The group sat down in the private room, and somehow, Gu Zheng ended up sitting next to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that this was something someone else had done intentionally, but he was too lazy to say anything.
"Ran, what would you like to eat?" Gu Zheng handed the menu to Xia Ran.
Xia Ran hesitated for a moment but still took it. He asked his grandfather and the others what they wanted to eat, but it was their first time at this restaurant and they didn't know what was good. They all said that Xia Ran should order.
Xia Ran glanced at the menu, then looked at Gu Zheng instead.
"You told us where you wanted to come, so you can order."
Gu Zheng smiled and took it, "Okay, I'll order."
His voice was so gentle that it made Xia Ran feel extremely uncomfortable.
He felt that if things continued like this, he would...
Gu Zheng ordered a lot of dishes, and Xia Ran listened to them from the side. Some of them were dishes that he, his child, and his grandfather liked to eat. He remembered that he hadn't told Gu Zheng about these dishes. Could it be that Gu Zheng had noticed them on his own?
Xia Ran felt a little awkward, but in the end she didn't say anything, only listening to Gu Zheng continue to recite the menu to the waiter next to her.
He thought they were all dishes that would be suitable for his grandfather to eat, light and bland. Just when Xia Ran thought Gu Zheng was about to finish ordering, Gu Zheng surprisingly ordered two more dishes with strong flavors.
He seems to be the only one around here who likes strong flavors.
Grandpa Xia wanted to pretend he didn't know, but after the waiter left, he spoke up directly.
"Not bad, not bad. These last two dishes are Xiaoran's favorite flavors, and it's rare that you can remember them."
"Grandpa, I was wrong before, and I will slowly change now." Gu Zheng seized every opportunity to express his feelings.
Xia Ran couldn't help but look at her grandfather, "Grandpa."
"Alright, alright, Grandpa won't say anymore, Grandpa won't say anymore," Grandpa Xia said with a smile.
Gu Zheng knew that Xia Ran was being hypocritical and would get angry if he said too much, so he decided to stop while he was ahead and didn't say anything more.
Lin Ziming and his father now know that the old man is slowly accepting Gu Zheng, so they haven't made things difficult for Gu Zheng. On the contrary, Lin's father occasionally talks to Gu Zheng.
The food arrived quickly, and just as Gu Zheng had said, the food here was quite delicious.
The old man had an excellent appetite and ate a lot.
Lin Ziming received a phone call while they were eating, so he left after finishing his meal. The group then took a ride with Gu Zheng to the mall.
Grandpa was in a great mood the whole time and wanted to buy everything he saw. In the end, he bought everything, but most of it was for Xia Ran, whether it was clothes or snacks that Xia Ran liked. He also bought a lot for Gu Chen. In the end, there was nothing for himself.
"Grandpa, you bought so much stuff, why didn't you buy anything for yourself? Isn't there anything you wanted to buy?"
Xia Ran looked at the items in the shopping cart and said with a hint of helplessness.
"Grandpa doesn't want to buy anything right now. I'll tell you what you want to buy next time. Come on, let's go buy groceries. Grandpa has so many things he wants to eat today."
Xia Ran had no choice but to agree.
Gu Zheng and Xia Ran cooked dinner together. I don't know if Gu Zheng secretly practiced at home these past two days, but he was much more skilled than he was the day before.
Xia Ran silently observed this without saying a word. The two of them worked together with surprising ease, like a married couple who had been living together for a long time.
Gu Zheng really enjoyed this time alone with Xia Ran. They could do things slowly, which would strengthen their relationship and make them both feel relaxed.
During the meal, the old man suddenly suggested drinking alcohol. Xia Ran immediately refused, but no matter how much she refused, she couldn't persuade her grandfather, so she could only pour him a small glass.
"Grandpa, you're getting old, you should drink less alcohol. I'll make an exception for you today, but you can't do it again next time."
Grandpa Xia smiled and neither said it was good nor bad.
