Chapter 195: Sensible and Insightful

As evening approached, Su Yuqing rubbed her stomach as she followed Chen Mo back to his grandparents’ house.

Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought her gesture meant she was pregnant.

"What’s wrong with Yuqing?" Grandma asked curiously, noticing Su Yuqing’s action.

"She ate too many snacks and is stuffed," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"You rascal, you should have kept an eye on her. What are we going to do about dinner now?" Grandma shot Chen Mo a glare.

"It’s fine. You guys always used to eat late anyway. We can just eat a bit later, and we can make some rice water to help with digestion," Chen Mo said, smiling.

"I suppose that works. But aren’t you worried Su Yuqing will make herself sick? You can’t binge-eat like this next time," Grandma added with concern.

Su Yuqing nodded shyly, a little embarrassed.

’It was mainly because everything Chen Mo picked out was so delicious; she just couldn’t help herself.’

Not long after the two of them returned, Grandpa came home as well.

Seeing the two of them playing a game in front of the TV, he asked with a smile, "So, how was your outing today?"

"It was quite eventful."

"Chen Mo took me to eat a lot of delicious food," Su Yuqing replied with a smile.

"Momo loved getting snacks near the old opera stage when he was a kid. But I didn’t give him much money back then, so there was a limit to what he could buy. He never felt like he got enough and was always craving a bite." Grandpa recalled Chen Mo’s childhood, his face breaking into a blissful smile.

Raising a well-behaved and sensible child is a true joy.

Recalling those times brings nothing but joy.

He had thought that after Chen Mo’s parents abandoned him, the boy would cry and throw tantrums.

But he was surprisingly sensible.

He even said he would take his parents’ place in looking after his grandparents.

At the time, the old couple was moved beyond words.

And Chen Mo didn’t go back on his word.

Whenever he saw his grandparents were tired, he would immediately run over to help, patting their backs and rubbing their shoulders, doing what little he could to help them relax.

But in truth, his grandparents had been worried before.

Because while a sensible child is a joy, the more sensible a child is, the deeper they hide their true feelings.

A child is a child, after all. When one is overly sensible, it means they are suppressing parts of their natural instincts in front of others.

Sometimes, if this situation worsens, it’s not a good thing at all.

That’s why they say a sensible child is a blessing for the adults, but perceptive adults are a blessing for the child.

It was precisely because his grandparents looked at the bigger picture and didn’t treat Chen Mo as a perfect little puppet who only needed to obey them that he was able to grow up so healthy.

They would encourage Chen Mo to let his true nature out more.

They played with him and let him be rowdy.

If not for these two perceptive adults, such a sensible child might not have been able to grow up sound in mind and body.

Just like when he used to watch Chen Mo play games as a child—even though Grandpa didn’t really understand them and wasn’t very interested,

he would still do his best to sit and watch.

He would always pretend to be engrossed, listening as Chen Mo played and explained the game’s mechanics and story to him.

He was a devoted listener.

Now, Chen Mo no longer needed such a listener by his side to feel fulfilled.

But Grandpa was still in the habit of staying nearby.

Time always seems to fly by for children, but in the hearts of the elderly, it moves very slowly.

Even though Chen Mo was a young man now, even though he had already brought a girlfriend home,

in Grandpa’s eyes, in fleeting moments, he still saw the boy from his childhood.

The time a family spends together is always simple and peaceful.

An hour later, Chen Mo took Su Yuqing out for another walk to let their food settle before they finally returned home.

Grandma had already cooked dinner.

There were plenty of leftovers from lunch, so for dinner, she just made some soup.

The family ate with great satisfaction.

After dinner, it was already seven o’clock in the evening.

There was still one last bus for the night.

Chen Mo considered their options: If they could make it, they would take the last bus home. If not, they would stay at his grandparents’ house.

After saying goodbye to his grandparents, the two of them went to the old bus stop near the park and began to wait quietly.

At the old bus stop near the park, a single, dim yellow streetlight stood sentinel. Its lampshade was coated in a thin layer of dust, casting a less-than-brilliant light onto a small patch of uneven concrete below.

By now, the canopy of the sky had completely shifted from a pale blue-gray to a deep, dark gray.

The clamor of the day had completely faded, and the unique tranquility of the old district descended quietly, carried on the evening breeze.

The bus stop was silent. Besides them, no one else was waiting.

Occasionally, the silhouette of a cyclist would ride past under the shadows of the roadside trees with a RING-A-LING, leaving behind a crisp chime and shifting patterns of light and shadow. Farther away, a few clear barks and the muffled chatter of people returning home could be heard. In the silent night, these sounds were exceptionally clear, carrying the rich, lively scent of daily life, yet distant enough not to be noisy.

A cool evening breeze swept by, rustling the soft bangs on Su Yuqing’s forehead and her light skirt. It also brought a pleasant coolness to her cheeks, which were slightly flushed from being so full.

"It’s getting a little chilly." Su Yuqing subconsciously hugged her arms.

"Yeah, it is nighttime, after all," Chen Mo replied, naturally taking off his slightly oversized casual jacket and draping it over Su Yuqing’s shoulders.

The jacket still held his body heat and the faint, fresh scent of laundry detergent. It instantly blocked out the cool evening wind, bringing with it an enveloping warmth.

Su Yuqing froze for a moment, then a familiar warmth surged through her heart. She didn’t refuse, merely grasping the collar of the jacket lightly to wrap herself up more tightly.

She looked up at Chen Mo, bathed in the glow of the streetlight.

The dim yellow light softly outlined his profile—his high-bridged nose and deep-set eyes. It was a serene silhouette, different from the one she saw during the day.

Sensing her gaze, Chen Mo turned his head and gave her a small smile.

The light from the streetlamp put a soft, star-like glint in his eyes, causing Su Yuqing’s heart to inexplicably skip a beat. Her face grew warm, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to look at the play of light and shadow on the ground.

Her fingertips inadvertently brushed against something square and hard in the jacket pocket, and she subconsciously felt for it.

It was the crisp, red banknotes Grandpa had given Chen Mo. They hadn’t spent it all. The few bills left were like a warm footnote, resting quietly there, reminding her of all the care and affection from that afternoon.

’She recalled how, when her maternal grandmother was still alive, she would hold her hand and walk her home under the stars after they finished watching an opera. She was now feeling that same simple warmth so clearly from the elders of another family.’

The two stood side by side under the lamp, saying little.

All around them was the quiet night, with only the wind whispering.