Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 697 Why are you calling me Grandma too?
Zhujiang Imperial View and Donghu North Courtyard are not far apart, especially as the Spring Festival approaches and there are fewer and fewer vehicles on the road. If there is no traffic jam, it only takes about ten minutes to get there.

Professor Lu gave his grandparents quite a lot of gifts, and they were all expensive, high-end items.

Clearly, Professor Lu would never allow his daughter to be criticized by her in-laws when it comes to etiquette and saving face.

In reality, Chen Zhe didn't care about these things, nor did Song Shiwei. The concept of "face" is a difference in values ​​between the younger and older generations.

However, once upstairs, the house was empty again, all the bedroom doors were closed, and the living room curtains were half-drawn.

The light was dim and eerie, like a ship sunk at the bottom of the sea, and even the air seemed to carry a hint of drowsiness, like someone taking a midday nap.

"They went to the flower market this morning and came back to sleep before getting up."

Chen whispered an explanation to Song Shiwei beside him.

Sweet nodded her rounded chin, put on her slippers, and quietly came to the living room.

Chen then drew back the curtains, letting the light stream in through the balcony. As a result, the ship at the bottom of the sea seemed to float ashore, and everything became bright and cheerful.

"What do you want to drink?"

Chen asked, "Coke or Sprite? No plain water, though."

"I'll drink baijiu..."

Originally, Song Shiwei was about to answer honestly, but after hearing the second half of the man's sentence, she could only turn her head away reproachfully, not wanting to argue with him.

"Here, your water."

Finally, Chen Zhe smiled and handed her a glass of warm water. Song Shiwei sipped it slowly while observing the environment of her "mother-in-law's" house.

I was too nervous when I came here last Mid-Autumn Festival, and I was also under the watchful eyes of my parents, so I was too embarrassed to look around.

Looking around, the house is clearly quite old; the paint on the floor is faded and peeling. However, because everything is kept very clean and tidy, it doesn't feel dilapidated.

Like the pages of an old book that have been handled many times, it exudes a sense of peace and harmony after being polished by the years.

On the TV cabinet was a family photo of the three of them. Chen was probably around ten years old at the time. It is said that boys over ten years old don't like taking photos, especially photos with their parents. There was a faint smell of cooking oil in the air, but it didn't smell pungent at all.

The balcony was even more lively, with rows of green plants, including common orchids, clivias, and fiddle-leaf figs, as well as small kumquats and cherry tomatoes that can be used as both fruit and green plants, their green leaves rustling.

Song Shiwei quite liked this "home".

"Are those the ones Auntie raised?"

After looking around, Song Shiwei looked at the balcony and asked.

Chen had already turned on the TV, but there was no sound.

However, the show being broadcast was "Bright Sword," a TV series that doesn't require sound; you can understand what the characters are saying just by watching the visuals. So Chen watched it with great interest, like watching a pantomime.

When Song Shiwei asked, Chen glanced at her and said lazily, "It's just a middle-aged woman's hobby. A few days ago, when the fruit ripened and came to fruition, she even posted it on her WeChat Moments."

Song Shiwei clenched her small fist and punched Chen's leg, seemingly to punish him for talking nonsense, then got up and walked to the balcony.

Chen ignored it, and casually took out his phone to check his messages. Some work-related matters required email replies, so he looked at them for a while before going to his bedroom to turn on his computer.

The living room then fell silent again.

Only the ticking of the clock seemed to be counting down the long years.

Song Shiwei was on the balcony, probably a little bored, so she took the pruning shears and focused intently on cutting off some dead leaves.

Lu Man is an expert in this field, and as her daughter, Sweet naturally knows a little about it.

However, she was facing away from the living room and was too focused to notice that a little old lady was quietly standing in front of the glass door of the balcony.

The old lady noticed the commotion and thought a thief had broken into her house, so she quietly went out of her bedroom and saw the stranger.

The "stranger" had her hair tied in a low ponytail, with some fine, downy strands hanging down her neck, swaying gently in the breeze as she moved her hands. She had a clean and unassuming demeanor, with a hint of aloofness in her eyes, but this natural and pure quality made the elders feel particularly at ease.

"cough~"

The old lady suddenly coughed.

Song Shiwei then realized that there was an elderly person behind her.

She turned her head, but Chen Zhe was nowhere to be seen.

So, facing the old lady's kind gaze, Song Shiwei could only lower her head and softly call out, "Grandma..."

The only elderly person who could appear at this time would be my maternal grandmother.

When she heard the word "Grandma," she suddenly grinned, and the wrinkles on her face "suddenly" blossomed.

Like chamomile in the loess soil, it blooms with a graceful expanse after weathering many storms.

She stretched out her thin arm, took Song Shiwei's hand, and led her to the sofa. Looking at the slightly nervous girl, her tone was full of affection: "Girl, why are you calling me grandma too?"

"I……"

Song Shi blinked her clear eyes. She wanted to say, "Because Chen calls you Grandma."

However, although the reason was simple, it was too direct. Given Song Shiwei's personality, the words lingered on her lips, but she ultimately didn't dare to say them out loud.

It also manifested as a subtle, almost imperceptible unease on her fair cheeks.

Fortunately, Chen Zhe, who heard the noise, came out of the bedroom and said with a smile, "Grandma, this is Song Shiwei. She went to the same high school and university as me. I heard you came to Guangzhou for the New Year and was thinking of meeting you."

This introduction is quite "tricky"; it can be interpreted as either a "female friend" or a "girlfriend," depending entirely on how the person hearing it interprets it. In any case, there's no problem.

Furthermore, the man was worried about giving himself away, so he quickly changed the subject: "Grandma, Song Shiwei's mother brought you a lot of gifts, they're all on the sofa."

Grandma glanced at it, but quickly looked away because she noticed something even more interesting.

"I thought Xiao Song's gift... was in her hands."

Grandma said with a smile.

"what?"

Chen was stunned for a moment. Sure enough, Sweetie's hand was bulging as if she was holding something.

"what?"

Chen asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Song Shiwei felt even more embarrassed, and she subconsciously tried to put her hands behind her back.

But after thinking about it, she felt that she couldn't hide it anymore, so she pouted her cute but pitiful little face and hesitantly opened her palm.

A ripe cherry tomato, bright red.

She had just picked it and was about to show it off to Chen Zhe.

"Hahaha……"

When Grandma saw that it was indeed a cherry tomato, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, exclaiming, "How could there be such an interesting girl?"

It's chilly and cold outside, but surprisingly cute and a little silly inside.

But Grandma's laughter not only woke up Grandpa, but also Chen Peisong and Mao Xiaoqin.

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(I'll post another chapter tonight, it might be quite late. I just got back to Guangzhou and finished revising this chapter. I also need to post a separate chapter for the physical book later (the editor asked me to).)
(End of this chapter)