"It's just a little bit of wine. Grandpa hasn't had a drink in a long time. He's in a rare good mood today, so of course he wants to drink more."
To keep their grandfather company, everyone except Gu Chen drank some. Xia Ran couldn't hold her liquor, and because of her grandfather's deliberate actions, she drank quite a bit and eventually fell asleep drunk.
Grandpa Xia patted Xia Ran's head and said to Gu Zheng, "Take Xia Ran back to his room and let him get a good night's sleep."
Gu Zheng, of course, would not refuse. He picked up Xia Ran and headed towards the room. Gu Chen was a little worried and wanted to follow, but was stopped by Grandpa Xia.
"Xiao Chen, don't bother your fathers. Let them get along well on their own."
Gu Chen blinked in confusion at first, but then nodded and sat down as if he had thought of something.
Mr. Lin: "Old man, are you really going to accept Gu Zheng?"
“I’ve seen his changes these past few days. The most important thing is Xiao Ran’s attitude. Since Xiao Ran has this idea, why should I stop her?”
“That’s right, it’s great that you have this idea. Since the two young people like each other, there’s no need for you to keep worrying about it.”
Grandpa Xia smiled and said, "It's not too late to understand this now."
The Lin family father and son wouldn't stay overnight here. Xia Ran had already fallen asleep early because she was drunk. Gu Chen was also well-behaved; after taking a shower and changing his clothes, he lay down next to Xia Ran and fell asleep.
The old man checked the time; it was past eleven. Gu Zheng should still be awake.
He walked over and knocked on the door. Gu Zheng opened the door shortly after.
"Grandpa? Why are you still up so late? Did something happen to Aran?"
"No, no, I need to talk to you about something, so I came over to chat. Are you not available right now?"
"Of course it's convenient. Come in first, it's cold outside."
Grandpa Xia nodded and went inside.
Chapter 417 The Mystery of My Origins
Gu Zheng didn't know why Grandpa Xia had come to see him, but he still heated up a cup of milk for his grandfather.
Grandpa Xia took a sip with a happy smile, feeling warm all over.
"If only you had been like this from the beginning, I wouldn't be so worried now."
"Grandpa, I'm sorry." Gu Zheng sincerely apologized. "It was my fault back then. I didn't understand anything, which caused Aran to suffer so much and made you sad and worried for so long."
"But Grandpa, I can tell you with 100% certainty now, and I promise you, I will never let that happen again. I will treat Aran well in the days to come."
"Is what you're saying true? Can I believe you?" Grandpa Xia's expression also turned serious. "Even after I'm gone, will you still keep your word? Will you still treat Xia Ran this well?"
"Yes, I will. I promise I will keep my word from today and will never do anything to upset Aran again."
"Okay." Grandpa Xia smiled again.
"I just suddenly felt a bit emotional today and wanted to come and talk to you about Xia Ran. I admit that I used to have a lot of prejudice against your relationship, but I know I was wrong now. I shouldn't have opposed you like that. So what I want to tell you is that I'm entrusting Xia Ran to you. I hope you will treat him well and not let him be sad or wronged."
"I will, Grandpa." Gu Zheng wasn't good at saying nice things, so he could only assure his grandfather that he would take good care of Xia Ran.
Grandpa Xia told him a lot more about Xia Ran, such as what Xia Ran liked to eat, what she liked to do, and what she didn't like. He silently kept all of this in mind.
When Grandpa finally said he had to go back, it was almost 2 a.m.
Gu Zheng saw his grandfather to the door, but couldn't help asking a question.
"Grandpa, is something the matter?"
Grandpa paused for a moment. "It's nothing, it's nothing. Grandpa just suddenly wanted to talk to you. It's getting late, go back to sleep. Don't go to work tomorrow. Grandpa wants you and Xiaoran to go with me to buy some things for Grandpa, and then ask the Feng family to come over after lunch. Don't come so early."
"Okay, I understand." Gu Zheng replied, but still felt a little confused. "Then go back and get some sleep."
