Back Then, I Adored You

“Moreover, I am my grandfather’s sole grandson. The child that Xiao’ai carried is very precious to my grandfather, and he insisted that he stay by her side all day and take care of her. He couldn’t have possibly let her return to Hangzhou alone. Thus, everything was delayed until I returned from my mission in the military…”

He had explained everything he needed to and found a scapegoat, as well. At this point, all he needed to do was admit his wrongdoing.

Even if he was going to admit his wrongdoing, though, he had to do it in a way that would allow Mother Qin to know that he was just trying to protect her daughter. That was the best way to get on her good side.

“My mighty mother-in-law, I wasn’t considerate enough about this. I just like Xiao’ai and want to be with her so much that I got muddled when my grandfather got involved… If you must blame someone, blame me, not Xiao’ai…”

Isn’t a daughter’s happiness equivalent to her parents’ happiness, as well?

Mother Qin indeed felt that it was absurd for her daughter to have given birth to a child without letting her know in advance; however, this was not enough to muddle her.

The act of giving birth is something that takes two to achieve. And I’ve always looked forward to seeing my son-in-law so protective of my beloved daughter.

And anyway, the two of them were bound to have kids after they got married. Things are just a year ahead of schedule now. Even though they had indeed given me a big scare, I am so happy about all of it…

A gentle smile washed across Mother Qin’s face, Gu Yusheng’s cue that she had already accepted him. “Mother, we’re returning to Beijing tomorrow. You should come with us. Little peanut misses her grandmother and wants to meet her.”

Gu Yusheng had called Mother Qin “mighty mother-in-law” just a moment ago, and now he was calling her “Mother.” Xiaowang wasn’t the only person whose face flushed at that; even Mother Qin was momentarily taken aback before she laughed.

……

Thousands of miles away, at the Gu Mansion in Beijing, Old Master Gu stood guard before the crib with a toy in his hands. He was smiling so widely that his mouth remained parted as he teased the baby. Just when he was becoming engrossed, he sneezed.

Old Master Gu rubbed his nose, thinking that he must have been catching a cold. To avoid spreading a virus to the baby, he hurriedly got up and put some distance between them. As he began sneezing again, he stepped out of the room into the hall before he sneezed three more times.

……

The day that Gu Yusheng asked for Qin Zhi’ai’s hand in marriage was December 8th. Most people probably wouldn’t think that it was a date worth mentioning but, to Xu Wennuan, it was the most memorable day of her life.

On the same day one year ago, Beijing had ushered in its first snow that winter. That afternoon, Wu Hao had skipped his classes to take her to Hufang Bridge, where she had eaten her favorite Beijing barbecued meat.

It had only been 7:00 p.m. when they had finished dinner. As it was still early, she had suggested that they go and watch a movie. However, Wu Hao mysteriously had told her that he would take her somewhere nice. They had ended up going to the field at A High School.

As it had been the weekend, there had been no one to be found on campus on such a snowy night. The two of them had relied on the dimly lit street lights to circle the field while hand in hand. As it had gotten colder since they had arrived, she had become extremely cold and was just about to suggest going back to the car, when Wu Hao suddenly had called out her name. “Nuannuan,” he had said.

Even though it was a year since that day, Xu Wennuan could still vividly remember how tenderly and affectionately Wu Hao had said her name.

Even though they had been together for 10 years, that moment alone had been enough to bring her back to her teenage years and cause her heart to beat erratically.

She had just turned around to look at Wu Hao and hadn’t even had enough time to ask him what was going on when he had released her hand, stood in front of her, and dropped to the snow-covered ground on one knee.