The story was nearing its conclusion, and all the troubles were fading away like smoke into the clouds.
There were no more sudden plot twists or unexpected incidents pushing her forward.
There was only one month left before the new year.
During this time, Shen Yi buried herself in her studies. She had always remembered what her mother told her and wanted to earn good marks on the exam before the new year.
Once the exams were over, the results were released, and she got the impressive score she had hoped for.
For Wen Ya, who had always worshipped academic excellence, merely thinking about Shen Yi’s perfect score made her back stop aching and her legs stop feeling sore. She practically breezed wherever she went.
She had even excitedly stuck the report card onto the refrigerator at home.
Everyone who passed by would sneak a glance at it, then let out an ambiguous “Wow.”
Shen Yi felt a little mortified.
Shen Sixing was sitting leisurely across from them, turning the pages of a newspaper at a leisurely pace. He, too, glanced up at the refrigerator door.
“You did really well, Xiao Yi,” he said.
“After the new year, your mother will definitely take you back home.” Shen Sixing added the last sentence in a flat tone, though his voice dipped slightly at the end, carrying an inexplicable note of resentment.
Shen Yi: “Dad’s resentment is so intense.”
Shen Sixing turned another page of the newspaper, revealing only his eyes and the straight bridge of his nose. “Mm-hmm. After all, I’m a useless man who’s too embarrassing to show off.”
His voice sounded muffled from behind the newspaper. “I’ve never even met any of your mother’s relatives.”
“That’s because you’re unemployed,” Wen Ya said matter-of-factly.
If she went back to the village after leaving it to marry an unemployed man from the big city, she would be scolded to death.
Just imagining a crowd of people surrounding her and pointing fingers made Wen Ya feel as though her head were about to explode.
Shen Sixing lost all his strength as well.
He folded up the newspaper and tossed it aside, then sank into the sofa until his back pressed against the cushions. He stared at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.
“I’m not unemployed,” he muttered lifelessly. “I’m an assassin. I’m not an incompetent husband either. I’m an assassin…”
“Don’t be sad, Dad,” Shen Yi comforted him. “When Mom and I go back, I’ll take pictures for you.”
Wen Ya pressed her lips together in a smile. “That’s right. We can even video-call you. Come to think of it, I haven’t been home in several years either. I wonder what the place has become now.”
At that, Shen Sixing did not answer. He lowered his head, and no one knew what dark scheme he was plotting.
If Wen Ya and Shen Yi went home for the new year, he would have to stay alone in this empty house.
Just imagining that scene made him uncomfortable all over.
Perhaps he could secretly follow them.
It would be easy.
All he needed was a tiny tracker, stuck to the underside of Wen Ya’s car or slipped into a compartment of Shen Yi’s backpack.
He could follow the signal from a distance, tailing them all the way to that village.
Perfect.
…
Two days before New Year’s Eve, a guest suddenly arrived at the house.
Qin Ruolan.
She had not called ahead. When Wen Ya opened the door, she stood frozen for several seconds before stepping aside to let her in.
Qin Ruolan walked into the living room in high heels, the hem of her coat carrying in the crisp chill of winter.
At the time, Shen Yi was curled up on the sofa, happily playing on her phone. When she heard the commotion and looked up, she froze.
Qin Ruolan was much as Shen Yi remembered her. Her cool, pale complexion was like fine porcelain, while her striking features carried the poise that came with the passing years.
She was no longer young, but whenever she stood there, it felt as though the word “beautiful” could transcend time itself.
The saying that age could not diminish a beauty had found its fullest proof in her.
“Mother-in-law?” Wen Ya finally managed to find her voice.
Qin Ruolan turned her head.
She looked at Wen Ya, narrowing her eyes as if trying to identify her, then smiled and nodded.
Then she suddenly said, “Oh, Xiao Xun? You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”
As she spoke, she reached out and pinched the cheek of a Shen Ruxu who happened to be passing by.
A moment earlier, Shen Ruxu had been tiptoeing over, planning to sneak up behind the sofa and give his younger siblings a good scare.
But before he could even reach out, a hand had seized his cheek and pulled it into the shape of a steamed bun.
His amber eyes widened slightly. He stood there in stunned horror, recalling what his mother had called the woman before him.
“…Grandmother?”
“Mm.” Qin Ruolan ruffled the foolish boy’s hair, her movements as natural as if she were petting a large dog. “How have you all been lately?”
Shen Ruxu rescued his face from her grasp and rubbed his reddened cheek. With a smile, he said, “Pretty well.”
After a pause, he seriously corrected her, “Also, my name isn’t Shen Xun. It’s Shen Ruxu.”
“Boys should speak properly. Don’t act so cutesy.”
Qin Ruolan suddenly grew stern and delivered an unceremonious rap to the top of his head.
The unquestionable authority of seniority wiped the smile completely off Shen Ruxu’s face.
