Chapter 66: It Turns Out I Prefer to Cultivate Feelings from Childhood
Before the dishes were fully prepared, Chi Youchu returned.
Usually, people stuck in traffic carry a bit of resentment, wishing they had wings to fly over the long line of cars.
Chi Youchu was different. When the car wasn’t moving, he could just play a few rounds of games. By the time he finished, he’d be home.
He was even more excited to see the old man, but his tongue slipped again. “Old Grandfather, did you miss me?”
Old Master Chi: “…”
He gifted him a single word: “Scram.”
Calling him Old Master was fine, calling him Grandfather was also fine, but he just had to call him Old Grandfather.
It didn’t sound like they were related by blood.
Chi Youchu: “…”
His mouth really slipped every single time.
During the meal, Old Master Chi brought up the Ye family.
Old Master Chi had been close friends with the deceased Old Master Ye, and the two families had long ago agreed to a marriage alliance.
Unfortunately, the next generation consisted entirely of sons, so the marriage couldn’t happen.
They then said the marriage would definitely happen in the grandchildren’s generation, but as it turned out, they were all boys again.
Ever since the Ye family recognized Qiao Yousheng, that unfulfilled agreement had given the Ye family a glimmer of hope.
During the first few days after the old man returned to the country, Ming Qingyan and Ye Hualin had visited, with the aim of finally cementing the marriage alliance.
The old man was never one to break his word, but when Ming Qingyan brought it up, he hesitated.
“Yuheng, what do you think?” Old Master Chi asked.
When the old man was younger, he was vigorous and headstrong; if he said there would be a marriage, he would go through with it wholeheartedly.
Now that he was older, he spent time learning from young people on the internet, and his mindset had opened up quite a bit.
If Chi Yuheng was unwilling, he would rather break his word than force him.
Although marriages nowadays were fragile and many divorced after wedding, he still wanted Chi Yuheng to find someone he liked to be with.
The fine tradition of the Chi family was that once you encountered someone you liked, you had to keep them by your side early. Because love was meant for a lifetime, if you didn’t get together early, what if someone else snatched them away?
Chi Yuheng placed a piece of pork rib into Ye Ran’s bowl and said expressionlessly, “I don’t like being with people I don’t know.”
That one sentence let Old Master Chi know Chi Yuheng’s stance.
From the moment the old man brought up the subject, Ye Ran’s focus on his food had vanished. His ears were practically perked up like a rabbit’s, and his mouth had switched to mechanical operation while eating.
Stuff in a piece of meat, take a bite of vegetables, then another pork rib.
Even though the old man knew Chi Yuheng’s thoughts, he still asked tentatively, “If you don’t know them, you can get to know them slowly. Feelings can be cultivated.”
There was nothing wrong with those words coming from the old man’s mouth.
Grandfather and Grandmother had met through a blind date in that era; it was entirely a case of ‘love after marriage.’ However, Grandmother was lucky to have met a man who would love her for his entire life.
Chi Yuheng calmly served a bowl of the porridge Ye Ran had cooked and placed it in front of Chi Youchu.
Chi Youchu looked at the porridge in front of him, then at the pork ribs Ye Ran was eating. His brother was playing favorites again.
Chi Yuheng’s voice was faint. “I don’t like cultivating feelings later on. I only like cultivating them from childhood.”
Crack…
Ye Ran’s tooth hit the bone of the pork rib. He clutched his jaw, unable to speak for a long time. Chi Yuheng immediately went to check on him.
Chi Youchu cast a concerned look over. At the same time, it occurred to him that his tooth hadn’t been hit. It seemed his brother was still quite good to him after all, otherwise, he would have been the one whose tooth got hit.
Old Master Chi didn’t think there was anything wrong with Chi Yuheng’s words either, taking it as a casual excuse for rejection.
To be fair, the Ye family was indeed not a good marriage candidate.
Old Master Ye’s character was beyond reproach, but the younger generations after him were not up to par.
The old man recalled when Ye Ran first arrived at the Chi family.
A little toddler wearing a small pink dress had been picked up and brought home by Chi Yuheng.
The old man liked him on sight. “Where did this little girl come from?”
To his surprise, as soon as he spoke, the little toddler wailed, “I’ve said it so many times, I’m a boy!”
The old man looked at the little dress he was wearing. “A boy wearing a dress?”
The toddler suddenly stopped crying, his fingertips clutching the dress tightly, his voice laced with grievance. “Because my mommy wants me to be a girl.”
The toddler stayed at the Chi family for two days. Chi Yuheng had stayed with him throughout, eating, bathing, and sleeping with him, looking after him with meticulous care.
The old man watched from the side, surprised that Chi Yuheng knew how to take care of someone at such a young age. He was taking care of this toddler as if he were taking care of his own son.
The old man thought that his eldest grandson would definitely make a good father in the future.
The Chi family used their connections to search for a few days and finally found the toddler’s parents. What surprised the old man was that the toddler was actually the youngest son of the Ye family.
The old man remembered it very clearly. On the day they sent Ye Ran back, Ming Qingyan was dressed elegantly and properly, adorned with jewelry. There wasn’t the slightest bit of panic indicative of a mother who had lost her son.
The moment Ye Ran saw her, he wanted a hug. Not only did Ming Qingyan not hug him, but her face also turned ashen. “Who told you to run out? Why didn’t you just stay out there forever? What did you come back for?”
At that time, Ye Tingyun had just returned from school. Hearing a child’s crying, he naturally thought of his missing younger brother. Just as he was about to go check, he was stopped by Ming Qingyan. “Go, upstairs to study.”
Ye Tingyun had no choice but to obey. Since his ignorant childhood, his mother had told him that he was to inherit the family business in the future. He had no time for play; only continuous study would suffice.
Ye Tingyun was accustomed to living within the boundaries set by his family. It wasn’t until Ye Ran arrived—lively and cute—that he felt like he had an uncontrollable variable.
Once Ye Tingyun went upstairs, Ye Hualin and his wife had nothing but lectures for Ye Ran instead of comfort. Old Master Chi couldn’t stand to watch any longer and spoke out in anger.
“I say, can’t you two comfort the child? He’s been away from home for several days and you didn’t even look for him. I was the one who found him for you. What kind of parents are you!”
“If you Ye family can’t raise a child well, the Chi family will.”
Upon hearing the latter half, Ming Qingyan’s eyes lit up. “That’s not impossible. I know you like children, and Yuheng’s parents are…”
“It would be fine if you raised him in your house as a playmate for Yuheng; it would make the house more lively.”
Ming Qingyan only regretted that she hadn’t given birth to a girl and couldn’t form a marriage alliance with the Chi family. But seeing this now, a boy wasn’t entirely useless. Being a playmate for the Crown Prince from childhood would make things easier for the two families later on based on this relationship.
“You…” Old Master Chi was momentarily speechless with anger.
He had intended to provoke these two parents, but they actually threw the child to him.
Right at that moment, Chi Yuheng called out to him, “Grandfather.”
The old man turned back to look at him. He saw Chi Yuheng’s gaze fixed on Ye Ran, his tone firm. “Ye Ran—I will raise him.”
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