Moreover, since this involved property, whether for the sake of the child or the Xiao family, it would be better for them to have their next conversation somewhere more private.
"Shall we talk in a private room upstairs?"
Xiao Xiao asked.
"A private room?"
The old man frowned, his guard rising a little higher. "Why do we have to talk in a private room?"
"Is there something we can't discuss here?"
"You're a strange young man, showing up out of nowhere..."
"It's about your grandson."
The old man's voice cut off.
His mouth fell open. "...About my grandson?"
"What about my grandson?"
The old man leaned forward slightly, his whole body tensing with wariness.
"Are you sure you want to talk here?"
Despite the old man's suspicion and hostility, Xiao Xiao's manner remained as polite and gentle as it had been from the start.
The old man hesitated.
When it came to his precious grandson, he couldn't afford to be careless.
He glanced around.
There weren't many tea drinkers, but there weren't few, either.
The old man from earlier was playing chess with someone, with a number of other old men gathered around them.
It was quiet, though.
Everyone was careful not to disturb the other customers.
The tea's clean, mellow fragrance, the crisp clack of chess pieces against the board, the customers' quiet conversations and laughter...
The peaceful, harmonious scene eased some of the tension in the old man's body.
"...All right."
He agreed.
The young man's behavior had made it clear that whatever he wanted to say about the old man's grandson probably wasn't good news.
The old man was puzzled.
Had his grandson... gotten into some kind of trouble without his knowledge?
"Please."
Xiao Xiao led the old man.
"Grandpa?"
The child looked around curiously, but