Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"Then... then Uncle Xue is good at making money, and he's very capable."

As Lin Ruoxi spoke, she tidied up the house according to Xue Rui's instructions.

"Yes, that's correct."

Xue Rui smiled, thinking to himself that Lin Ruoxi had quite high emotional intelligence. When he slandered his father, she not only didn't agree with him, but instead found other good points to praise.

Lin Ruoxi held a small rattle drum in both hands, watching it with great fascination.

These toys are proof of Xue Rui's growth.

Suddenly, Xue Rui's gentle voice came from beside her: "Do you like it?"

"Yes, I like it." Lin Ruoxi nodded slightly and reluctantly put it into the storage box.

Looking at these toys always reminds me of Xue Rui when she was a child, as if I've stepped into a time when she didn't exist.

"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Xue Rui stuffed the rattle into Lin Ruoxi's hand.

Lin Ruoxi hurriedly returned it, saying, "No... these are my grandparents' collection, I can't take them."

"Can taking my own childhood toys be considered stealing?"

Xue Rui lowered his voice and looked around nervously, looking like a guilty thief.

"Um...but..."

Before Lin Ruoxi could react, Xue Rui had already stuffed the rattle into his down jacket.

"Hide well, don't get discovered."

Xue Rui casually zipped up the down jacket, then patted Lin Ruoxi's rattle through the jacket.

With a creak, the door was opened.

Lin Ruoxi hurriedly tried to take the things out, afraid that she would be caught red-handed for "stealing the rattle drum".

But the door was already half open, and there wasn't enough time to take it out...

"Xiao Rui, let me see the baby girl you brought."

A slightly plump old woman walked into the room. This was Xue Rui's maternal grandmother. Because of her long-term hair dyeing and dressing up, she did not look as old as her maternal grandfather.

"Don't come in, Xiao Rui is so old." Grandpa tugged at Grandma's clothes.

"Old man, why didn't you say she was pregnant?" Grandma asked resentfully.

Grandpa looked closely and murmured, "It really is! I didn't see it clearly because it was dark."

Xue Rui turned his head, looking completely bewildered.

At this moment, Lin Ruoxi was covering her lower abdomen with both hands. Her belly was slightly protruding, and she had two blushes on her face. Her eyes were also darting around, as if someone had guessed correctly.

Xue Rui's lips twitched. He knew very well that it wasn't a "pregnancy" at all; Lin Ruoxi was just afraid of being caught red-handed.

"I……"

Lin Ruoxi wanted to explain something, but Xue Rui's grandmother had already grabbed her arm.

She just wanted to prevent the rattle from slipping out of her down jacket so she could return it after the person left.

Why did it turn out like this?

"How many months?"

"Grandma...I didn't..."

Lin Ruoxi was at a loss. How could she explain that she was carrying a baby?

Unable to figure it out, Lin Ruoxi looked to Xue Rui for help.

Xue Rui found the little girl pitiful at this moment, and it would be interesting to look at her for a while longer.

"I'll explain after we finish eating," Xue Rui said, stepping forward and pulling his grandmother away.

"Xiao Rui, no wonder you haven't come back. Have you forgotten your grandma now that you have such a beautiful wife?"

"Hmm, how could that be?"

……

At the dinner table, Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi sat side by side, with their maternal grandparents in front of them.

The elderly couple kept serving food to Lin Ruoxi and asking about her family situation.

"It's hot inside, take off your coat."

"It's not hot." Lin Ruoxi shook her head repeatedly.

"Yes, that's right. Don't let the child catch a cold."

……

"How many siblings do you have?" the old lady asked.

"Me alone..."

"What do your parents do?"

"I have no parents," Lin Ruoxi said weakly.

"What about the other relatives?"

There is only one grandmother.

"Sigh~ Come visit Grandpa and Grandma often from now on." Grandma's eyes reddened.

……

In stark contrast, Xue Rui was in a good mood. Ever since Lin Ruoxi was misunderstood, the old couple's attention had completely shifted, and they hadn't asked him a single question from beginning to end.

As for Lin Ruoxi's household registration being checked, he didn't care at all.

Anyway, my grandparents will ask me about it eventually, so I might as well use my tragic backstory to gain some sympathy first.

"Oh dear, Fangfang was about your age when she was pregnant with Xiaorui," Grandpa said with a sigh.

Xue Rui felt it was time to explain. A small misunderstanding was acceptable, but the elderly couple shouldn't have too high expectations.

He reached into Lin Ruoxi's down jacket, pulled out a rattle, and slowly shook it a few times, making a "dong dong" sound to attract everyone's attention.

Lin Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief; Xue Rui had finally taken the rattle away.

"Do you like it?" Xue Rui asked.

"I...I like it," Lin Ruoxi murmured, unsure of Xue Rui's meaning.

Grandma recognized the item as belonging to the family and gestured to Xue Rui to give the rattle drum to Lin Ruoxi.

