Heart-Warming Youth - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

The air conditioning was on full-blast on the subway, but Xu Ai didn’t feel cold. 

She went shopping twice, and she came back with a belly full of angry grudges. She couldn’t help but wonder, Did shopping malls have anything against me?

She should probably not go to the malls as much in the future!

She took out her phone to dial Su Xuan’s number again, but his phone was still turned off, so she stuffed her cellphone in her bag begrudgingly. He better hope to never run into me again!

It was four in the afternoon when she arrived home. Her grandmother was sitting on a stool at the front door, sewing shoe insoles. 

“Grandma!” Xu Ai shouted, then she dashed to her and hugged around her neck. 

“It strains your eyes rather badly; why are you making insoles! Didn’t I tell you not to make them anymore?” Xu Ai cooed. 

“Whoa whoa, move aside, careful not to get poked by the needle!” her grandma ordered. 

Xu Ai pursed her lips and let go of her. She grabbed another stool beside her and sat down, “Didn’t you hear me?”

“I heard you!” Her grandma nodded. “I have nothing to do, and I don’t like playing Mah-Jong. Can’t I make shoe insoles besides planting vegetables? Relax, I’ve only sewed a little bit; how can I strain my eyes? Why did you come back today?”

“Unlike other students who come to Beijing to study from all over the world, I live so close to home; is there anything wrong with coming home frequently?” Xu Ai yanked the half-made shoe insole along with needle and thread. “Now that I’m back, please stop sewing.”

“You little imp. You used to come home once every other week, now you come home once a week. Isn’t that strange?” Her grandma finally gave up sewing at Xu Ai’s request. She tapped Xu Ai’s forehead. “Tell me, what brought you here?”

“Because you let the caretaker go on vacation, and I’m worried about you being here alone!” Xu Ai hugged her grandma and played with her puppy eyes. 

“You have nothing to worry about! I have good neighbors living all around me, and they all treat me really well! Your Grandma Zhang had just left!” the old lady laughed. 

Xu Ai laughed along, “Tingting’s grandma fell ill a few days ago, and the situation was a little life-threatening, but thank God she was saved. She’s fine now.”

The smile disappeared from the old granny’s face. “Now that you’ve mentioned, I haven’t seen her in half a year. Is she at home or still in a hospital?”

“She’s resting in a hospital!” Xu Ai said, “I want to visit Tingting’s grandma at the hospital tomorrow. Would you like to come?”

“Let’s go!” Her grandma nodded. “I miss her too. At our age, the chances of us seeing each other become smaller and smaller each time. I’ll also bring your Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang. They would probably want to tag along if they hear about this.”

“Ooh, if we all go together, then we’ll have to take a car.” Xu Ai didn’t dare to take those grandmas on the public transit; she wouldn’t be enough to take care of all of them.

“Sure, you drive!” The old granny nodded. 

Xu Ai hated driving, unlike Sun Pinting, who drove her car everywhere with no fear of traffic jams. She, on the other hand, would want to scratch a wall the moment she got stuck in a traffic jam. None of the old grannies had male family members living with them, so she, as the granddaughter, would have to step up.

They chatted for a little while at the front door. The old lady went inside to make dinner, and Xu Ai followed her into the kitchen. 

The next morning, Xu Ai called Sun Pinting on her cellphone to let her know that she would be bringing the old ladies to the hospital as well.

Sun Pinting was shocked. “They’re all coming?!”

“Yes. Tell that to your grandma ahead of time. We’re going to have breakfast now, and then we’ll get ready. I’ll drive after the morning rush hour is gone, and we’ll be there at around ten-thirty.” Xu Ai calculated the time. 

Sun Pinting agreed.

Xu Ai hung up the phone and then drove out her car from the garage. She hadn’t driven the car in a very long time, so it was covered in a layer of dust. She connected the hose, turned on the faucet, and started washing her car.

Her grandma was making breakfast. She stuck out her head to look outside and frowned, “How unladylike! Why don’t you take it outside to wash?”

“Too troublesome!” Xu Ai blabbed as she rinsed away the dust. “This way, I can also water your veggies.”

The old lady chided her laughingly and then left her alone.

After she finished washing her car, Xu Ai hurried back inside to freshen up and change. Her grandma had breakfast ready. By the time they finished breakfast, Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang came over with their bags. Xu Ai burst out laughing at the sight of the three old grannies standing together. 