"Okay." Grandpa Xia went inside and closed the door.
Gu Zheng stood at the door, feeling that something was off. His grandfather's words today seemed a bit off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
He thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so he gave up. Now he can see his grandfather and Aran every day, and he'll know about anything that happens in time.
After Grandpa Xia returned to his room, he took out the metal box again, touched it, and said softly,
"I've arranged everything I needed to say and everything I needed to arrange. I just need to get Xiaoran settled tomorrow before I come to see you. Please wait for me and don't make me come to you again. It's just that I'm old now and not pretty anymore. Will you be disgusted when you see me? No, I know you won't."
Grandpa Xia only slept lightly for a few hours that night, but he was in exceptionally good spirits and had a very rosy complexion. He didn't seem like a seventy-year-old man at all.
Xia Ran drank too much last night, so he woke up quite late the next day. When he got up, everyone was already there and had already eaten breakfast.
Seeing him come out, Gu Zheng immediately stood up. "Aran, go wash your face. I'll go get your breakfast."
Xia Ran stared blankly as Gu Zheng went into the kitchen. Lin Ziming clicked his tongue twice and whispered,
"He just wanted Xia Ran to eat what he brought, as if he was afraid that I would let Xia Ran eat the breakfast I bought. Men's jealousy."
Although the voice was soft, Xia Ran still heard it. He didn't know what to say for a moment, so he could only helplessly call out "Brother Ziming".
"Are you all really too idle all day? Do you just like saying these things? By the way, aren't you all busy today?"
“We have someone overseeing our work at home now. It’s not busy this year, but it will probably get busier starting next year. Anyway, we have time now, so we can spend more time with Grandpa. You should go wash your face quickly, otherwise the breakfast they bring out will get cold.”
After all that, the conversation returned to the topic of breakfast, leaving Xia Ran utterly exasperated.
However, thinking about Gu Zheng's actions just now, he didn't know what to say. He could only turn around and wash his face. But Gu Chen seemed unusually clingy to him today, following him into the bathroom.
"What's wrong, baby? Why do you look so worried?" In the bathroom, Xia Ran bent down and touched Gu Chen's cheek.
“I’m fine, Daddy. I’m just a little worried about you. You were drunk yesterday, and I was afraid you’d feel unwell.”
Hearing this, Xia Ran felt a warmth in her heart, gently hugged Gu Chen, and said,
"Okay, Daddy knows he was wrong. He'll never get drunk again. Don't worry, look, Daddy's perfectly fine now, isn't he?"
"Okay." Gu Chen nodded obediently, and Xia Ran's heart softened.
Actually, he didn't intend to drink that much last night, but for some reason, his grandfather kept making him drink, which resulted in him drinking several glasses of alcohol, which had a high alcohol content. How could he not get drunk?
When they came from the bathroom to the living room, Gu Zheng had indeed brought out breakfast, and he immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.
Lin Ziming's teasing gaze, in particular, made him extremely uncomfortable.
No, he had to have a serious talk with his grandfather. He couldn't let his grandfather continue to act recklessly. If his grandfather continued to side with Gu Zheng, he really would...
"What are you standing there for? Come and eat quickly, or it will get cold." Grandpa Xia urged Xia Ran as soon as he saw her standing there blankly. Xia Ran could only silently walk over and sit down.
Everyone has already eaten, and now everyone is gathered around him watching him eat.
Xia Ran usually didn't feel anything was wrong, but now she felt very uncomfortable for some reason.
"Don't you have anything else to do?" Xia Ran couldn't help but ask.
“What could we possibly be doing? It’s just that it’s almost Chinese New Year, and we’re going to buy New Year’s goods in a couple of days. I’m planning to stay here on New Year’s Eve with Ziming, and then move out after the New Year. I don’t know if that’s okay?” Mr. Lin asked.
"Of course!" Xia Ran answered without hesitation. Grandpa Xia didn't refuse either, simply agreeing as always.
Seeing this, Gu Zheng couldn't help but chime in.