In the end, they parted on bad terms.
Ji Ying was also quite upset, so the next day, she went to the city with Xu Nianhua. She wanted to check on Dad. What if Deng Juan told Dad, and he got so angry he made himself sick?
"Yingzi, what brings you here?"
Ji Xinghua had just come back from buying groceries. Seeing Ji Ying and Xu Nianhua mother and daughter, he couldn’t be happier and asked, "Did something happen?"
"Dad, nothing’s wrong." Seeing Ji Xinghua happy and not pretending, Ji Ying felt relieved. It seemed Deng Juan hadn’t come by yesterday.
Ji Ying sighed with relief and said, "I just came to see you and cook a meal for you."
Ji Ying put the vegetables she brought into the kitchen. She had seen Ji Shuyuan’s house before. Although it’s not very large, it’s definitely enough for the two of them — grandfather and grandson.
"Isn’t the factory busy?" Ji Xinghua asked, a bit puzzled. He felt the visit from Ji Ying and her daughter today was sudden.
It’s not a holiday or anything; why did Ji Ying come?
"The factory’s fine. I just need to check in daily. Oh, by the way, Xiaohe’s pregnant again. We’ll have a new addition to the family next year, and you’ll be a great-grandfather again."
Ji Ying’s words immediately delighted Ji Xinghua. At his age, he most wanted to see a house full of kids and grandkids. He advised, "Yingzi, you should take good care of Xiaohe. I remember Zhuangzhuang is just over a year old. As a mother-in-law, you should help with the kids more. I’m doing fine here, don’t worry."
"It’s no trouble, just a day trip." Ji Ying replied with a smile. Seeing Ji Xinghua in good health lifted her spirits. At the same time, she felt a bit regretful. If Mom were still around, how wonderful it would be.
While Ji Ying was busy in the kitchen, Ji Xinghua sneaked a look at Xu Nianhua and asked, "Nianhua, tell Grandfather the truth, is everything alright at home?"
Ji Xinghua was concerned, scrutinizing Xu Nianhua, and asked, "You better tell Grandfather the truth, don’t hide anything from me. Your mom’s not fighting with your dad, right?"
Thinking more about it, Ji Xinghua felt something was off. Why did Ji Ying come to the city out of the blue?
"Grandfather, you’re overthinking. Can you imagine my dad and mom getting into a fight?" Xu Nianhua laughed and replied.
Ji Xinghua thought about it seriously and said, "They can’t fight; your dad’s got a good temper. Even if your mom wanted to quarrel, she’d just nag a bit. They can’t fight for sure, so is it about your older or younger brothers?"
Seeing her grandfather’s guesses getting more absurd, Xu Nianhua quickly stopped him: "Grandfather, don’t overthink it. Mom just missed you and felt that since Sister-in-law is pregnant, it’s something you should know, so she came over specially." The source of thɪs content is 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
"As long as nothing’s wrong." Ji Xinghua scrutinized Xu Nianhua and, seeing no signs of lying, was relieved. He said not to bother visiting, yet his beaming smile betrayed what he truly felt.
He only had one daughter. How could he not be happy when she came to see him?
Xu Nianhua originally wanted to ask if Auntie-in-law came by, but she thought mentioning it might make Grandfather worry more, so she said nothing and joined in the kitchen. It wasn’t until Ji Shuyuan came back that Xu Nianhua understood why Grandfather didn’t know anything.
Deng Juan had come, but it happened that Grandfather was out for a walk and ran into Ji Shuyuan. After Deng Juan erupted, Ji Shuyuan figured out the truth and feared his mother would upset Grandpa, so he took Deng Juan home. Upon hearing Deng Juan’s request to borrow ten thousand dollars from Ji Ying, Ji Feng and his wife started to argue.
In a fit of pique, Deng Juan went back to her family home.