BPTCMW : Chapter 19

 

Xia Yang listened to the voice message from Mrs. Tang several times, deeply moved by her sincere concern.

 

Moved, he tapped his fingers and sent a voice message in the group as well—

 

[Yang]: “Thank you, Grandma~~ I’ll make sure Brother Xiao Yi pays attention next time.”

 

Sorry, my unlucky husband.

 

This time, you’re on your own for social suicide. 

 

A long time passed after this, and finally, another message popped up in the small group chat.

 

[Han Yi]: ………speechless

 

Xia Yang could almost picture how dark his face must be.

 

He didn’t dare to send any more messages in the three-person group, so he switched to a private chat to soothe him.

 

[Yang]: Even though you’ve become Grandma’s reckless grandson, our loving couple’s image is more solid than ever.

 

[Yang]: A reason to celebrate~~

 

After sending this, he also selected two fireworks from WeChat’s built-in effects to display on the screen.

 

However, the reckless grandson did not reply…

 

* * *

 

After lunch, they had birthday cake and took a short nap. Mrs. Tang then took her grandson’s wife for a walk around the manor.

 

The sun had been shining in the morning, but by now the sky had grown cloudy and a breeze had picked up, hinting at rain.

 

Occasionally, a plane roared overhead. Mrs. Tang glanced up at it, muttering to herself, “I wonder how Xiao Yi is doing over there. The medical team he contacted is top-notch internationally…”

 

Xia Yang blinked in surprise. “So Brother Xiao Yi went abroad for treatment?”

 

“Didn’t Xiao Yi tell you?” Mrs. Tang asked, puzzled. “He’s there to discuss a surgical plan.”

 

Xia Yang mentally kicked himself for almost blowing their cover of being inseparable, quickly finding a way to cover it up.

 

“He did, but he didn’t go into details. Probably didn’t want me to worry too much and lose sleep over it.” He covered his heart, acting pained.

 

Mrs. Tang was once again touched. “I never imagined that after getting married, Xiao Yi would become so considerate.”

 

“…Yes, yes,” Xia Yang replied with a sheepish grin.

 

They passed a waterfall and a small garden, arriving at a landscaped hill at the back of the manor. Although it was a man-made hill, it still had some height. The hill was covered in lush greenery, with dozens of stone steps winding upward, surrounded by deep brown railings.

 

Mrs. Tang stopped and pointed to a red-and-white pavilion on the hill.

 

“Look, that’s where Xiao Yi loved to go when he was little.”

 

Xia Yang followed her gaze. “A place of tranquility. Brother Xiao Yi has known how to appreciate such things since childhood.”

 

Mrs. Tang laughed and then grabbed his wrist. “I haven’t been up there in a long time. Come, let’s climb up today.”

 

Xia Yang hesitated. “Grandma, are you sure? Think twice!”

 

“Hey, don’t think I’m old. When I was young, my dream was to climb the Himalayas, and I almost made it.”

 

Xia Yang snapped out of his worry. “So what happened? Did you give up halfway?”

 

“No,” Mrs. Tang shook her head, “I gave up at the foot of the mountain.”

 

Xia Yang: “…”

 

Sorry for interrupting. Anyone with dreams is remarkable.

 

But your “almost made it” is a bit too far off.

 

Since the elderly lady was determined to climb the hill, Xia Yang couldn’t refuse and took on the responsibility of assisting her.

 

Step by step, they climbed the stone steps, finally reaching the top after twenty minutes.

 

The pavilion stood at the summit, its roof a deep maroon, its pillars a rustic green, with intricately carved stone tables and chairs that were delicate and exquisite.

 

Looking down at the beautiful manor and feeling the gentle breeze on his face, Xia Yang sighed with contentment. “No wonder Brother Xiao Yi loved this place as a child.”

 

Mrs. Tang looked at him and pulled him to sit on a stone stool. “Xiao Yi probably never told you about his childhood. Before he was twelve, he wasn’t as cold and reserved as he is now. He used to be cheerful and outgoing, and he had a younger brother named Han Yu.”

