Huayu: Starting from retirement, sweeping across the domestic entertainment industry

Chapter 232 Li Ran is Punished

The next morning, Changsha was filled with a refreshing coolness in the autumn air.

The old houses at the foot of Yuelu Mountain were shrouded in morning mist, their white walls and black tiles revealing blurry outlines in the thin fog, like a watercolor painting that hadn't quite dried yet.

Li Ran drove back to the old house alone.

Li's mother and Wang Churan stayed at the villa in the city. The hospital appointment was for tomorrow afternoon, and there was nothing to do today, so it was a good opportunity for Wang Churan to get some rest.

The car stopped at the gate of the courtyard. He pushed the gate open and went in, walked around the screen wall, and crossed the path paved with bluestone slabs. He could see several people in the courtyard from a distance.

The old lady was sitting in a wicker chair, with a thin blanket covering her legs, peeling an orange.

Liu Haocun sat next to her, wearing a loose beige knitted sweater, his hair was loose, and he was without makeup, but his skin was so white it glowed.

Liu's mother sat on the other side, holding a woven basket and picking green beans.

The three of them were chatting and laughing.

Li Ran approached, smiled at Liu Haocun, then looked at the old lady and called out, "Grandma."

The old lady was very happy to see Li Ran. She reached out and pulled Li Ran over, looking him up and down several times.

"You've lost weight. Have you not been eating properly again?" Her voice carried a tender, nagging quality typical of older people.

Li Ran smiled and indicated that she ate quite well.

He then turned to Liu's mother and respectfully called out, "Mom."

Liu's mother nodded, without saying anything more.

The old lady was about to have lunch, so she immediately started preparing it.

She stood up, straightened her clothes, looked at him, and asked, "Ranran, what do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Whatever, I'm fine with whatever I eat."

The old lady was not satisfied with this answer and pressed him for details, asking, "What does 'anything' mean?"

At this moment, Liu Haocun said from the side, "Grandma, I want to eat sweet and sour pork, and stir-fried eggplant, potatoes, and green peppers—"

After hearing this, the old lady stopped asking questions and pulled Liu's mother towards the kitchen.

Before leaving, he even gave Li Ran a couple of scoldings.

"Just say what you want to eat like Cun Cun does, that's what Grandma likes."

Li Ran sat down next to Liu Haocun. The rattan chair creaked, and he leaned back, turning his head to look at her.

In the sunlight, Liu Haocun's face looked a bit rounder than when we last met, and the lines of his chin were softer. He looked soft and fluffy, like a marshmallow warmed by the sun.

She was wearing a loose-fitting knit sweater, and her stomach was still flat, showing no signs of pregnancy.

But when she sits, she subconsciously protects her stomach with her hand. The movement is so subtle that she may not even realize it herself.

"Wang Churan is pregnant too." She looked at Li Ran with a sly smile, her doe eyes filled with a hint of smugness.

Li Ran nodded, without denying it.

He knew Liu Haocun would find out, and he didn't intend to hide it from her. He asked, "Who told you?"

"Last night, Mom said you were back and then left in a hurry. I knew something had happened. Later, I asked Chu Ran about it."

As Liu Haocun spoke, his fingers unconsciously rubbed his stomach. He paused, then added, "Grandpa seems to know."

I was a little angry at breakfast this morning. Now think about what to do.

After she finished speaking, a sly smile curved her lips, a hint of schadenfreude in her expression.

Li Ran's face stiffened.

He knew, of course, that the old man would be angry. It hadn't been long since Liu Haocun's pregnancy, and now he had brought back another one.

In the old man's eyes, this was not "the Li family is thriving," but "this brat is outrageous."

He originally planned to come back and confess on his own, but now that his mother had told the old man in advance, the situation was different. It meant that both of Li's parents knew about it and tacitly approved of it.

The old man's anger was probably directed at more than just him.

He looked at Liu Haocun with feigned pitifulness and gently tugged at her sleeve.

"If Grandpa punishes me, you have to speak up for me."

Liu Haocun shook his head, rolled his eyes at him, but the corners of his mouth were turned up really high.

"No way, you deserve it."

No sooner had they finished speaking than an aged and dignified voice came from behind them.

"Haocun is right, you deserve it." The voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the ground, carrying an unquestionable, old-fashioned severity.

Li Ran turned his head and saw the old man standing a few steps away.

He was wearing a dark Zhongshan suit, his back was very straight, his hair was gray, but he was in good spirits.

He was holding a cane, but he wasn't using it to walk; he was just carrying it, like it was just for decoration.

It seemed like it was about to strike Li Ran.

His gaze fell on Li Ran, his face expressionless, but there was a light in his eyes, weathered by time—not the light of joy, but the light of "you wait and see."

