At noon, Zhou Dahua stewed chicken.
As soon as the two brothers returned home, especially the second son Sheng Jianjun, he kept hovering around the kitchen. “Mom, are we having chicken today? It smells amazing.”
Zhou Dahua smiled and replied, “You and your older brother eat first later. I’ll bring some to your grandparents.”
Hearing this, Sheng Qianyu said, “Mom, let me go with you. Yesterday was too rushed, and I didn’t get to greet Grandpa and Grandma.”
Zhou Dahua nodded. “That’s fine.”
The mother and daughter went to the nearby hospital.
The two brothers discussed and decided to clear out their older brother’s room, arranging everything inside. If their sister wasn’t satisfied, they could always make adjustments later.
Grandma Sheng, having recovered from her illness, held her husband’s hand and asked, “Is Xiao Yu doing well over there? Does she have enough meat to eat? Should we call her? Or maybe when I’m feeling better, we can go visit her.”
Grandpa Sheng tried to dissuade her. “That’s a military compound. It’s not a place you can just walk into. Since they’re willing to acknowledge Xiao Yu and even exchanged the child back, it shows they value her. Don’t worry unnecessarily.”
Grandma Sheng seemed to remember her biological granddaughter and asked, “That child must be a good one, right?”
Grandpa Sheng replied, “What are you thinking? If she weren’t good, would she have given up the conditions over there to come back to our family? Your son is capable, but compared to a high-ranking official’s family, he’s still far behind.”
Grandma Sheng wasn’t upset by her husband’s slight against their son. She sighed and said, “Look at this mess! I thought with Xiao Yu at home, I’d have someone to keep me company and lift my spirits. Who knew she was switched at birth… Such a dramatic thing actually happened to our Sheng family.”
“Enough, try to look on the bright side. If you really miss Xiao Yu, I’ll swallow my pride and arrange a visit in advance. Didn’t Dahua say she has their contact information? It’s not like we’ve lost touch. We’re all in the same city. If you miss her, we can see her often.”
It wasn’t until Zhou Dahua arrived with Sheng Qianyu that the elderly couple stopped their conversation, worried their biological granddaughter might overthink things.
Zhou Dahua briefly explained Sheng Qianyu’s situation. Like the others, Grandpa Sheng showed a surprised expression. “Only twelve, and already in the same grade as her second brother?”
After saying this, Grandpa Sheng smiled, his face full of wrinkles. “Good, good, good.”
Three consecutive “goods” expressed his joy.
Sheng Qianyu briefly greeted the elderly couple. When she returned home, she saw that her two brothers had either gone to work or school, but they had left meals for her and Zhou Dahua and had tidied up her room.
Sheng Qianyu’s expression softened considerably.
Six months later.
After finishing her college entrance exams, Sheng Qianyu returned home to find Zhou Dahua busy in the kitchen. She put down her exam tools and hurried over to help, chatting with Grandma Sheng as she worked.
A lot had changed in the past six months.
For example, the interactions between the two families weren’t as close as expected. Zhao Xiaoyu had settled firmly into the Zhao family and rarely returned.
Grandma Sheng had visited Zhao Xiaoyu once, but something must have happened because she locked herself in her room for three days afterward, frightening the entire Sheng family.
Afterward, Grandma Sheng emerged on her own, and the two families rarely interacted after that.
As the beneficiary of the exchange, Sheng Qianyu wouldn’t go to the military compound to bother the Zhao family unless Qin Fang initiated contact. Moreover, entering the military compound was a complicated process, and she didn’t want to cause trouble for the Zhao family.
In the first month after the exchange, Qin Fang often called her, but the calls became less frequent over time. As the college entrance exams approached, the Zhao family stopped contacting her altogether.Due to the lingering emotions of the original owner, Sheng Qianyu felt sad and upset for a while before gradually getting along well with the Sheng family.
Her culinary skills likely inherited from Zhou Dahua, and she even surpassed her predecessor.
