua is indeed different from before. He would never chat with an old lady like me before. It was so annoying."
Zhuang Xihua smiled awkwardly and said, "You are getting older now, so you have to make some progress."
"That's right." Madam Luo said, "You are not young anymore, you are almost 30, you should get married and start a family soon."
Zhuang Xihua never expected to be forced into marriage here and could only respond perfunctorily.
"Plan well for your future. Don't be like our Zhenduo, who is confused." Mrs. Luo couldn't help but say.
Luo Zhenduo said, "Mom, don't mention that today."
"If you don't want to mention it, then don't mention it. If it weren't for Xiyin, I would beat you to death."
Even Luo Zhenduo was embarrassed now.
Madam Luo turned around and asked Chi Yue, "I heard that you helped Xiyin with her lessons before?"
Xiyin smiled and acted coquettishly towards Madam Luo: "Xiaoyue is such a nice person. I can't go to school, so he is the one who tells me what the teacher is teaching in class."
Madam Luo glanced at Xiyin and said, "You've been feeling much better lately, but you're still making excuses not to go to school. Don't think that grandma doesn't know."
Xiyin smiled shyly, clung to Madam Luo's arm, and said, "Isn't it Xiaoyue? I won't fall behind in the course."
Madam Luo reached out and twisted Xiyin's nose, expressing endless love and affection. Chi Yue turned her head away and didn't look at her directly.
"I really want to thank this classmate."
Mrs. Luo's voice brought Chi Yue back, and he replied, "It's nothing, just a little help." Even if he didn't look for Xiyin, Xiyin would stick to him.
Madam Luo stared at Chi Yue's face and said, "This little classmate is really good-looking, with a sharp face..."
As she spoke, Mrs. Luo's voice faded.
Speaking of which, the Luo family also has angular looks, except Xiyin, whose facial features are relatively soft.
"How old are you?" Mrs. Luo asked Chi Yue.
Chi Yue replied: "Twenty."
"Xiaoyue is my classmate and of course the same age as me." Xiyin said.
Madam Luo smiled and continued to ask, "What month is your birthday?"
Chi Yue also continued to answer: "March."
Madam Luo was stunned: "Even the month is the same as Xiyin's."
"If I remember correctly, Xiaoyue's birthday is only three days away from mine," said Master Xiyin.
"Is that so..." Madam Luo touched the jade bracelet on her hand, wondering what she was thinking.
Soon Mrs. Luo regained her smile. Several people walked to the second floor and sat down in the small hall. Mrs. Luo took out a photo of Xiyin when she was a child and showed it to everyone.
I have to say that Xiyin was indeed lovable when she was a child, because of her frail body, pale complexion, thin limbs, and she sat there quietly, like a glass statue.
From every photo, we can see the love that the Luo family has for Xiyin. Despite her frail body and the absence of a mother, Xiyin grew up completely surrounded by love.
Chi Yue looked at the photos in silence. Zhuang Xihua thought for a moment, then reached out and gently pinched Chi Yue's palm.
Chi Yue held Zhuang Hua's hand with her backhand. Zhuang Hua was stunned and quickly pulled his hand out.
The two people acted very quickly, but Xiyin still saw this scene, and a trace of resentment flashed in Xiyin's eyes.
Later, Luo Zhenduo wanted to show Zhuang Xihua his wine collection, but the young man was not interested in drinking, so Xiyin took Chi Yue to drink somewhere else. Zhuang Xihua was a little worried at first, but when he saw that Madam Luo was also following the two children, he focused on accompanying Luo Zhenduo.
Luo Zhenduo could talk about wine for three days and three nights without stopping. He said to Zhuang Xihua proudly, "I have a winery in the suburbs. There are many good wines hidden in the underground wine cellar. I will take you there next time."
Zhuang Xihua was simply amused: "You must have been a drunkard in your previous life."
He paused, then began to admonish Luo Zhenduo: "Don't drink too much, and take care of your body."
Luo Zhenduo knew that Zhuang Xihua was talking to him, and his head warmed. He said: "I know my limits. For Xiyin, I won't drink myself to death, and my mother makes so many supplements every day."
The two people started laughing as they talked.
Zhuang Xihua and Luo Zhenduo stayed alone for a while. Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, Luo Zhenduo stood up to make arrangements. He didn't bother to be polite with Zhuang Xihua and let him walk around the house by himself.
Zhuang Xihua readily agreed, and he was ready to find Chi Yue.
He asked the housekeepers working in Luo Mansion where Chi Yue and Xi Yin were. The housekeepers pointed him in the way, and Zhuang Xihua came to the sun room at the back of the house, but found that Chi Yue was not there.
