"But..." Feng's mother still wanted to know everything urgently.
“Mom, I think Hao is right. We need to take it slow. Just leave this to us. We’ve waited this long enough, what’s a little longer?” Feng Ming said.
"Besides, Mom, it's easy to find out if you want to know. I'll secretly take a hair from Xia Ran and do some paternity testing. But we can't alert him. Even if we assume Xia Ran really is our brother, you can't tell him directly, or I'm afraid he won't be able to accept it."
After the two comforted him, Mr. and Mrs. Feng gradually calmed down.
"Okay, Mom will listen to you. Take your time, take your time."
Although there is no concrete evidence yet, Feng's mother already has a vague idea in her heart; she feels that Xia Ran is her child.
This was the feeling she had from the first moment she saw Xia Ran; it was a feeling etched into her very bones.
"By the way, didn't you just say he's already married? Or that he's married to Gu Zheng?"
Suddenly, Mrs. Feng asked, "I didn't hear much of what you were saying in the garden earlier."
Feng Ming nodded. "Yes."
"I remember Gu Zheng has a son, so Xia Ran went to be someone's stepfather?" Feng's mother's tone suddenly became agitated.
Chapter 394 Congeniality
Feng Ming said with some helplessness,
"Mom, don't get so worked up. Why are you so agitated? What's wrong with him becoming someone's stepfather? Let's not even talk about whether he's actually our son yet. Even if he is, if he and Gu Zheng truly love each other and want to be together, we wouldn't object even if he's a stepfather, right?"
Hearing this, He Hao clicked his tongue twice in his heart, thinking that if Xia Ran's identity were really confirmed, he didn't believe Feng Ming could still say such things so calmly. He would probably be furious and might even go to Gu Zheng to settle accounts.
The only reason Feng Ming can say such things now is because Xia Ran's identity has not yet been confirmed.
Feng's mother was at a loss for words after hearing Feng Ming's words, and could only remain silent in the end, but it was still clear that she was angry.
Mr. Feng patted Mrs. Feng on the shoulder and said,
"Alright, honey, stop thinking about that. Nothing's certain yet. We should go change our clothes and go downstairs to keep them company. Especially Feng Ming and Ahao, you two are the hosts who invited them over, how can you leave them behind? Go out and greet the guests."
Feng Ming and He Hao exchanged a glance, then nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's go find them first. It's not good to leave them behind."
After Feng Ming finished speaking, he took He Hao downstairs. When they arrived, they saw Xia Ran watching a movie with two children, while Gu Zheng was grilling chicken wings.
Feng Ming raised an eyebrow. He thought that Gu Zheng wouldn't grill it since they weren't there, but he didn't expect him to still be doing it.
However, what he didn't know was that Gu Zheng didn't insist the whole time. Instead, he sat with Xia Ran for a while before coming over after the two children said they wanted to eat chicken wings.
He Hao walked towards Xia Ran, while Feng Ming went to Gu Zheng's side to help.
When Xia Ran saw He Hao sit down, she subconsciously asked a question.
"Are your parents alright? Your mother looked a little off earlier."
He Hao said with a smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing. They were just tired from getting off the plane and then taking a car back. They rested for a while and are fine now."
"That's good."
After exchanging a few more words, Mr. and Mrs. Feng came over and sat down right next to Xia Ran and the others. If Gu Chen hadn't been clinging to Xia Ran, Mr. and Mrs. Feng could have each leaned on one side of her.
"Uncle, Auntie," Xia Ran called out immediately upon seeing the two.
Mr. and Mrs. Feng responded immediately. Mr. Feng was alright and could control his emotions, but Mrs. Feng almost lost control. Fortunately, her eyes only reddened slightly and then quickly subsided.
Since Gu Zheng said those things to him earlier, Xia Ran had been harboring some resentment, and now, with Feng's mother's attitude towards him, he felt even more confused.
This family seems to be overly enthusiastic.
