Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Despite all the rehearsals, this was the first time Xu Jia genuinely felt unable to call them "Mom" and "Dad."

Wang Meili urged her a few times before Xu Jia reluctantly forced a smile at them.

"I'm so sorry, Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law. She might still feel a bit unfamiliar with you."

"It's alright."

Tang Ruomei looked at the girl before her and also felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

It wasn’t about anything else—it was just that the two people in front of her felt so distant, lacking any natural affection. As Tang Ruomei gazed at the girl, she felt no emotional connection at all. Was this really her Jiajia?

When they left Beijing, Jiajia was only eleven months old. They couldn’t bear to take such a young child south with them.

She had always had allergies since childhood. Even visiting relatives in the countryside would give her rashes. The doctor said it was due to weak immunity and that she’d grow out of it. How would such a delicate child fare in the south? They didn’t dare think about it, nor could they take the risk.

Back then, intellectuals sent to the south endured hardship. One could only imagine what would happen to a one-year-old child there.

Now that they were back, hoping to reclaim the lost decade, they found their daughter so unfamiliar.

Seeing everyone frozen in place, Wang Meili quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Third Brother and Sister-in-law, this trip must’ve been tough for you. How long do you plan to stay?"

Tang Ruomei smiled. "We might not leave this time. You’re Second Brother’s wife, aren’t you?"

Hearing they wouldn’t leave, Wang Meili panicked momentarily. She’d assumed they’d just come to acknowledge ties, leave some money, and then return to the U.S.

When they entrusted the child back then, Wang Meili had already married into the family. But Xu Jibai and his wife had handed over the child through Xu Jia’s grandfather. Not only was she unfamiliar with Wang Meili, but even Granny Xue barely knew her. Xu Jibai knew Granny Xue slightly better, but the two families were merely distant relatives. In the early years, when his grandfather was still alive, Granny Xue had worked in their shop for a while. She had always called him "third young master" since childhood. After the founding of the People’s Republic, society no longer permitted such titles, so she stopped.

In Xu Jibai’s memory, this auntie, though a bit snobbish, had treated him well.

So he politely called her "Auntie."

Granny Xue happily responded, her rheumy eyes shifting between the couple.

But Tang Ruomei didn’t like Granny Xue.

Unlike men, women could sense hostility—or at least a lack of goodwill. Tang Ruomei felt not an ounce of kindness from Granny Xue, which was why she kept her distance from this family.

Wang Meili was stunned. "Wait—why? Isn’t America better?"

She had been counting on this couple to take Xu Jia abroad, hoping Xu Jia would thrive, and then she could bring them along.

But if Xu Jibai stayed in China, some secrets wouldn’t stay buried for long. What if they found Xu Meng? What if Xu Meng caught wind of it?

After a flicker of tension, Wang Meili quickly adjusted her expression. Now wasn’t the time to discuss this—they’d regroup later.

As they had expected, despite the Xu family’s warm hospitality and insistence that they stay, Xu Jibai didn’t agree, nor did he propose taking Xu Jia with them. Tang Ruomei cut in, explaining they had already booked a hotel. Then, with a smile, she told Xu Jia they’d come back for her once they were settled—as if claiming her.

They also asked about Xu Jia’s studies. Tang Ruomei even held her hand kindly and said flunking the exams wasn’t the end of the world—she could just find a good school to retake them.

No offer to secure her a job, though.

Wang Meili’s heart sank but ultimately suppressed the feeling.

After seeing off Xu Jibai and his wife, she rushed to huddle with the family.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Xu household, Xu Jibai gazed after Xu Jia for a long moment before turning to his wife in confusion. "Earlier, when Second Brother’s wife asked if we wanted to take Jiajia with us, why stay silent? What if Jiajia holds a grudge? She’s not close to us now, so we should spend more time together to bridge the gap."

He had imagined countless times the overwhelming emotions of reuniting with his daughter, but he never expected it to be so underwhelming. Shouldn’t he be excited?

Back then, when they sent their daughter away, he was the most reluctant, while his wife remained calm as ever.

She was calm when they gave the child away, and now, when they were about to bring her back, she was still calm.

Xu Jibai couldn’t help but snap: “I don’t understand what you’re thinking. Aren’t you happy to bring her home?”

His wife’s composure was downright unsettling.

Both of them shared the feeling of distance with their daughter, but their attitudes toward the situation were completely different.

Xu Jibai believed that since they weren’t close, they should spend more time together—familiarity would come naturally with time. Tang Ruomei, on the other hand, thought they should go with the flow. Only when they felt truly close should they live together, or else it would be awkward facing a stranger.

