Chapter 472 - 329: The Studious Baby Award

"I know."

The old woman shot Xue Rui an annoyed glare, then turned to look at Lin Ruoxi, speechless for a long moment.

’This was all stuff I taught her. I told her not to let others take advantage of her, that saving face is good enough. And now Lin Ruoxi is using it on me?’

For some reason, she felt like her granddaughter and Xue Rui were the real family, and she was the outsider.

"Oh, Xixi, you’re not even married yet and you’re already taking his side. You’ll probably forget all about this old woman in the future," the old woman lamented, her face suddenly a mess of crocodile tears and snot.

Lin Ruoxi immediately panicked. ’Why is Grandma crying? How am I supposed to comfort her?’

"No, Grandma, of course not! I’ll never forget you," Lin Ruoxi quickly explained.

The old woman pointed at the snacks Lin Ruoxi had placed on the floor and cried even harder. "Aren’t those all the things Xue Rui likes to eat? Don’t think I’m too old and senile to notice!"

Xue Rui’s mouth twitched. ’You’re blaming me for the granddaughter *you* raised?’

Xue Rui crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Alright, old woman, cut the act. You did this sort of thing plenty when you were young, didn’t you? How else did you end up estranged from your own family?"

"You!" The old woman’s eyes flew wide, stretching the wrinkles at their corners. She raised a trembling finger and pointed it viciously at Xue Rui.

"If you can’t squeeze out any real tears, then just give up. Stop rubbing spit in your eyes; it’s disgusting to watch," Xue Rui added, twisting the knife.

The old woman had been putting on a show from the very beginning, just hoping to trick the girl into comforting her by the bedside.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Xue Rui saw the old woman lower her head and start searching for something.

Lin Ruoxi didn’t know what her grandmother was looking for. She quickly grabbed the box of tissues from the table. "Grandma, the tissues are here."

"Xixi, where’s my cane?" the old woman demanded.

"Um... I hid it," Lin Ruoxi said in a small voice. She was crouching by the bed, having secretly shoved the cane underneath it.

She had a hunch her grandmother was about to hit Xue Rui.

"HAHAHA!" Xue Rui slapped the doorframe, bent over with laughter. He had seen Lin Ruoxi’s subtle maneuver.

"Grandma, is what Xue Rui said true? Did you used to do this kind of thing all the time?" Lin Ruoxi asked, tilting her head.

The old woman snorted. "Never."

"Then why were you looking for your cane to hit someone?" Lin Ruoxi could tell her grandmother was getting flustered.

"Xixi, are you trying to provoke me on purpose?"

The old woman raised her wrinkled hand high, only to see her granddaughter crouching motionlessly before her, eyes squeezed shut, ready to receive the slap.

"Sigh... forget it."

’I can’t bring myself to do it,’ she thought. ’A person needs someone to rely on. Right now, Lin Ruoxi’s only support is Xue Rui, so it’s only natural for her to be on his side. It’s not like he’s depriving me of food or clothing. The other villagers have no idea how much they should envy me...’

Xue Rui had been standing by the door the entire time, not moving an inch. He found it quite amusing to watch the two of them pretend to bicker.

The old woman, of course, noticed Xue Rui’s composure. He had seen right through her, and now she had no leverage over him.

She thought for a moment, then yelled at the top of her lungs, "Xixi, when are you two planning on getting married and having kids?"

Upon hearing her grandmother’s words, Lin Ruoxi’s face instantly flushed crimson. All sound seemed to be coming from underwater—muffled and indistinct. The only thing she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

’When to have kids?’

’Xue Rui is the one who makes all the big decisions.’ She slowly turned her head to look at him.

"Grandma, I bought you some health supplements," Xue Rui said, quickly bringing in some bags from outside the door to change the subject. He hadn’t expected the old woman to lead with such a bombshell.

’Now I’m really panicking,’ he thought. ’Lin Ruoxi would actually consider it.’

"Xixi, let’s take Grandma home," Xue Rui said in a low voice.

"Mmm~"

Lin Ruoxi’s drawn-out hum of agreement made Xue Rui’s knees feel weak.

He was genuinely afraid Lin Ruoxi would do something rash...

Because, strictly speaking, men don’t have a say in procreation; Lin Ruoxi could make that decision unilaterally.

What if one day she just showed him two lines on a pregnancy test...

The old woman picked up a blue box. Her finger slowly traced the characters on the packaging as she sounded them out one by one. She mumbled, "Is this that Brain Gold stuff they’re always showing on TV?"

She broke into a satisfied smile. Her granddaughter might be clueless about these things, but it was all fine as long as Xue Rui was thoughtful.

Xue Rui smiled and nodded. "Yep. Just make sure you share it with the other old folks. It’s not good to have too much of this stuff."

’Now I finally get it,’ he thought. ’Who exactly falls for these cheap knockoffs?’

Since the old woman couldn’t read, he could have brought her a box of "Orios" or a knockoff of the "Six Walnuts Drink" called "Six Warheads," and she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

"Let’s head back. My mom told me yesterday to spend the holiday over at your place," Xue Rui said, gently nudging a dazed Lin Ruoxi.

"Oh... okay," Lin Ruoxi replied blankly, picking up the snacks she had brought with her.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Ever since her grandmother had spoken, the image of a small child lingered in her mind, but its face remained frustratingly blurry...

Lin Ruoxi desperately wanted to know what her and Xue Rui’s child would look like.

The three of them drove back to Lin Ruoxi’s family home. Lin Ruoxi skillfully removed the dust covers from the furniture and began to prepare lunch for Xue Rui.

"Rui, why don’t you go rest in the room for a bit? Grandma and I are going to make dumplings," Lin Ruoxi said.

"Alright." Xue Rui was all too familiar with this scene. He returned to their room with the bunk beds.

This room used to be his, but now it belonged to a beautiful girl who, not long ago, had been a total stranger. He couldn’t help but marvel at how strange life could be.

He sat down in Lin Ruoxi’s computer chair and idly pulled open a few drawers, not really looking for anything in particular. He was just bored and felt the need to fidget.