Cheng LiQi was very curious about her father's mother, so she introduced herself to Lv Siwei, "Grandma, hello, my name is Cheng LiQi, you can call me Little LiQi."
Lv Siwei's face lit up like a blossoming flower, her voice soft and gentle, "Hello Little LiQi, grandma is called Lv Siwei, I'm Shao ChengZe's mother."
Cheng LiQi really liked this grandma's smile, "Grandma, you look so pretty when you smile!"
Lv Siwei's heart had already melted into a marshmallow, "Our little darling LiQi looks even prettier when she smiles, prettier than the loveliest foreign doll."
The crescent moon shape of Cheng LiQi's eyes deepened, grandma was dad's mom, but grandma was so different from dad, grandma was so lively.
Cheng Jinlan heard the voices and walked out of the kitchen. Shao ChengZe examined her expression closely, but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. He took her hand and said to Lv Siwei, "Mom, this is Jinlan, LiQi's mother," he paused and glanced at Jinlan again before continuing, "my girlfriend."
"Hello Auntie, I'm Cheng Jinlan." Cheng Jinlan slipped her hand out of Shao ChengZe's and greeted Lv Siwei naturally.
Lv Siwei suppressed her excitement, mainly afraid of scaring the young lady. She knew her son had good taste, the girl he liked must be the best, "Jinlan, hello. I knew LiQi was so pretty, she must take after her beautiful mother."
Cheng LiQi loved when people said she looked like her mother. She held her mother's hand, her soft voice full of pride, "Grandma, my mom isn't just pretty, she's also very smart and runs a big hotel."
Lv Siwei's gaze softened even more, "Is mom that capable? Then our little darling LiQi must also be very smart and capable."
Cheng LiQi replied seriously to Lv Siwei, "Grandma, I'm only six this year, not as capable as mom yet, but when I grow up, I can be as capable as mom."
Listening to the soft voice of the little darling, Lv Siwei wished she could lavish her with the best words in the world, "In all my years grandma has never met a six year old as capable and adorable as little LiQi."
Cheng LiQi was embarrassed by Lv Siwei's praises. She responded in a soft voice, "Thank you grandma", then turned and nestled into her mother's arms.
Cheng Jinlan smiled and stroked her daughter's hair. The old lady thought differently than her. Based on Shao ChengZe's personality, she had assumed he grew up in a strict family environment, but with such a lively old lady at home, the atmosphere was probably very cheerful. His personality was likely innate, unrelated to his family environment.
Lv Siwei clapped her hands, remembering something important she had almost forgotten about in her excitement, fortunately she had prepared in advance so they weren't left empty handed.
"LiQi, wait a moment for grandma, I have something to give you." Lv Siwei had originally wanted Shao ChengZe to fetch it, but seeing how he was gazing at the young lady, she'd better go grab it herself. Her son probably had things he wanted to say to the girl.
Lv Siwei went to her bedroom, Cheng LiQi needed the bathroom, so Cheng Jinlan took her and waited outside the door for her to finish.
Shao ChengZe returned to the kitchen to check on the pots, then walked over to Cheng Jinlan, held her hand and said softly, "I didn't know my mom would come over today. She probably saw the news and found out about the company, got worried about me and came over." He was afraid she would think he was playing games, introducing them at home first so his mom could corner her.
Cheng Jinlan looked at him, "Had auntie met LiQi and I before?"
She could tell this wasn't the old lady's first time seeing them.
"That time you came to the airport to pick me up, mom had also come to see me and happened to run into you all. I could only tell her the truth," Shao ChengZe tilted his chin at the feather dusters on the cabinet in the corner of the living room, "That night she gave me a good whacking with those feather dusters. I never got hit with feather dusters as a kid, didn't expect to experience their might at this age."
Cheng Jinlan imagined the scene and the corners of her lips turned up slightly as she tenderly scolded him, "You deserved it."