At the Zhao family, meals were always prepared by the housekeeper. After returning to the Sheng family and learning that Zhou Dahua was responsible for the family’s meals, Sheng Qianyu began helping her from time to time.
Grandma Sheng had initially grown accustomed to Xiao Yu’s lively and proactive nature. It wasn’t until her own granddaughter returned that she realized speaking was far more interesting than listening.
Thus, while Grandma Sheng and Zhao Xiaoyu used to follow a pattern where Grandma listened and Xiao Yu talked, now Grandma Sheng and Sheng Qianyu interacted with Grandma speaking and Qianyu listening.
“How did Qianyu do on the exam? Were you nervous during the test? It’s all because your second brother isn’t capable enough—he couldn’t skip a grade. Otherwise, he would have been there with you in the exam hall to boost your confidence.”
Zhou Dahua chuckled, “Mom, even if Jianjun were in the exam hall, the chances of him being in the same room as Qianyu are extremely slim.”
Grandma Sheng sighed, “It’s because Jianzheng and Jianjun aren’t capable enough. One can’t skip a grade, and the other lacks mental fortitude.”
Zhou Dahua: “…” Should she remind her mother that before Qianyu returned, the two grandsons’ academic achievements had always been her pride and something she boasted about everywhere?
Sheng Qianyu hesitated for a long time but, out of consideration for her grandmother, didn’t mention Zhao Xiaoyu’s matter.
She had seen Zhao Xiaoyu at the exam hall.
And Qin Fang as well.
At first, when she greeted Qin Fang, the other woman happily chatted with her, asking how she had been lately and expressing concern for her health. However, when Zhao Xiaoyu entered the exam hall without a word, Qin Fang abruptly ended the conversation.
Seeing this, Sheng Qianyu said nothing and also entered the exam hall early.
At that moment, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind: hadn’t the Sheng family said Zhao Xiaoyu’s grades were average? Then why was she allowed into the exam hall as an exception, just like her?
However, such questions were pushed to the back of her mind once the exam papers were handed out.
Zhao Xiaoyu was now a taboo topic in the Sheng family. If she brought it up, it would only add to the family’s sorrow.
After the meal, Sheng Qianyu returned to her room to estimate her scores, pondered her future plans for a while, and then fell into a deep sleep.
After the college entrance exam, there was a long break. Encouraged by her family, Sheng Qianyu traveled to other cities. Seeing the backward conditions and reading newspapers filled with optimistic discussions about a bright future, her conviction grew stronger. Moreover, knowledge related to her goals began to crystallize in her mind—all she needed was to enter university and realize her grand ambitions…
Upon returning to the Sheng family, she returned the money and coupons that her grandparents and her two older brothers had privately given her.
Seeing this, Grandma Sheng felt especially heartbroken, “Did you suffer?” Then, even more distressed, she added, “You must have suffered. Look at you—you’ve lost weight. We gave you money so you could enjoy yourself properly. Why are you saving it for the family?”
As if thinking of that child—if it were that child, no matter how much money the family gave, they would spend it all within a day…
Grandma Sheng shook off the thought and continued, “Since we gave you the money, you should keep it. You’re our Sheng family’s child after all. I don’t know who you take after, saving money for the family like this.”
Grandpa Sheng also smiled warmly, “Your grandmother is right.”
Sheng Qianyu was too clever.
How clever was she? Knowing that Grandma Sheng was in poor health, she bought medical books on her own and prepared light medicinal meals for Grandma Sheng to nourish her body that very day.
Initially, the Sheng family had allowed Sheng Qianyu to experiment out of respect for her filial piety. To their surprise, the medicinal meals she prepared herself genuinely improved Grandma Sheng’s constitution!In just half a year, Grandma Sheng, who used to be unable to withstand wind or cold, had become a robust elderly woman. She often went to the staff compound to chat and gossip with other elderly ladies.
She even laughed more often than before.