Grandfather

The exams lasted an entire day. Bai Yunsheng was a boarding student and originally did not need to go home, but Grandfather, who lived at the main residence, suddenly said he missed the children. Although Bai Yunsheng did not know whether that longing included him, as one of the children, he had to make the trip home, both emotionally and logically.

Inside the car, Bai Yunsheng lowered his head and fiddled with his phone.

A Patch of White Cloud [Thank you, Brother.]

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated.

Meng [?]

A Patch of White Cloud [Thank you for preparing the school badge.]

This time, Meng Shangzhi replied a little more slowly.

Meng [Sorry, I took a call.]

Meng [How did you know it was me?]

A Patch of White Cloud [Because besides you, no one would do something like this for me. /cupping face and smiling]

A few seconds passed again. Perhaps not knowing how to reply, Meng Shangzhi simply sent over the sticker of someone cupping their face.

Bai Yunsheng stared at the sticker for a while, and the image of Meng Shangzhi cupping his face and smiling involuntarily appeared in his mind.

It was bizarre and completely out of place.

The image that flashed through his mind made Bai Yunsheng laugh aloud.

Feng Yanshan, seated beside him, instinctively glanced over at the sound but said nothing.

The car stopped at the entrance to the main residence. With nothing better to do, the old man had raised quite a few small animals inside. Afraid that cars might accidentally injure them, he had expressly forbidden vehicles from entering.

Feng Yanshan led Bai Yunsheng on a walk of nearly ten minutes. After crossing a small bridge, they finally reached the main entrance of the residence.

Feng Yanshan cautioned him, "The old man has never liked you. If you can avoid speaking, then don't speak."

As they passed through the hall, they could hear Feng Tingfan and the old man laughing from far away. It had to be said that Feng Tingfan was very good at winning the old man over and was also well liked by the younger brothers and sisters.

After all, Feng Tingfan was not as aloof as Feng Zhiyou, nor as dull as Bai Yunsheng.

The living room door opened amid the laughter.

The children gathered around the old man all turned toward the sound of the door opening.

Bai Yunsheng stood straight, calmly accepting their scrutiny.

"Yunsheng?"

Bai Yunsheng stepped forward and stopped at a proper distance. "Grandfather."

The old man paused. "I always hear your father say that you've changed a lot. You do look much more spirited."

The chubby younger cousin beside them immediately grew unhappy at the old man's casual praise. "Bai Yunsheng, do you know you're late?"

His younger female cousin quickly chimed in, "Exactly. So rude, making so many elders wait for you."

Only after the two children had spoken did the adults seated nearby scold them. "Watch your manners. Call him Brother."

The younger cousin turned his head away. "He's not my brother."

Bai Yunsheng did not defend himself, because he really was late.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry I was late." He took a white box from his pocket. "During the New Year, I noticed your cufflinks had yellowed a little. I originally planned to wait until the pearl cufflinks you like best arrived at the store before giving them to you. Since I was coming to the main residence today, I took a detour to ask at the store, but that pair won't arrive for at least another three months. You may not care about such things, Grandfather, but I can't let you keep wearing this yellowed pair." As he spoke, he opened the box. "They aren't as good as the pearl ones, but these agate cufflinks are quite nice too. The color is very pure."

Agate was not expensive. Among the old man's collection of cufflinks, these would have been the most inconspicuous.

It was precisely because the old man did not care about such superficial things that even he himself had not noticed that the cufflinks he wore most often had yellowed.

Yet a child he had always disliked had noticed it all.

Bai Yunsheng's eldest uncle was the first to react. He let out a roar, his face full of anger. "Get all those people taking care of the old man in here—"

The old man frowned. "Why are you making such a fuss? It's only a pair of cufflinks." Then his expression softened again as he beckoned to Bai Yunsheng. "Come here, good child."

Feng Tingfan, who had been seated beside the old man, was forced to give up a spot.

As if he had not seen Feng Tingfan's venomous glare, Bai Yunsheng calmly sat down beside him.

The old man looked over the pair of cufflinks. Though red, they were not bright, but rather a deep, dark crimson. He then raised his head and carefully examined Bai Yunsheng.

He had disliked Bai Yunsheng before because the boy always seemed lifeless. He kept his head lowered, acted timid and shrinking, and lacked all the vitality a child ought to have.

And his mouth was not sweet, either.

Naturally, he had never received attention or affection.

But now—

The old man examined Bai Yunsheng closely.

He really was an endearing-looking child, and thoughtful too.

"I like these cufflinks very much." The old man directly slipped the box into his pocket. "Tingfan said you had exams today?"

Bai Yunsheng nodded. "Yes, Grandfather."

The old man asked, "How do you think they went?"

Bai Yunsheng answered honestly, "Pretty well."

The moment Bai Yunsheng finished speaking, a snort came from beside him. His younger cousin spoke up. "Pretty well? Weren't you at the bottom of the class in the final exams last semester?"

The old man, who had been sitting rather close to Bai Yunsheng, slightly straightened at those words and released Bai Yunsheng's hand. Though a benevolent smile remained on his face, the warmth in his eyes from moments ago was gone.

Bai Yunsheng rose to his feet on his own initiative. At that moment, the living room doors suddenly opened.

Jiang Li's deliberately bright voice rang out. "Yunsheng is finally here? Now that everyone's here, all the dishes have been served."

Although the old man liked Feng Tingfan, he looked down intensely on Jiang Li.

After all, she had risen to prominence as a mistress and could never be presented properly in public. She could not compare to Bai Zhi, the talented woman. The old man gave a cold grunt and extended a hand for Feng Tingfan to help him up.

"Zhiyou still can't make it back?"

Feng Yanshan replied, "Yes. The place he's on a business trip to is a bit far, so traveling back and forth is inconvenient."

Disappointment flashed through the old man's eyes. "Mm."

The group moved from the living room to the dining room. The old man sat at the head of the table, his two sons seated on either side, while everyone else took their seats as they pleased.

There was no rule about not speaking while eating at the main residence. The old man rather liked chatting about family matters over meals.

Bai Yunsheng did not say a word throughout.

He had no interest in, nor any energy for, those family conversations.

He had thought he would finish the meal quietly like this, but Bai Yunsheng had not expected Feng Yanshan to speak to him.

"Teacher Wu praised you to me today." He sounded casual, yet he had thrown out a topic that invited endless speculation. "He said you hadn't disappointed him. He also said you played the piano very well."

Sure enough, his eldest uncle asked the next second, "Teacher Wu? Which Teacher Wu?" As soon as he finished, his foot was kicked beneath the table by his wife. By the time he realized it, it was already too late.

This was exactly the question Feng Yanshan had been waiting for. "Teacher Wu Shanye."

The old man slowly raised his head. "Who is that?"

Feng Yanshan said, "The most influential pianist, and the only one from our country to have won an international award."

The old man's cloudy eyes shifted. "Yunsheng's teacher?"

Feng Yanshan smiled and said with feigned indifference, "Yes. He personally came to the Feng Household to find Yunsheng."