Grandpa Su wrestled with the question, his expression shifting repeatedly.
Fan Shufang, adept at reading people, understood Grandpa Su's unspoken concerns from his changing mien.
Putting herself in his shoes, she felt Grandpa Su's thoughts were not unreasonable.
If it were her, she might have thought even more.
She said with a smile, "Brother, Sister-in-law, the difference in our social standing is indeed quite significant now, but Lao Dong and I are truly sincere in treating you as our elder brother and sister-in-law. You two don't need to feel too much pressure."
Grandpa Su and Grandma Su remained silent.
How could they not feel pressure?
The gap between them was so vast that even "heaven and earth" wouldn't suffice to describe it.
Someone from the northwest, a small business owner, compared to a high-ranking official in the court – who wouldn't feel the pressure?
After a long pause, Grandma Su spoke, "It's best if our two families remain as they were before, keeping a distance!"
This was her honest sentiment.
Grandma Su wasn't afraid of being wronged herself, but she feared her children being subjected to gossip and ridicule.
The people of their Su family always knew their place and never thought of relying on anyone to live a good life.
Naturally, they also never thought of bearing accusations that should not have been theirs.
Today, a mere junior security guard dared to speak so presumptuously.
Who knew what others would say in the future!
"Such incidents will not happen again. Brother, Sister-in-law!" Dong Yuanzhong stated with conviction.
He used the formal address of "Brother" and "Sister-in-law," firmly positioning himself as Su Chuan's younger brother.
"Brother, although we are not related by blood, in my heart, you are no different from my own elder brother!"
After a slight pause, Dong Yuanzhong said with a touch of sadness, "My parents and siblings are long gone. You are the only family I have in this world!"
He felt regret.
He shouldn't have neglected the Su family so much. At the very least, he should have let those around him know the status of the Su family in his heart.
Little Yuan's presumption at the Su family's home was fundamentally because Little Yuan felt that the Su family was not important to him.
But how could Little Yuan, a child, know that it wasn't that the Su family wasn't important!
It was precisely because the Su family was too important that he didn't want to take risks.
He truly worried that while he was still establishing himself, the Su family might be harmed because of their association with him.
Being in a high position, his ability to withstand risks was naturally stronger.
However, he couldn't protect the Su family at all times.
But from what he saw later, the Su family was not the helpless fish that he thought they would be upon arriving in the capital.
Even if someone wanted to move against the Su family, it wouldn't be easy. The people backing them were powerful!
At the very least, their connections were not something that a "mud-legged" person like himself, who had risen through military merit, could compare to.
Since that was the case, he had fewer reservations.
"Grandpa, Grandma, since Grandpa Dong and Grandma Fan have said so, you should agree!"
Su Xiaotian suddenly spoke up to persuade them.
Her willingness to speak naturally stemmed from her belief that Dong Yuanzhong and Fan Shufang's words were sincere.
The Su family had no deep roots in the capital. If someone like Dong Yuanzhong could offer support, their future path would be much smoother.
It wasn't that Su Xiaotian wanted to rely on Dong Yuanzhong for anything, but Dong Yuanzhong's presence alone was a huge protective umbrella. Even if Dong Yuanzhong did nothing, ordinary people would not dare to provoke the Su family lightly.
Hearing Su Xiaotian's words, Dong Yuanzhong smiled, his old face beaming.
"Xiaotian is right. However, Xiaotian, you shouldn't call me Grandpa Dong anymore. Just call me Second Grandpa!"
After saying this, Dong Yuanzhong remembered something and quickly asked Grandpa Su, "Brother, can you consider me your second younger brother?"
Dong Yuanzhong remembered that Su Chuan had a younger brother, and he wondered if he could be considered his second younger brother.
If not, Dong Yuanzhong felt he could be a third younger brother.
Grandpa Su nodded without hesitation.
He did have a younger brother, Su Shan, but over the years, their relationship had been stagnant, and his brother had never treated him as an elder brother.
Besides, his relationship with Dong Yuanzhong was his own business.
"Xiaotian, from now on, you will call me Second Grandpa, and your Grandma Fan Second Grandma!" Dong Yuanzhong was so happy he could barely contain himself.
Liang Xiu watched blankly, completely bewildered.
Dong Yuanzhong was a high-ranking official, yet he looked as if he were the one trying to curry favor with the Su family.
She had no idea that Dong Yuanzhong felt he was one step closer to "kidnapping" the Su family children back home.
Now that they had acknowledged kinship, the relationship felt much closer, and the two families spoke more freely.
