Chapter 412 Wang Sheng’s Parents

Chapter 412: Wang Sheng's Parents

Lu Hanchuan and Ye Xiaoxiao were keeping Jia Jia company in the room.

Ye Xiaoxiao could tell that Lu Hanchuan really liked children.

"Do you like kids a lot?"

Ye Xiaoxiao rested her chin in her hands and asked.

Lu Hanchuan hadn't originally planned to have children so soon, but now he was starting to warm up to the idea.

However, before he could speak, Ye Xiaoxiao sighed and said, "Ah, but you’re about to disappear to that island. Who knows when we'll see each other again."

Lu Hanchuan: "..."

"Xiao Xiao, you’re not mad at me, are you?"

Lu Hanchuan had never been this careful with his words before.

Ye Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. "Of course not."

Just as Lu Hanchuan was about to press further, they heard noises from the yard.

"Watch Jia Jia for me. I’ll go see who it is."

Ye Xiaoxiao went to the yard and saw strangers.

"You are...?"

Ye Xiaoxiao looked at the two elders, who looked even older than Ye Jianguo—likely village elders.

"Well... we heard Jianguo and Cuifang were back recently. We came to ask about Changning."

Ye Xiaoxiao thought they were looking for Ye Changning. "My third brother? He hasn’t come back."

"Ah... we wanted to ask if Changning knows where our Shengzi is. They left together back then, but our Shengzi's gone completely missing."

The woman speaking had a frail, slightly hunched frame and a face full of worry.

Only then did Ye Xiaoxiao realize—these were Wang Sheng’s parents.

Seeing they weren’t planning to leave, Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "Would you... like to come inside and sit?"

It wouldn't do to have them standing there crying in the yard.

Just as Ye Xiaoxiao invited them in, their neighbor called out to her.

"Xiao Xiao, Xiao Xiao! Old Man and Mrs. Wang are at your place again? Are your parents home? Watch out they don't try to pull something—don’t give them any money!"

The neighbor had been close to the Ye family for over twenty years.

Ye Xiaoxiao knew her well and didn't know things had gotten so tense between their families and Wang Sheng’s.

"Right. Thanks for the heads-up, Auntie. I’ll be careful."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded and ducked back inside.

Meanwhile, Lu Hanchuan didn't know the couple who'd come in either. With a drowsy Ye Yijia in his arms, he started serving tea to their guests.

When Ye Xiaoxiao stepped inside, she noticed they remained silent.

Wang Sheng’s mom, the one who’d spoken before, still wore a sorrowful expression.

Lu Hanchuan looked over at Xiao Xiao.

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head, indicating she didn’t know their purpose either.

This didn’t seem like just a simple inquiry.

"So… other than asking about your son, is there anything else you need? My parents probably won’t be back until very late."

Wang Sheng’s father lowered his head and sighed.

"Our Shengzi’s been gone for ages. Could you tell us where he is? We’ll go find him ourselves."

Xiao Xiao never liked Wang Sheng, but it was Wang Sheng who had done those things, not his parents.

Seeing how heartbroken the old couple looked, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh.

"Wang Sheng is probably in the far south. If you go looking for him, you might not find him, and the travel and lodging expenses would be costly."

She wasn’t trying to be harsh—it was just the truth.

Hearing this, Wang Sheng’s mother began crying again.

"Sob… He’s our only boy. If anything happens to him, what will we do… sob."

Xiao Xiao and Lu Hanchuan just stood there, unsure how to comfort her.

Things got even more uncomfortable.

They waited it out until Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo got back, by which time it was completely dark.

Ye Yijia was sound asleep in the back room, and Miao Cuifang spotted Wang Sheng’s parents as soon as she got home.

"Brother Wang Quan, you two came again?"

Since she’d gotten home, the couple had already visited twice.

Even before she came back, the neighbors said they often came asking about her family.

Miao Cuifang knew why they were here—nothing more than seeking news of their son.

"It’s not like we’re refusing to help, but your Shengzi simply refuses to come home. If you’re really that worried, we can ask Changning to look for him again." That was all Miao Cuifang could offer.

Wang Sheng’s mother: "We hate to keep bothering you. Shengzi’s dad and I thought about heading south to find him, but we don’t have the means."

Ye Jianguo added, "Brother Wang Quan, if money’s tight, we can lend a hand first. As for Shengzi... take it slow."

He wasn’t one to throw money around, but the couple was truly in a difficult situation—their only son wasn’t home, and who’d take care of them later was up in the air.

At Ye Jianguo’s words, the couple got flustered.

Wang Sheng’s mother quickly waved her hands. "Jianguo, don’t—you’ve done enough for us."

Wang Quan turned red, clearly ashamed.

Finally, Ye Jianguo slipped them twenty yuan. It wasn’t a fortune, but in the village, it could stretch for two months if they were careful.

Ye Xiaoxiao finally realized what the neighbor was hinting at.

After seeing the guests off, Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "Dad, you didn’t give them money every time, did you?"

Ye Jianguo shook his head. "Of course not. This is just the second time. They’re really struggling. If we don’t help, the old couple won’t make ends meet."

"I usually go to school to train students, so I’m not often at home. I don’t run into them much."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "This isn’t sustainable. Just because they lost their son doesn’t mean they can keep turning to us. We should tell Third Brother about this."

Ye Jianguo sighed helplessly. "After all, he was with your Third Brother when they left the village..."

Mostly, it was because of the decades-long relationship in the village. Cutting them off completely wouldn’t sit right.

"But it’s not like Third Brother took him against his will. Besides, Wang Sheng and Third Brother don’t even get along anymore."

"Yu Gang left with Third Brother too, and look how well he’s doing now."

Ye Xiaoxiao really disliked that Wang Sheng. Even if Third Brother looked out for him, he’d stab him in the back eventually.

Hearing Xiaoxiao say this, Miao Cuifang added, "It’s just that Gangzi’s family built a new house and even bought an apartment in the city, so the old couple felt even worse."

Ye Jianguo said, "When we get back to the city, let’s contact your Third Brother. If he can track down Shengzi, even if he has to haul him back kicking and screaming..."

Ye Xiaoxiao found village drama exhausting.

But what Ye Jianguo said at the end made sense. They could have Third Brother look into what Wang Sheng’s been up to lately, but they absolutely couldn’t let him near Third Brother’s company.

Seeing Xiaoxiao fuming where she stood, Miao Cuifang told her to wash up and go to bed early.

"Alright, we won’t lend them money anymore."

Calling it a loan was generous—they knew they’d never see that money again.

"Also, tell your uncle not to hand them a dime while we’re gone."

Seeing that Miao Cuifang had it under control, Ye Xiaoxiao decided not to worry about it anymore.

Lu Hanchuan, though, caught something in Xiaoxiao’s expression.

"You’ve never even met Wang Sheng’s parents, but you can’t stand him."

"You can even tell that?" Ye Xiaoxiao admitted directly. "I can’t stand that guy."