"Thank you, Grandma." Lin Ruoxi immediately beamed with joy.

So that's what Xue Rui meant—to have her grandmother deliver it to her personally, so it wouldn't be considered stealing.

Grandpa looked under the table and couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Rui, where did you pull that out from?"

"In her belly."

Xue Rui pulled open Lin Ruoxi's coat, and Lin Ruoxi obediently stood up and took it off.

With a "clatter," the chopsticks fell to the ground.

"Where's the baby?" Grandma suddenly stood up, walked to Lin Ruoxi's side, bent down and touched Lin Ruoxi's belly.

Grandpa's eyes widened as well. Lin Ruoxi had a graceful figure, but her abdomen was completely flat...

Combining this with what Xue Rui had just said and his strange behavior during the meal, he suddenly understood something.

"Her belly was so swollen just now, did she stuff this in?" Grandpa said with a laugh.

“We never said there was anything about a pregnancy.”

Xue Rui said, shaking the rattle-drum, without a trace of remorse.

"Oh well, what a disappointment." Grandma sighed with a worried look on her face.

Lin Ruoxi shrank her neck, thinking that Xue Rui would be scolded, but her grandparents only looked disappointed.

“We’re still in school, there will be…” Lin Ruoxi said haltingly.

Xue Rui shuddered. Why did you steal my lines?
Grandma's eyes lit up, and she started patting and touching Lin Ruoxi all over, completely disregarding Lin Ruoxi's feelings. Grandma patted Lin Ruoxi's waist: "Xiao Rui, you found a good wife. She has wide hips, which is good for having babies."

"They say a mother who is short will have a litter of short children. Look at this tall girl, her children will definitely be tall too."

Grandma put her hands on her hips, looked at Lin Ruoxi's chest, and nodded with satisfaction:

"Hmm, it's obvious my great-grandson won't go hungry..."

"This is my wife. Have you seen her yet?" Xue Rui hurriedly pulled Lin Ruoxi into his arms.

That's incredibly rude, like something out of a feudal society. They didn't treat Lin Ruoxi as an independent person at all.

No wonder my aunt and grandmother don't get along. It's not a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law problem at all; it's a problem of differing values.

Lin Ruoxi blushed and her breathing became rapid. She buried her face in Xue Rui's arms.

Xue Rui called her wife...

"Hmm?" Xue Rui noticed Lin Ruoxi nestled in his arms, secretly giggling.

He suddenly realized he had made a slip of the tongue and had been misled by the elderly couple...

Phew~ Luckily Gu Muxue wasn't around, and Lin Ruoxi wasn't the type to be jealous; she would only secretly be happy inside.

"Xiao Rui, didn't you bring it back so I could see it?" Grandma asked back.

Xue Rui looked speechless: "You need to change your outdated thinking."

Grandpa laughed and agreed, "That's right, young people today are different from us back then."

Xue Rui turned his head: "Grandpa, you're the same, you need to change."

The old man scratched his head, wondering why this was related to him.
"Eat first, Grandpa will definitely change," Grandpa said with a smile.

Xue Rui simply stopped hiding it. No matter what temper he threw in front of his grandparents, the elderly couple would tolerate it without any limits.

No matter what he asks for, the elderly couple will listen attentively, unlike Ren Qunfang and Ren Jun, who argue at the drop of a hat.

This is called being arrogant because of favor.

"Don't keep my room. I've packed all my things," Xue Rui said.

"what?"

Grandpa looked bewildered. He saw Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi tidying up the room and assumed that his grandson was planning to stay here with his wife for an extended period.

So it was a move?
“No, that house is reserved for you. Otherwise, where will you live when you come back?” Grandpa rejected the idea outright.

If Xue Rui doesn't come back to stay even though a room was reserved for him, he'll be even less likely to come if there's no room available.

Grandma's eyes were brimming with tears, and her voice trembled as she said, "I raised you to this age, and now that you have a wife, you don't want your grandma anymore. How am I supposed to live..."

Lin Ruoxi anxiously grasped Xue Rui's hand, looking at him expectantly: "Quick...quickly comfort Grandma."

Xue Rui's heart softened. "Xi Xi, you don't know, this is my grandma's three tricks: crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. She uses them on whoever she can catch."

Xue Rui sighed, her tone softening: "Grandpa and Grandma, that's not what I meant. I promise I'll come often in the future, but there's one condition."

Upon hearing this, Grandma immediately stopped crying: "Xiao Rui, tell me, what do you want Grandma to buy?"

"It's not about buying things." Xue Rui chuckled. "I'm the only one with a room, and my cousins ​​are resentful and don't get along with me."

"I'll give them a good talking to during the New Year; they're really too disobedient," Grandpa said, waving his hand.

"Aren't you just adding fuel to the fire?" Xue Rui said, speechless.