The sunroom in the Luo residence is much larger than that of ordinary people's homes. It is almost a small greenhouse. There are many flowers and green plants in it. The sunlight shines in through the glass, like gold powder sprinkled on the flowers, sparkling and very dreamy.
It is summer now, and the sunroom has a constant temperature air conditioner on. The temperature is just right and the light is abundant. It is leisurely and comfortable to drink tea and read books here in the evening.
The Luo family knew how to enjoy life, so Zhuang Xihua didn't rush to leave, but stayed to watch for a while.
Just as he was looking at the plants, he suddenly heard someone talking behind him.
"Xiaoyue, please pay attention to me."
Then footsteps were heard, it should be Chi Yue and Xi Yin coming in together.
For some reason, Madam Luo did not follow them. Zhuang Xihua was hidden by the green plants, and they did not notice that there was still someone in the sun room when they came in.
Zhuang Xihua wanted to walk out, but stopped when he heard Xiyin's next sentence.
"What else do you want from me?"
Xiyin suddenly got angry.
"I obey you in everything, tell you everything nice to you, share everything good with you, but not only do you not respond to me, you are also so mean to me..."
As Xiyin spoke, her voice began to tear up and she sounded very pitiful.
"What did I do wrong? Why are you unwilling to treat me well?"
This scene was like a poor woman crying and complaining to a man who had betrayed her. The huge green leaves blocked Zhuang Xihua, making him feel a little embarrassed and it became increasingly difficult for him to show his face.
Chi Yue remained silent, and Xi Yin became even angrier when she saw this: "Say something, what do you want me to do?"
Chi Yue finally spoke up: "I asked you to stop pestering me, are you willing?"
Xiyin was suddenly quiet for a moment, and then burst into tears: "How can you be so cruel!"
Chi Yue said in a cold tone: "Since you won't listen to me, why bother asking me to speak and waste my breath."
Zhuang Xihua moved slightly and stood forward, so that the figures of two people could be seen through the gaps between the leaves.
Xiyin seemed to have completely collapsed, tears welled up in her red eyes, and she said angrily: "I like you!"
Chi Yue asked back lightly: "So what?"
"So you have to like me too!"
Zhuang Xihua simply couldn't bear to listen to it anymore. Xiyin made the scene of the lawsuit look like forcing a good woman into prostitution.
Chi Yue was too lazy to waste words and stopped talking. Xi Yin was so angry that her chest heaved violently and an abnormal blush appeared on her face.
Zhuang Xihua was concerned about Xiyin's health, afraid that he might faint. Just as he was about to step forward to stop this tragic fight, he saw Xiyin suddenly turn around, pick up a pot of plants from the flower stand next to him, and throw it towards Chiyue.
Zhuang Xihua's pupils constricted, and he immediately stepped out and grabbed Xiyin's arm.
Fortunately, Xiyin didn't have much strength and moved slowly, so Zhuang Xihua was able to stop her in time. The flowerpot slipped from Xiyin's hand, fell to the ground, and broke into two pieces with a "bang".
When Xiyin saw Zhuang Xihua appear, she bit her lips tightly, glared at Zhuang Xihua with tears in her eyes, shook off Zhuang Xihua's hand, turned around and ran out of the sun room.
Zhuang Xihua didn't know what to say, so he turned around and asked Chi Yue, "Are you okay?"
Chi Yue lowered her eyes and stood there. She did not answer Zhuang Xihua's words, but asked, "Do you think I'm going too far?"
Others who saw what happened just now might misunderstand that Chi Yue disrespected Xi Yin, but Zhuang Yuhua would not. He said, "Xi Yin is no longer able to make sense. You did nothing wrong."
If liking something becomes a compulsion, it is really a slander to the beautiful word "like".
But this situation is really difficult to deal with.
The two stood there for a while. At this time, someone from the Luo Mansion found Zhuang Xihua and Chi Yue and said that lunch was ready and invited them to go to the restaurant for dinner.
Zhuang Hua's housekeeper said that he had broken a pot of flowers and was very sorry, and asked for help to clean it up.
People in the Luo residence seldom saw Zhuang Xihua being so polite and approachable, so they quickly said it was okay and asked him to go to the restaurant quickly as the old lady and the waiter were waiting.
Zhuang Xihua and Chi Yue walked back, and Zhuang Xihua couldn't help but say, "This matter is not easy to handle. I can only find a chance to talk to Lao Luo privately later and ask him to take care of his son."
He looked at Chi Yue, who kept his head down, being obedient and docile. His obedience was not like Xi Yin's, which was naive and reserved, but rather a kind of resignation.
