Chapter 330 - 164: Sweet for a Few Years, Bitter for a Lifetime

Chapter 330: Chapter 164: Sweet for a Few Years, Bitter for a Lifetime

"...Ah Wei, if you see a fruit stand later, please pull over. Since Aunt Luo is treating me to a meal at her home, I can’t just show up empty-handed. I’ll buy some fruit to take."

Ah Wei smiled and nodded. "Okay." He remembered hearing Reba go on and on the other day about how wonderful Su Ran was. She had said her classmate Su Ran was sensible, polite, and very personable—not at all arrogant like other rich people. Seeing him today, he found it to be true. Ah Wei worked for Aunt Luo, so he would naturally report what he saw back to her. This was how she could sit at home and have the world in the palm of her hand.

「Beside the Forbidden City, in a courtyard house.」

"Hehehe..." In the courtyard, Aunt Luo was lounging on a recliner, basking in the warm sun, cracking melon seeds, and looking at her phone. A wide smile spread across her face as she watched a video Ah Wei had sent. It was a clip of Su Ran buying fruit in a high-end fruit shop. The first thing he said was, "Boss, you guarantee this watermelon’s ripe?"

It wasn’t that the line was particularly funny, but the act of bringing fruit when visiting. Aunt Luo hadn’t experienced someone showing up with fruit in decades. For years, the dignitaries and nobles who visited brought either antique calligraphy and paintings or rare treasures. This kid showing up with fruit... Heh, how interesting. It gave Aunt Luo the nostalgic feeling of visiting relatives back in the day.

The more prominent a figure like Aunt Luo became, the more she felt that expensive gifts were meaningless trifles. She didn’t lack for anything. What she wanted was a bit more human warmth. And this Su Ran was so genuine. There were no ulterior motives, just a pure friendship that transcended their age gap.

Besides, while other people scrambled to curry favor with her, Su Ran wouldn’t. He wouldn’t even add her on WeChat. ’It’s either you ask, you old lady, or I’m definitely not asking to add you.’ Aunt Luo loved this kind of equal footing. It was a relationship where he treated her as a normal person, and she didn’t treat him as someone extraordinary.

However, when she saw the next video, her mood soured. Su Ran was buying a carton of "High-Calcium Milk for Middle-Aged and Elderly People." Although she was getting on in years, she didn’t feel old. Aunt Luo hated this kind of stuff; drinking it would be an admission that she really was old.

Aunt Luo: [Ah Wei, tell Su Ran not to buy that stuff. I don’t like it. If he’s going to buy milk, tell him to get Telunsu.]

Ah Wei: [Roger.]

Ah Wei put down his phone and walked over to Su Ran. "Mr. Su, Aunt Luo rarely drinks this brand of milk. She might not drink it even if you buy it. How about switching to Telunsu instead?"

Su Ran: "But this is high-calcium milk for the middle-aged and elderly. Seniors lose calcium at a high rate. Why would she drink Telunsu? If she’s drinking milk, it should be this high-calcium kind. Don’t worry, this is the most suitable thing for someone her age."

Ah Wei: ...

Fruit in one hand, milk in the other. Okay, all set. Back to the car.

The Alpha entered the city center and drove past Tian’an Gate. Su Ran gazed at the surroundings, completely unconcerned about looking like a "country bumpkin." He just stared out the window. His thinking was, ’If you don’t act like a tourist, it’s like you’ve never been.’ He simply loved the Capital. Besides, when you’re truly wealthy and confident, people don’t think you’re unsophisticated.

"Where does Aunt Luo live?"

"In a courtyard house by the moat, next to the western wall of the Forbidden City."

"That..."

Su Ran was stunned. A single courtyard house in the Imperial Capital could be worth hundreds of millions, so one right next to the Forbidden City had to be over a billion, right?

How could he not be shocked by a courtyard house worth over a billion?

’This old lady really is rich,’ he thought. ’No wonder Reba said on the phone that people were lining up to be Aunt Luo’s grandson or granddaughter.’

No other reason. She was just that rich.

If you became her grandson, wouldn’t you get excited every time you heard her cough?

It’s just a pity she has no heirs.

The Alpha pulled up to the entrance of the courtyard house. Ah Wei led the way up the steps and pushed open the gate, and Su Ran saw Aunt Luo walking towards them with a warm smile.

"Mr. Su, you’ve arrived."

"Hello, Aunt Luo. We meet again."

"Heh... I’m so glad you could come to the Imperial Capital. Come, come, please come in."

This was their second time meeting, but it felt like their first formal one.

They had both heard tales about the other and held a mutual admiration.

They had met through photography and had been corresponding like pen pals via email ever since. Their dynamic in real life was the same as it was online.

Su Ran glanced around the courtyard and said, "Aunt Luo, your courtyard is huge! I never expected your home to be right next to the Forbidden City. That’s amazing. Oh, right, I bought this for you as a little gift. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just grabbed something. I hope you like it."

"I don’t."

Aunt Luo was very direct. If she liked something, she liked it; if she didn’t, she didn’t. No pretense, just straightforward honesty.

"..." Su Ran was speechless. "It’s high-calcium milk. It supplements calcium, which is mainly for preventing osteoporosis in the elderly. It’s only good for you."

"So what? I never drink this stuff," she said deliberately.

Su Ran said earnestly, "You have to accept your age. This is good for you. It supplements calcium. Just try it if you don’t believe me."

"I won’t."

"..." Su Ran opened a carton, stuck a straw in it, and handed it to her. "Just take a sip. Come on, drink it. It’s really good for calcium. You’ll definitely like it after one sip."

Aunt Luo chuckled. She had to hand it to him; he was dead set on forcing her to admit her age.

"Fine, I’ll take a sip." She took a small sip. "It doesn’t taste good at all."

Stubborn.

"Fine, if you don’t like it, forget it. I’ll just ship it back to Jiangning later for my Uncle Qin to drink."

Aunt Luo smiled. "Alright, fine, I’ll take it. Saves you the shipping fee. Give the milk to Ah Wei. Come, let’s go have some tea. The meal will be ready soon."