“You little girl, what are you laughing about?” Grandma Zhang looked at Xu Ai.

“I say, the three of you standing together like that resembles three flowers!” Xu Ai opened the car door to let them in. 

The three old ladies laughed as they looked at each other and realized they were all wearing floral-print clothes. Grandma Wang said, “This little girl is still as loquacious now after growing up. We’ll see what kind of man you’ll end up with.”

Xu Ai coughed. “I’m so young! I’m not in any hurry!”

“Why aren’t you in any hurry? You’re 22 years old. You have to hurry up and catch a man while you’re still young. If you are too late, then all the good men will be grabbed by others,” Grandma Wang started preaching. 

Xu Ai was left speechless for a moment. “Grandma Wang, when it comes to men… are you saying I should catch them or grab them?”

“Grandma Wang meant both!” Grandma Zhang joked, “Back in the days, she grabbed and caught one when she was very young.”

“How bold! You have the guts to say that about me? Didn’t you do the same at that time?” Grandma Wang laughed and chided Grandma Zhang.

“Both of you aren’t in a position to say that about each other!” Xu Ai’s grandma said to them. 

“You too!” the two grannies said in unison. 

The three old ladies laughed as they joked with each other. 

Xu Ai drove out into the streets amid the laughter.

After a short while, Grandma Zhang said, “Ai-Ai, find a place to stop. We can’t go there empty-handed. We have to get out of the car and buy something for Tingting’s grandma.”

Xu Ai agreed. 

Now that they had managed to avoid the rush hour, there wasn’t much traffic on the road. Half an hour later, Xu Ai pointed to a nearby high-end health supplement store and asked, “How about that store?”

The three old ladies looked outside and all said okay. 

Xu Ai headed towards the store. There wasn’t a good place to steer the car, so she went around the block and stopped in front of the store. 

The three old ladies exited the car and entered the store. Xu Ai didn’t follow them and instead leaned against the car and waited for them. 

They still hadn’t come out after a while. She knew they were rather picky, especially when it came to shopping for health supplements. They nit-picked and had difficulty making up their mind. She felt bored and kicked at a sprig of grass that grew out from the crevice between two tiles. 

“Why are you here?”

She was in the middle of entertaining herself when a sudden pleasant and familiar voice startled her. 

Xu Ai was shocked. She lifted her head up and saw a man exiting from a tall building nearby. The tailored hand-made suit, the expensive wristwatch, and the elegant footsteps; wasn’t that Su Xuan?

She even thought that she was hallucinating, so she closed her eyes and opened them again. It really was him. Her eyes widened as she asked, “Why are you here?”

“It’s what I just asked you!” Su Xuan came up to her and stopped. He looked at her, then at her feet, and chuckled, “I never knew you take pleasure in violating small bits of grass!”

Xu Ai’s shocked expression turned gloomy. “Don’t use the word if you don’t know its meaning.”

What the heck does ‘violating grass’ supposed to mean? Does he even know that word?

“Then tell me, what is your foot doing?” Su Xuan looked at her mockingly. 

“I’m…” Xu Ai lowered her head. She wanted to say that she was entertaining herself, but… how exactly was she entertaining herself? Her face turned even gloomier as she gave him a dirty look. “Yeah, I was violating it, so what? Are you going to avenge the grass?”

Su Xuan’s eyes glowed. He stared at her for a second, then he turned his head to look at the car behind her. “Where are you going?”

“Why do I have to tell you that!” Xu Ai felt angry just from looking at him. 

“Drive me somewhere!” Su Xuan pretended he didn’t see her livid face. 

Xu Ai’s eyes opened wide again. She stared at him as if she was looking at a monster. “Is there anything wrong with you?”

“Nope!”

“Impossible!” Xu Ai was resolute.

“Why?”

“We’re not going in the same direction!” Xu Ai was going to the hospital to visit a patient. 

“You haven’t asked me where I was going. How do you know we’re not going in the same direction?” 

“You don’t know where I’m going; how do you know we’re going in the same direction?” Xu Ai countered his argument. She wouldn’t drive him even if they were traveling to the same destination.

Su Xuan didn’t speak; he just took a few steps forward. 

“What are you doing?” Xu Ai dodged to the side in fear. 

Su Xuan ignored her and leaned his body against the car like a lazy cat.