Li Ran's expression changed instantly. He forced a fawning smile and called out, "Grandpa."

The way he called "Grandpa" was soft and sweet, like the way he begged for forgiveness when he did something wrong as a child.

Liu Haocun also turned his head, looked at the old man, and smiled sweetly.

"Grandpa, what brings you here?" Her voice was clear and melodious, with a touch of girlish coquetry.

The old man's gaze softened as he looked at her, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"Haocun, you wait here for a bit. I have something to say to this brat." His tone left no room for negotiation, but when he spoke to Liu Haocun, his voice was half a tone lower than when he spoke to Li Ran.

Liu Haocun nodded obediently without asking any further questions.

"Okay, Grandpa." She glanced at Li Ran, her eyes filled with worry and a sense of helplessness, as if saying, "Take care of yourself."

Then she leaned back in the wicker chair and continued sunbathing, as if nothing had happened.

The old man turned and walked towards the study, gesturing for Li Ran to follow.

His steps were slow, but each step was steady, his cane tapping on the ground, like some kind of ancient timer.

Before Li Ran followed, he bent down, leaned close to Liu Haocun's ear, and whispered.

"Don't forget to call me for dinner later."

Liu Haocun nodded with a smile, the curve of his lips impossible to suppress.

She watched his back as he followed the old man into the study, the sunlight falling on her face and turning her eyelashes golden.

She reached out and touched her stomach, a slight smile playing on her lips.

This time she won't speak up for him; he deserves it.

But if he gets scolded too badly, she'll probably still knock on the study door.

The study door was closed.

The old man sat down in the chair next to the desk, his cane resting on his lap, neither put down nor using it as a support, just holding it there.

He didn't speak, but looked Li Ran up and down, his gaze sweeping from head to toe and back again, as if examining an old piece of furniture that he didn't know how to repair.

There was no anger in those eyes, weathered by time, but a chilling stillness that sent shivers down one's spine, like a lake in winter, calm on the surface but icy cold underneath.

He kept rubbing the handle of the cane in his hand, as if he was figuring out where to start, so that he would feel the pain but wouldn't actually hurt him.

Seeing this, Li Ran subconsciously swallowed.

It's not that I'm afraid of pain, it's that I feel guilty.

The old man has never laid a hand on him before. Is he going to make an exception this time?

"Grandpa," Li Ran called softly, trying to awaken the bond between grandfather and grandson.

The old man snorted coldly, "Don't try that with me, it's no use yelling now."

Although he said no, he didn't actually hit him. He just picked up his cane and pointed at him in a daze, tapping the cane twice in the air.

"Tell me, how many are left?"

"Besides Tian Xiwei's daughter, Hao Cun, and this one who just got pregnant—how many more? I want this old man to be prepared, so that they don't come home pregnant and then bring the baby with them."

Li Ran opened his mouth, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere, but seeing that the old man didn't intend to let him sit down, he subconsciously wanted to pull up a chair and sit down to talk slowly.

He had just bent over when the old man's cane gently tapped his arm. It didn't hurt, but the tap made him freeze.

"Standing down like that, you're taking advantage of my kindness." The old man's tone wasn't harsh, but his imposing presence made Li Ran stand up straight obediently.

He thought for a moment, went through those names in his mind, and then spoke, his voice not loud, but very clear.

"Four and a half, I guess."

He was referring to Zhang Jingyi, Zhang Ruonan, Zhou Ye, and Hu Lianxin; Lu Yuxiao could only be considered half a person.

As for Li Yitong, he had no intention of taking her home; some relationships don't need to be confirmed by "taking her home."

The old man frowned and tapped his cane on the ground.

"Five is five, four is four, how can they be split in half?"

His voice rose a little, already tinged with impatience, "While I'm not in a bad mood yet, confess honestly."

Li Ran had no choice but to tell them the details about those people.

"Zhou Ye, she was with me during college, and she was also my first girlfriend —"

He spoke in a softer tone, his gaze falling on the row of thread-bound books on the bookshelf, as if recalling something from a very, very distant past.

"Zhang Jingyi, a local from Changsha, is my junior from high school —"

"Hu Lianxin — Zhang Ruonan —"

He paused here, as if considering his words, then continued, "As for the other half, her name is Lu Yuxiao. Mainly because we've just gotten together, and I'm not sure if we can make it to the end."

He paused, as if confirming his words, "But these four, like Xiaotian and the other two, I'm definitely going to bring home. As for Lu Yuxiao, she'll probably do that later too—"

The old man fell silent after hearing this.

The quiet in the study wasn't an empty silence; it was a silence so full it was suffocating.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice a little softer than before, but the heaviness in his tone remained unchanged.