This favoritism is just too much!
If Grandpa really did that, he could imagine the looks in his two cousins' eyes—they would skin him alive with their gazes.

Her two cousins ​​would stay here during the Chinese New Year. If none of the children had their own rooms, it would be fine; they could just squeeze in with their parents and the New Year would be over. But her grandson has his own room, which is empty during the Chinese New Year.

"Xiao Rui, what do you suggest? We'll listen to you." Grandpa smiled sheepishly.

"I'm doing this for your own good. Your two younger cousins ​​are still young, and they'll definitely start arguing with the family when they get older," Xue Rui said earnestly.

"Xiao Rui has a point. Should we tidy up the side room for them?" Grandma murmured.

"That won't work either. Girls are the most calculating. They'll ask why I get to stay in the best room."

Xue Rui pretended to think for a long time before slowly saying, "Both my eldest uncle and my youngest uncle have rooms, so give my room to my mother."

"She's married now, what does she need a room for?" Grandpa asked instinctively.

“This is her home, so it’s only natural that she has a room here. My cousin won’t be jealous of my aunt, but she’ll be jealous of me, so it’s most suitable for my mom.”

Although the room is officially designated for my mother, don't I actually spend most of the time there?

It's impossible to change the elderly couple's mindset of sixty or seventy years in one go, so Xue Rui can only persuade them from his own perspective.

First, vacate the room. Once there's a room, Ren Qunfang will be willing to come back. People are all made of flesh and blood; they can naturally reconcile over time.

Grandpa puffed on his pipe, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible the idea seemed. He chuckled and said, "No wonder you're a top student, your mind is so quick."

"We still need to maintain appearances. Grandma, do you have any photos of my mom when she was little? Preferably individual photos," Xue Rui asked.

"It seems to be on the cabinet. I'll go get it now." Grandma stood up.

"Hmm, I'm tall, I'll go get it." Lin Ruoxi hurriedly followed.

After the two left, only Xue Rui and his grandfather remained at the dining table.

"Has my mom come back recently?" Xue Rui asked curiously.

Grandpa paused for a moment, then tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe: "He brought Yaoyao here half a month ago, dropped her off, and left without even eating."

Suddenly, Grandpa realized that Xue Rui seemed to have been talking about Ren Qunfang the whole time he came back today.

"Xiao Rui, what's wrong with your mom?"

Xue Rui shook his head: "It's nothing."

If there's no room for her, wouldn't staying there just be making things harder for herself?
"Your uncle's idea is good. After having a computer and Wi-Fi, Yao Yao played for a few more days. You can play for a few more days too," Grandpa said with a smile.

He had already experimented on Xue Yao, and was no longer so hasty in returning home. He didn't leave until the start of the new semester, reluctant to part with her.

"Yaoyao showed me a picture of your wife. She looks a lot like your mother when she was little. How come the picture looks so different from her in person?" Grandpa said, looking out the window.

Xue Rui's brow twitched violently. He thought this matter would take at least a year or two to happen. Was Xue Yao stabbing him in the back?
Damn it, could it be because of the right to use my grandfather's computer?

Seeing Xue Rui's conflicted expression, as if he had something he couldn't say, his grandfather asked softly, "Xiao Rui, did you change to another one?"

Xue Rui was at a loss for words.

Because he has two girlfriends, he doesn't dare to go home...

However, this matter couldn't be kept secret for long.

Xue Rui couldn't help but wonder, given how protective his grandparents were of him, what would his grandfather say to him if he readily admitted it?
"Is it possible that both of them are my girlfriends?" Xue Rui said with a smile.

"Ahem!" Grandpa coughed twice on purpose, glanced at the door first, and then asked in a low voice, "Do they... know anything about each other?"

"I know," Xue Rui replied truthfully.

Not only did I know, Gu Muxue and Lin Ruoxi were also good friends, and they even prepared red envelopes for each other during the Chinese New Year.

Grandpa smiled with satisfaction: "Hehe, two granddaughters-in-law."

"Grandpa, don't you think I'm a jerk?"

Xue Rui looked puzzled. This was the first time someone had openly supported him having two relationships at once.

"What kind of talk is that? Xiao Rui is so capable, so what if he only has two wives?"

"What do you mean only two?" Xue Rui's pupils dilated in shock.

"I don't know if I've told you this before, but I had seven grandmothers when I was a child. Our family was once very wealthy. We used to have more than a dozen mills and more than a thousand acres of land..." Grandpa didn't care at all and got more and more excited as he talked.

Xue Rui counted on his fingers, his maternal grandfather's grandmother?

That was all in the last century.

"If you're capable, find a few more; if you're not, stay single. It's perfectly normal..."

Xue Rui interrupted, "Stop, stop! What era are you talking about? Times have changed."

Grandpa took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled:
"Hasn't it always been like this? When did it change?" (End of Chapter)