Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband-Chapter 272 - : Returning to 20 Years Ago (7)
Chapter 272: Chapter 272: Returning to 20 Years Ago (7)
Lin Xu hadn’t encountered Shen Qingtang very often before, but upon seeing the girl’s familiar face, she still recognized her.
When she heard her own name, the girl was stunned for a moment, “You know me?”
Lin Xu was only familiar with the grown-up Shen Qingtang, who definitely wouldn’t recognize her at present.
Lin Xu’s eyes drifted around, and she stuttered for a long time before managing to speak, “I, I am a friend of your grandmother, she showed me your photo.”
Lin Xu remembered Shen Qingtang mentioning her grandmother before, her eyes lit up, finding an excuse.
A friend of grandma?
Shen Qingtang sized her up from head to toe, a trace of suspicion in her eyes.
Her grandmother was over 80 years old, how could she have such a young friend?
“Ah, is it a friend grandma met at the hospital before?” Shen Qingtang seemed to recall something, suddenly enlightened.
She had heard from her grandmother before, about a time at the hospital when she didn’t know how to use the self-service machine to pay, and a sister taught her how.
She just didn’t expect that sister to be so beautiful.
“Yes, that’s right.” Lin Xu nodded with a smile, silently apologizing in her heart to the friend she had impersonated.
“I’m really sorry, my son wasn’t watching where he was going and bumped into you, are you hurt at all?” Lin Xu said, and then pulled Ji Zeqiu over to apologize.
It wasn’t just a failure to watch his step; he had also bumped into his mother’s friend’s granddaughter, which immediately deflated Ji Zeqiu’s arrogance. He said quietly, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, actually, I wasn’t watching where I was going just now either,” Shen Qingtang waved her hand.
“Since we’ve met by chance, why don’t we have dinner together later?” Lin Xu did have a favourable impression of her.
At first, she had thought Shen Qingtang might be just as lovesick as her daughter, but later on, decisively giving up on Ji Zeqiu and pursuing her own career abroad, Lin Xu admired that.
She also remembered that Shen Qingtang had indeed carved out a successful path for herself overseas, and upon returning home, her career flourished and her fame was not the slightest bit inferior to Ji Zeqiu’s.
Upon hearing her invitation, Shen Qingtang looked hesitant, “I need to hurry back to prepare medicine for grandma…”
“I see, then you should hurry back, don’t keep your grandma waiting,” Lin Xu said, then signaled Ji Zeqiu with her eyes, “Go on and walk her out.”
Ji Zeqiu initially wanted to refuse but remembered he had just bumped into her, and his head nodded stiffly in agreement.
Shen Qingtang immediately panicked, “No no no, there’s no need to walk me out, I can go by myself…”
However, Ji Zeqiu ignored her refusal, taking the bag from her hand, and headed straight outside the mall, “Let’s go.”
When she saw him walking farther and farther away with her belongings, Shen Qingtang hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed.
Shen Qingtang opened her mouth, but then realized she didn’t know his name, “That… I can carry it myself.”
“It’s fine, it’s not heavy.” Ji Zeqiu said.
He was used to carrying things for his mother when they went out together. Besides, his mother had said men shouldn’t let girls carry things while shopping.
Shen Qingtang awkwardly followed by his side, then saw him hail a taxi for her by the roadside.
Watching him open the car door for her, she hesitated, wanting to speak, but after a moment decided to get in the car.
As she was getting in, Ji Zeqiu, quite the gentleman, shielded her head with his hand to prevent her from bumping it on the top of the car door.
Seeing such a considerate gesture, Shen Qingtang’s cheeks couldn’t help but blush, and she whispered a “Thank you.”
Even as the car drove a considerable distance away, Shen Qingtang’s cheeks were still burning hot.
She patted her cheeks with both hands, took a glance at the balance on her phone, and instantly cooled down.
She had been thinking of walking home to save money that would have otherwise gone to cab fare, so she could save a little more to buy medicine for Grandma.
But when she saw how eager that boy was to hail a taxi for her, the words of refusal just couldn’t make their way out of her mouth.
Oh well.
She’d just skip breakfast tomorrow.
That’s what Shen Qingtang was thinking when the time came to get out of the car and reach for her phone to pay.
“The handsome young man just now has already paid, no need to,” the driver said.
Shen Qingtang paused, and the blush that had just faded began to creep up her face again.
…
Not everything needed for the picnic had been bought, but Lin Xu had been drawn to the clothes and bags in the store and ended up buying a lot of outfits to take home.
Both her sons each carried two big bags, handed them off to the servants upon entering the house and then lifelessly flopped down on the sofa.
“I don’t even want to go out for the next two days,” Ji Zeqiu puffed out breathlessly, looking very tired.
“When you were little, you used to cling to me, begging me to take you out. Now that you’re grown up, you’re tired after just half a day out,” Lin Xu wiped away imaginary tears from her eye corners, putting on an injured expression.
Ji Zeqiu looked startled and suddenly got up from the sofa, clumsily trying to console her, “That’s not what I meant, I didn’t say I was tired.”
Ji Tingyang pushed Ji Zeqiu aside, frowning and shooting him a glance as if displeased with him for upsetting their mother.
He walked over to Lin Xu’s side, his voice tight with reassurance, “I don’t feel tired; you can call me anytime you want to go out.”
Ji Zeqiu was nodding fervently, nearly lifting his hands to swear in his eagerness, “Me too, I can accompany you out every day!”
“Alright then, it’s settled. You two will take me out shopping every day this week,” Lin Xu’s eyes twinkled slyly, showing no sign of the sorrow she’d feigned moments before.
“You pretended to cry and tricked me because you’re worried about me! How could you do that!” Ji Zeqiu reproached her indignantly.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
“It’s called not scorning any tactics; consider it a lesson learned. Next time you see a girl crying outside, don’t be fooled so easily,” Lin Xu winked at him and cheerfully went upstairs.
Ji Zeqiu looked toward Ji Tingyang with a gloomy face, “Bro, you didn’t even say anything about Mom.”
Ji Tingyang’s expression remained calm, “There’s nothing wrong with going out with Mother.”
“Well, actually I think so too, but…” Ji Zeqiu tried to state his position, too, but he stopped mid-sentence when he saw Ji Tingyang heading towards the door. “Bro, where are you going?”
“Lanyue hasn’t come back yet, I’m going to check on her,” Ji Tingyang said.
The child, not much past nine years old, was full of energy and simply couldn’t sit still at home; she always wanted to run outside.
She had met a kid in the villa complex a few days ago, and now she ran out to play with them every day.
Once, she played outside until dark and didn’t come home, and as a punishment, Father forbade her dinner. That night, starving, she ran to his room crying for food, giving him a headache with her fuss.
And now, as darkness was about to fall again, Ji Tingyang planned to bring his sister back home before Father got angry.
