"Why are you all looking at me like that? I'm really fine. You guys hurry up and order what you want to eat."
Xia Ran noticed the looks in Da Zhuang's and the others' eyes.
Dazhuang: "Are you... really alright? If anything happens to you, please tell us. We can help you share the burden."
"It's really okay, you can trust me." Xia Ran smiled at them, then looked down at the menu, asked the children what they wanted to eat, and then wrote down the dishes they wanted on the list.
Seeing Xia Ran's demeanor, the group realized she had adjusted her mindset, so they all started ordering food with a few laughs.
They ate this meal for more than two hours, which was because they deliberately slowed down their eating, since they still had to tidy up the house and there would be no point in going back too early.
After finishing their meal, they went to the nearby supermarket and bought some necessities, since so many of them would be living at home from now on.
It was 9:30 when they got home from the supermarket. The house was completely cleaned, but when they arrived, there were several elderly men and women waiting at the door.
Xia Ran approached and realized they were his grandfather's old friends. Upon seeing him, the group of elderly men and women immediately swarmed towards him.
"Xiao Ran, your grandfather... he really is?"
"Hmm." Xia Ran gave a soft "hmm." "Grandpa Li, my grandfather... he passed away. But Grandpa Li, how did you know?"
"Old Wang heard about it when he went to the teahouse, and then he told us, so we came over together. How could this be so sudden? Old Xia is perfectly healthy, isn't he? Even if he went to the hospital, it shouldn't have such serious consequences, right?"
"That's right, that's right! And Xiao Ran, why didn't you bring your grandpa back? At least let us old folks see him! Oh dear!"
The elderly men and women all had very sad expressions on their faces. For people of their age, suddenly losing a friend of more than twenty years was the most painful thing imaginable.
"Grandpa and Grandma, please come in with me first, we can talk inside."
Xia Ran brought the elderly men and women into the living room. Fortunately, the house had been cleaned up and was ready to receive them.
Dazhuang was familiar with the house, so he quickly boiled water and made tea.
Xia Ran talked to several elderly men and women about his grandfather's passing. Of course, he didn't mention that his grandfather was his... well, you know, he only said that his grandfather was ill and didn't make it through the ordeal.
When they asked why she didn't bring her grandfather back, Xia Ran said that her grandfather wanted to go back to the place where he was born.
Xia Ran had initially thought this matter would require a long explanation, but unexpectedly, Grandpa Li, who often played chess with his grandfather, sighed and said...
"That's true. When he brought you here back then, he said that something bad had happened in his hometown. Now that he's old, he must want to return to his roots."
“Yes, that’s what my grandfather said too.” Xia Ran continued their conversation.
It wasn't until around 11 o'clock that the elderly men and women left.
Xia Ran was worried that these elderly men and women might run into trouble walking at night, so she had Gu Zheng's driver take them all back home.
The house fell silent. Xia Ran sat in the living room, feeling a pang of sadness.
My grandfather's presence is everywhere in the house, but he is no longer here.
Lin Ziming and Dazhuang stayed with him silently. Suddenly, Gu Zheng's phone rang. Gu Zheng looked at it and saw that it was his aunt calling.
After listening to Aunt Gu's words, Gu Zheng calmly spoke.
"Yes, I did agree, but I only agreed to let Lin Yi pursue Qin Hao, I didn't say that Qin Hao would marry him."
When Xia Ran and the others heard the word "marriage," they immediately perked up their ears, but they couldn't hear what Aunt Gu was saying. They could only make out what Gu Zheng was saying, but Gu Zheng just hummed a few times and didn't say anything more.
However, Gu Zheng hung up the phone quickly, and Xia Ran asked him directly.
"What's wrong? I just heard you say Qin Hao got married? Who did Qin Hao marry? Lin Yi? What's going on?"
Gu Zheng put down his phone, rubbed his temples, and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
"My aunt called and said that Qin Hao and Lin Yi went to get their marriage certificate today. They didn't know beforehand. Qin Hao came back and stole the household registration book to go there. The two of them only went back to tell my aunt and the others just now. Now my aunt and the others are questioning them about it."
"What?" Xia Ran was also shocked. "How could this be so sudden? You're getting married so suddenly? What about your aunt and uncle now? Are they very angry?"
"I was more than angry, I was almost driven mad with anger, but what's done is done, so I had no choice but to accept it."
Xia Ran and the others were speechless for a moment, feeling extremely surprised.
At this moment, Dazhuang also thought of He Xiu. It seemed everyone was married.
The family has many rooms, and everyone has their own room. The blankets and other bedding are all new, so everyone can go straight to sleep after taking a shower.
Gu Zheng wanted to sleep with Xia Ran again today, but Xia Ran wouldn't allow it.
"There are rooms available today, and I've calmed down. You can sleep in the room across the hall. My room only has one bed, and it can't accommodate so many people."
Gu Zheng wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he decided to listen to Xia Ran.
"Okay, then you and the child should go to bed early. Call me if you need anything."
"Okay, you should leave now."
Gu Zheng watched as Xia Ran closed the door, then turned around and went back to the room across the street, sending a message to Qin Hao and Lin Yi as he went.
Lin Yi and Qin Hao, however, had no time to reply to his messages; they were currently being questioned by Aunt Gu and the others.
In the Gu family's living room, Aunt Gu, Qin Hao's father, and Uncle Wang were all sitting on the sofa, while Qin Hao and Lin Yi sat opposite them.
"Qin Hao, Qin Hao, you've really grown up! You actually dared to steal the household registration booklet? And right under Uncle Wang's nose! You really are trying to drive me crazy!"