However, Xia Ran only thought about it in her heart and did not ask it out loud.
As for Gu Zheng, upon seeing Feng Ming approach, he immediately lowered his voice and asked the question.
"President Feng, I'd like to know why you're being so enthusiastic towards Xia Ran? And who is this 'old friend' you're talking about?"
Feng Ming was somewhat surprised by Gu Zheng's question, but soon understood.
Indeed, given Gu Zheng's mindset, if he and his mother had both mentioned the word "old friend" repeatedly without arousing suspicion, then he wouldn't be Gu Zheng.
But while he thought this way, he didn't show any emotion on his face.
"President Gu, what do you mean by that? I don't understand. We're only being nice to Xia Ran because we feel a connection with her, and the two children are in the same kindergarten, so isn't it normal to be a little enthusiastic?"
"As for that old friend, that should be our private matter. I don't think it's necessary to tell you. I just think Xia Ran looks familiar. Don't worry, we have no ill intentions towards Xia Ran."
Gu Zheng glanced at Feng Ming indifferently, but ultimately said nothing.
Just as Feng Ming said, Gu Zheng could indeed sense that the Feng family had no ill intentions, otherwise he would have left with Xia Ran long ago.
Or rather, even if the Feng family had bad intentions, he wasn't afraid; it was just the Feng family.
They didn't actually eat much barbecue or fruit; the rest of the time they were just chatting. Most of the time, Feng Jia and He Hao were asking questions, and Xia Ran was answering.
Xia Ran was quite nervous at first, but she gradually relaxed because both her mother and father were very kind and spoke very gently when they asked her questions.
"Xiao Ran, are you a local?" Feng's mother couldn't help but ask about her background. "Are there any other people in your family?"
Upon hearing this, He Hao's heart skipped a beat, fearing that his mother would blurt out the question directly.
Of course, she was also afraid that Xia Ran would notice something, but fortunately, Feng's mother didn't say anything more, and Xia Ran didn't suspect anything.
“I’m not a local. My family consists of just me, my grandfather, and my child. I’m staying here because my grandfather is in poor health and needs to recuperate.”
"You're living here because of your grandfather's health? But weren't you married to Gu Zheng? Could it be that you're living apart?"
Without thinking, Feng's mother blurted it out.
Xia Ran's face stiffened. He had been so focused on answering that he hadn't thought about Gu Zheng at all.
"I..." Xia Ran didn't know how to answer.
“We often travel between two places, so we don’t count as living apart,” Gu Zheng’s voice came from behind.
“Because Grandpa’s health is not very good and he doesn’t want to leave home, he has been living in his hometown. Aran often goes back to visit Grandpa, and my child and I also go back with him when we have time.”
Xia Ran was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but ultimately did not refute it.
Since he couldn't answer anyway, let Gu Zheng answer. But Gu Zheng's ability to lie through his teeth was getting better and better.
Madam Feng has always had a lingering doubt about Gu Zheng. Although Xia Ran's identity has not yet been confirmed, she feels that Xia Ran is definitely her child.
"Oh, I see. So, Xiaoran, how is your grandfather's health now? Is he alright? Is he treating you well?" Feng's mother continued to ask.
Gu Zheng, who brought over the roasted chicken wings, frowned again when he heard this.
No matter how you listen to it, something about that statement just doesn't sound right.
Asking Xia Ran these questions so soon after they met is clearly inappropriate.
Xia Ran also felt something was strange, but she just thought she was overthinking it and simply replied,
“My grandfather is very kind; he loves me very much.”
"I see." Mrs. Feng's voice softened a little. "So...where are you living now? In Gujia? I wonder if I can visit you often in the future?"
"This..." Xia Ran glanced at Gu Zheng subconsciously, but then realized that her action was a bit inappropriate and immediately looked away.
He Hao, who had been watching from the side, had already noticed that Xia Ran and the others were starting to have doubts, and quickly spoke up.
