Jin Family's Old House.
For the first time since the successive scandals with the Fan family rocked the entire nation, the main members of the Jin family gathered together. Actually the rest was just waiting for Jin Liwei to come.
Jin Chonglin had been staying at the old house ever since Fan Luo's crimes were exposed to the public. He moved back because his own place was surrounded by reporters. The old house was more secure and safe.
While waiting for her eldest son to arrive, Huang Yuyan was very nervous. She paced back and forth, looking like she was about to cry at any moment.
Jin Chonglin sighed watching his mother. "Mom, don't be so nervous. Big Bro won't eat you or anything like that."
"I know that, son. But your big brother can be scary sometimes, you know. Just like your grandfather." She then cast a glance at her mother-in-law who was reading a classic book of poetry near the fireplace.
"Hmm. Indeed, our Liwei takes after my dear husband, your grandfather," Grandma Li said without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.
Shrugging, Jin Chonglin put on his headphones and started bopping to the beat of the music.
Moments later, Grandma Li's assistant appeared and informed them, "Master Liwei has arrived."
"Oh!" Huang Yuyan paled and became even more nervous.
"I…I'm sorry, Mother."
"Aaw, Grandma. Don't be so hard on Mom. She's trying her best." Jin Chonglin came to his mother's defense.
Grandma Li shot him a glare. "Stop coddling your mother."
"Come on, Grandma. Don't be angry at Mom anymore." Jin Chonglin went to hug his grandmother and sweet talked her.
Even someone like Grandma Li was defenseless against her own grandson's oozing charm. She glared at him, but her expression already softened.
Finally, Jin Liwei appeared carrying a fat grey cat in his arms. An orange cat was also perched on his shoulder. Two people followed behind him carrying cat stuff.
"What in the world?!" Jin Chonglin exclaimed. "Big Bro, are you alright? I think maybe you should take a break from work or something. Too much stress is not good, you know. Stress can make even the sanest person a little bonkers. I'm also taking a break right now. Why don't you take one, too?"
Jin Liwei looked at him without saying anything, and then decided to ignore him. He turned to his grandmother and mother instead, greeting them.
"Grandmother, Mother, I want you to meet the children of Xiulan and I. The grey one is Ice Cream and the orange…I mean the ginger one is Popcorn," he introduced the kittens with a straight face.
"Pft!" Jin Chonglin couldn't take it anymore. He doubled over and started laughing, clutching his stomach.
Grandma Li's mouth twitched, but she was able to maintain a calm expression unlike her second grandson who was already tearing up from laughing so hard.
"Oh~ They're so cute~" Huang Yuyan gushed and extended her arms, trying to get the kittens' attention.
Ice Cream just stared at her, but Popcorn leaped from Jin Liwei's shoulder into her arms.
"Mother, that's Popcorn, your grandson," Jin Liwei told her in a serious tone. "This is Ice Cream, your granddaughter. She's a little shy, especially to people she hasn't met before. She needs to get used to you first before she'll let you hold her."
"Oh, Big Bro… I can't… This is too much..." Jin Chonglin tried to suppress his laughter but failed.
Huang Yuyan smiled. Her anxiety from earlier already dissipated because of the kittens and her eldest son's unexpected cuteness.
Everyone sat down and chatted. Jin Chonglin began playing with the kittens together with their cat sitters. Surprisingly, Ice Cream liked Jin Chonglin right away, leaving her Daddy's lap to join the play.
Huang Yuyan gathered her courage and sat beside her eldest son. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Her eyes watered.
Jin Liwei frowned seeing his mother about to cry but he stayed silent and waited for her to speak first.
"Mother, please don't cry," Jin Liwei told her.
"Son, please forgive me…"
"Of course. Don't think about it anymore, Mother. It's all in the past."
Huang Yuyan hugged her eldest son and cried harder. Jin Liwei held his mother, patting her back in an awkward manner.
Jin Chonglin stopped playing with the kittens as he watched his mother crying on his brother's chest. She also cried hard when she apologized to him after he moved back to the house.
The brothers never blamed their mother regarding the matter with the Fan family. It was the Fans' fault for deceiving her and everyone from their Jin family. Of course, they were also stupid for trusting the family of vipers.
"The two of you should stop spoiling your mother too much," Grandma Li interrupted the emotional atmosphere. "She is your mother and you two are her sons. The way you're treating each other is like your roles are reversed. Is she your child and are you her parents?"
"Aaw, Grandma—"
Grandma Li glared at Jin Chonglin. She was serious this time, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
"I…I understand, Mother." Huang Yuyan tried to stop crying.
It was at this moment that Popcorn started clowning around, jumping and running and flipping all over the place. His antics elicited chuckles from everyone, most especially from the crying Huang Yuyan. The atmosphere lightened because of him. As for Ice Cream, she got bored. She returned to Jin Liwei, curling herself beside him and began sleeping.
Huang Yuyan wiped the last of her tears and turned to his eldest son. "By the way, how's Xiulan? Is she alright?"
Jin Liwei's expression cracked. Sadness and longing escaped from his eyes.
"Meow…"
Ice Cream sensed his heavy feelings, so she moved from her comfortable position and settled herself on Jin Liwei's lap. Then she began rubbing herself against him. He petted her.
"Grandpa Lu took Xiulan somewhere. I don't know where he took her," he said.
"What?! That wily old man!" Grandma Li huffed. "How dare he steal our dear Xiulan? I'm going to call that old buffoon and give him a piece of my mind. Hmph!"
"Wait. I keep hearing the name Xiulan since you arrived, Big Bro. Who's she?" Jin Chonglin asked.
"Sister-in…ah?"
"My future wife."
Jin Chonglin looked shocked. Then he released a string of loud and graphic curses out of his mouth.
"Mind your language, Mr. Jin Chonglin," Grandma Li rebuked him.
"Sorry, Grandma. I'm just so surprised. I mean, wow. I never expected that my ice block brother will say these words. Wow."
Jin Chonglin had no idea that his older brother already had a girlfriend. Even though he stayed with his mother and grandmother in the old house, they never mentioned this matter in his presence. They figured that it would be best if Jin Liwei was the one to mention and introduce his girlfriend to his brother.
Now that Jin Chonglin knew, he became curious. The name Xiulan didn't ring any bell to him at all. He didn't know that Iris Long's real name was Long Xiulan. They also didn't tell him that Iris and Xiulan were the same person.
"So when am I gonna meet my sister-in-law?"
"When she comes back," Jin Liwei replied, sighing sadly while he continued to stroke Ice Cream.
"Chonglin, stop asking your brother," Grandma Li told him. "You'll eventually meet Xiulan when the time is right."
"I miss Xiulan. I want to see her again," Huang Yuyan interjected. "I hope she comes back soon."
Jin Liwei controlled his expression which cracked even more. "She's going to come back. She'll definitely come back. She promised."
'Baby, where are you? Please come back. I miss you so much,' his heart called out to wherever she was.