Aunt Gu's face was ashen, and Qin Hao's father next to her also looked angry, but he didn't say anything to Qin Hao, instead looking at Lin Yi.
"Lin Yi, I used to respect you as a promising young man, but I never expected you to do something like this. If you two liked each other, we wouldn't stop you. Couldn't you just date first? Now you didn't even tell us about something as important as marriage, and you even stole your household registration book. How can I agree to your marriage?"
Lin Yi knew he was in the wrong, and the two people in front of him were his mother-in-law and father-in-law, so he could only try to appease them.
"Mom and Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't think this through, but we've already registered our marriage, so there's no way to change it. But don't worry, I'll make sure to show Qin Hao the proper respect and courtesy tomorrow, and I'll do the same for you as well."
Qin Hao, listening from the side, also felt a little uncomfortable. Wasn't Lin Yi too bold? He actually called his parents "Mom and Dad" when they were angry. Wouldn't that make his parents even angrier?
Sure enough, when Aunt Gu and the others heard Lin Yi call them "Mom and Dad," their expressions turned even more unpleasant. However, they couldn't say anything for a moment, since it was correct for Lin Yi to call them "Mom and Dad" now that the two were married.
They were satisfied with Lin Yi, but they were not satisfied with the fact that the two of them had secretly married using their household registration books.
Seeing that the group had suddenly fallen silent, Qin Hao couldn't help but speak up.
"Hey, Mom and Dad, you can't blame Lin Yi for this. It was me who suggested stealing the household registration book. If you have something to say, blame me."
"Shut up!" Aunt Gu glared at Qin Hao. "I'll deal with you later!"
Qin Hao moved his lips, about to speak, when Uncle Wang spoke up.
"Young Master, you shouldn't make Miss angry now."
As he spoke, he winked at Qin Hao, who immediately shut his mouth.
Lin Yi was very satisfied that Qin Hao spoke up for him.
"Mom and Dad, I was wrong to think things through. I'll call you right now and have them make all the necessary preparations. I won't skimp on any of the proper etiquette."
Qin Hao's father and Aunt Gu exchanged a glance before Aunt Gu finally spoke.
"No need for now, let's wait until after the New Year. Grandpa Xia Ran just passed away, so we won't be having any celebrations at home for the time being. We'll talk about it when they all come back."
Chapter 430 He Xiu Takes the Initiative to Seek Out Da Zhuang
Qin Hao didn't react immediately, but Lin Yi agreed right away.
"Okay, thank you, Mom and Dad. I'll do as you say and we'll talk about it when they get back."
Qin Hao, who was standing next to him, had just recovered from what his mother had said earlier, and now, after hearing Lin Yi's words, he could hardly believe it.
How come Lin Yi is so different? I never noticed before that Lin Yi was so eloquent and persuasive.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I have a headache, I need to go back to my room to calm down."
Aunt Gu rubbed her temples, then got up and went to her room. Qin Hao's father followed her back to his room, but before leaving, he glared at Qin Hao.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Qin Hao didn't say anything. Seeing that the matter was over, Uncle Wang patted Qin Hao on the shoulder and left the living room.
Suddenly, only Qin Hao and Lin Yi were left in the living room.
Qin Hao glanced at Lin Yi and couldn't help but say,
"How come I never realized you were such a talkative person?"
"There are many things you haven't discovered yet; you'll find them gradually in the future."
Qin Hao pursed his lips, "Alright, it's getting late, you should go back now."
"Aren't you coming back with me?" Lin Yi asked. "Didn't you say you'd think about it when we were in the car?"
When the conversation turned to what happened in the car, Qin Hao couldn't help but recall their kiss, and his face flushed slightly.
"I've already thought it through. My mom's still furious. If I dared to go back with you right now, she'd probably beat me to death."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yi thought about it and realized it made some sense.
"Okay, I'll go back first. You can come back with me in a couple of days when Mom is in a better mood."
Qin Hao snorted, "We'll talk about it later. You should go back now, it's getting late."
Lin Yi reached out and ruffled Qin Hao's hair. "Can't you walk me home?"
Qin Hao paused, glanced at him, and then stood up as well. Lin Yi smiled slightly, and the two walked out together.
The balcony of Aunt Gu's room overlooks the door, so Aunt Gu and her husband can see everything the two of them do.
In the garden, all the servants had gone to sleep, leaving only a few lamps still on.
Lin Yi's car was parked at the door. Qin Hao stood in front of the car watching Lin Yi, planning to go back and get a good night's sleep after Lin Yi got in.
These past two days, after learning about Lin Yi's feelings for him, he hasn't been able to eat or sleep well. Today, he thought he could finally get a good night's sleep.
"Why aren't you leaving yet? Hurry up and get in the car, I'm so sleepy."
Qin Hao urged Lin Yi to get in the car after a long time, and also yawned.
Lin Yi said somewhat helplessly, "I'm going back now. Don't you have anything you want to say to me, or anything you want to do?"
Qin Hao looked puzzled. "What's there to say? You're not a child anymore. You're an adult. You can definitely take care of yourself. Why would I need to tell you? That's strange."
Lin Yi sighed and pulled Qin Hao into his arms. If he waited for Qin Hao to say or do something to him, who knew when that would be?
“We’re husband and wife now. As my partner, don’t you have anything you want to say to me or do for me? Like hug me or kiss me.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao seemed to understand something immediately. His face flushed, and after hesitating for a moment, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Lin Yi's waist.
"Cough... This marriage happened so suddenly, I haven't gotten into character yet."
After saying that, he patted Lin Yi on the waist.