Xia Ran sensed something unusual in Lin Ziming's words. It seemed that Brother Ziming treated Yu Wu quite differently.
However, Xia Ran wouldn't expose these things; she would only say,
"Then go ahead."
"Okay." Lin Ziming left without any hesitation.
After Lin Ziming left the kitchen, Xia Ran gave some garlic and scallions directly to Gu Zheng.
Peel the garlic and clean the scallions.
Gu Zheng took the basket and subconsciously wanted to ask how the garlic was peeled, but in the end he didn't ask. If he did, would Xia Ran kick him out?
Fortunately, He Hao and Feng Ming came in quickly, saying they would help out, while the two children played outside.
The good thing about this house is that the kitchen is quite large; even four adult men wouldn't feel cramped here.
It's always faster to cook if someone helps you.
Xia Ran originally thought that He Hao couldn't cook, since Feng Ming was the one who did all the cooking when they went to a barbecue last time. But to her surprise, He Hao was a very good cook.
Seeing Xia Ran's stunned expression, He Hao smiled smugly.
"I didn't want to cook before, not because I couldn't. I'm a great cook. It's just that sometimes Feng Ming says my hands are for drawing, not cooking, and he doesn't want me to cook."
He spoke with a smile, his face full of sweetness.
Xia Ran felt a sweetness in her heart and exclaimed, "You are so lucky."
“You’re the same,” He Hao said. “You probably don’t know what people outside say about Gu Zheng. They call him a living devil. If they knew that Gu Zheng was willing to go to the market with you to buy groceries and cook in the kitchen, they would be very surprised.”
Xia Ran paused for a moment, then smiled but did not reply.
Gu Zheng had actually been listening to Xia Ran and the others' conversation with his ear turned to the side. When he didn't hear Xia Ran say anything to him, he felt a little disappointed.
But thinking about it, he really didn't have anything for Xia Ran to brag about. All he could think about was himself and his wealth.
Cooking? He doesn't know how, but he can learn.
When Yu Wu arrived, the food was almost ready. The table was big enough, but there weren't enough chairs, so they ended up getting a few from Gu Zheng's place across the street.
He Hao was a little confused and subconsciously asked, "Are the people on the other side yours too?"
Xia Ran didn't know how to answer, but Gu Zheng directly admitted it.
"Yes, Grandpa likes it here, so he bought this whole floor."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran immediately glanced at Gu Zheng. He knew Gu Zheng well; what Gu Zheng had just said was probably true. So, Gu Zheng really had bought this entire floor?
Gu Zheng noticed Xia Ran looking at him and immediately smiled at her.
Xia Ran turned her head away silently, her face expressionless, with the back of her head facing away from Gu Zheng.
But for the second after turning his back to Gu Zheng, he couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth slightly.
He really looks silly.
During the meal, everyone seemed to sit according to their usual habits, with husbands and wives sitting side by side. So, naturally, Gu Zheng was on Xia Ran's other side.
He hadn't sat this close to Gu Zheng in far too long, and for a moment his body stiffened, too afraid to move. But after looking around at the people around him, he tried his best to calm himself down.
During the meal, everyone seemed to be in a particularly good mood. Yu Wu, the socially awkward one, sat between his grandfather and Lin Ziming. He was quite shocked when he came over and saw Gu Zheng, but seeing so many people around, he wisely refrained from asking.
Suddenly, a piece of meat appeared in Xia Ran's bowl. Xia Ran looked at it subconsciously and found that Gu Zheng had put it on his plate.
Xia Ran felt a little awkward and wanted to give up, but with so many people around, she ultimately didn't say anything and just silently ate it.
However, his tacit agreement gave Gu Zheng endless motivation, causing Gu Zheng to keep putting food on his plate, while Xia Ran held back her anger the whole time.
The people at the table were already giving them very ambiguous looks. Xia Ran couldn't stand it anymore and stepped on Gu Zheng's instep under the table to signal him to stop.
Gu Zheng glanced at Xia Ran with a somewhat aggrieved look in his eyes, but Xia Ran only glared at him before lowering her head to eat.
Little did they know that their actions only fueled further speculation among others.
Grandpa Xia, in particular, seemed to feel a little more at ease seeing this scene.
He knew Xia Ran still couldn't let go of Gu Zheng, and now it seemed the chances of them remarrying were high. As long as Xia Ran was happy, this old man had nothing to worry about, except…
Grandpa Xia glanced at the Feng family members and saw that Madam Feng was also serving food to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran was a little surprised, but still said thank you.
The Feng family thought they had kept it a secret, but in reality, it was full of loopholes. The loving look they gave Xia Ran made people wonder.
Even Lin Ziming and his son, who had just returned today, noticed something was wrong.
But given the current situation, they won't ask casually.
It was already past eight o'clock when they finished eating. The few people who cooked cleaned up the dishes, while the other elders chatted outside. Xia Ran also prepared fruit for them to eat.
The lively atmosphere with so many people chatting made the time fly by, and before they knew it, it was ten o'clock. Even if the Feng family didn't want to leave, they had to.