"It's not appropriate to bring up those things in this situation today. I'm sorry to have to inconvenience you," said Zhuang Xihua.
Chi Yue nodded.
"I'll send a few people to follow you from now on, so you won't be entangled by Xiyin."
Chi Yue finally raised her head and looked at Zhuang Xihua.
Zhuang Xihua smiled and said, "If you had agreed to move in with me at the beginning, this wouldn't have been so troublesome."
Zhuang Xihua didn't want to talk about this matter all the time, but he couldn't help it. Now that he thought about it, he cared more than he thought.
Chi Yue whispered: "No..."
Suddenly the atmosphere became awkward. Zhuang Xihua had just walked into the announcement, and it was not a good idea for him to blame Chi Yue now.
He could only find a way out on his own: "I just said it casually. Anyway, after leaving today, you should not have any contact with Xiyin."
Xiyin seemed to be in a very bad mood and was becoming more and more hysterical. She even wanted to hit Chiyue with a flowerpot just now. She didn't even want to maintain her "quiet and refined" personality.
The two walked to the restaurant, and the three generations of the Luo family were already waiting inside.
Xiyin quickly adjusted her state and looked normal, but her face was pale and the circles around her eyes were red.
He explained himself that he had just been in the sun room with Chi Yue and was a little choked by the pollen he inhaled, so he came back early.
Mrs. Luo paused for a moment, making sure her grandson was fine, then she smiled and asked the guests to take a seat.
Of course it was impossible for the Luo family to neglect their guests, so the banquet was exquisite and sumptuous, with a sense of family dinner and warmth.
Luo Zhenduo still wanted to drink, and Zhuang Xihua accompanied him. Xiyin also fully recovered and did not seem to be in any condition. She ate quietly, occasionally asking grandma and Chi Yue to pick up some food, as if what happened in the sun room just now had not happened.
The meal was a great pleasure for both the host and the guests.
But later, Madam Luo brought out a pot of food and asked someone to put it in the middle of the table.
"This is a health-preserving soup that I specially made. I added a lot of precious medicinal materials. It is nourishing and beautifying. Everyone come and try it."
The faces of several people present changed.
They are basically all grown men, why bother with their looks? Zhuang Xihua, who has experienced Madam Luo's cooking skills, straightened up slightly and looked into the pot.
All I saw was some unknown ingredient swirling in the black soup, which was really unappetizing.
Everyone had a bitter face, but they didn't dare not drink it out of Madam Luo's favor. Only Chi Yue took the spoon and put mouthful by mouthful into her mouth, drinking it with relish.
Luo Zhenduo looked at Chi Yue in surprise.
Before, Chi Yue said that he loved to drink their family's tonic soup, but Luo Zhenduo didn't quite believe it. But today he finally saw it for himself and it turned out to be true.
Chi Yue carefully scooped up the last mouthful of soup with a spoon and put it into his mouth. When he finished eating and looked up, he found that everyone else was staring at him.
Madam Luo looked loving and asked Chi Yue, "Is it delicious?"
Chi Yue nodded: "It tastes good."
Madam Luo: "Would you like a bowl?"
Chi Yue: "Okay."
Others: “…” Admiration.
Fortunately, Chi Yue was there, and the other three people managed to fool around and not finish the drink.
After dinner, several people moved to the flower hall to eat fruit. Mrs. Luo was in a very good mood and took the initiative to play music in the flower hall.
The flower hall of Luo Mansion is a place for leisure and relaxation. It is equipped with some audio-visual equipment and has a comfortable atmosphere.
Luo Zhenduo invited Zhuang Xihua to sit on the sofa, and Xiyin sat on the chair next to it. Luo Zhenduo then asked Chi Yue to come over as well.
Chi Yue walked to the carved wooden chair and paused. Luo Zhenduo thought he was being polite and urged him, "Hurry up and sit down."
Chi Yue turned around and sat down. The moment he touched the chair, his expression changed and he immediately stood up from the chair.
"What's wrong?" Xiyin, who was standing next to her, noticed something was wrong and leaned over to look at Chiyue. She was surprised to find something hanging behind Chiyue's thigh.
The head of the thing pierced straight into Chi Yue's flesh, leaving only a handle outside.
Xiyin screamed.
The two adults nearby hurried over to take a look and found that it was a bottle opener. Chi Yue must have not noticed when she sat down, and the bottle opener hidden in the chair cushion pierced into Chi Yue's thigh.
The corkscrew was made of metal, the kind used to open corks, with a sharp steel spike at the front and a conical spiral at the back. In summer, pants were thin, and the sharp part just broke through the obstruction of clothes and sank into Chi Yue's flesh.