Su Xiaotian suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Second Grandpa, how long has your security guard been with you? Did he start following you after you arrived in the capital, or was he with you in the Northwest?"
For some reason, Su Xiaotian instinctively felt that this security guard named Xiao Yuan had some issues.
Dong Yuanzhong slightly restrained his smile and asked, "He started serving me after arriving in the capital. Is there a problem?"
Although he didn't know what Su Xiaotian was thinking, he felt that this young girl wouldn't speak without reason. She must have thought of something or observed something.
Su Xiaotian nodded and said, "When he first came to you, was he always this… impetuous in his personality?"
She didn't quite know how to describe Xiao Yuan, so she used the word "impetuous" appropriately.
Dong Yuanzhong hadn't considered this question before, but now that Su Xiaotian brought it up, he began to seriously consider it.
Fan Shufang, standing beside him, also started to ponder the issue.
Xiao Yuan hadn't been with them for a long time. Because he was the child of an old subordinate of Lao Dong, and Lao Dong had personally taken him in, they had been very trusting of Xiao Yuan.
Initially, Xiao Yuan was shy, meticulous in his work, and always sought Lao Dong's instructions or opinions before doing anything.
The current Xiao Yuan was bolder in his actions. Although still obedient, he sometimes acted independently on certain matters.
Moreover, he seemed to harbor a subtle hostility towards everyone around Lao Dong.
Although these changes were gradual and they hadn't noticed them much,
now that Su Xiaotian had raised the issue, and she followed this line of thought, she felt there was a significant difference.
Xiao Yuan's changes started about two months ago, didn't they?
Nothing significant seemed to have happened in the past two months, so why would Xiao Yuan change like this?
The only possibility was that someone had said something to Xiao Yuan, changing his mindset.
Children of Xiao Yuan's age were easily swayed.
But who would want to change Xiao Yuan, and for what purpose?
The more Fan Shufang thought about it, the worse she felt.
She even considered some terrifying possibilities, and her face turned pale for a moment.
Su Xiaotian had only pointed it out and couldn't say more.
She was just a child, and some things absolutely couldn't be said.
However, she believed that those who had reached high positions, whether Dong Yuanzhong or Fan Shufang, were not foolish. They would surely identify the inconsistencies based on her words.
Su Xiaotian's guess was entirely correct. The couple were not unintelligent; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed and maintain their high positions.
It was just that they had been too trusting of those around them before, leading to a blind spot.
Fan Shufang said nothing, but she gave Su Xiaotian a grateful look.
"Second Grandpa, Second Grandma, I'll prepare a medicinal ingredient later for Second Grandpa to take," Su Xiaotian said with a smile, bringing up the matter of treatment.
The origin of today's commotion was, after all, related to treatment.
"Alright, for Second Grandpa's illness, I'll rely on you. The private doctor at home is really useless!"
Hearing Dong Yuanzhong mention the family doctor, Su Xiaotian added, "The medicine I prepare, your private doctor might not agree to Second Grandpa taking it."
This point was evident from Xiao Yuan's strong rebuttal earlier.
For some reason, even though she hadn't met Doctor Wu, Su Xiaotian had a keen sense that Doctor Wu might be problematic.
Xiao Yuan's changes might even be related to Doctor Wu.
But Su Xiaotian wouldn't say this directly.
Dong Yuanzhong said casually, "He serves me. It's not his place to make decisions for me!"
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Second Grandpa, you can take a pill of the medicine I prepare for Doctor Wu to examine, and also have a reliable doctor at the hospital examine it. Then you can take it after the results are out, how about that?"
Dong Yuanzhong didn't grasp the meaning behind Su Xiaotian's words and said casually, "You are my elder brother's granddaughter. How could I not trust you?"
Besides, I wish you would be my granddaughter!
Dong Yuanzhong looked at Su Xiaotian meaningfully, resembling a wolf grandmother planning to abduct Little Red Riding Hood.
"It's better to have it examined before taking it!" Su Xiaotian said with a wry smile.
This was a major leader, and she couldn't bear the responsibility.
But Dong Yuanzhong firmly shook his head, "Why go through so much trouble? If I were afraid you would harm me, I wouldn't have asked you to prepare medicine for me. We soldiers believe in trusting those you use and not using those you doubt!"
He was very confident that even if everyone in the world wanted to harm him, the Su family would not.
For people to harm others, there must be a reason!
The Su family had no such reason to harm him.
[Author's Note]
Two chapters today, but with an extra thousand words! Babies, praise me quickly!