“I wasn’t acting cutesy.”
Ever since he was little, he had instinctively displayed a harmless demeanor around unfamiliar people.
Combined with his completely nonthreatening face, it was easy for others to form a favorable impression of him.
Clearly, however, this grandmother did not like that about him.
Qin Ruolan tugged at his cheeks and clicked her tongue twice. “With that look of yours, you really do resemble your father.”
Covering her mouth, she giggled, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes carrying an elegant, teasing air. “You have exactly the same useless expression he does.”
Shen Ruxu: “…”
He could not help saying, “That’s a really hurtful thing to say.”
Useless…
She had managed to hit both father and son where it hurt.
Shen Wenta was standing a little farther away. Before he had a chance to speak, Qin Ruolan’s gaze swept over to him.
She studied him for two seconds.
Under her scrutiny, Shen Wenta felt somewhat uncomfortable. He instinctively took a step forward, shielding his younger siblings on the sofa as he assessed whether the person in front of him might suddenly lash out.
He could hardly be blamed.
In his experience, adults were rarely entirely normal creatures.
“Xiao Wenta, it’s been a long time.”
This time, she had finally gotten his name right.
“Grandmother.” Shen Wenta’s tone remained polite.
There was a restrained quality to that politeness, as if it said, “I don’t know you, but you’re my elder, so I’ll tolerate you for now.”
“I’ve never met you before.”
“Never met me?” Qin Ruolan raised an eyebrow. “You were so young back then, of course you don’t remember.”
She clicked her tongue twice, her gaze circling over his face. “You never cried or expressed yourself much as a child. Whenever you felt uncomfortable, we had to guess what was wrong. What a difficult child. I wonder whether you’re still so difficult now that you’ve grown up.”
Shen Wenta, still difficult as ever: “…”
She had apparently hit a sore spot. He gritted his teeth and calmly replied, “I’m fine. I’m not difficult.”
“Is that so?” Qin Ruolan exposed him without mercy. “A cold child like you, who’s always saying the opposite of what he means, isn’t very likable.”
A muscle in Shen Wenta’s temple twitched.
He felt he had already lost.
In the very first round, he had been defeated without the slightest chance to fight back.
After delivering that airy assessment, she turned back with a beaming smile and resumed ruffling Shen Ruxu’s hair.
Shen Zhizhao and Shen Xun, having narrowly escaped the ordeal, both breathed a sigh of relief.
“How did she suddenly come back?”
Shen Xun frowned, feeling that the house had become even more crowded.
He had never had much of an impression of Qin Ruolan growing up.
She had practically appeared out of nowhere, without any rhyme or reason.
Resting his hand against his chin, Shen Zhizhao pondered. “Perhaps… Grandma didn’t come here to see us.”
Just as he finished speaking—
“Are you Xiao Xun?” Qin Ruolan released Shen Ruxu and turned around, looking them over one by one.
Shen Xun’s eyes were pitch-black. He looked up at her and nodded.
Qin Ruolan examined him from head to toe, then suddenly sighed. “Wen Ya, how did you and Shen Sixing manage to have a little robot? He’s so stiff and blank. How cute.”
Shen Xun: “…”
His expression didn’t change. He wanted to argue, but couldn’t find enough words, so he was left momentarily speechless.
But in that instant, he really did look like a little robot that had just been switched on and hadn’t yet found its language pack.
Qin Ruolan then turned to Shen Zhizhao. Her voice suddenly became higher and gentler, overflowing with affection. “Little Zhizhao.”
Shen Zhizhao’s back stiffened.
“You’ve grown into a proper adult,” Qin Ruolan said with a beaming smile. “Do you still hide under the covers and shed little pearls whenever you’re sad?”
Shen Zhizhao’s expression didn’t change. He only smiled, though his face still held a hint of the helpless devastation of someone whose embarrassing childhood history had just been exposed.
Then it was Shen Yi’s turn.
Shen Yi immediately stood up, feeling as though she had been called on in class.
“And you,” Qin Ruolan continued, gesturing at her height. “Xiao Yi, you’ve grown so big.”
She reached out and touched Shen Yi’s face directly. Her movements were filled with an inexplicable tenderness, carrying the warmth of days long past.
Shen Yi didn’t pull away.
She stared blankly at Qin Ruolan, then, after a long pause, called out, “…Grandma.”
Qin Ruolan’s hand paused.
“Mm.” She responded, gently pinching Shen Yi’s cheek. “Good girl.”
Not far away, all of the Shen brothers were crammed together on a single sofa. Shen Ruxu buried his face in a pillow, leaving only his eyes exposed, and grumbled in a muffled voice:
“Why didn’t she tease my little sister?”
The four of them had each been subjected to a comment in turn.
They had been labeled, respectively: “useless,” “too melodramatic,” “a robot,” and “little crybaby.”
