She had said many things, and Huo Tingzhou remembered most of them in his heart.
But at this moment, he wasn't sure which specific instance his wife was referring to.
Seeing his slightly inquiring look, Jiang Si softly reminded him, "Life can be bitter first, then sweet..."
She deliberately trailed off here.
Huo Tingzhou gazed at her, his eyes profound.
The next second, he said in a deep voice, "Life can be bitter first, then sweet, or sweet first, then bitter. You said I've already finished all the bitterness of this lifetime, so the days ahead will surely be smooth and peaceful until old age."
That's right, that was the line.
These were the words Jiang Si had said over the phone back when they first learned the truth about his abduction.
He never expected that after more than two years,
Huo Tingzhou could still recite them word for word.
But today, Jiang Si wanted to add one more thing.
She tightened her grip on his hand and said, word by word, "No matter if the days ahead are bitter or sweet, you will no longer be alone, because the children and I will be with you."
As her words fell, Huo Tingzhou's Adam's apple bobbed.
As if his emotions had momentarily slipped his control, he slightly turned his head away, a sudden sharp ache in the corner of his eye.
Jiang Si said no more, tacitly shifting her gaze to Mother Huo and her maternal grandmother.
At that moment, the conversation between the mother and daughter was still ongoing.
In the end, Mother Huo still couldn't persuade the old lady and had no choice but to helplessly take the money back.
"Oh, right, Mom," as if remembering something, Mother Huo added a reminder, "This liquor isn't ordinary; it's steeped with a hundred-year-old ginseng. Make sure you put it away safely when you get back. Don't let Dad finish it off in two sittings."
Hearing that the liquor was steeped with a hundred-year-old ginseng, how could the old lady remain calm?
Such fine liquor must not be wasted by him.
She quickly snatched the canvas bag from the old man's hands, "Don't worry, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on it."
Grandfather Huo watched from the side, eyes wide with disbelief, originally wanting to protest a bit.
But seeing that his several sons and eldest daughter had already walked a hundred meters away and were now leaving the residential compound,
he hurriedly urged the old lady, "Quick, quick, quick, the eldest and the others are already far ahead."
Outside the residential compound at that time,
the siblings were standing where they were, talking.
Mother Huo lived in the Capital City, not too far away; they could manage to see each other a few times throughout the year.
Unlike the eldest sister, who had married far away and couldn't easily return home often.
Thinking of this, the elder brothers began offering their reminders and advice once more.
Just then, several children ran out from somewhere, their clothes dirty and their hair a messy bird's nest.
Most distressingly, the children immediately knelt down with a thud in front of Yue Sheng as soon as they arrived.
"Grandma, Grandma, I miss you so much!"
"Grandma, I promise to be good and never be naughty again."
"Grandma, please don't abandon us, we beg you..."
They cried while clinging to Yue Sheng's legs.
Yue Sheng was startled by this sudden scene, her eyes wide with shock, "No, this... whose children are these? Why are you calling me that! I am not your grandma."
"Grandma, I'm Jingxuan! Don't you remember me?" The tallest boy looked up, his eyes tearful as he gazed at Yue Sheng.
The moment the name 'Jingxuan' was uttered, the expressions of everyone present changed.
Although Yue Sheng hadn't seen these children much, she was not at all unfamiliar with this name.
Not only did she remember the name, but she also remembered this family's actions clearly.
They say the consequences of wrongdoing shouldn't extend to the children, that the children are innocent.
But at most, Yue Sheng regarded them as strangers; as for being particularly good to them, that was impossible.
"I am not your grandma!"
Yue Sheng spoke the truth, but her words didn't come across that way to the children, "Grandma! You are our grandma! Wuwuwu, Grandma, please don't be angry with us anymore, okay?"
As soon as she finished, another child also cried and asked her, "Grandma, I'm Linlin, don't you want Linlin anymore?"
"Grandma, we promise to listen to you obediently from now on, and when we grow up, we will be filial to you together with our younger brothers. Please don't send us away..."
As the children cried, several more familiar figures suddenly appeared in their line of sight.
Yue Sheng's last visit home to see relatives was six or seven years ago; among the brothers, only the eldest, Yang Jingxuan, had a vague impression.
But these two people in front of them looked exactly the same.
Their hairstyles were also similar.
For a moment, he couldn't tell which one was the grandma from his memory.
The other two children were also confused now.
How could there be two grandmas?
But things had already reached this point, and they couldn't afford to worry about that.