 

“Really?” Xia Yang moved closer, genuinely interested in his husband’s childhood stories.

 

“When Xiao Yi was eleven, his parents divorced. His father remarried, and his mother took his younger brother abroad. When he was twelve, he and his brother planned to meet at Christmas. However, before returning to the country, Han Yu was tragically shot by criminals at the airport… Since then, Xiao Yi’s personality changed.” Mrs. Tang sighed heavily, her eyes turning red.

 

Xia Yang was stunned into silence. It was indeed a tragic story.

 

Mrs. Tang wiped her eyes and continued, “To help Xiao Yi open up again, I adopted Jin Yang. But no one can replace lost loved ones. As for Jin Yang…” She trailed off, shaking her head and sighing again.

 

“At the end of last year, Xiao Yi had a car accident. The doctors are uncertain if he’ll ever walk again. Over the past six months, he’s become even more withdrawn and cold. I often worry about his mental state. But now, with you by his side, he’s truly opened his heart…”

 

Mrs. Tang spoke, unable to resist glancing at the hickey on Xia Yang’s neck.

 

Isn’t that a sign of a heartfelt connection?!

 

Xia Yang was deeply moved by her words, feeling a dull ache mixed with sourness in his heart.

 

Before, he thought his wheelchair-bound husband was tragically beautiful. Now, hearing Mrs. Tang’s story, he felt it even more profoundly.

 

Mrs. Tang said Han Yi truly cared about him, and he knew it was thanks to his Oscar-worthy acting skills and the little hickey from last night.

 

But beyond that, shouldn’t he start treating his husband a bit better?

 

Not for the sake of their public image, but sincerely.

 

Of course, if Han Yi wanted to deepen their relationship physically, that wouldn’t be unwelcome either.

 

Legs don’t work? That’s fine. In the worst case, he could tearfully take the lead.

 

As his thoughts wandered wildly between physical and emotional realms, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a thick black cloud rolling in overhead. The air grew damp with the imminent threat of rain.

 

Xia Yang snapped back to reality and stood up quickly. “Grandma, let’s go back. It’s about to rain,” he said, pointing at the dark cloud. Mrs. Tang nodded and stood up too. They had just reached the stone steps when they realized the phone was left on the stone bench.

 

“You wait here; I’ll get it.” Xia Yang, being quick on his feet, ran back to fetch the phone.

 

Just then, two housemaids hurried up the winding path from the other side of the hill.

 

“Check the pavilion on the scenic hill. I saw it running that way!”

 

“Split up and search quickly! Young Master Jin Yang is already throwing a fit!”

 

The maids were shouting and bustling about, not noticing Xia Yang and Mrs. Tang.

 

Mrs. Tang called out to them, “What’s going on? What are you doing up here!”

 

The two maids, seeing it was the mistress, quickly explained, “Sorry, Madam, we didn’t see you. We… um… Young Master Jin Yang’s cat ran away, and we’re helping him find it.”

 

The Norwegian Forest Cat was one of the birthday gifts, a rare breed said to have cost Jin Yang five figures.

 

But Mrs. Tang didn’t like animals that shed fur. The Norwegian Forest Cat not only shed but was also large and very active, liking to cause havoc.

 

Earlier, she had politely declined the gift, suggesting it stay with someone who loved it more. Jin Yang was displeased but said nothing more.

 

At the foot of the hill, the cat search team was gathering. Someone looked up and shouted, “I see it! It’s there! At the pavilion!”

 

Xia Yang turned and spotted the large cat crouched on a rock, its brownish-yellow eyes fixed in a particular direction.

 

A sense of foreboding hit him. He remembered reading somewhere that this breed of cat could be very aggressive.

 

“Grandma, don’t stand near the edge of the steps, be careful behind you!” he shouted.

 

Almost simultaneously, the large cat tensed its hind legs and leaped. With a sharp “whoosh” sound, it lunged directly at Mrs. Tang, who was about to descend…

 

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Rain : Oh no grandmaaaaaaaaaaa (ノ ゜口゜)ノ

 

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