"Shoo, shoo, is it any of your business?"
Su Bingcheng didn't continue playing chess. He picked up his little granddaughter and stood up. "Let's go, Grandpa will take you to Qianhai to play."
"Take brother too."
"You got it, whatever our Little Darling says."
Qianhai Lake was frozen solid, and the ice was bustling with activity.
Young people in ice skates zoomed past, while adults and children sat on ice sleds, being pulled all over the rink.
Su Bingcheng had rented an ice sled last time and took Linlin for a ride, which absolutely delighted her.
Su Bingcheng didn't know many tricks to coax children, but seeing how much his little granddaughter loved it, he would have taken her out to play every day if he wasn't worried about her catching a cold.
After they left, the old men playing chess remained there, chatting as they played.
"Look how happy Lao Su is, treating her just like his biological granddaughter."
"What? She isn't?" someone out of the loop asked.
An old man wearing a large felt hat lowered his voice, "She was brought over by the woman the Su family's third son married later on."
The person next to him clicked his tongue. "The Su family's third son is one of the most promising among this bunch of kids, and he's good-looking too. Back in the day, so many people wanted to marry their daughters to him, but he refused them all. How come now that he's in his thirties, he ended up marrying a divorcee?"
"What do you know? Just look at how Lao Su treats that little girl; you can tell how satisfied he is with this daughter-in-law and granddaughter."
"That's true, I've never seen him bring any of his other grandchildren out to play before."
A white-bearded old man nearby, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up: "Why are you worrying about this idle gossip? Their family is happy and harmonious, and they aren't getting in your way."
The old man in the black padded jacket smiled sheepishly. "We're just chatting, it's not like we're saying anything bad about them."
The white-bearded old man snorted, "Good or bad, just talk less and build up some good karma with your words."
Just as they were talking, a tall figure walked over from a distance.
The atmosphere here was getting serious, so someone immediately called out to change the subject, "Oh, Lao Jiang is here. Perfect timing today, Lao Su just left."
The newcomer was none other than Jiang Jinzhu.
He was wearing a military overcoat and a Lei Feng hat, his face flushed red from the cold wind.
Hearing this, he paused his steps. "Left?"
"Left, left. He just left on his front foot, and you arrived on your back foot. If you had come a quarter of an hour earlier, you would have bumped into him."
Jiang Jinzhu didn't say anything.
He walked over to the stone table and plopped down.
The others looked at each other in dismay.
Everyone knew about the history between Jiang Jinzhu and Su Bingcheng.
The two were both in-laws and enemies.
Ever since the Su family's daughter passed away, they were now sworn foes.
Every time they met, they would bicker. If it weren't for people stopping them, they would have gotten into physical fights several times by now.
The white-bearded old man advised, "Isn't it better that he left? If he hadn't, you two would be fighting again. It's the New Year, so give it a rest."
Jiang Jinzhu sighed and stayed silent for a moment. "I heard that their third son brought my eldest grandson back."
The crowd exchanged glances.
They looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.
After a long while, the white-bearded old man spoke up: "Lao Jiang, didn't your family's new daughter-in-law give birth to another little grandson for you? Why are you still fixated on the one at the Su family?"
Jiang Jinzhu let out a heavy breath. "He's my grandson, how can I not want him? My son is a fool, but I'm not. Chengzhou's surname is Jiang, so he is my grandson!
If my son doesn't want him, I do. In the future, everything I have will go to Chengzhou. He and that youngest son won't get a single dime!"
The others remained silent.
They all knew what kind of person Jiang Jinzhu was. He was uneducated, but he admired intellectuals.
Back then, he went to great lengths to beg the Su family to marry their daughter over.
The Su family's daughter was well-educated and reasonable, and she later gave birth to his eldest grandson. Jiang Jinzhu had been overjoyed, showing off to everyone he met.
Unfortunately, a few years later, the Su family's daughter passed away.
With the daughter-in-law gone, his son's heart also changed quickly.
In less than a year, he turned around and married a new wife, who gave birth to another boy.
They say that when you get a stepmother, you get a stepfather.
Rumor had it that Jiang Yinzhu was abusing his eldest son, and it just so happened to be witnessed by Su Lang, who had come over to visit his nephew.
Jiang Yinzhu was beaten up by Su Lang, and the child was taken away by him as well.
Someone tried to persuade him, "I've seen your eldest grandson. He's being raised very well by the Su family's third son and his wife. You shouldn't try to snatch him back."
"You don't understand." Jiang Jinzhu's face looked awful.
He knew he had wronged the Su family, and had let down his two comrades, Xu Yueyun and Su Bingcheng.
But he truly ached for Jiang Chengzhou.
He had already made up his mind.
When Jiang Chengzhou came back, he would raise the boy himself.
He would give him the best of everything.
Jiang Jinzhu felt guilty in his heart, so every time Su Bingcheng scolded him, he never talked back.
But there was a lost life standing between them, and his own bastard son hadn't treated Chengzhou well either.
This knot could not be untied.
It had been so many years since this incident happened.
Everyone had offered all the advice they could.
Now, there was nothing left to say.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before it started to snow, and a cold wind whipped up.
Everyone called out to each other, getting up and packing their things to head home.
The white-bearded old man lingered a step behind and patted Jiang Jinzhu on the shoulder. "Alright, you're just a stubborn old man. Isn't it enough that your grandson is living well? Does he have to be by your side?"
"How could that be the same?" Jiang Jinzhu said stubbornly.
He was Jiang Chengzhou's biological grandfather; could he possibly treat Chengzhou badly?
His son was in the wrong, and he didn't expect the subsequent daughter-in-law to be a good stepmother either.
And Su Lang was already married; he would have to have his own children in the future.
Wouldn't it be better to follow his own grandfather rather than his uncle?
The white-bearded old man curled his lips, waved his hand, and walked away. "Suit yourself. Just wait and see if Lao Su beats you up later, that's all."
Everyone else left.
Jiang Jinzhu remained sitting there, braving the cold wind for a while. It wasn't until a thin layer of snow had accumulated on his hat that he finally stood up and slowly walked home.
Qianhai.
Su Bingcheng was also hurrying home with his granddaughter and grandson.
Su Lang had taken his wife to the hospital today, and spent the rest of his time at home keeping Xu Yueyun company.
The mother and son were warming themselves by the fire in the living room and chatting. Hearing the sound of the door opening, they both looked toward the entrance.
"Daddy~ Grandma~ We're back!"
Su Bingcheng was still taking off her coat at the door, but Linlin was already impatiently poking her head out to greet the living room.
Xu Yueyun smiled. "It's good that you're back. Did you have fun playing?"
"Yes, I did."
Linlin flew over like a little bee, leaned over the sofa, and detailed all the things she had done today.
Jiang Chengzhou followed behind his grandfather and only greeted his grandmother and uncle when he reached the living room.
Su Lang poured a basin of hot water and brought over the two children's towels.
He wrung out a small towel first and handed it to Xu Yueyun. "Mom, wipe Linlin's back. I'm worried she might catch a cold since she just sweated."
"Okay." Xu Yueyun took it, her face full of gratification. "Now this looks like how a father should be, knowing how to take care of people."
Su Lang smiled and waved at Jiang Chengzhou. "You come here too."
Jiang Chengzhou shuddered. "I want Grandpa to wipe my back."
Su Bingcheng was a little surprised.
Ever since Jiang Chengzhou came back, he hadn't been very close to them.