"You mean there will be more in the future?" His gaze fell on Li Ran's face, his eyes not filled with disappointment, but rather with helplessness.

Li Ran scratched his head awkwardly.

He dared not accept that, for he could not guarantee that it wouldn't happen again.

It's not that he doesn't want to guarantee it, it's that he doesn't even believe it himself.

The old man didn't press further, but instead asked a different question.

"Who got the longevity lock?"

"Zhou Ye," Li Ran answered truthfully without hesitation.

The old man's fingers paused on the handle of his cane for a moment, then continued to rub it.

He looked at Li Ran with a look that he hadn't seen before—not interrogation, but inquiry.

"Is this girl different from the others in your heart?" he asked directly.

Li Ran did not answer.

But he nodded, a very light but firm gesture.

The old man didn't say anything more.

He was silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "Okay, I understand."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the study door.

The door wasn't fully opened, only a crack. Liu Haocun poked half his head out through the crack, his doe-like eyes crinkling, and called out sweetly, "Grandpa, Grandma asked me to call you for dinner."

The old man's expression softened visibly the moment he saw her.

He nodded, stood up, and walked out with his cane.

Li Ran followed behind.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was very harmonious, without the oppressive feeling that Li Ran had just experienced in the study.

But after finishing his meal, the old man put down his chopsticks, looked at Li Ran, and said in a flat tone, "Go to the ancestral hall and kneel for half a day this afternoon."

Li Ran opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he met the old man's expressionless face, he swallowed his words back.

He nodded and said, "I understand."

The old lady wanted to say something, but after being glanced at by the old man, she didn't say anything more.

Liu Hao gently squeezed his hand under the table, then let go, casually picking up his bowl and continuing to drink his soup.

Li Ran looked at her profile and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

So be it, it's only for half a day.

That evening, in Liu Haocun's bedroom.

There was a small nightlight on the bedside table, shaped like a lotus flower. The old lady bought it for her specially, saying it would be convenient to get up at night.

Liu Haocun leaned against the headboard, holding a cushion in her hands. She was wearing a loose cotton nightgown. Her lower abdomen was not yet visible, but she looked a bit rounder, like a lychee that had been soaked in water, plump and juicy.

Li Ran sat on the edge of the bed, having just finished showering, casually drying her hair with a towel.

"When is Chu Ran coming?" Liu Haocun looked at him, a hint of anticipation in his doe-like eyes. "When she comes, I'll have someone to talk to."

Although her pregnancy was comfortable in her hometown, the old lady and Liu's mother took such good care of her that she hardly had any space of her own.

Every day, they take turns watching over us, and everything is arranged clearly, from what we eat and drink to what time we sleep and wake up.

Moreover, Liu Haocun is, after all, a young man, and doesn't have much to talk about with the older generation in his family.

Li Ran nodded, and stopped holding the towel in his hand.

"The check-up will be tomorrow afternoon."

He paused, hesitated for a moment, and then looked away from her face.

Liu Haocun noticed his hesitation.

She thought about it and realized—with her mother here and Wang Churan here, she would feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"It's okay." She looked up at him. "I'll talk to my mom."

Looking at her, Li Ran suddenly realized that she had really changed.

The Liu Haocun of the past was a bit pedantic, speaking in riddles and making it impossible for people to guess what she was thinking.

Now she has a more mature charm.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Liu Haocun rolled his eyes at him, somewhat reproachfully.

She brushed a stray hair behind her ear, looked at him, and suddenly said, "By the way, you're taking Chu Ran for a check-up tomorrow, I'd like to get a follow-up check-up too?"

Li Ran nodded: "Okay, let's go together tomorrow."

Liu Haocun lay down and fell into a brief silence.

"Li Ran," she suddenly said.

"Um?

""

"Do you think Chu Ran is having a boy or a girl?"

Li Ran was speechless at her question.

"How would I know?" He paused, looking at her deep in thought, and couldn't help but laugh.

Why do you care about this?

Liu Haocun pursed his lips, "Just asking."

She spoke casually, but Li Ran noticed that her hand was on his lower abdomen, gently stroking it. The gesture was so gentle that it softened his heart.

He reached out and took her hand in his. Her hand was small, with slender fingers and slightly cool fingertips. He held it in his palm, and it felt like a piece of jade being warmed.

He looked into her eyes and said, "I love you whether you're a boy or a girl."

Li Ran knew that although she was asking whether Wang Churan was carrying a boy or a girl, she also wanted to know whether she was carrying a boy or a girl.

She also subtly asked Li Ran whether he preferred boys or girls.

Liu Haocun looked into his eyes for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Mmm." She nodded softly.