A little later, Shan Minglang left Su Xiaomeng’s house with the two elders of the Yin Family.

Su Xiaomeng saw them off downstairs.

Earlier in the house, because of Shuangshuang and Huanghuang’s antics, the knots that existed in both parties’ hearts seemed to disappear for a moment.

Now that Shuangshuang and Huanghuang were not around, Minglang, having misunderstood Su Xiaomeng, hadn’t said a word in the living room afterwards and now didn’t know what to say.

In the elevator, the four of them were terrifyingly silent.

It wasn’t until they reached downstairs that the driver’s car had already pulled up outside the apartment’s glass door.

"Dad, Mom, take your time. Minglang, take care of your grandparents."

"...Okay."

Minglang responded.

The driver got out of the car to open the door for them. Zhou Mengqin stood by the car door, after all, couldn’t immediately get in. She turned back, and the look of apology in her weathered expression was enough to make Su Xiaomeng feel timid...

She just looked at her once, and whatever the old lady wanted to say, she understood it all.

Stepping forward, she took the initiative to hug Zhou Mengqin tightly,

"Mom..."

Zhou Mengqin’s wrinkled hand gently patted Su Xiaomeng’s back,

"I’m sorry you had to go through this."

"No, Mom..."

Zhou Mengqin took a deep breath, exhaled long, patted her back twice, nodded, and then got into the car.

The sighs of the elderly revealed the heaviness in their hearts.

The departure of Yin Shixiu was an irremediable pain in the remaining lives of the two elders of the Yin Family.

Yin Shaohui also got into the car.

Shan Minglang walked over to the front passenger seat, but before pulling the door closed, he looked back at Su Xiaomeng, wanting to say something, but Su Xiaomeng quickly raised her hand to stop him,

"Minglang, I understand what you’re thinking."

"..."

"I will always be your Aunt, and Shuangshuang and Huanghuang will always need your care and companionship as their big brother. Whether in the next ten years, twenty, or fifty, remember that."

Shan Minglang suddenly hugged Su Xiaomeng tight,

"I was really scared you might impulsively marry that jerk Rong Jing! If, in the future, there’s ever a man who can treat you as well as Uncle did, Minglang won’t stand in your way, sob sob..."

"Okay, okay, I know..."

"The Yin Family isn’t that important, and nothing is more important than you living well, Aunt."

"Thank you... Minglang, you don’t know how warm your words make me feel."

Shan Minglang sniffed, hugged Su Xiaomeng tighter, held on for a while before reluctantly letting go and getting into the car.

"Aunt, you should head up now."

Su Xiaomeng stood at the door, in her plain white T-shirt paired with a knee-length pleated skirt.

The night summer breeze blew gently, lifting the pleats of her skirt in waves like... time itself.

The car slowly drove away...

Zhou Mengqin and Yin Shaohui instinctively cast their gaze toward the exterior of the apartment building, where Su Xiaomeng was standing.

They seemed to recall how years ago they stood there, discussing everything about Yin Shixiu and this girl, talking about how ordinary she was, how unambitious, and how she was unworthy of him...

She waved at them until the car turned the corner, and they could no longer see her figure in the rearview mirror.

Yin Shaohui grasped his wife’s hand.

————

Su Xiaomeng turned and went back upstairs.

Her grandfather stayed over that night, and before going to bed, he called Xiaomeng into the room to say a few heartfelt words.

Xiaomeng understood the intentions of the elders.

After her grandfather fell asleep, Xiaomeng returned to the living room, where the siblings, wearing their little vests, had already climbed onto the sofa.

She thought she’d have to wait a while for her mother to come out of Great Grandpa’s room.

Little did she expect that just as she sat down, her mother came out.

Shuangshuang quickly patted the spot beside her,

"Mom, come sit!"

Then grabbed the TV remote beside her and asked earnestly,

"Mom, which channel do you want to watch?"

Su Xiaomeng glanced at the clock on the wall, her brow furrowing slightly,

"It’s almost nine o’clock, two little people still not going to sleep?"