Remembering that this person had just said she wasn't their grandma,
the second and third child immediately changed direction and rushed towards Mother Huo.
But before the two could even call out "Grandma," Mother Huo directly called a halt to this farce, "Stop. I am not your grandma, and you are not children of our Huo Family."
Having said that, she turned to Huo Tingzhou and said, "Go make a phone call to inform The Su Family and tell them to come collect these children immediately."
"Grandma, you are our grandma." The eldest, Yang Jingxuan, was already eleven, clearly more mature-minded than his two younger brothers.
Hearing Mother Huo's words, he immediately began crying and pleading tearfully, "Mom doesn't want us anymore, Grandma doesn't want us either, they all say we're burdens."
"Grandma, we want to go home with you..."
Tsk tsk tsk, these tears, this acting.
In a later era, they could easily outperform a whole group of young idols.
If Jiang Si hadn't witnessed their actions with her own eyes that day in the square, she might have almost been moved.
But now, she only felt a chill run through her.
Although Mother Huo didn't know about the incident in the square,
she understood clearly that since The Su Family had raised them for two years, they wouldn't drive them out for no reason at this point.
Of course, what exactly happened in between was someone else's family matter, none of her business.
Mother Huo had no intention of asking either.
But these children paid no heed, right in front of everyone, they began tearfully recounting their grievances.
Before coming, their mother had repeatedly instructed them.
If they couldn't successfully stay with the Huo Family this time, they would only be sent to their father's hometown, to their biological grandmother's side.
They had been born with silver spoons in their mouths; their years in the Huo Family were ones where they got whatever they wanted.
Even after leaving the Huo Family, The Su Family had never shorted them on food or clothing.
Now, Mom wanted to send them to some godforsaken rural place—wasn't that clearly sending them to live a hard life?
Moreover, they understood in their hearts that Mom's words about bringing them back when conditions improved were just to placate them.
She was already going to remarry; she would definitely have other children later.
How could she possibly bring them back!
Wasn't that how Grandma was?
Ever since Little Treasure came into the family, Grandma's focus was entirely on Little Treasure, and her care and concern for them were far less than before.
That's why they hated Little Treasure so much!
So, the three brothers immediately began to speak: "Auntie says we eat too much and always scolds us for being freeloaders. She even hits us and tells us to get lost, that we can't stay at our maternal grandmother's house anymore."
"Mom is going to marry some other uncle, and they all don't want us anymore!"
"Grandma, from now on we promise to work more, eat less, and definitely not cause you any trouble. We'll even take good care of our younger siblings..."
As they spoke, they tugged at Mother Huo's hand. "Grandma, waaah... please let us come back. We miss you and Grandpa so much, and Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma too..."
Just as the brothers were wailing their hearts out, Jiang Si said coldly, "Who taught you to say these things?"
If you asked the three brothers who they disliked most in the Huo Family, it was undoubtedly Jiang Si.
If it weren't for her, Dad wouldn't have gone to prison! If Dad hadn't gone to prison, Mom wouldn't have remarried, and the three of them wouldn't be living under someone else's roof!
All of this was caused by that wicked woman!
Jiang Si didn't miss the flash of hatred in their eyes. "It seems the trip to the police station a few days ago taught you nothing."
"Taken to the police station?" Mother Huo and the others all looked over upon hearing this.
Jiang Si nodded, explaining succinctly, "Just a couple of days ago, while playing outside, they deliberately fed a tanghulu to the Su Family's little grandson and almost choked the child to death."
"According to the Su Family's younger daughter-in-law, they've done things like this more than once."
"She was so furious she eventually reported it to the police..."
Everyone present gasped in shock upon hearing this.
If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, they could hardly believe it.
These children could be so malicious.
Mother Huo, worried she might be upset, soothed her, "Sisi, you go back inside to eat first. Leave this matter to me to handle."
Jiang Si knew her mother-in-law wouldn't be soft-hearted, nor would she bring these children back home.
But it was pointless to argue this with the children themselves.
Fortunately, Huo Tingzhou had already gone to make a phone call.
"What's going on?" Just then, Chris and Chi Heng walked out from the compound.
She had waited inside the hall for a long time without seeing Jiang Si return, so she dragged Chi Heng out for some fresh air.
Jiang Si was just about to speak.
Chris's gaze had already fallen on the children. "Aren't these the kids we just ran into?"
As she finished speaking, she instinctively glanced around. "Where's their mother?"
