Chapter 57: Grandfather and Grandson
Xia Suirong awoke suddenly from a light sleep.
Instinctively, he glanced toward the window. The afterglow of sunset had long been swallowed by the night, and the pale moonlight coated the leaves in the courtyard with a layer of cold silver.
It felt as if a chill was seeping out from the night itself, forming twisted shadows that clawed at him through the window.
He held his breath, coughed twice, and soon a familiar voice came from outside the door:
“Elder Xia, are you alright?”
“Come in, I’m fine.” Xia Suirong’s voice was a little hoarse.
A middle-aged man in a butler’s uniform opened the door and quickly walked to Xia Suirong’s side. “Shall I pour you some tea?”
Xia Suirong gave a faint nod. The man moved to the tea table, brewing tea quickly yet with precise, practiced motions.
Watching his back, Xia Suirong’s gaze grew a little distant. Abruptly, he asked: “Where’s that boy?”
By “that boy,” he naturally meant Xia He, the Xia family’s lawless troublemaker.
The butler, Cheng Dongshu, froze for a moment before resuming his work, his tone a little odd. “Young Master Xia He… is… picking things out?”
Xia Suirong lifted his eyelids. “Hm?”
What was with that hesitation and uncertainty?
Cheng Dongshu had served him for many years—he wasn’t the type to waver easily.
Just what had Xia He gotten up to this time?
Cheng Dongshu set the tea cup down on the small table by Xia Suirong’s right hand, choosing his words carefully. “Today was the end of Yuande’s monthly exam, and with the National Day holiday approaching, Young Master came back as usual.”
“As always, he went straight to his room after returning, had his dinner delivered to the door, left it there for an hour before the staff retrieved it, and after that…”
“And after that?” Xia Suirong narrowed his eyes.
“…After that, Young Master came out,” Cheng Dongshu said with some difficulty.
“He came out?” Xia Suirong was surprised.
Normally, Xia He avoided seeing anyone in the Xia family’s old house. Even if he returned early for a family banquet, he would stay in his room until the banquet officially began.
Even meals were delivered to his door—staff would place the cart outside, knock, and leave immediately. After eating, he would push the cart back out.
What on earth had gotten into him today to make him willingly come out of his room?
“What did he come out for?” Xia Suirong asked. “You mean that ‘picking things out’?”
“He first went to Mr. Zhi Han’s and Miss Xu Qiu’s bedrooms, looking for something—I don’t know what. He came out empty-handed in the end,” Cheng Dongshu said.
“Then he went into the courtyard and took a lot of photos. On the way, he ran into Young Master Xia Xu and, as usual, kicked him. But Young Master Xia Xu ran quickly, so he only got one kick in.”
Xia Xu was the son of Xia Suirong’s second son, Xia Xiuzhu—making him Xia He’s cousin. But whenever he encountered Xia He, he always ended up on the receiving end of a beating.
Xia Suirong’s mouth twitched. “Where’s the second daughter-in-law?”
“Mr. Xiuzhu won’t be back until tomorrow morning. Madam Jian Ruoru brought Young Master Xia Xu back first,” Cheng Dongshu replied.
“Jian Ruoru” was Xia Xiuzhu’s wife. She owned a chain beauty salon brand that wasn’t doing well, but with the Xia family as backing, she never had to worry about her business surviving.
Xia Suirong almost asked if the eldest son, Xia Nanzhi, had come, but decided against it.
Even if he had come, so what? Both Xia Nanzhi and Xia Xiuzhu—full-grown adults—were driven speechless by Xia He’s antics, let alone their children.
He drew a breath. “After he finished taking pictures in the courtyard, what did he do?”
Cheng Dongshu studied his master’s expression, deciding the old man could still take it before answering: “Then he went to the storerooms and started picking things out.”
“Which storerooms?” Xia Suirong’s tone was calm.
“He’s been to all the single-digit storerooms. Started from No. 9, and I think he’s at No. 4 now,” Cheng Dongshu said cautiously.
Xia Suirong was silent for a while—so long that Cheng Dongshu suspected he was too angry to speak.
The old house had many storerooms, but the single-digit ones held almost entirely Xia Suirong’s personal collection—items rarely, if ever, taken out for use.
Yet when Cheng Dongshu looked closely, the old man didn’t seem angry. In fact… he seemed a little pleased.
“That brat…” A faint smile tugged at the corners of Xia Suirong’s lips. “He actually accepted it?”
Because of the situation with Xia Nanzhi and Xia Xiuzhu, Xia He strongly rejected the Xia family’s old house. Even knowing it was the place where his mother, Xia Zhihan, had been born and raised, he refused to live there.
Xia Suirong had told him before that anything in the storerooms was his to use, but Xia He had always rejected the idea outright.
Now, who knew what had changed, but he had gone into the storerooms of his own accord.
“Do you know what he’s picking things for?” Xia Suirong asked.
Cheng Dongshu thought for a moment. “It doesn’t seem like he’s choosing gifts. The items are not so much valuable as… unique. Also, when he was taking pictures in the courtyard, according to the servants, they were mostly of rare plants or particularly ornate architectural details.”
“For someone else to see,” Xia Suirong said flatly.
His expression was cool, but inwardly he felt a little awkward—almost embarrassed.
Because it was just too much like himself when he was young!
Back then, if there was someone he wanted to get close to, he’d want to show them all the nice things in the house. If they showed interest, he’d get even more excited and talk to them for three days and nights straight.
Now, he wondered what sort of “someone” Xia He had encountered.
Given Xia He’s personality, if the other party was just a greedy, selfish person, they wouldn’t even appear in his sight.
That thought made Xia Suirong curious.
“Go and bring that boy to me,” he told Cheng Dongshu.
Cheng Dongshu answered and went to find Xia He.
Xia Suirong picked up his tea, sipping slowly. By the time he had finished about half the cup, Xia He arrived.
He came in frowning, clearly displeased, and barked: “What do you want?”
“Besides those Bai siblings, who else have you gotten to know?” Xia Suirong went straight to the point.
Xia He paused. “Do I have to report everyone I meet to you?”
“Of course not,” Xia Suirong replied calmly. “But if you plan to invite them here, I’d at least like to be mentally prepared.”
Xia He raised his eyebrows—how did the old man know?
Xia Suirong: Because I used to do exactly the same thing!
Since the old man didn’t say he’d go investigate himself, just that he wanted a heads-up, Xia He felt less resistant.
Relaxing slightly, he said seriously, “She doesn’t want to come for now.”
Indeed, Gu Qinghuan had never agreed. She felt her relationship with Xia He wasn’t close enough to warrant visiting his home.
Xia Suirong was stumped. “Then what are you fussing about?”
“I’m planning to redecorate my villa,” Xia He said matter-of-factly. “It’s too empty inside. There’s plenty in the storerooms—send me a few pieces to put in there.”
Xia Suirong was silent for a few seconds, then grabbed his cane. “A few whacks is what I should send you!”
