Chapter 24 The Wife through Thick and Thin (24)

"We should move..."

The words Chen Jin, even more listless than before, said to his parents upon returning home, struck them like a thunderbolt out of the blue.

"Move? Why? We live very well here..."

Mrs. Chen was reluctant to move. Although it was an old neighborhood, the surroundings were nice, and they had grown emotionally attached to it over the years.

"Let's move, listen to our son..." Father Chen wielded the final hammer, decisively making the decision.

Although he also really didn't want to move, he was even more unwilling to listen to idle gossip every day.

Proud for half his life, now in his old age, he couldn't stand the humiliation.

"Sell this place and also the marriage house of our son before, add some money, and buy a bigger, better one for our whole family to live together."

Chen Jin had no objection to his father's words. The marriage house he had with Su Li, he had no intention of living in it anymore.

But the current housing prices had been rising year after year compared to a few years ago.

The new house they repurchased wasn't much larger in size compared to the previous one, yet the price had more than doubled.

The Chen family's old couple had poured all their savings into it, and it was just enough.

Chen Jin still had some money in his hands, but he was thinking of using it to start his own business.

But before his plan could take action, the court summons was the first to arrive.

"The world has turned upside down, tomorrow, tomorrow we'll go find Old Su, they've raised a fine daughter indeed.... It's not enough they put my son through so much, they still dare to fight us over Doudou's custody...."

Mrs. Chen tore the summons into shreds without hesitation.

Chen Jin's gloomy gaze suddenly followed the scraps on the floor and shifted onto Mrs. Chen.

Unaware of the change, Mrs. Chen kept ranting and raving, cursing Su Li and the Su family parents....

"Enough." Chen Jin's face turned ashen with rage as he smashed all the newly bought items in the new house to smithereens.

Mrs. Chen was stunned and shrank into a ball in the corner in terror but was then pulled out by Father Chen, who slapped her face several times.

"I told you not to provoke our son recently, can't you understand simple human language?"

"I... I... I...."

"Don't just stand there, think of something, by any means necessary, Doudou is the root of the Chen family, nobody is allowed to snatch him away."

But things often don't develop according to one person's wishes.

No matter how angry or resentful the Chen family were, the time for the court session on the summons came.

Chen Jin had hoped to see Su Li at this time, but Su Li herself did not appear, leaving everything to her lawyer to handle.

At this time, the situations of Chen Jin and Su Li were completely reversed.

One in heaven, one on earth.

The judge quickly made the decision that the custody of Doudou would belong to Su Li, leaving the Chen family helpless in their resentment.

After this episode, the Chen family stirred up quite a commotion for a while.

But all this had nothing to do with Su Li anymore.

Su Li knew her parents had moved to the countryside to live, but she didn't show up in front of them, only ensuring that they received their living expenses in their account every month.

And Doudou, along with Yaya, would be taken to visit the two old people occasionally.

Su Li felt this distance was just right.

Over time, Su family's parents' resentment towards Su Li dissipated quite a bit, and every time the kids visited, they would subtly inquire about many things related to their own daughter.

"My mom is so amazing... lots of people really like her...."

"Yes, yes... they all say her books are very good, but Daddy Mu Qian never reads them to me...."

Doudou and Yaya were eating and speaking indistinctly. Their words were filled with admiration for Su Li.

In their eyes, their mom was an extremely capable person. When the kindergarten teachers and the other kids' parents found out they were Su Li's children, they would smile more beautifully and even ask for her autograph on sticky notes to take home.

"Su Li's writings are very popular now, and a lot of people particularly like them,"

Xi Muqian added from the side.

In the past, Doudou and Yaya would only visit the countryside accompanied by a nanny, but now Xi Muqian had volunteered, accompanying the two children every time.

The Su Family's parents scanned Xi Muqian from head to toe with their scrutinizing gaze as if their eyes were rays of x-rays.

While their conversation was disjointed, Xi Muqian remained the ever-courteous gentleman, showing great respect to the elderly couple.

So now he too could chime in occasionally.

"Xiao Li used to love writing... after the college entrance exam, she even wanted to apply for a literature major...."

Mrs. Su said this, then couldn't help but turn to glance at the old man beside her, lowering her voice considerably, "But we thought a finance major would be better...."

Mr. Su, with a downcast gaze, got up silently and walked towards the house.

At that moment, a ceaseless wave of regret surged in his heart.

He had never really understood what his child truly wanted, always forcibly stuffing what he wanted into her arms.

In the end, his daughter had still achieved what she wanted.

...A writer....

Mr. Su couldn't contain his joy, yet it was tinged with bitterness.

These days, they had been pondering and had finally come to understand, but the chasm drawn between them and their daughter seemed beyond repair.

Mrs. Su watched her husband's hunched back, felt deeply saddened, forced a smile, and whispered to Doudou and Yaya, "If you have time, ask your mom to come visit grandma and grandpa too, we miss her a lot."

Turning her head, she then said to Xi Muqian, "You're a good person, take good care of Xiao Li from now on."

It was only with Xi Muqian's attentive care these days as a contrast that Mrs. Su realized how inadequate Chen Jin had been as a son-in-law, father, and husband.

All Xi Muqian could do was offer a bitter smile, "Su Li and I are just very good friends...."

Mrs. Su smiled and kept silent.

----------------------

Su Li felt that life was incredibly peaceful, with children, friends, and doing things she loved.

Until the end of her life, Su Li and Xi Muqian never became a couple.

Although they never ended up together, in the eyes of others, they seemed very much like a pair.

Doudou and Yaya even sometimes called Xi Muqian 'Daddy' behind Su Li's back.

Sometimes they would ask their mother why she never accepted someone who, with his status and position, stayed scandal-free and devoted his whole heart to caring for her.

At those times, Su Li would just smile faintly and say, "I don't love Xi Muqian, and he doesn't love me...."

"There is no love between us."

Doudou and Yaya were thoroughly puzzled; everyone praised their affair.

Everyone said that because of Su Li and Xi Muqian, they believed in love again.

So how could mom think that way, even Uncle Mu Qian, upon hearing such words, just smiled.

But that smile seemed to carry something else within it.