Chapter 18. Their Eldest Daughter Lost Her Mind
On the other end of the phone, the dial tone droned on.
Lin izhi and Bai Cheng, the couple, were completely baffled.
“Did Xiyi just say she didn’t remarry A’Chen? And that they’re completely over?”
“And Xiyan is back too? Since when? Just two days ago, during our video call, she said she was still abroad!”
The old couple stared at each other in confusion, utterly clueless about what was happening.
“If all else fails, maybe we should call A’Chen?” Bai Cheng suggested cautiously.
Lin izhi frowned but nodded. “Fine, I’ll call and ask.”
With that, she pulled up Ye Chen’s number and dialed.
A few seconds later—
“Hello? Mom?”
Ye Chen’s clear voice ca through the phone.
Lin izhi imdiately brightened.
“Yes!”
“A’Chen, your dad saw the video you posted on your social dia. Did you go out on a boat with Xiyi today?”
On the other end, Ye Chen pressed his lips together.
“No, Mom. I didn’t go out with her.”
Lin izhi’s brow furrowed.
Softly, she said, “A’Chen, I know you’re a good kid, and I know Xiyi has a bad temper. If she did sothing wrong, I’ll apologize on her behalf. When I called her earlier, she sounded really angry. Can you—tell what happened between you two?”
Ye Chen fell silent.
Damn.
How was he supposed to explain this?
He scratched his head, feeling completely stuck.
Beside him, Bai Xiyan, seeing his dilemma, leaned over and said, “Mom, we’re on our way to your place right now. Just stay ho with Dad and wait for us. We’ll explain everything when we get there. Alright? He’s driving, so we shouldn’t talk too much. If there’s nothing else, let’s hang up for now.”
Without waiting for a response, she ended the call for Ye Chen.
On the other end, Lin izhi was stunned again.
“Wait—wasn’t that Xiyi’s voice?”
“Just now, didn’t she say she was done with A’Chen? Why are they suddenly in the sa car together? And they’re coming here?”
Bai Cheng was equally confused.
Bewildered, he muttered, “Yeah, what’s wrong with that girl?”
He scratched his head, then smacked his forehead. “Ah, forget it! No point overthinking it. Xiyi’s always been like this since she was a kid—so emotional! Completely unpredictable. How many tis has she done stuff like this before?”
“Luckily, A’Chen can put up with her. Anyone else would’ve divorced her long ago.”
Lin izhi blinked, feeling like sothing was off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Hiss—”
“Sothing just doesn’t feel right.”
Bai Cheng patted her shoulder. “Co on, what’s there to overthink? Couples fight—it’s normal. And it’s not like she and A’Chen haven’t had argunts like this before.”
“Since they’re coming over, why don’t you run to the supermarket downstairs and grab so groceries? I saw A’Chen caught a big fish—tonight, I’ll share a few drinks with him.”
“Let him vent a bit, and you can give Xiyi a good scolding. Tomorrow, I’ll personally drag them both to the civil affairs bureau to get their marriage certificate reissued. Problem solved!”
Hearing this, Lin izhi’s mood lifted again.
“Mhm, you’re right. That’s exactly what we should do!”
“Alright, I’ll go buy so groceries. You take out that aged Moutai you’ve been hoarding.”
“You can drink a few extra glasses tonight, but don’t get drunk! If you ss up this important matter, I won’t let you off easy!”
With that, she cheerfully got up and headed out, humming a tune.
The mont she stepped outside, the neighbors gave her strange looks. Seeing her in such high spirits, they seed to hesitate before speaking.
“Mrs. Bai, going out again? You should spend more ti online—might discover sothing interesting.”
“Pfft, who has ti for that? My daughter and son-in-law are coming over soon. I need to buy more groceries to cook them sothing nice!”
“Mrs. Lin… which daughter and which son-in-law are you talking about?”
“Hah! What kind of question is that? I only have one married daughter—my youngest is still studying abroad!”
“Mrs. Lin, as we get older, it’s important to keep an open mind.”
“What’s that supposed to an? Since when have I not been open-minded? I’m perfectly fine!”
“…”
The whole way, the neighbors spoke in odd tones, leaving Lin izhi puzzled. But she brushed it off and happily continued to the supermarket.
Behind her back, the neighbors shook their heads.
“Mrs. Lin… such a simple woman. Still completely in the dark!”
“Right? Her eldest daughter divorced her son-in-law, and now her youngest married the ex-son-in-law. What kind of ss is this?”
“Honestly, their eldest daughter really must’ve lost her mind. Xiao Ye is such a good man.”
“No wonder Mrs. Lin is so happy—she got her son-in-law back!”
“Though at the cost of her youngest daughter.”
“Hey, doesn’t that count as ‘keeping the good stuff within the family’?”
“Ha! You’re absolutely right!”
“…”
The neighbors chattered away.
By the ti Lin izhi returned with groceries, they had all gone quiet.
“Hey!”
“You all are acting so weird today!”
Frowning, she walked back inside, completely oblivious.
The mont she entered, she saw Bai Cheng had already taken out the aged Moutai he’d been saving for years.
Noticing her return, he quickly waved her over.
“izhi, hurry up and start cooking. The mont you walked into the building, A’Chen’s car pulled in.”
Lin izhi’s face lit up.
“Great, great! I’ll get started right away.”
“When A’Chen brings the fish, we’ll make a sour fish stew—it’s his favorite.”
“Yeah, good idea. A’Chen likes Sichuan food. We should learn more Sichuan dishes in the future.”
“Makes sense. If our daughter won’t behave, then this mother-in-law will just have to step up and win over her son-in-law through his stomach!”
Humming cheerfully, she disappeared into the kitchen.
Bai Cheng, anwhile, went straight to the door and opened it, waiting for his daughter and son-in-law to arrive.
Three minutes later—
The door swung open.
“Dad!”
Bai Xiyan stood at the doorway, clinging to Ye Chen’s arm, her expression slightly nervous.
Reviews
All reviews (0)