Ch 21: The Scumbag’s Daily Wife-Doting Life [QT]

News of Old Master Xie’s return somehow spread throughout the city.

The very next day, countless visitors arrived at the Xie residence.

There were old friends who had gone through similar hardships and had only recently returned to the capital, distant relatives who came to offer greetings, and even some of Old Master Xie’s former students…

Xie Li had no choice but to take a day off from university and remain home accompanying the old man in receiving guests.

The young man was handsome, refined, and graceful in every interaction, carrying himself perfectly in every situation. Everyone who met him looked at him with newfound admiration, endlessly praising Old Master Xie for having such an outstanding successor.

The old master became so pleased he could barely stop smiling.

“Oh, not at all, not at all. He merely looks decent. In truth he’s just a decorative pillow stuffed with straw, nothing particularly promising.”

The old man waved his hand modestly while humbly downplaying the compliments. Then he picked up little Donggua, who sat on his knee, and cheerfully added,

“My great-grandson is better than his father. He’s not even two years old yet, but he can already recite Tang poetry.”

“Really?”

Everyone instantly became interested, and the conversation immediately shifted toward little Donggua.

After hearing the child stumble through a recitation of “Ode to the Goose,” everyone looked delighted, showering him with endless praise.

Little Donggua already understood adult speech by now. His bright eyes sparkled as he proudly looked toward Xie Li, clearly asking for praise.

Xie Li could only sigh helplessly.

People always said affection skipped a generation and that grandparents adored grandchildren more than their own children.

That saying truly was not wrong.

Xie Li himself had always been close to the old master, yet little Donggua was even more beloved. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. In order to praise his great-grandson, the old man was now completely willing to sacrifice his actual grandson…

…

Xie Li stayed at the old estate for two days and met many people.

Eventually the number of visitors began to decrease, and he prepared to return to university.

Before leaving, he suddenly remembered the letter he had stored away and hesitated before asking the old master about the identity of the sender.

“I did some investigating myself and found someone with the same name, but I don’t understand why he would send me a letter,” Xie Li said in confusion.

Old Master Xie narrowed his sharp eyes thoughtfully before finally recalling the person.

“I remember now. Your father once had a classmate with that name. I think he works somewhere in the western district, though I don’t know what position he holds now.”

“I do.”

Xie Li calmly named the position.

The old master froze, his eyes suddenly widening.

“Wait! Wouldn’t that make him that person’s secretary?”

Back then, this former classmate of Xie Li’s father had once received help from Xie Father, and the two had maintained a fairly good relationship.

Years later, the man had achieved considerable success, stepping into the fringes of political power and serving under an untouchable figure.

Meanwhile, Xie Father had been sent to the northern wastelands, laboring for food with his own hands, seemingly destined never to rise again…

No one knew why the man had written to Xie Li.

Could it really be an attempt to repay old kindness?

The old master stood and paced the room several times before finally making a decision.

Turning around, he spoke solemnly:

“Tomorrow bring that letter with you. We’ll go see him together. Perhaps your parents can return earlier.”

When he spoke the word “him,” the old master’s tone became extraordinarily careful.

Since the letter was useless just sitting in his hands anyway, Xie Li thought about it briefly and readily agreed.

“Alright.”

The next day, after classes ended, he took the letter and accompanied the old master to the address written on it.

“Old Master Xie?!”

The former classmate nearly lost his composure the moment he saw them appear.

At first, he had only intended to casually help look after Xie Li because the Xie family had no one around. He never imagined Old Master Xie would return to the capital so quickly, much less personally bring Xie Li to visit him.

This made absolutely no sense!

The entire Xie family was practically about to return already, so why were they seeking him out? He could not help them with anything else!

The old master coughed lightly, deliberately pretending to appear frail as he smiled bitterly.

“Little Zhou, I never expected you’d still remember my pitiful grandson. Thank you for taking care of him during this time.”

The former classmate froze awkwardly.

“No, no, there’s no need for thanks. I really didn’t help much at all.”

Truthfully, he had only written that letter casually in the first place without any deep intention of helping.

Later, when Xie Li never contacted him, he ended up helping even less.

Receiving such sincere gratitude from the old master made him feel deeply guilty.

And once guilt appeared, the rhythm of the conversation completely slipped from his control.

From beginning to end, Old Master Xie directed the conversation while Xie Li calmly assisted from the side.

“…After talking so much, I still haven’t asked how things are going for you lately.”

Half a day later, the old master revealed a sly fox-like smile and politely asked the question.

