"Grandpa, have you already thought of a way?" Zhou Huakang immediately perked up, "Could you share a hint with me?" He smiled sheepishly, "A gentleman keeps his word, but since I can’t proceed with my original plan, I need to give Tian Tian an explanation, right, Grandpa? You wouldn’t want me to be someone who breaks promises, would you?"

"What does your breaking a promise have to do with me?" Old Master Zhou looked at him with a half-smile, "Solve your own problems. You didn’t think when you made the promise, and you still don’t want to think now. Are you living too leisurely?"

"Grandpa..." Zhou Huakang turned to look at Grandma Zhou, who was smiling and listening, "Grandma, isn’t Grandpa being a bit unfair to me? Could you say something just to be fair?"

"Nope." The old lady shook her head in refusal without a second thought, "As parents, the last thing you want is for one to say go east and the other to say go west. So I can’t go against your grandpa’s wishes.

Besides, your grandpa’s judgment has always been better than mine. I can’t just oppose him to protect you; that would be to your detriment, not your help, understand?"

Zhou Huakang looked at the old lady with a bit of exasperation, not knowing what to say. Truth be told, the situation Grandma created was something he couldn’t handle.

Old Master Zhou waved him off, "Alright, if there’s nothing else, off you go. It’s almost dinner time. Think of a solution over the next couple of days. Don’t let the girl think you’re someone who breaks promises."

Is this the lovable and respectable grandfather he knew? In that moment, Zhou Huakang completely doubted his previous judgments. Yet, he had a sneaking suspicion that the old master was just trying to avoid bringing trouble to the Zhou family by refusing so outrightly. Even though he thought this idea was far-fetched, it was an uncontrolled thought that popped up.

Having lived to such an age and weathered so many storms, Old Master Zhou could easily see through the little schemes in his grandson’s mind. He felt both amused and annoyed and gave him a stern glare, "Put away those sordid thoughts. When has your grandpa ever feared trouble? All these years, have you ever seen me back down?

If you don’t want to find a solution to the mess you made yourself and instead blame others, if this were years ago, I’d have kicked you out with a swift kick!"

"I... I wasn’t blaming anyone..." he muttered, before quickly running out. Now he understood: Grandpa was testing him. But what exactly should he do?

Whom should he turn to for help?

Big Brother?

Abandoning that thought almost immediately, he could foresee the outcome: Big Brother would scold him and come up with no ideas.

Third Brother?

That thought was dismissed just as quickly. With Third Brother’s temper, he wouldn’t dare stir the pot. If he agitated the tiger, he’d be in huge trouble...

Second Sister?

Better not. Second Sister already had enough troubles of her own. He shouldn’t bother her with this.

Fourth Sister?

Not a good idea either. She was heavily pregnant, dealing with issues with her mother-in-law. If she got stressed over his matter, he’d surely regret it in the end...

As for Fifth Brother and Sixth Sister, he didn’t even bother to consider them...

Ever since returning, Chuxia had been keeping an eye on Zhou Huakang. After all, she was involved in the issue with him, and she was eager to see how things would be resolved.

Now, seeing Zhou Huakang standing there looking miserable and daydreaming, she guessed that nine times out of ten, the old master hadn’t agreed with his plan and had scolded him.

"Summer, what are you looking at?" Zhao Yulan noticed her daughter’s wandering gaze and followed it, then pulled her lightly, "As the sister-in-law, it’s not proper to stare at your brother-in-law like that."

Chuxia: "..." Mom, are you overthinking? Do you really think I don’t know the boundaries?

"I’m serious, you know. It’s one thing to let Xiaomi ask Xiaohua to help you, but you also shouldn’t get too close to him. After all, he’s your brother-in-law, not a sister-in-law, got it?"

"Mom..." Realizing that she might keep getting admonished if she didn’t speak up, Chuxia had no choice but to explain, "Yingying encountered some difficulties at the competition, and Zhou Huakang was supposed to come back and discuss it with Grandpa and Grandma Zhou. I’m concerned about the outcome. Mom, could you please not overthink this? You make it sound like I’ve done something wrong."

"I was just noticing how often you were glancing at Xiaohua," Zhao Yulan explained with an awkward smile, "Don’t blame me for overthinking. It’s better to be cautious about these things. By the way, what kind of trouble is Xiaohua facing? Is it serious? Can your dad and I help?"

"No, you can’t help..." Since it wasn’t exactly a private issue, Chuxia briefly explained the situation between Tian Tian and Zhou Huakang to Zhao Yulan, emphasizing Tian Tian’s background.

"Indeed, she’s a pitiable child, and it’s right to help her. But it’s also understandable why Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou aren’t agreeing, because, clearly, it’s a thankless task..." After pausing, Zhao Yulan shook her head. "No, Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou wouldn’t refuse because of that reason. They aren’t that kind of people. Summer, you should persuade Xiaohua. Uncle Zhou has crossed more bridges than he has walked roads; he wouldn’t lead him astray. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)