“Hey!” Xu Ai stared at him. “What are you doing?”

“Your clothes…” Su Xuan braced his hands on the car and made himself comfortable. He drawled, “Are still in the trunk of my car. I haven’t made up my mind about whether I should throw them away or give them back to you!”

Now that he reminded her, Xu Ai suddenly remembered those clothes she shopped for a whole afternoon with Sun Pinting for. She wanted to bang her head against the wall, but it was too bad there wasn’t a wall in front of her, only that person. He looked damned good acting all sluggish, yet damn despicable. She ground her teeth. “Where’s your car!”

“Someone drove it away!”

“Where are you going?” Xu Ai naturally wanted to get her clothes back. She spent a lot of money on those clothes when she shopped with Sun Pinting. 

“I’ll go wherever you go!” Su Xuan closed his eyes as if he was enjoying bathing in the sun. 

Xu Ai was livid once again. “I’m going to a hospital!”

“Huh?” Su Xuan uttered, and his good-looking eyebrows frowned. “Getting an abortion again?”

Xu Ai tripped and almost tumbled to the ground. Her face wasn’t just livid now but so gloomy that it might start to rain. She said angrily, “You’re getting an abortion!”

“No?” Su Xuan opened his eyes to look at her and relaxed his brows. “Last time I saw you at the hospital, you were…”

“That was my roommate!” Xu Ai almost jumped.

“Oh, so it was your roommate!” Su Xuan smiled as if he was in a great mood. “Thank goodness it was your roommate. If other people find out it was you, then I’d lose face as your boyfriend.”

“Su Xuan!” Xu Ai was so angry that she wanted to hit someone. She glowered at him viciously. “Are you going to die if you don’t bully someone! Do you wanna bet that I’ll buy a roll of tape to cover your mouth? Acting out my privileges as your girlfriend? Hmm?”

“The girlfriend’s privilege is to cover my mouth?” Su Xuan couldn’t help but laugh.

Xu Ai was ready to explode, and she was just about to tear his smiling face apart. She never imagined herself as an impulsive or aggressive person, but whenever she faced this person, she felt like he could always manage to push her limits. Especially now that he was leaning against her car lazily and enjoyingly bullying her, if she didn’t lash out, then she would be a pushover.

So, she stepped forward and pushed him. “We’re not going in the same direction. I won’t carpool with you even if we were. I don’t want those clothes anymore. Now leave!”

“What if I don’t leave!” Su Xuan grabbed her hand at the chance.

Xu Ai tried to struggle, but just like that day, he wouldn’t let go once he grabbed her. She shouted furiously, “I’ll call the police!”

Su Xuan couldn’t contain his laughter. “Good girl, that’s my girlfriend. You catch on quick!”

Xu Ai was so irritated that she lifted her foot to kick him. Su Xuan snapped out of his lazy position and caught her in his arms. He balanced himself and leaned forward so that he hugged her in a half-relaxed, half-intimate fashion. He lowered his voice. “People are coming!”

Xu Ai put her foot on the ground and turned around. She saw the three old grannies with several bags in their hands, and they stared at her and Su Xuan with their mouths wide-open. She was petrified instantly. 

“Who are they?” Su Xuan lowered his voice and asked. 

“My grannies!” A flustered Xu Ai pushed him. “Let go of me!” she chided in a low voice. 

Su Xuan nodded his head to indicate he knew. He released her naturally and straightened the hem on his suit before walking to the three old ladies. It didn’t take long for him to reach them. He opened his mouth and spoke with his beautiful voice, “Are you three Ai-Ai’s grandmothers? A pleasure to meet you all. My name is Su Xuan, Ai-Ai’s… boyfriend!”

Xu Ai looked at him, completely dumbfounded!

The three grannies looked at Su Xuan, also completely dumbfounded!

“Let me get that!” Su Xuan reached over to take the bags from Grandma Zhang, then went ahead to carry the bags from Grandma Wang’s hands, and finally reached his hand to Xu Ai’s grandma.

The bags in the three old ladies’ hands went to his hands instantly. Donned in a nice suit, he still looked dapper even when his hands were full of bags. He turned around and walked towards Xu Ai at an even pace. He told her, “Open the trunk.”

Xu Ai opened the trunk in a daze. 

Su Xuan arranged the things in the trunk and then waved at Xu Ai. “Car keys!”

