"Well now, is that river fish Chang Jie bought? And he came back in a car? Who's that young man with him!"
"Isn't that the youngest from the Chen family getting out of the car? In past years, she'd come home on foot. Now she's arrived in a fancy car! Don't tell me... they bought it themselves?"
"No way. That Su... Su Zhuyun she married is just a driver. How could they possibly afford a car like that?"
"That's just sour grapes. You can't stand to see someone make a comeback."
Su Chen heard all sorts of catty remarks before he even got out of the car. But... he was used to it.
During the few days of his grandmother's birthday banquet, he had overheard plenty of the older folks gossiping.
At first, Su Chen had been a little angry, but he eventually came to understand. These people were just envious. 'Why should I let them get to me?'
The more upset they got, the happier he felt.
When the crowd of gossiping women saw the trunk packed to the brim with gift boxes, many of their eyes went green with envy.
Those who had issues with the Chen family turned and went straight home.
But those on good terms with the Chen family... they all crowded around, chattering away.
"I always said Shufen was destined for a comfortable life, and look at her now!"
Amidst everyone's "enthusiasm," Su Chen grabbed a few gift boxes and made a quick escape, heading straight for his maternal grandmother's house.
Knowing Su Chen and his family were coming, his grandmother was already sitting out on the patio, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
When Chen Shufen's figure came into view, a faint smile graced her grandmother's weathered face.
"Mom, why are you sitting outside? Aren't you hot?" Chen Shufen asked with a hint of reproach.
"Not at all. It's actually quite cool today!" As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of the young man following behind Chen Changjie.
"Shufen, is that my dear grandson?" an excited expression washed over the old woman's face.
Just then, Su Chen walked up with the gifts. "Grandma, I'm here to see you!"
"Good, good. I haven't seen my grandson in so long. I can't believe how tall you've gotten!" His grandmother took Su Chen's hand, her face glowing with excitement.
To be honest, Su Chen felt very awkward and wasn't sure what to say.
Fortunately, Chen Changjie, who was standing nearby, spoke up.
"Mom, why don't you let Xiaochen put his things down first!"
Only then did his grandmother notice what Su Chen was holding. She looked at Chen Shufen reproachfully. "Just coming to visit is enough. Why buy so many things? Such a waste of money. Don't you know your own family's situation?"
Chen Shufen opened her mouth, but swallowed whatever she was about to say.
After putting down the gift boxes, Su Chen was unable to escape his grandmother's affectionate attention and was pulled into a long chat.
Meanwhile, Chen Shufen dutifully put on an apron and headed into the kitchen.
And so, Su Chen sat beside his grandmother and chatted with her.
At first, Su Chen wasn't sure what to talk about, but he gradually warmed up, sharing stories about his life in Shanghai and some of the interesting things he had seen.
He had his grandmother laughing nonstop.
"Time to eat!"
His mother's call interrupted their conversation. Hearing her, Su Chen helped his grandmother up and guided her toward the main hall.
The moment they stepped inside, a rich, fishy aroma filled the air, making Su Chen's mouth water.
The milky-white fish soup and the fragrant meat were simply irresistible!
His grandmother, seeing his reaction, chuckled and teased, "Look at Xiaochen, he's so hungry he's about to drool!"
"Hahaha! Xiaochen, here's a bowl and chopsticks for you!" Chen Changjie said with a laugh, handing them over.
Once everyone was seated, Su Chen ladled himself a bowl of the fish soup.
"This is so good."
The river fish had none of that muddy taste. Its bones were large and easy to find, and the meat was so tender it melted in your mouth.
Su Chen ate with absolute delight.
Seeing Su Chen wolfing down his food, Chen Shufen kicked him a few times under the table. He snapped out of it and reigned himself in a little.
"If it's good, then you should eat more, Xiaochen!" his grandmother said, placing a few pieces of fish belly into his bowl.
"Thanks, Grandma. You eat too!"
...
"Mom, are we really leaving just like that?" Su Chen asked, glancing back at his grandmother's house in confusion.
"What else? Should we stay for a few days? You staying here would just be an inconvenience for your second uncle, wouldn't it?"
"That's true." His second aunt hadn't even come home for lunch today because she had to work.
'Now that I think about it, Mom's right,' he thought.
So, while his grandmother was taking her afternoon nap, they said a quick goodbye to his second uncle, and Su Chen and his mother quietly headed back to the city.
"Xiaochen, I heard from Qingya that she wants to go to Shanghai with you?"
"Oh, yeah. She got into Shanghai University, right? She wants to lessen the burden on Third Uncle's family, so she's thinking of going to Shanghai early to find a part-time job," Su Chen said nonchalantly as he drove.
"How are you going to explain it to Qingya then?"
Su Chen paused at her words. 'Explain to Qingya? Explain what?'
He quickly figured it out.
"Mom, are you talking about the car?"
"What else? When you go to Shanghai with Qingya, aren't you going to drive that Aston Martin of yours? And when Qingya sees it..."
"Mom, we're family. What's there to hide? Don't tell me you're going to start looking down on them now that we have money?" Su Chen teased.
Su Chen knew his mother well.
She wasn't the snobbish type who would distance herself from friends and family just because of money. Besides, Su Zhuyun and his two brothers had always been on good terms. Even if they found out Su Chen's family had struck it rich, they wouldn't get jealous.
Besides, even Su Zhuyun and Chen Shufen had no idea just how rich Su Chen really was. Their knowledge was still limited to the Aston Martin.
"Besides, Qingya is the only girl in the Su family to get into a university. And it's Shanghai University, no less! That's a huge point of pride for us!"
"You have a point. I was overthinking it. If Qingya needs anything in Shanghai, you have to help her out as her older cousin!"
"I know, Mom! You didn't even have to tell me. I've already got it all planned out!"
He had no intention of hiding anything from Su Qingya. In fact, he already had some plans in mind for his younger cousin.
...
"Ge, why are you only just getting up? Weren't we supposed to leave today? It's almost nine o'clock! We still have to take the bullet train to Wudu to catch our flight," Su Qingya grumbled, standing in the living room with a large, pink suitcase.
"Relax, relax!" Su Chen patted Su Qingya on the head and, under her murderous glare, strolled into the bathroom to get ready.
By the time Su Chen had washed up and changed, it was half-past nine.
"Ah! Ge, you're finally done! Let's get going! I just checked, and if we hurry, we can still catch the one o'clock flight to Shanghai!"
"We're not flying. We're driving." Su Chen's words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over Su Qingya's head.
Her excitement instantly deflated.
"Huh? We're not flying? But I..." Su Qingya had been looking forward to her first-ever plane ride for days, filled with excitement. Who would have thought...
Noticing her spirits drop, Su Chen teased, "What's wrong? Not happy that your big bro is driving you there?"
"No, it's not that... It just seems like a shame not to fly..."
"You won't think it's a shame in a little bit. Let's go!" Su Chen reached out and playfully pinched Su Qingya's nose, then grabbed the pink suitcase with a laugh and headed out the door.
"Hmph! You big jerk, all you do is bully me!" Su Qingya stomped her foot and hurried after him.