"Oh...So it turned out to be your young auntie. She is so beautiful and so young," the woman said awkwardly.
When Know Summer returned home, she looked around and saw only Sister Zhang busy cooking in the kitchen, Wanqing doing homework in the room, and none of the other children around.
Even Chenye, who usually liked tinkering with parts at home, was unusually absent from the house.
"Where are your eldest brother and younger brothers?"
"They went to the backyard to practice martial arts with Uncle Pei," she said somewhat dejectedly, because she also wanted to go but wasn't allowed to by her eldest brother since she hadn't finished her homework.
Know Summer was still a little confused. "Practice martial arts? What kind of martial arts?"
"You'll know once you go take a look," Wanqing lay listlessly on the table, then mustered her spirits again, "Mom, don't disturb me anymore, I want to hurry up and finish my homework."
Know Summer raised her eyebrows and went out, closing Wanqing's door on her way.
Sister Zhang came out from the kitchen, "Dinner will be ready soon. Know Summer, go call them back to eat."
"Alright, I was just going to go take a look at what martial arts they were practicing after hearing from Wanqing," Know Summer said.
Sister Zhang smiled, "Just horse stance, running, somersaults, things like that."
Know Summer went out the back door towards Pei Yong's place. Since he had bought the house right behind theirs, they could just open the back door and go through instead of walking all the way around.
She rarely came over, but clearly noticed the backyard had changed a lot compared to her last visit.
The weeds in the yard were cleared up cleanly, small brick paths were laid, wooden posts stood on one side, Chenye was practicing boxing, the triplets were in horse stance, Xiao Liux was competing with PingAn to do somersaults, looking very happy and harmonious.
Smoke was still rising from the kitchen chimney. Pei Yong came out of the house when he heard the children's shouts, explaining, "Know Summer is here. Since the kids had nothing to do, I had them learn some martial arts. It's better than just lazing around, and practicing is always good."
He was off work today so the children came to play after school. It was a spur of the moment idea.
After switching careers, Pei Yong worked as the security chief at a textile factory. His job was very relaxed, mainly managing personnel and the like, occasionally working night shifts.
He could have gotten better benefits, but some jobs were not suitable for taking care of children. He was very satisfied with his current job, being able to bring PingAn to work and having a lounge. The security team were all burly men who respected nothing more than fists, and Pei Yong was by no means inferior in that aspect.
"Then I'll leave them to big brother," Know Summer said.
There wasn't much for Know Summer and Pei Yong to talk about. After calling the children back for dinner, they left.
PingAn also ran over to grab Pei Yong's fingers, looking at him expectantly with bright eyes and pointing at his belly, "Hungry."
He could now say some simple words to call people and express his needs.
Know Summer had continued giving him medicine, and since Guo Momo was already close with Know Summer before, she said PingAn's improvement was thanks to the medicine. Pei Yong did not suspect or ask further.
Pei Yong laughed and picked up PingAn, "Alright, let's eat too. PingAn needs to eat more today to grow bigger. Eat more and you'll grow faster, and become a grown up in no time."
PingAn nodded heavily, "Grandpa, eat."
"Good, grandpa will eat too."
Pei JianGuo pushed his cart in to see them eating. He laughed and walked over, ruffling PingAn's head, "PingAn, have you been good at grandpa's these past few days?"
PingAn turned his head to dodge his touch and continued scooping his food with a spoon.
The smile left Pei Yong's face and he made no gesture to invite Pei JianGuo to join them for the meal, instead asking directly, "What are you doing here?"
"Dad, I'm your son. Even if I've disappointed you in some ways, you can't just disown me, can you?" Pei JianGuo knew he had let people down, so he spoke without justification, "And I came today to see you and PingAn. I even brought treats for PingAn."
He knew trying to curry favor with Pei Yong was useless, so he had to go through the child instead.
Pei JianGuo ostentatiously offered the peach cakes he brought to PingAn, but it did not move him at all.
Over the past few days, grandpa had bought him many tasty snacks, sixth uncle had shared his own snacks, and the cherries at third auntie's place were ripe too. He had no lack of things to eat.
Besides, the cherry trees mom had planted before were all fruiting. Grandpa said after they finished picking all the fruit, the trees would be moved back to their yard and replanted at home. That way, he could be the first to eat them every year when the cherries ripened.
"This child is still wary of me," Pei JianGuo said awkwardly when PingAn clearly snubbed him.
Neither grandfather nor grandson paid him any mind.
"Oh right, dad, there's something else I want to tell you," Pei JianGuo lowered his head, "Mom introduced a match for me. Let me know when you have time to meet her. If we're compatible, we'll go register our marriage."
"Your own matters don't need reporting to me," Pei Yong paused briefly before replying indifferently, "It's your marriage, as long as you're satisfied, my opinion doesn't matter."
"Dad, do you have to be like this?" Even someone as dense as Pei JianGuo could hear the detachment in his tone, "I know I was wrong already. The biggest problem between me and Guo Momo was that mom didn't like her. I want to have a good marriage, so I need to marry someone mother will be satisfied with. Dad, my life is hard enough already, can't you try to understand me a bit?"
In Pei JianGuo's mind, he didn't even have the right to choose a woman he liked, because if his mother didn't like her, she would keep sabotaging things between them.
That was also why Guo Momo chose to leave him in the end.
Upon hearing his words, Pei Yong was instantly furious, "Pei JianGuo, you're not a child anymore, can you grow some sense? If your life is hard, your mother had her reasons, but have you thought about whether you had any fault? Also, if you plan to marry some girl with this kind of thinking, as your father I advise you - it'd be better not to trifle with the girl. Please just let her off!"