Mrs. Feng's reluctant gaze lingered on Xia Ran, and before leaving, she couldn't help but ask,
"Xia Ran, He Hao and Feng Ming are taking the kids out for a couple of days in a couple of days. There are hot springs there. Would you like to take the kids along?"
Her main goal was to get Xia Ran away so she could have a chat with the old man. Xia Ran had been there every time they came over, so it wasn't convenient for them to ask the old man anything.
Xia Ran was taken aback by these words and didn't know how to respond.
"Auntie, I..."
"No." Grandpa Xia behind them refused outright, and his voice was much heavier than usual.
Everyone was taken aback by Grandpa Xia's tone, and all eyes turned to him.
Grandpa Xia completely ignored their attention and simply said,
“He has things to do these days and can’t go out.”
Xia Ran didn't know why his grandfather was saying these things. He had nothing to do, but now he could only stand on his grandfather's side.
"Yes, I have some things to do these next few days, so... I can't go out for the time being. You guys go ahead, thank you, Auntie."
"Oh, that's alright then, we'll get together again next time," Mrs. Feng said regretfully. But Grandpa Xia's words earlier still made them think twice.
Perhaps the old man has already guessed their purpose?
Grandpa Xia ignored everyone else's gaze and only looked at Mr. and Mrs. Feng, saying...
"It's getting late, you should go home soon. It's too cold and the child won't be able to stand it."
Mr. Feng and his family glanced at Grandpa Xia, then nodded, and the group left reluctantly.
Lin Ziming was going to take Yu Wu back. Xia Ran was thinking about what Grandpa Xia had just said, so she didn't think about Lin Ziming and Yu Wu's relationship. She just helped Grandpa Xia inside.
Having already experienced what happened earlier, Gu Zheng was now completely smug and actually followed them inside.
"Grandpa, you just said I have other things to do in a couple of days. What are you going to do?"
He was actually quite willing to agree. He wanted to take his child out more during the rare holiday, as it would be good for the child's physical and mental health.
Grandpa Xia's expression remained somewhat somber. "What's the point of going? If they invite you, they're definitely paying for it. You won't be able to pay for it yourself later. If you agree, you'll just be making them spend money. Our two families aren't that close, so you need to keep your distance."
However, Xia Ran was even more puzzled after hearing this. What her grandfather said was very unlike his usual style.
"Grandpa, how could you..."
"Alright, alright, I'm tired and want to sleep. Xiaolin, why don't you stay here tonight? It's too late for you to keep coming and going."
Grandpa Xia interrupted Xia Ran's previous words, making Xia Ran even more confused.
But Grandpa clearly didn't want to talk about it, so he could only remain silent. Usually, if he continued to talk at this point, Grandpa would definitely get angry.
Mr. Lin looked at the old man, then at Xia Ran, and finally nodded with a smile.
“Okay, I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll tell Ziming not to come pick me up, so as not to bother him with all the back and forth. I’ll just have him buy us breakfast tomorrow morning.”
"Okay." The old man went back to his room. Only Xia Ran, Gu Zheng, Gu Chen, and Lin's father remained in the living room.
Mr. Lin glanced at the doorway to the old man's room and asked Xia Ran,
"Has something happened to Grandpa these past few days? He seems a little off."
"No," Xia Ran replied. "I've been staying home with him these past two days. He was in a pretty good mood the day before, but I don't know why he suddenly became like this just now."
"It's alright, I'll talk to him again tomorrow, so don't worry too much." After saying that, his gaze fell on Gu Zheng again.
"But shouldn't you tell me what happened between the two of you? I'm a legitimate relative now, and the old man is getting old. I consider Xiaoran my son, so you have to give me an explanation, right?"
Gu Zheng knew Lin's father's current status, so he didn't refute these words, nor did he show any anger. He just looked at Xia Ran.
He really wanted to answer, but he also knew that Xia Ran would definitely be angry if he did.
Xia Ran listened to Lin's father's words and looked at Gu Zheng's gaze, her expression remaining calm.
He had thought about this problem long ago.
"Uncle, don't worry about it. Nothing's wrong with us. Don't worry, I'll definitely let you know if anything happens. But I have something I want to ask you now."
"Aran." Gu Zheng suddenly called out to Xia Ran, "Let's ask tomorrow, it's too late, Grandpa is still at home."
Xia Ran paused for a moment. Lin's father looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Just ask if there's anything you need. We're all family, there's no need to be so calculating."
He didn't even think about what Xia Ran was going to ask him.
Xia Ran: "It's alright, Uncle. You should go to sleep first. There's nothing wrong."
Gu Zheng was right to stop him; Grandpa was still at home, and it was indeed inappropriate to ask. Besides, it was nighttime, and if they found out something, none of them would be able to sleep.
Mr. Lin was a little puzzled, "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
"It's really nothing, you should go to sleep."
"Okay, I'll go back to my room now. You guys should get some rest too."
After Mr. Lin returned to his room, Xia Ran turned to look at Gu Zheng and asked in a calm tone,
"Why aren't you going back? How long do you plan to stay?"
Chapter 413 Grandpa Xia Knows the Truth
"I'll go back now," Gu Zheng said. "Then... goodnight."
Xia Ran didn't respond to him, so he could only turn away dejectedly.