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When they returned to the old house, the rest of the Tao family was waiting at the entrance, including Tao Zhi and Tian Tian who hadnât come back for a long time, standing at the door to greet them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing their car approaching, the Tao family immediately went up to welcome them. Tan Rou, upon seeing such a display, didnât drive to the parking lot herself; instead, she got out of the car, handed it over to the family driver to park, and together with Zhuang Liu, started unloading the gifts they bought for the family.
âGrandpa Grandma, Mom and Dad, long time no see,â Zhuang Liu greeted them with a smile.
Although the parents of the Tao family knew about the troubles between Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, you donât hit a smiling face; since Zhuang Liu had come to the house, they couldnât snub him.
âXiao Zhuang is here,â Mother Tao said with a beaming smile, âWe havenât seen you for a long time. After dinner, letâs sit in the greenhouse for a while. Your dad and I have something to talk to you about. Also, you donât have to go back tonight, just sleep here.â
Father Tao had wanted to stop Mother Tao from continuing, because they werenât sure if Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had reconciled. If Zhuang Liu was asked to stay suddenly, it might make their daughter unhappy.
However, the attitude of Tan Rou assuaged his worries, âMom, Zhuang Liu has been working very hard. When you talk to him tonight, please focus on the main points. After the talk, we will go to sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow for work.â
Mother Tao was taken aback. Since Tan Rou had spoken this way, it meant they had made up.
The rest of the Tao family hadnât noticed anything unusual between them and thought that Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had come back just for a meal.
âLetâs go inside and talk, there are too many bugs outside, we canât let them bite you,â Grandma Tao suddenly said. âEh? Tan Rou, why didnât your boyfriend come with you?â
Grandma Taoâs words silenced everyone; Grandpa Tao shed a few silent tears and gently said, âHave you forgotten again? Tan Rouâs boyfriend has already married her. They are not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, but husband and wife.â
Grandma Tao came back to her senses and nodded, âYes, thatâs right, I forgot again.â
Zhuang Liu could tell from the way Grandma Tao spoke what had happened. No wonder Tan Rou wanted to bring him back to see her grandmother; it was to help the elderly lady remember him more, in case she forgot who he was after an episode.
After dinner, Mother Tao didnât go with Zhuang Liu; instead, she took Tan Rou and Tian Tian to talk with Grandma Tao. Tan Rou also wanted to take Grandma Taoâs pulse to check her current health condition.
Father Tao, on the other hand, took Zhuang Liu aside into the greenhouse alone, claiming he wanted to have a chat with his son-in-law and for others not to disturb them.
This made Tao Zhi and Tao Zheng quite puzzled; they usually didnât have such a phenomenon when talking, so why did their father take Zhuang Liu away alone today?
Tao Zheng stroked his chin and said, âWhy would father want to take Zhuang Liu away alone? Do they have something to talk about that we canât hear?â
After a moment of contemplation, Tao Zhi said, âSince youâre so curious, why donât you go over there and eavesdrop? The windows of the greenhouse are all open; you just need to crouch down below the window, and you can hear their conversation.â
Tao Zheng didnât want to go alone, so he dragged Tao Zhi with him, âIf youâre my brother, weâll go together. If we get reprimanded by father later, you better stand in front of me.â
âWhy?â Tao Zhi asked, puzzled.
Tao Zheng said, âBecause youâre the older brother, and the older brother should set an example.â
Tao Zhi walked away speechlessly, âIf you donât go now, youâll miss what father is saying to Zhuang Liu.â
Tao Zheng hurried after him, âWait for me a moment, weâll go together.â
Inside the greenhouse, Father Tao had ordered the servants to prepare the tea set. He planned to discuss the matter of Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou while offering him tea.
âYou donât need to be nervous, I wonât eat you,â seeing Zhuang Liuâs restraint, Father Tao couldnât help but say, âI know everything about you and Tan Rou. I didnât call you here today to scold you, just to have a chat.â
Father Tao found it rather amusing. Zhuang Liu was even more nervous today than the first day he came, and it was rare to see Zhuang Liu so flustered. If the situation had allowed, he would have liked to capture Zhuang Liuâs expression and show it to Mother Tao.
âSit down,â Father Tao said. âThere are some things I want to talk to you about.â
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