Jiang Yuyin waved at Niannian and An’an. “Children, come over to Grandpa and Grandma. Let us have a look at you.”
Although Fu Zhenshan remained silent, his bright eyes clearly revealed the affection he felt for his grandchildren.
Niannian and An’an walked up to the elderly couple. Their dark, shiny eyes blinked curiously. Perhaps the power of blood relations had a special effect at that moment, for the children actually spoke.
Niannian spoke first. “Grandpa, Grandma, hello.”
An’an timidly added in a soft voice, “Hello, Grandpa, Grandma.”
Fu Zhenshan and Jiang Yuyin were overjoyed, their smiles uncontainable as they nodded repeatedly.
“Well! Hello, children.”
“Niannian, An’an, what good children you are! Just a little thin. In the future, tell Grandpa and Grandma what you want to eat; we’ll buy anything for you.”
“Look at these little faces. You can tell you’re part of the Fu family, exactly like Weicheng when he was young!”
Prepared for this moment, Fu Zhenshan and Jiang Yuyin were utterly delighted by Niannian and An’an. They quickly brought out gifts to mark their first meeting: each child received a jade pendant tied with a long red cord, hanging around their necks.
“Niannian, An’an, this is your first time meeting Grandpa and Grandma. These are our gifts to you… This one is for Niannian, this one is for An’an. Grandpa and Grandma hope you live a lifetime of peace and smoothness.”
The elders’ blessings coincided perfectly with Song Yuntang’s intentions when naming the children.
For Niannian and An’an, it was the first time they had truly received gifts. They looked down at their chests, their small hands touching the delicate jade pendants. The pendants were soft, small, and adorable—they loved them instantly.
They turned to Song Yuntang, their large, watery eyes full of inquiry: “Mom?”
Song Yuntang could not bear to refuse the children and also valued the Fu couple’s kindness toward them.
She nodded. “Accept them, and say thank you.”
Hearing Song Yuntang’s approval, Niannian and An’an immediately smiled brightly. “Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Grandma! We love them so much.”
“That’s good. If you like them, that’s all that matters. There are many nice things at Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Next time you visit, pick anything you like; we’ll give it to you.”
Witnessing this, Fu Weicheng, who had heard Niannian say yesterday that he “didn’t like Dad,” felt a pang of jealousy.
A little later, Jiang Yuyin suddenly stood up. “Tangtang, how is the room you’re staying in? Take me to see it.”
Fu Zhenshan followed, glancing at Fu Weicheng. “As the father of these children, why aren’t you taking them to eat something yet?”
With that, the elder couple naturally flanked Song Yuntang, gently guiding her toward the open room.
Seeing this, Song Yuntang realized Jiang Yuyin and Fu Zhenshan likely wanted to speak to her privately, so she obediently followed them into the room.
Inside, the bed from the previous night had already been tidied, with two blankets neatly folded.
Jiang Yuyin quietly scanned the room, showing no disdain for the modest living conditions this time. She led Song Yuntang to the bedside, gently sitting her down and softly patting her hand.
“Tangtang, we don’t know what misunderstandings led Weicheng to think you were dead. But in these five years, you, a young woman, have raised two children in the countryside—it couldn’t have been easy. You’ve also taught Niannian and An’an so well. Our Fu family owes you a great deal.”
Jiang Yuyin spoke sincerely, her words heartfelt and tinged with sadness. Having experienced hardship herself during her time in exile, she could empathize deeply.
Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked as she continued.
“Now that we see you safe, we are truly happy. And seeing you willing to return to Weicheng makes us even happier. About this morning… we were only here to check on you. We have no doubts about you or the children.”
“Tangtang, since you’ve come to the capital, live well with Weicheng. Whatever you need, just ask. If he dares to treat you badly, come to us. We’ll stand by you and help you teach him a lesson.”
“And this…” Jiang Yuyin produced a red handkerchief from her bosom, inside of which something was wrapped. “Niannian and An’an have gifts for meeting you; yours should have one too. This is our heartfelt token.”
