Yu Feiyuan smiled bitterly to herself; this time, the old man Yu was truly enraged.
She had never seen her grandfather lose his temper like this before.
It seemed that Bai Xiao held an important position in the old man’s heart.
Yu Dabo was left with no room for argument by his younger brother’s words. "Fine, Second Brother, since you won’t listen to us, we’ll leave. From now on, we absolutely won’t step through your door. Your family’s threshold is too high for us to reach! All of you, listen carefully—rely on yourselves in the future. Stop thinking you can depend on others. Isn’t there an old saying? ’Lean on a mountain, and it will crumble; lean on a river, and it will run dry.’ Now, get out of here!" He stood up to leave.
The entire family of Yu Dabo left.
The old man Yu sank heavily into his chair.
"What a bunch of hypocritical, pretentious, and stubborn Yu family members. Xiao, come here and sit by your grandfather. You’ve been wronged today."
Bai Xiao let go of An Zhiyuan and walked over to the old man. She crouched by his side and held his hand.
"Grandpa, honestly, this doesn’t matter to me at all. If we’re being serious, they and I aren’t even family in any meaningful sense. As long as I’m good to Grandma and Grandpa, that’s enough. What do the others have to do with me? Whatever they say, I won’t care. If I really cared about what others said, then I wouldn’t have been able to survive back in Liupan Village.
I’ve known for a long time that living is about staying true to yourself, living with a clear conscience. As long as I remain at peace in my heart, I can withstand any storm, no matter where it blows." Bai Xiao genuinely didn’t care. If she did, how could she have lived to this point?
As for Yu Dabo’s thoughts—wasn’t it all just because he felt she had taken advantage, getting so furious he was beside himself? That’s just punishing yourself for someone else’s mistakes.
She would never do something like that.
"Then why don’t you live at home?" The old man’s voice was filled with sadness, feeling as though he had pushed this child out the door himself.
Bai Xiao gripped the old man’s hand more tightly. His palm was rough and weathered like dry bark, and this frailty at his age filled her with sorrow.
"Grandpa, An Zhiyuan and I are planning to buy a place of our own. We want to settle down here, especially since both of us will be working and studying here in the future. Besides, living together under one roof would inevitably lead to disagreements. And honestly, don’t you think we need some time as a couple? I want to have a baby, too." Bai Xiao’s radiant, gentle smile warmed the old man’s heart. This child really resembled Shao Ya.
Even her expressions and gestures seemed to carry a thread of that similar temperament. If only Xiaoya were here, gathering the whole family together—what a wonderful scene that would be.
"Alright, Grandpa understands. Young people have their own lives and their own world. We just wanted to keep you close to experience some family happiness, but we didn’t really consider your perspective. Since you plan to buy a house and settle down here, that’s the right thing to do. Just make sure to visit us often. We’re all in the same city now, so whether we live together or not, it doesn’t really matter anymore."
The old man had thought it through.
Bai Xiao and An Zhiyuan left, with Yu Feixue taking them to a hotel near Bai Xiao’s school.
Watching Bai Xiao and An Zhiyuan’s departing figures, the old man sighed. "Those two kids are steady and capable—bound to achieve great things in the future. Second Son, you should look out for them more. I’ve noticed that Xiaoxue and Bai Xiao have grown quite close, so let the sisters get along well. Who knows? Maybe in the future, the most outstanding ones of our next generation will be these few kids.
We’re getting old. All we can hope for is that their bonds deepen, so they’ll support each other in the years to come."
"Dad, don’t fret over this too much. Bai Xiao and the others naturally have their own paths to take. It’s better for us to let things follow their course." Yu Shaoyan had great confidence in his niece.