Zhuang Xihua's eyes became hot as he watched this scene. He supported Chi Yue, knowing that he couldn't take the things away immediately, but he didn't know what to do.
Chi Yue grabbed Zhuang Xihua's arm, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Zhuang Xihua could feel him shaking, probably because of the pain.
The Luo family also panicked. Mrs. Luo calmed herself down and quickly asked Luo Zhenduo to call a doctor.
The Luo family's family doctor arrived quickly, and steadily pulled out the bottle opener for Chi Yue and treated the wound.
As soon as the thing was taken away, blood started to flow out. Zhuang Xihua had been staying beside Chi Yue, and he felt both pain and anger when he saw it.
It was he who didn't take good care of Chi Yue.
Chi Yue didn't cry out in pain during the treatment, but Xi Yin beside her cried her heart out.
As blood was inevitable, Madam Luo asked Xiyin to go back to her room, but Xiyin refused and insisted on staying with Chiyue.
He covered his face with his hands, seemingly afraid to look directly at the patient, but in fact he was watching the doctor Chi Yue treating his wound through his fingers.
The doctor stopped the bleeding and bandaged Chi Yue, and gave her a tetanus shot. Zhuang Yuhua still had to take Chi Yue to the hospital to check if there was any nerve or tendon damage.
It was supposed to be a happy day, but this happened and several people looked unhappy.
Chi Yue's face was grim, he leaned weakly against Zhuang Yuhua, his black eyes looked as if they had been washed by water, he raised his head to look at Madam Luo and said, "I'm sorry, the blood... has made the house dirty."
This sentence made everyone present tense up. Madam Luo's expression changed from solemn to gentle. She raised her hand, touched Chi Yue's head which was wet with sweat due to pain, and said, "Good child, I'm sorry for making you suffer."
Luo Zhenduo stepped forward, patted Zhuang Hua on the shoulder, and said, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I didn't expect this to happen."
He loves drinking and all the bottle openers in the house are his.
Although Luo Zhenduo couldn't understand why the bottle opener appeared on the chair in the hall, as the host of the Luo family, he had to take responsibility no matter what if a guest was injured in their home.
Zhuang Yuhua waved his hands, looking a little irritated, and said, "I'll take Chi Yue back home."
So this visit ended in a bad mood.
Zhuang Xihua politely declined Luo Zhenduo's offer to follow her, and led the bodyguards, helped Chi Yue say goodbye from Luo Mansion, and went directly to the hospital.
Xiyin stood in the flower hall, staring at the blood-stained cotton and gauze in a daze. The doctor was collecting the used medical waste and preparing to dispose of it together.
Xiyin suddenly called the doctor, snatched the garbage from the doctor's hand, and said, "I'm going to throw it away." Then she turned around and ran away.
Mrs. Luo's face was not good either. She frowned. Luo Zhenduo said, "It's not a good sign that the guest saw blood on his first visit." Her expression became stern, and she told her son, "Check carefully to see what the bottle opener is hiding in the cushion."
Although Luo Zhenduo was addicted to alcohol, he was very careful when he was at home and never left wine bottles everywhere, let alone bottle openers. Moreover, there were many assistants and maids at home, and no one could come into contact with a bottle opener.
Because of this accident, everyone was unhappy. Luo Zhenduo went to the study to call Zhuang Xihua to inquire about the situation. Xiyin had already locked herself in the bedroom early.
Mrs. Luo did not go back to her room, but followed her memory to go to the storage room downstairs.
Xiyin had grown up and those things became unimportant, so she just put them in the warehouse, thinking she would never have to take them out.
But seeing the child today awakened her forgotten memories.
Luo Zhenduo found that Ji Xiao had drunk again and did not want to face the fact that she had a child. Basically, she was the one who handled everything from the communication to the later stage of giving money.
Luo Zhenduo might have selective forgetfulness, but she wouldn't. She remembered the people and events of that time clearly.
Mrs. Luo took out a file bag from the cabinet, opened the bag, and took out the materials inside.
Although the papers have turned yellow due to being placed for a long time, the photos on them, whether it is the student status certificate or the physical examination report, are very clear.
In the photo, the young and immature girl has a sad face, but you can still tell that she is a beautiful girl with pretty features, especially her eyes, which are dark and deep, as if they can speak.
Mrs. Luo stared at the photo in a daze. After a long time, she suppressed her smile, calmed herself down, and walked out of the storage room.
As Mrs. Luo's figure slowly walked away, Xiyin emerged from behind the wall and quietly slipped into the room.