When the red handkerchief was unfolded, it revealed something dazzling: a pair of golden bracelets.
They were large, wide, and heavy, with no elaborate engravings—simple and rough—but extremely solid.
Song Yuntang’s eyes lit up. Gold! Who could resist gold?
Fortunately, her reason remained intact. Her marriage with Fu Weicheng was still “technically valid,” but it would eventually end. She did not dare to accept such an expensive gift from the Fu elders.
“No, I can’t accept this—”
As she hastily tried to refuse, a commanding, deep voice interrupted.
Fu Zhenshan said impatiently, “I knew today’s young people wouldn’t like this—gold, silver, how tacky. They all like trendy, fashionable things. In our day, we loved big, heavy gold bracelets.”
Song Yuntang’s heart almost shouted. She wanted them, she loved them!
But her marriage with Fu Weicheng was destined to end; even if she accepted them, she would have to return them. She dared not take them, nor had the right to.
Jiang Yuyin, calm and gentle, was not angered by Fu Zhenshan’s loud urging. She replied slowly, “Old man, why shout so loudly? What if you scare Tangtang? I didn’t only prepare one thing. No need to be so impatient.”
Song Yuntang: There’s more?
Jiang Yuyin deliberately and leisurely produced two more items: a translucent, jade-like bracelet and an exquisite ladies’ watch.
Placed alongside the golden bracelets, she put all the gifts into Song Yuntang’s hands.
Her hands instantly felt heavy.
“I really can’t—” Song Yuntang bit her lip, trying to refuse again.
Jiang Yuyin’s eyes glistened with emotion as she asked, “Tangtang, do you still refuse to forgive the past? Do you hold any resentment toward us?”
Looking into Jiang Yuyin’s eyes, Song Yuntang’s chest tightened. She could no longer refuse.
She could only nod. “Then… I’ll accept them. Thank you, Dad, Mom.”
Her voice was awkward as she said “Dad, Mom,” thinking silently that she would accept them for now and return them to Fu Weicheng later if needed.
Seeing Song Yuntang accept the gifts, Fu Zhenshan and Jiang Yuyin immediately smiled. The couple exchanged a quick glance while Song Yuntang wasn’t paying attention.
Soon after, the three of them left the room.
The Fu elders were about to take their leave, constantly reminding Song Yuntang.
“…Tangtang, if you need anything in life, just ask. Don’t let yourself suffer. We’re leaving for now, but we’ll come see you again.”
When they stepped outside, Fu Weicheng naturally went to see them off.
At the compound gate, Fu Weicheng said, “Dad, Mom, take care on your way.”
Fu Zhenshan snorted coldly. “Take care? With the way you two are, even if your mother and I leave, we won’t rest easy. Don’t think we don’t know—Tangtang came here intending to divorce you, and you tried to hide it from us.”
No wonder their smiles vanished once they were outside, directed at their own son.
They had received Colonel He’s call yesterday and understood most of the situation. They liked Song Yuntang, adored Niannian and An’an even more, and had observed their son’s attitude. They were quietly helping him play along, pretending not to know anything.
Jiang Yuyin tapped Fu Weicheng. “Son, you really think your mother came with Fang Siyue to cause trouble for your wife? Dad and I aren’t fools. We’ve already done everything we can to help you. Whether Tangtang returns to you now depends on you.”
The heavy gifts were not given lightly.
Fu Zhenshan added coldly, “You little brat, if you lose my grandson, don’t bother coming back.”
Fu Weicheng suddenly understood. He spoke earnestly, “Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I know what to do. But the Fang family… you need to make that clear.”
“Got it. We’ll help you handle it. But that girl from the Fang family, she cares about you a lot; it won’t be easy to make her give up. Be careful yourself; don’t cause trouble.” Jiang Yuyin’s observation was meticulous, her warning careful.
“I know, I got it.”
After responding, Fu Weicheng watched them get into their car and leave.