The Interstellar's Expert Plant Tamer

16

“Knock, knock, knock.” There was a second of silence outside the door, followed by louder knocks, along with a shrill scolding, “Xie Sen, you have grown bold. How dare you fling the door in front of us!”

Xie Sen turned around, and was about to go back to his room when he heard his name. He thought about it, and reopened the door. He ignored the two men’s black faces, and asked politely, “May I ask who you are?”

“You actually ask who we are?” The short middle-aged man’s voice became even more high-pitched. “My son and daughter-in-law raised you to adulthood. So now that they’re gone, you’re pretending you don’t know us, aren’t you?” He pointed at Xie Sen and cursed, “I knew you would be a wolf. I should not have let them adopt you even if I had to die.”

He didn’t even breathe for a moment, then his voice changed, “You were acting like a good boy for the first two years, but now that you’re about to graduate, you’ve gotten your wings and don’t see us anymore?” He pointed his hand from Xie Sen’s body to the house. “Do you know whose house you are living in now? Since you have hardened your wings, you should hurry up and move out. We have no responsibility to continue to support you.”

Xie Sen listened to his shrill curses, and just wanted to cover his ears. But now he knew the identity of the two men, and when he thought about how he was occupying his predecessor’s body, he forced himself to listen quietly.

The predecessor’s notes had mentioned his grandfathers with very little ink.

‘Grandfathers don’t seem to like me.’

‘Dad and Grandfather quarreled because of me. I blame myself. How can I make the Grandfathers like me? I will be good.’

Xie Sen looked at the two men expressionlessly, and took a step back to make way in the doorway. “Please come in and sit down if you want to talk about something.”

Father Xie and Father Xie glanced at each other, and both showed surprise in their eyes. Why did this white-eyed wolf feel different from before?

The three of them sat in the living room. Xie Sen poured them tea. “Sorry. I just woke up a little confused. What are you here for today?”

Father Xie cleared his throat, and said seriously, “Your adoptive father and his family have been dead for three years. We have been too sad these years, and have not made a complete inventory of their assets. Now that you are an adult, we have to do a proper accounting.”

Xie Sen thought about the balance of his predecessor’s account, and the corners of his mouth slightly deflated. “Father didn’t leave me any property.”

“I know they don’t have any savings,” said Grandfather Xie. “The money piece was settled three years ago. I’m not talking about the savings.”

Because of Grandfather Xie’s previous words, Xie Sen had a rough guess in his mind, and thought that they were mostly here for the house.

Xie Sen pointed to the ceiling. “Is it the house?” He had a bad impression of the two, but the house was their son’s, and they deserved it. After all, he was not the real predecessor.

What’s more, he had just made a fortune and wasn’t too worried. “I can move out.”

Grandfather Xie and Grandfather Xie were even more surprised. Grandfather Xie looked much better. “Quite understanding. You have lived here to adulthood. We have done our duty.”

Xie Sen thought it would be easy to settle things, and got up. “I’ll go pack my bags.”

However, things went beyond his expectations. Grandfather Xie said, “Wait, there is one more thing.”