By this point the former classmate’s mind had already become muddled. Without thinking, he answered honestly.

“Really?”

The old master feigned delighted surprise.

“Come to think of it, I’ve met that person once before. It’s been over ten years though, so I wonder if he still remembers me. Would it be possible for me to meet him again?”

The former classmate: “……”

At that moment, he finally understood why his superiors always said he was still too inexperienced.

Faced with an old fox this cunning, he truly stood no chance.

In fact, even Xie Li, quietly supporting the old master from the sidelines, proved harder to deal with than he was.

…

Using the connection through that former classmate, Old Master Xie and Xie Li worked together and successfully gained an audience with a major figure ordinary people would never have the chance to meet.

The old master had not lied when he said they had met before. The man actually remembered him as well.

As they reminisced about the past, conversation naturally flowed between them, and the two spoke with remarkable ease and mutual understanding.

Standing behind Old Master Xie, Xie Li pressed his lips together slightly as he watched the powerful man chatting and laughing with effortless confidence, feeling somewhat incredulous inside.

This was someone who would appear repeatedly in future history textbooks. A few years later, he would rise even higher, becoming a figure who witnessed nearly half a century of historical change, an undeniable giant of the era.

In his previous life, the original owner had never once come into contact with someone like this.

Yet somehow, through pure chance, Xie Li had stumbled into this encounter like a blind cat finding a dead mouse.

They spent the entire afternoon at the man’s office.

On the ride home, Old Master Xie remained in exceptionally high spirits.

Xie Li, meanwhile, rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

Dealing with people this sharp required absolute concentration every second. Even if the other party bore no ill intentions, the casual conversational traps hidden between seemingly harmless words were exhausting enough to leave anyone drained.

Seeing his expression, the old master burst into laughter and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’re still young. You’ll get used to it eventually.”

Now that the Xie family had formed a connection with such a major figure, the road ahead for the family had clearly brightened.

The old master was simply too happy.

After years of constant worry and anxiety, the burden weighing on his heart finally relaxed. His face glowed with health and satisfaction, practically radiant with pride.

Xie Li could only smile helplessly as he humored the old man, discussing the future with him before escorting him back to the old Xie residence.

The servants he had hired several days earlier had already begun working at the estate.

After settling the old master in, Xie Li wandered through the residence for a while, taking in the scenery of the ancient courtyard before finally returning to the small house near the university.

According to the timeline of the previous life, Old Master Xie would eventually donate the old residence, using it to stabilize the Xie family’s political future.

This time around, things probably would not have to be so difficult anymore.

Thinking quietly to himself, Xie Li returned home.

Just before entering, he suddenly stopped and looked into the courtyard.

Under the flower trellis, Li Tiantian and Qian Lanxiang sat together mending clothes.

Little Donggua sat between them. One moment he absentmindedly sucked on his fingers, the next he glanced toward the cradle holding his younger sister.

His pale, adorable little face looked utterly confused, as if he could not understand why there were only four people left at home and where his father had gone.

“Donggua,” Xie Li called softly.

The child froze for a moment before turning toward the fence outside.

The instant he spotted Xie Li, a silly, delighted grin spread across his face. His chubby lotus-root-like arms waved frantically as he called out in a sweet childish voice:

“Papa!”

Ah, my silly son.

Xie Li answered silently in his heart, warmth spreading through him.

Smiling, he walked over and lifted the child beneath the arms into his embrace.

“You’re back?”

The moment Li Tiantian saw him, she immediately abandoned Qian Lanxiang, stood up, and greeted him with a smile full of tenderness and love.

“There’s food warming inside. Hurry in and eat something.”

Xie Li nodded.

The exhaustion clinging to him instantly melted away. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. He looked gently at Li Tiantian before carrying little Donggua inside with her.

Qian Lanxiang, meanwhile, had long grown accustomed to scenes like this. Calmly gathering her sewing things, she turned and returned to her own room.

…

Old Master Xie was the stabilizing pillar of the entire Xie family.

With him around, many complicated matters suddenly became much easier to resolve.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, three years went by.

During those three years, many things happened.

First of all, Xie Li finally graduated.

He had already completed all his required credits by the end of his second year. By senior year, he barely attended classes at all, instead following the old master around and learning practical work from him.

Immediately after graduation, he successfully entered a government department.

The Xie family estate also changed tremendously.

One after another, the Xie family members returned to the capital, repaired the old residence, resumed their former positions, and steadily advanced in their careers.