He kneaded her hand, "There was another time I was video chatting with LiQi, my mom overheard LiQi's voice but didn't appear on video. She told me that without your consent, she wouldn't appear before LiQi."
"Oh." Cheng Jinlan simply responded with one word.
Shao ChengZe leaned down to meet her eyes, "Not mad?"
Cheng Jinlan glanced at him, "Am I that easily angered? Auntie is very sweet, much more so than you."
Shao ChengZe laughed softly, lowering his voice even more, "If you want me to be sweet, I can be too, sweet only to you."
Cheng Jinlan had already lifted her foot, about to step on his shoe, when Cheng LiQi came out of the bathroom, "Mom, I'm done, washed my hands too. The sink in there is small, just right for me to bend over to wash, same as home. Mom, look, did I wash clean?"
"You washed very clean, our LiQi is so capable." Cheng Jinlan replied her daughter while continuing to lower her raised foot, stepping right on his shoe and grinding down hard.
Cheng LiQi heard a muffled "Ugh", but before she could determine the source, Lv Siwei came out carrying a large box. Shao ChengZe raised his eyebrows, he knew this was likely the welcome gift she had prepared, just not sure when she had gotten it ready.
Meeting her son's girlfriend and granddaughter for the first time, Lv Siwei worried she hadn't prepared enough gifts. This was just part of it, there was more at home. She just hadn't expected to meet them on this impromptu visit today and had come rushed and empty handed.
Lv Siwei first took out a thick stack of red envelopes and held them out to Cheng LiQi with both hands, "Darling, these red envelopes are for you."
Cheng LiQi didn't reach for them, "Why is grandma giving me so many red envelopes?"
Lv Siwei explained, "These are New Year's red envelopes from grandma to make up for the six years you've been alive, one for each year."
Cheng LiQi looked to her mother. Cheng Jinlan said, "Since grandma is giving them to you, go ahead and take them. Remember to thank her."
"Thank you grandma." Cheng LiQi accepted the red envelopes with both hands, "But I don't have any gifts prepared for grandma!"
Cheng Jinlan told her, "Next time you see grandma you can make up for it."
Cheng LiQi nodded, and told Lv Siwei, "Grandma, next time I see you I'll give you lots of gifts too."
Lv Siwei beamed, agreeing there would be a next time.
She took out six jewelry boxes, makeup birthday gifts, then six beautiful dresses as makeup Children's Day gifts. The gifts covered the coffee table and sofa.
Cheng LiQi loved pretty dresses and couldn't wait to go try them on. Shao ChengZe accompanied her to the wardrobe room.
Lv Siwei took out a thick red envelope and small box. She opened the box, inside was a jade bracelet, "Jinlan, I got this at an auction with Chengze several years ago. When I bid on it, I was thinking of giving it as a welcome gift when he someday brought a girlfriend home. I almost thought this gift would never be given out, didn't expect to be able to fulfill this wish today. Although this is our first meeting, I feel a special connection with you. There is one jade character in your name, this must be fate. This bracelet was destined for you."
As Fei Zuohui liked jade, Cheng Jinlan was quite knowledgeable about it. This kind of jadeite bracelet would not be cheap, worth at least the price of a house.
Cheng Jinlan declined, "Auntie, I can't accept this."
Lv Siwei held her hand, "This is what aunt should give you. Don't feel burdened at all. He never told me about what happened between you two before, but I know he must have done something very wrong, that's why you chose to separate from him. Over these years, he didn't say it out loud, but I could tell he always had you in his heart, and never got over you. You're even willing to give him another chance, aunt is very grateful. To get to the root of it, it was aunt's fault. He was my first child, I had no experience and didn't raise him well. He didn't inherit any of my personality at all. He doesn't know how to speak, his face is as cold as a frozen dumpling all day long, but he likes you so much in his heart, yet he still acts all arrogant and aloof, he doesn't say what's on his mind no matter how urgent it is, it's maddening. If only he had inherited my excellent genes of not being able to keep anything in my heart and saying it outright, you two probably wouldn't have gone through so many ups and downs. Consider this my compensation, you have to forgive aunt for this."