Shuangshuang pouted,

"Not sleeping, keeping you company watching TV!"

"..."

Su Xiaomeng sat beside Shuangshuang, and as soon as she sat down, Prince Huang wriggled his way from behind and settled on the other side of Su Xiaomeng.

"Watch, watch channel 15."

Prince Huang proposed.

"I was asking Mom, not asking you, brother."

Shuangshuang said quickly, holding the remote tightly as if holding the remote meant she held the whole world in her hands.

"Mom, you decide."

The little girl lifted her chin, her demeanor undeniably cheeky.

Prince Huang, who wasn’t asked, kept his silence, his face blank as he stared at the yet-to-be-turned-on TV, clearly also prioritizing his mom’s preference.

"Let’s just watch channel 15 then."

Shuangshuang nodded, ceremoniously pressed the power button on the remote, turning on the TV, then carefully pressed 1 and 5.

The TV channel switched to channel 15—the children’s channel.

"Hehe."

Shuangshuang looked up at Su Xiaomeng, blinking her big eyes at Su Xiaomeng, grinning...

"She’s waiting for you to praise her."

Bai Sixian came out from the kitchen, laughing, "Ever since she learned to use the remote to turn the TV on and off, she’s been flaunting her skills, wanting to help people turn on the TV and change channels."

Su Xiaomeng hugged Shuangshuang into her arms,

"My daughter is indeed smart."

"Hehe."

Shuangshuang, satisfied, shifted her gaze from Su Xiaomeng, holding onto the remote control as if it were her beloved doll.

"I can also do it..."

Prince Huang mumbled softly, without the showy manner of Shuangshuang seeking her mom’s praise, merely stating a fact calmly.

Su Xiaomeng quickly reached out to embrace her son, gently nuzzling him,

"My son is, of course, very smart too."

Bai Sixian observed this moment of warmth among the mother and her children, a scene so touching it inspired envy.

If Yin Shixiu were here, it would all be complete.

It was already time for Shuangshuang and Huanghuang to sleep. Even though it was a children’s channel airing cartoons, the two little ones couldn’t stay awake for long and soon fell asleep.

Xiaomeng initially planned to carry them to their room to sleep, but Bai Sixian held her hand,

"Wait a moment."

"Huh?"

Su Xiaomeng looked at her mother; beneath Bai Sixian’s gentle appearance, her eyes held many unspoken words.

"Earlier... about you saying you want to be a widow for Shixiu for the rest of your life... were you serious?"

"I swore it, so how could I joke about it?"

Bai Sixian furrowed her brows,

"But you’re still young. You know you’re only twenty-three, right?"

"..."

"The years ahead are long. It’s not easy to live a long life, especially when he’s already gone. Mom doesn’t want you to make such commitments or vows prematurely—it’s unnecessary."

Bai Sixian took a deep breath, her eyes full of melancholy,

"Shuangshuang and Huanghuang will grow up and eventually fly to places they dream of, just like you."

"What will you have after that?"

Su Xiaomeng looked down steadily.

"The two elders from the Yin Family didn’t come today to make you swear to remain Shixiu’s wife forever. It’s just that Shixiu has only recently passed away, and with rumors of your engagement with someone from the Rong Family circulating, they felt unsettled."

"If you meet someone better in the future, they won’t stop you."

"There won’t be anyone better."

Su Xiaomeng softly interrupted her mother.

Bai Sixian furrowed her brows in surprise.

"Mom, back when Uncle Su Jianyi went to prison, when Zhou Wenxiu had people ransack Dad’s flower shop, kill Brother Cheng, and when Dad was seriously injured during surgery and almost didn’t make it.... I saw you at that time preparing to end it too, didn’t I?"

Bai Sixian tightened her lips as the color drained from her face.

"You thought I didn’t know, but I saw it."

Su Xiaomeng looked at Bai Sixian, "If Dad hadn’t pulled through back then, I wouldn’t have just lost a father. I’d have become an orphan...right?"

Bai Sixian pursed her lips, the color draining from her face.

Su Xiaomeng held her gaze steadily,

"I understand the situation you’re all in."