Cheng You's mind conjured the image of Xu Nanxi kneeling shamefully at the doorstep.
How could she miss out on such a scene?
"Sister-in-law, I'll hang up for now, I'm going over to take a look."
He Saozi echoed with an "Mm," "What are you going over for? Don't get involved."
Cheng You waved her hand behind her. How could she not get involved? She was going to kick him while he was down.
When she arrived, Xu Nanxi was still kneeling at the door.
He had received a disciplinary warning from the school, lost his internship, and his reputation was ruined.
If he were also kicked out of the Feng family, it would be like adding insult to injury.
How could he possibly withstand such a blow?
Xu Nanxi clenched his fists and beat his thighs, his eyes filled with malevolence.
Those two old geezers were truly heartless!
His pathetic state was fully observed by Cheng You.
She hoped Grandpa Feng would be firm; otherwise, bringing him back would be like inviting a wolf into the fold.
After standing for a while, Xu Nanxi, busy putting on a show, finally noticed her.
"What are you doing here?"
Cheng You walked over with a smile, "This military compound isn't your home, can't I come?"
Her words struck a raw nerve in Xu Nanxi, making his face even more contorted.
The people in the compound couldn't understand how much he envied those who lived there.
And he, who could only live as a dependent, was now being driven out.
"Tsk tsk, if Lin Yutian saw you like this, wouldn't she be heartbroken?"
A flicker of disgust crossed Xu Nanxi's face.
The girl who had poured her heart out for him, he had cast aside like worn-out shoes.
Cheng You couldn't quite decide whether to pity Lin Yutian or despise Xu Nanxi.
She ignored Xu Nanxi any longer and knocked on the door to enter.
The old lady was a bit surprised to see her.
"Why have you come over? It's so gloomy outside, I thought it was going to snow."
Cheng You rubbed her hands and went to her side to warm herself by the fire.
"The weather forecast did say it was going to snow."
The old lady glanced at the housekeeper and asked, "Is he still out there?"
"He is. Should I let him in?"
It was so cold, kneeling at the door was rather pitiable.
The old lady waved her hand, "It's not that I'm heartless, but this child is too much."
He had been calculating because his life had been hard.
To achieve a better life, he would go to any lengths to scheme. She had turned a blind eye to it.
Since he had come to the Feng family, his living expenses, though not the very best, were certainly better than those of an ordinary family.
Every month, she also gave him thirty yuan for food, which was already a lot.
Some families scrimped and saved, and that was the amount for a family of three or four.
For daily clothes and shoes, she didn't have the energy, so she had the housekeeper help with them.
The old gentleman had also privately subsidized him a considerable amount, truly treating him like his own child.
Now that he was here, they would definitely not mistreat him; what else could he possibly scheme for?
"It's not that I'm heartless, but I want to remind you both that Xu Nanxi isn't worth your heartfelt efforts."
Because he wouldn't cherish it, he would only take it for granted.
The old lady sighed with a somber expression. At her age, dealing with such matters was truly exhausting.
"I know, it's just that your Grandpa Feng is having a hard time."
His old friend had passed away, and his friend's son and daughter-in-law were also gone, leaving only this one child.
Putting aside what Xu Nanxi had done, his background was truly pitiful.
Not long after, the housekeeper's voice was heard nearby, "Oh dear, it's started snowing."
The old gentleman's face twitched; he was almost softening.
"Go tell him to leave."
"Alright, I'll go tell him."
After a while, the housekeeper walked back in.
"No, he just won't leave. It's so cold outside."
The sky was so dark, and this snow was likely to last for a while.
Cheng You held the old lady's hand, her grip tightening slightly.
"I know you're starting to soften."
The old lady sighed, "It's hard not to soften. Even if it were a child I didn't know, I wouldn't be able to bear it."
Let alone Xu Nanxi.
Before they could surrender, Xu Nanxi was brought in by others.
Cheng You hadn't met them before, but from the housekeeper's address, she recognized them as the old lady's eldest son and his wife.
As soon as the woman entered the room, she took off her thick cotton-padded coat and scarf, and her bright red lipstick complained, "How can you let a child kneel at the door in such cold weather? If his legs are ruined, his life will be over! You both know Qi Chengyan, he had to retire because his legs were injured..."
The man beside her pulled her, stopping her from continuing.
"Mom and Dad, Zhu Yan is right. Talk to the child properly, there's no need to make a scene like this."
Feng Yaojun also took off his overcoat and motioned for Xu Nanxi to sit down.
Xu Nanxi dared not sit and knelt down with his head bowed.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I know I was wrong."
Feng Yaojun scoffed, "Why are you kneeling again? A man's knees are made of gold, you can't kneel so easily. Get up."
The old lady did not give Zhu Yan a pleasant look.
She had a total of two sons and one daughter. Her daughter was lost during the war, leaving only her two sons with her.
The eldest daughter-in-law had improper conduct. She had set her sights on the Feng family's background, used underhanded tactics to get into bed with Feng Yaojun, and married him.
Then they had their eldest grandson, and adopted Feng Xue. The siblings had a poor relationship, which in turn led to their eldest grandson having a cold relationship with his parents.
The eldest son, at his age, married a woman twenty years his junior, which was quite a joke.
The elderly couple simply moved into the convalescent center and hired a housekeeper to take care of them, so they didn't need their son and daughter-in-law to attend to them.
At least it was less troublesome.
"Do I need to explain Xu Nanxi's past actions to you all again?" the old lady said with a cold face.
Feng Yaojun worried that Zhu Yan would say something offensive and quickly said, "Mom, we've heard everything. But this child was just impatient, wanting to achieve something, and was exploited by spies. Fortunately, no significant losses were incurred. He made a mistake, but his attitude in admitting it is good, and he is still very forgivable."
With a bang, the old gentleman slammed the walnuts he was playing with onto the table.
"Nonsense!" His face turned red with anger as he cursed.
Feng Yaojun had been beaten a lot in his childhood. That kind of soul-crushing pressure seemed to be deeply ingrained.
"Impatient? But his stupidity gave those spies an opening! You should be grateful they didn't succeed, otherwise Xu Nanxi would be a traitor, and would be facing a firing squad!"
The old gentleman's anger flared up whenever he thought of this matter.
Because of Xu Nanxi, he had almost ruined his reputation.
Zhu Yan frowned with displeasure, "Dad, can you not speak so harshly? What traitor? Didn't Cheng You also lose the Mu Xi grass? Why aren't you saying anything about her!"
She remembered how this Cheng You frequently bullied Feng Xue at school.
Cheng You, who had been watching the scene unfold, was stunned for a moment when she heard her name.
The old gentleman grabbed the cup in his hand and smashed it forcefully on the floor.
"You still have the nerve to drag others into this!"