Xu Ai had her car keys in her hands and was about to hand it to him, then it suddenly hit her. She paused, her eyes opening wide. “Su Xuan, you… you…”

Su Xuan walked towards her, covered her hand, and yanked the car keys from her grasp. He then patted her face gently. “I’ll drive, so don’t be rowdy. Stay quiet, or you’ll have to take full responsibility if you embarrass yourself in front of the grandmas.”

Xu Ai realized that was an obvious threat and she glowered at him immediately. But, he was gentle and smiley, courteous and polite, and he looked at her lovingly. The three grannies stood nearby, and their expressions turned from dumbfounded to surprised, then they looked at Su Xuan in a very appreciative way. Xu Ai felt her chest become stuffy with rage.

Su Xuan opened the car doors one by one. He stood there and smiled in the most debonair way. “Grandmothers, please!”

The three old grandmas walked toward the car happily with nothing in their hands. They each smiled at Su Xuan. “You’re Ai-Ai’s boyfriend?”

“To answer grandmas, yes!” Su Xuan smiled and nodded. 

“What’s your name again?” Xu Ai’s grandma checked out Su Xuan, seeing him as her grandson-in-law. “I didn’t get your name earlier.”

“My name is Su Xuan!” Su Xuan repeated his name patiently. 

“Oh, Su Xuan, Su Xuan…huh? Why does that name ring a bell?” Xu Ai’s grandma asked Grandma Zhang and Grandma Wang.

The other two nodded. “It sure sounds familiar!”

“Maybe because Ai-Ai mentioned me to you before!” Su Xuan laughed as he looked at them. 

“Oh, probably. But how come this girl never said you were her boyfriend! She kept on saying she didn’t have a boyfriend.” Xu Ai’s grandma gave Xu Ai a look as if she was scolding her, then she introduced herself to Su Xuan very nicely, “I’m Ai-Ai’s grandmother. This is Grandma Zhang, and this is Grandma Wang. We’re old neighbors, also old sisters. We were best friends when we were young, and together, we used to climb mountains, visit villages…”

“Grandma!” Xu Ai interrupted her grandmother. By the look of it, wasn’t she about to tell Su Xuan every detail of her family background?

“You brat, it’s very rude to interrupt others when they’re talking!” Xu Ai’s grandma gave Xu Ai an irritated look. 

Xu Ai was a little blue, also a little speechless. 

Su Xuan smiled in a very courteous and polite manner. “Let’s get in the car first, grandmas! This is not a place to talk.”

“Sure, sure, let’s talk in the car!” Xu Ai’s grandma was really fond of Su Xuan. She called her two old BFFs to get in the car.

The three old ladies sat in the back seat. Su Xuan saw Xu Ai just standing there and not moving, so he lifted his handsome eyebrows and said, “Why don’t you get in? Is there anything you need to buy?”

Xu Ai glowered at him ferociously. Why didn’t she get in? He knew the answer to that question!

“If you don’t have anything to buy, then just get in the car!” Su Xuan turned around and sat in the driver’s seat.

Xu Ai entered the car hesitantly and sat on the passenger seat. 

“Which hospital?” Su Xuan asked.

Xu Ai told him the address to the hospital uncomfortably.

Su Xuan nodded and reminded her, “Buckle your seatbelt!”

Xu Ai just sat there and pretended she didn’t hear him. 

Su Xuan sighed. He turned sideways to pull and buckle the seatbelt for her, then he told her nicely, “I didn’t pick you up at your home because I had work to do in the company this morning, and I really couldn’t leave. But I waited for you here, right? Could you not get angry with me?”

Xu Ai almost coughed out blood. He sure had a way of making crap up. She glowered at him once again.

“Men should obviously focus on their careers. You are such a kid; why are you so angry over that? Little Xuan, just ignores her and focus on driving.” Xu Ai’s grandmother heard their conversation from the back and decided to resolve their issues. 

Su Xuan smiled and repositioned himself. A tinge of laughter appeared in his tender voice, “Okay, I’ll listen to what Grandma says.”

That made Xu Ai’s blood boil. They had only met for like, what, five minutes? And she called him Little Xuan. Is she on the same side as him already? Am I even her biological granddaughter? Where did the shrewd old woman go? Su Xuan is obviously a wolf in sheep’s clothing.