He had always felt his wife was a little closed-off, but it had never bothered him before. Recently, both of them had been eagerly anticipating reuniting with their daughter, and Tang Ruomei had even shown more enthusiasm than him—from contacting the Xu family to booking flights and reconnecting with old friends in the capital, she had been more on top of things than he was. He had almost thought she had changed.

“What do you mean? No one is more eager to see our Jiajia than I am. It’s just that the Xu Jia we just met didn’t give me a sense of familiarity, so I hesitated. We don’t have to rush into making it official. Now that we’re back, we’ll have plenty of time to spend with her. We should also take time to observe what she’s really like.”

“Are you upset she didn’t get into college?”

“Do you really think I’m that kind of person?” Tang Ruomei fired back. “After all these years together, is this how you see me?”

Xu Jibai knew his tone had been off and apologized to his wife, but deep down, he still desperately wanted to get Jiajia back. Just now, he had noticed the lack of affection in her eyes when she looked at them—that was exactly why they needed to bring her back sooner and nurture their bond while she was still young and impressionable!

But clearly, his wife didn’t see it that way. She believed people had an instant bond—if they were truly father and daughter, they should have felt it the moment they met.

She must have been watching too many soap operas!

Xu Jibai didn’t want to argue with his wife over this, so he bit back his irritation and discussed their next steps instead. This was also something the Xu family had asked about earlier, but they had dodged the question. He didn’t feel like explaining much to them anyway.

Admittedly, they owed the Xu family a lot for raising their daughter, but he wasn’t a fool. Back then, the resources he and his friends scraped together would have convinced any family to raise their child for eighteen years. Besides, it was Fifth Uncle Xu who had stepped up to take her—it had been a transaction of money and obligation, not something that entitled the family to stick their noses in their lives now.

“Should we go back to the hotel first or visit the ancestral home?” Xu Jibai asked.

“I’m not tired. Let’s go see the ancestral home first.”

“You’re not tired?”

“I want to take a walk. Staying in the hotel feels suffocating.”

Years ago, the government had meant to give back their ancestral property, but the house was already ancient and had been vandalized in earlier years. It was probably still in ruins. Before returning, they had agreed to restore the ancestral home as much as possible—if full restoration wasn’t feasible, they would rebuild on the original site.

To steer the conversation away from Xu Jia, they took a taxi to the Xu family’s ancestral home.

It was quite far from the city center. The land had been purchased by Xu Jibai’s grandfather during the Republic of China era. After decades of turmoil, the buildings were no longer habitable. In the mid-1980s, the government had intended to return the property, but they were abroad at the time. Now that they were back, they planned to reclaim the house and repair it—after all, it was their ancestral home.

Tomorrow, they planned to visit their alma mater.

After discussing their plans, they first went to the ancestral home. As expected, the buildings were uninhabitable. The courtyard had collapsed, leaving it open to anyone wandering in. The walls had been torn down long ago, and the bricks and tiles had been scavenged, leaving only an empty husk.

If not for the local government’s intervention, the entire property might have been seized by others.

Upon returning, Xu Jibai recognized a few familiar faces, but most were strangers. Back then, he had been away studying and rarely visited the village. Tang Ruomei had visited even less frequently. With no elders left, they only returned during traditional holidays like Qingming Festival, Lunar New Year, or Mid-Autumn Festival.

“At least we got part of it back,” Xu Jibai said.

Originally, their ancestral home had been vast, but now all that remained was a small courtyard that’s still standing.

Back then, the whole family had lived together. Back when they were “Smashing the Four Olds,” their courtyard walls were demolished, and most of the house was torn apart. Even Xu Jibai himself took a beating too during that time. When just staying alive was hard enough, who could worry about bricks and mortar?

The couple found the village officials and explained why they came.

The officials responded that they couldn't make the decision themselves, and the process of reclaiming the house might be somewhat complicated, involving a bunch of paperwork.

Xu Jibai had already mentally prepared for this. They hadn’t planned to leave immediately upon returning this time—they were prepared to slog through the red tape. Eventually, the house would be returned to them, though it would require time and money to smooth things over.

Originally, they thought a quick visit would suffice, but they got bogged down in a mountain of paperwork.

After much hassle, they finally returned to the hotel, too worn out to think about anything—much less Xu Jia.

The next day, Tang Ruomei wanted to visit their alma mater, Peking University. Before going abroad, they had both worked at Peking University, and they were curious to see what, if anything, had changed over the years. So, instead of seeking out Xu Jia the following day, they had breakfast and headed to their alma mater, Peking University.