Many people didn't sleep well that night, but Old Mr. Zhang certainly did.
Now he had no other desires, his mood was extrely relaxed. He thought about how this was Xiao Ya's first ti in Jiang City, and after accompanying her for several days of sightseeing, the group finally headed back to Jin City.
Before leaving, Xiao Ya had gone with the Chief Inspector to pay respects to her grandmother.
In Jin City, the Secretary was waiting early outside the door. As soon as people got out of the car, he anxiously asked, "How was it? Is the old gentleman holding up alright?"
"You've been gone for several days, I..." The Secretary couldn't finish his sentence.
He saw that Old Mr. Zhang's complexion was rosy and glowing, even his wrinkles seed to have smoothed out a bit.
It looked like... he had put on a little weight.
There were signs of fatigue, but even more so excitent.
"Xunyuan, co look!" Old Mr. Zhang called the Secretary by na.
"What do you want to see, sir?"
"Look." Old Mr. Zhang grabbed Li Xiaoya's hand and led her out of the car.
"I've already t her, sir."
"No, you haven't," Old Mr. Zhang said with a smile in his eyes. "Let introduce you again. This is my granddaughter."
The Secretary understood and couldn't help but smile, "So this is the great news you ntioned? You've made Xiao Ya your goddaughter?"
"What do you an goddaughter?" Old Mr. Zhang glared at him, but the corners of his mouth were clearly holding back a smile. "She's my real granddaughter! Flesh and blood!"
"She... how did she suddenly beco..." How did she beco a real granddaughter? You can't fool children like this!
"Surprising, isn't it? I was surprised too." Old Mr. Zhang paused. "She's Xinian's daughter."
The Secretary seed frozen in place for a mont.
After a while, Old Mr. Zhang said, "We can't stand here keeping you in suspense. It's windy. Xiao Ya, let's go inside with grandpa."
The Secretary snapped back to reality and grabbed Old Mr. Zhang's sleeve. "Re-really?"
Old Mr. Zhang said, "Pinch yourself and see."
The Secretary actually did pinch himself.
"It hurts," he mumbled. "It's real... Why? How is this so sudden? How did you find out? Please tell everything!"
Old Mr. Zhang was now like soone who had just received a priceless treasure, and couldn't help but show off a little.
He pursed his lips and said, "Listen, I'll tell you slowly..."
Before he could finish, the Secretary recited, "It's windy out here."
With that, he bent down and scooped up Li Xiaoya, carrying her inside first.
The Secretary's full na was Wu Xunyuan. He had also served in the military when he was young. He was younger than Old Mr. Zhang and could easily carry a child.
He walked with swift, steady steps.
"Xunyuan, you..." Old Mr. Zhang couldn't finish his sentence before his granddaughter was carried away.
His lips quivered, and he quickly chased after them, forgetting to use his cane. For a mont, his legs were surprisingly nimble.
This sight even bewildered the family doctor waiting inside.
"...So that's how it happened." After sitting down inside, Old Mr. Zhang briefly recounted the whole story to Wu Xunyuan.
Wu Xunyuan had been by his side for so long that he was practically family.
Despite his dark complexion, he cried quite loudly.
"This is the best New Year's gift ever, there couldn't be a better gift than this..."
"Indeed."
"It's a pity Xinian doesn't know..."
"Don't worry, I'll write him a good letter tonight and burn it for him."
As they talked, they seed on the verge of sobbing again.
Li Xiaoya quickly handed so tissues to Wu Xunyuan.
"Thank you, thank you." Wu Xunyuan took the tissue but didn't wipe his face. Instead, he mumbled, "Good child, such a good child... So good, yet suffered so much. Thinking about the scenes from the show..."
Wu Xunyuan cried even louder.
Li Xiaoya quietly sighed.
Well, let them cry then.
It just ant she'd have two pairs of puffy eyes staring at her tomorrow!
It was Sheng Yuxiao who spoke up: "Do you have any thoughts about Xiao Ya's new na?"
The two n opposite imdiately stopped crying.
"New na? Yes, yes, she should have a new na!" Old Mr. Zhang's eyes turned cold as he thought of Li Jiang.
Now they didn't have to worry about the surna not sounding good, Sheng Yuxiao thought to himself.
"Where's the dictionary? We need to look through it," Old Mr. Zhang said, barely containing his excitent.
"Should we bring over the Three Hundred Tang Poems as well?" Wu Xunyuan asked.
"The Book of Songs could also be a reference... In any case, we need to choose one with good aning, beautiful characters, and pleasant to say. We must choose carefully. Yes, we should decide before the banquet, otherwise it won't be good for writing the invitations..." Old Mr. Zhang rambled on.
They had completely forgotten about crying now.
"I already have a na," Li Xiaoya said softly.
Old Mr. Zhang smiled kindly, "Yes, our Xiao Ya has a na. But we can't just change the surna, can we? 'Zhang Xiao Ya' doesn't sound quite right, does it?"
"Not that na. Mom gave another one... called 'Shengxi'."
Everyone was stunned.
"Which two characters?" Qin Sui asked.
Li Xiaoya poured a little water and slowly wrote the characters on the table.
Old Mr. Zhang recited, "The great square has no corners, the great vessel is late in completion, the great note is rarefied in sound, the great image has no form."
"It's a good na," Old Mr. Zhang sighed imdiately after.
"Then why do they still call you Xiao Ya?"
"Because Mom said in so places, being too unique isn't a good thing. People prefer you to have a common na. So that na was hidden away, and I was just called Xiao Ya."
"Xiao Ya is good too. 'In the warm spring river, ducks are the first to know.' It seems like Xiao Ya brought spring to us," Old Mr. Zhang said, grinning from ear to ear. "And indeed, Xiao Ya has brought spring to grandpa."
"However, about changing the na..." Old Mr. Zhang's tone suddenly shifted, "We still need to discuss it with your maternal grandfather. We can give you two nas, one with the Zhang family surna, and one with your mother's surna."
"Why don't we set a ti to et in person?"
Old Mr. Zhang was already pondering what gifts to prepare for the eting.
"Then I need to go back and see Grandfather. It's hard to explain over the phone," Li Xiaoya said.
"Alright." Although Old Mr. Zhang was a bit reluctant, he nodded.
He thought to himself that after Xiao Ya left, the adults could prepare for the banquet.
Sheng Yuxiao escorted Li Xiaoya back to the Gui family ho.
It had been a while since she'd been back, and upon entering, it was extrely quiet.
It seed as if the atmosphere had switched with the Zhang family.
"Where's Grandfather?" Li Xiaoya imdiately asked the servant.
The servant said, "The master went to see a friend."
"That's what you said last ti too..."
"Yes, and he's been gone for a long ti."
Li Xiaoya frowned.
Sheng Yuxiao rembered the abnormal breathing he had heard during his last phone call with the old man.
"Let's give him a call," Sheng Yuxiao said.
Li Xiaoya nodded.
The call was answered quickly. Wei Xuanming asked on the other end, "What is it?"
His tone seed normal.
"I found Mom's boyfriend," Li Xiaoya said.
"Who?!" The tone on the other end suddenly changed, becoming cold and sharp. "Are you with him now?"
"Grandfather, we can't be together anymore. Dad... he's dead."
"..."
Wei Xuanming's tone beca dejected: "I see, I see... So that's why we couldn't find any clues. I see."
Li Xiaoya briefly recounted what had happened.
Wei Xuanming on the other end of the phone remained silent for a long ti. He didn't cry, nor did his breathing change. After a while, he only said, "Alright, taking the Zhang family na is fine. There's no need to et, and I won't attend the banquet either."
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