"Xia Ran, my mom means that she has more free time recently, and she probably feels that she gets along well with you, so she wants you to come and visit me more often. Because I don't have many friends, she has always been a little worried about me, and she wants me to go out and play with my friends more."
"You are the first friend I've brought back on my own initiative in all these years. She's probably afraid you won't want to be friends with me anymore, which is why she's in such a hurry. Please don't mind."
After saying that, he quickly gave Feng's mother a wink, signaling her not to worry.
After receiving the look in her eyes, Feng's mother realized that she had been too hasty.
"Yes, yes, I... that's what I meant. I was just worried that you wouldn't want to play with Ahao anymore. You don't know how much of a homebody Ahao is. He always likes to stay at home, which makes me a little worried."
Hearing this, Xia Ran's doubts were dispelled, after all, his grandfather had done something similar before.
Before he married Gu Zheng, his grandfather would always tell him to make friends whenever he went out to parties or had female friends or classmates with him, just like Feng's mother did earlier. So Xia Ran understood his parents' and elders' thoughts quite well.
"Auntie, you don't need to worry. I also feel that I get along very well with He Hao. If you don't mind, please come to my house for dinner tomorrow. There is a happy occasion in my family tomorrow, but I don't have many friends here, and I'm worried that there aren't enough people. If you come too, it will be more lively with more people."
"Really? Wouldn't that be too much of a bother for you?" Mrs. Feng asked impatiently. "Alright then, let's go. May I ask what the happy occasion is? Could you tell us if it's convenient for us to prepare a gift tomorrow?"
Gu Zheng stood by Xia Ran's side the whole time, and he was a little puzzled when he heard about the good news.
What happy occasion is it? Why didn't he know? Could it be the old man's birthday?
Xia Ran: "Auntie, it's enough for you to come in person. You don't need to prepare any gifts. If you prepare gifts, I won't dare let you come. Otherwise, my grandfather will definitely scold me."
“This…” Mother Feng hesitated.
"Oh, Mom, you don't need to hesitate. They've already invited us, so why worry about gifts? We're all friends, no need to be so polite." He Hao immediately agreed.
He felt that if his mother kept dragging her feet like this, it wouldn't be good if she accidentally revealed the truth.
“That’s right, don’t ask any more questions, just go tomorrow,” Mr. Feng chimed in.
Madam Feng could only smile and say to Xia Ran,
"It's my fault. Then let's go directly tomorrow and have some fun together."
"Okay," Xia Nan replied readily, and then promised Gu Zheng that he would stay behind him and not leave.
Xia Ran felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything.
They barbecued until about six o'clock, and Xia Ran and the others planned to go back, but Feng's mother kept them staying for dinner, and Xia Ran couldn't refuse, so she had to agree.
During the meal, Feng's mother was exceptionally warm towards Xia Ran, constantly serving her food, which made Xia Ran feel somewhat flattered.
Xia Ran felt that the Feng family was too hospitable. If he were treated like this every day, he definitely wouldn't be able to stand it.
Because she was worried about her grandfather being home alone, Xia Ran wanted to rush back after finishing her meal.
Originally, Madam Feng wanted to persuade him to stay a little longer, but Xia Ran was really worried about Grandpa Xia, so she refused.
Only after getting into the car and leaving the Feng family did Xia Ran finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Feng's mother and the others stood at the gate and watched Xia Ran and the others leave until the car was out of sight, at which point Feng's mother's eyes reddened again.
"Mom, what are you doing?" He Hao said helplessly. "Anyone who didn't know better would think something had happened to our family. Your eyes are always red; aren't you just making us worry?"
"Ah Hao, you have to believe me. Xia Ran is definitely my child. The telepathy between mother and child is never wrong. Tomorrow, we must observe carefully and ask Xia Ran's grandfather to see if Xia Ran is really our child."
Mother Feng insisted. He Hao and Feng Ming exchanged a glance. Now, they wondered if it was a good thing that they had suddenly brought up Xia Ran's matter.