Cheng Jinlan was about to refuse, but hearing the last part, a smile appeared on her face. This is really a son badmouthing his own mother, not leaving any face.
Seeing Cheng Jinlan smile, Lv Siwei also smiled. Without another word, she held her hand and put on the bracelet. The green bracelet and her slender wrist looked so good together. Lv Siwei patted the back of her hand, "Silly girl, you should keep the gift. As for him, you still need to deal with him the way you were going to. You can't forgive a man too easily, you have to make him truly realize his mistakes."
Cheng Jinlan softly breathed out an "Oh", "I understand, thank you auntie."
The bracelet had been accepted, Lv Siwei smiled with eyes narrowed, extremely delighted. At dinner, she sat next to her little granddaughter, watching as the little darling obediently ate mouthful by mouthful. Unknowingly, she also ate an extra bowl of rice herself. Children are such a joy, so well behaved, polite, smart and able to eat by themselves with good posture and manners. The mother and elders must have spent endless effort and energy. Her own son deserves to marry into their family and work hard for them.
After dinner, Shao Chengze was responsible for washing dishes and cleaning up the table. Cheng Liqi pulled her mother and grandma to show them the birthday invitation she designed.
As Cheng Liqi was talking, she suddenly remembered something. "Grandma, what did dad look like when he was six? I've seen what mom looked like at six, but not dad."
"Wait a moment, grandma will grab the photo album for you. Not just six, I even have baby pictures of your dad." Lv Siwei hurried off to the study. She had the foresight to keep an album here too.
Hearing Lv Siwei's words, Shao Chengze came out from the kitchen and called to Cheng Jinlan, "Miao Miao, come help me tie this apron. My hands are wet so I can't tie it myself."
Photos from before three years old were black history that absolutely could not be seen.
Cheng Jinlan knew he was trying to distract her, but she didn't point it out. The album wasn't going anywhere, if she didn't see it now she could see it later. The more anxious he was, the more worth watching it would be.
When Lv Siwei came out and saw Cheng Jinlan wasn't there, she guessed her son had called her away. She first took out the photos of her son at six to show her granddaughter. They could look at the rest together after her mom came back. Black history is more fun viewed together.
Looking at the dad in the photos, his skin so fair, lips so red, eyes so big, pupils so dark. Cheng Liqi craned her neck to look at grandma, "Dad was so pretty at six!" Even prettier than Shen Chuqi.
Lv Siwei flicked her little nose, "No matter how pretty he was, he's not as pretty as little Liqi."
Out of pure curiosity, Cheng Liqi asked again, "Grandma, with dad being so good looking, were there a lot of little girls who liked him in school?"
The sweet, crisp voice carried into the kitchen. Shao Chengze stopped washing dishes, while Cheng Jinlan's hands stilled for a moment before calmly continuing to tie his apron.
Lv Siwei very firmly shook her head, speaking a bit louder, answering Cheng Liqi while also addressing the people in the kitchen, "No, he frowned all day long, scaring away any little girls. Who would still like him?"
Cheng Liqi asked again, "None at all?"
Lv Siwei was very certain, "Not one."
Cheng Liqi proudly puffed out her little chest, "My mom had a lot of people who liked her. Grandma said many little boys gave gifts to her. Once when grandma went to a parent-teacher meeting, there was one especially naughty boy who directly called my grandma mother-in-law, isn't that so funny?"
After speaking, she burst into giggles.
Lv Siwei laughed so hard she was out of breath, hugging the little darling onto her lap and into her arms. She was nearly laughing herself to tears, how could there be such an adorable little treasure in the world?
In the kitchen, the air froze for a moment.
Shao Chengze turned to look at Cheng Jinlan.
Cheng Jinlan had tied his apron into a tight knot and walked calmly out of the kitchen, acting as if she saw nothing.
The gaze on her back blazed into fire, but she pretended not to notice.
