Chapter 267 Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

Stone, a child only a few years old, actually contracted pneumonia, and the old man's cane clattered loudly on the ground.

"What do you mean it's not a big deal? You're not the one who's sick, you're not the one who's suffering. How do you usually take care of such a small child? How can you say something like that? I really don't know how you can be a father. My daughter must have been blind to have chosen you."

As Old Master Ren spoke, he grew increasingly angry, and thinking of his daughter who had passed away at a young age, his eyes welled up with tears.

Xiao Xueyi was filled with guilt: "Mom and Dad, I'm sorry. It was indeed my oversight. The problem with the child is my fault. No matter how much you scold me, as long as you feel better, that's fine. But please don't hurt yourselves."

Otherwise, his crime would be much greater.

Grandpa Ren took a deep breath and gripped the phone receiver tightly in his hand: "Forget it, I've always known you're useless. I might as well go over there myself."

Xiao Xueyi's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected such an unexpected surprise.

Even though he hadn't said anything yet, the old couple started clamoring to come over, which actually saved him a lot of trouble.

"Old woman, go and take those chickens we raise at home. The child is weak right now and needs to be properly nourished. Also, take some extra money with you."

Hearing the orderly arrangements being made on the other end of the phone, Xiao Xueyi quickly said, "Mom and Dad, you don't need to worry about the money. We have everything else here. You just need to bring some clothes for the changing seasons, as well as your usual medications. Shi Tou and I hope you can stay here for a long time."

Grandma Huang was so angry at Xiao Xueyi's words that she laughed. She snorted coldly, "Things are different now. We are Shitou's maternal grandparents, but you have a new wife now. Do you think we two old people living alone will be treated well? Don't worry, even if we go, we will stay in a guesthouse and will definitely not cause you any trouble."

Grandpa Ren nodded in agreement: "Our main purpose this time is to go and see the stones. We won't trouble you to prepare anything else. Besides, your mother is no pushover either. We don't want you to be caught in the middle. I know how much my daughter suffered back then. It's a pity you're blind to her suffering, and she's not smart either."

Grandpa Ren's words were full of disappointment and frustration, so Xiao Xueyi quickly tried to explain.

“Mom and Dad, I already know everything that happened before. My mom is going back to the countryside tomorrow at noon. I've bought her a train ticket. I will never let her see Shitou again. Also, there was another reason why Lü Jie and I got married. She accidentally fell into a river near Wang Shu's grave. I had just finished burning paper money for Wang Shu and happened to be there. I thought I would save her life, but she used it to blackmail me, saying that I touched her body…”

He had wanted to explain these things for a long time, but the two old people never gave him the chance.

"I wanted to apologize to you two years ago, but you and Mom were very firm at the time. I thought you just couldn't accept Wangshu's death. I didn't expect that such a deep rift would develop between us later. Mom and Dad, I really have never done anything to wrong Wangshu. I have never done it before, and I will never do it in the future."

His voice softened involuntarily: "As for Lü Jie, she suffers from mental illness and has been detained. She may receive treatment at a mental hospital later. Mom and Dad, believe me, I really hope that Shi Tou can grow up safely and healthily. I promised you that I would take good care of Wang Shu, but I failed to do so. It was my fault."

The elderly couple exchanged a glance, never expecting that the events of that year would still be entangled in so many twists and turns. The misunderstandings that could have been cleared up long ago had, due to their stubbornness, created so many prejudices.

The old couple's anger subsided somewhat, but the old man's tone still sounded somewhat reluctant.

"You had your own reasons for what happened back then, but you still bear a lot of responsibility for the child's illness. Your mother and I will go and see the child first. As for whether we need to stay there long-term, we'll talk about that later."

The elderly couple hadn't seen Shitou for two years, and they had almost forgotten what the little guy looked like.

Although Xiao Xueyi sent them a photo last year, children grow up so fast, they don't know if Shitou still remembers them.

Grandpa Ren wished he could come over immediately and give Xiao Xueyi a good scolding, but when he thought that the most urgent thing was to visit the child, his heart softened completely.

The eggs that had been stored at home for two months were all bagged and put into a basket, and the free-range chickens that had been raised for a whole year had their legs tied up. Old Mrs. Huang was tidying up her clothes.

“This is a jacket I made for Shi Tou. I was planning to visit him this year, but I never expected that I would have to leave now. My poor child.”

Seeing his wife bring up painful memories, Old Man Ren sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to comfort her: "Alright, alright, we're going to the capital soon, aren't we? Spend a couple of days with Shi Tou. He's our own daughter's child, how could he not be close to us? He's not stupid, he definitely knows who's truly good to him."

Grandma Huang nodded and continued packing her luggage in silence.

With things finally settled, Xiao Xueyi felt much more at ease. When he returned after making the call, Shi Tou had just woken up, his eyes still looking dazed.

He lay on the bed, feeling a little bored, and occasionally looked out the window.

In fact, Xiao Xueyi could also sense that Shi Tou seemed to have relaxed a lot since leaving Yang Suxian and Lü Jie.

When he was mostly awake, he wasn't so tense anymore, especially when he saw Shu Ying; he always had a smiling face.

That's a child's most basic sense of security. He felt at ease with Shuying. Back when Renwangshu was still alive, Shitou was just as innocent and naive.

Perhaps sensing someone outside, Shi Tou turned around and saw him. Xiao Xueyi put one hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open to go inside.

"Dad, why were you outside the door the whole time?"

Xiao Xueyi walked over quickly, placed the fruit he had bought in front of the bedside table, and washed two grapes for him.

“I just called your grandparents and they know you’re sick and they’re very worried about you. But they’ll be here soon, and you’ll be able to see them soon. Are you happy, Shitou?”