The younger cousins gradually married and expanded the family. Compared to the previous life, the Xie family now flourished with even greater vitality.

Li Tiantian also finally met the more than ten members of the Xie family.

During their first meeting, she behaved with graceful composure and showed no insecurity whatsoever.

After all, Xie Li had devoted himself wholeheartedly to her for years without wavering. She possessed confidence, and naturally she felt secure.

Later, once everyone became familiar with one another, any cousin who dared show even the slightest disrespect toward her would immediately receive a beating from Xie Li.

That only made her confidence grow even more.

Li Tiantian lived a life countless women envied.

Even the usual mother-in-law conflicts never appeared, because Xie Father and Xie Mother were open-minded and generous people who had never once mistreated her.

In truth, they liked Li Tiantian very much.

After all, this daughter-in-law had actually passed the self-study examinations and entered the very same Capital University as their son, becoming another respected voice within the family.

Most importantly, she had given the Xie family both a son and a daughter.

The two little children were clever and lively from a young age, especially talented at charming their elders.

Because of that affection, Xie Father and Xie Mother treated Li Tiantian no differently from their own daughter.

After Xie Li graduated and saw how harmonious things were, he took the opportunity to move back into the old family estate with Li Tiantian and the children, leaving the small courtyard they had rented for three years to Hu Dezheng.

After graduation, Hu Dezheng stayed at the university as a lecturer. Renting a small courtyard on his own was manageable for him.

Additionally, Qian Lanxiang had given birth to twins before the New Year. Her parents worried about their daughter and grandchildren, so they came to the capital to help care for them.

The small courtyard suited them perfectly.

“Don’t forget to gather together once in a while in the future,” Hu Dezheng said while helping move boxes, sounding somewhat reluctant as he watched the house empty out.

Xie Li smiled.

“I won’t forget. I’ve always remembered the kindness you showed me during those years in Xiaoxipo. From now on, our two families are one family. When the children grow up, maybe we’ll even become in-laws someday.”

“That depends on what the children want,” Hu Dezheng replied awkwardly, smiling as he thought about his son and daughter.

At the time, both families believed it would become difficult to meet often after separating.

Yet reality proved otherwise.

Hu Dezheng did not remain at the university for long. Soon afterward, he used the position as a stepping stone into the system, eventually becoming Xie Li’s colleague.

Later, when housing was distributed through work units, the two families even became neighbors.

As for Xie Li, his development progressed even more smoothly.

After returning to the Xie family, he officially stepped onto the path of promotion through his own efforts.

Because of his upbringing and experience, combined with his clear insight, steady temperament, and exceptional social instincts, his rise through the ranks was astonishingly fast.

Before long, he became a brilliant rising star within the field.

If he had not already been married, who knew how many young women would have thrown themselves at him.

After Li Tiantian graduated from university, his work unit assigned him a Western-style villa. He moved out of the Xie family estate and finally began living a quiet life with his own little family, only returning to the old residence during holidays and festivals.

Money was no longer a concern either.

Riding the wave of Reform and Opening-Up, Li Tiantian and Qian Lanxiang joined forces and started a clothing company together.

Their business prospered more and more, and life became increasingly beautiful…

Meanwhile, Xie Li’s work grew busier and busier.

One day, he got off work early, returned home, gave the housekeeper the evening off, and personally cooked dinner, intending to have a family meal together to make up for all the time he had spent away from home lately.

Already in middle school, Xie Zhenchen burst into the kitchen clutching a basketball, drenched in sweat.

As he grew older, little Donggua absolutely refused to let anyone call him by his childhood nickname anymore. The moment someone did, he would immediately get angry.

So Xie Li called out:

“Xie Zhenchen, why are you rushing around like the sky is falling?”

“Dad! Dad! This is bad, little sister is dating someone!!”

Clang!

The spatula fell from Xie Li’s hand.

“What?!!!”

The old father’s heart shattered into pieces from sheer shock.

Xie Li slowly turned around in disbelief.

He had carefully raised his precious daughter for fourteen whole years.

She could sing and dance, excelled academically, was sensible and obedient.

She was only in the second year of middle school.

How had some pig already come along and stolen her away?!

At this point, it would almost have been better if the scumbag from their previous life had appeared instead.

“Dad, that guy just transferred schools. His name’s Zhou Dongyu. He’s little sister’s desk mate,” Xie Zhenchen faithfully reported as he tattled.

Xie Li suddenly became calm.

Oh.

So it was that pig from the previous life after all.

╰───♡───╯

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