My grandparents are from the older generation, and their traditional thinking restricts their minds. If I told them that we were dating, I'd be lucky if they didn't faint from anger.

It's the Lunar New Year, so let's avoid causing trouble.

"Troublesome," Wen Mo muttered, plopping down on the bed, which wasn't as soft as his mattress at home, allowing him to bounce back and forth several times.

The beds in my hometown are the kind with hard boards and a mattress underneath. Although they're not as comfortable as the beds at home, the unique smell of the blankets from my hometown is something I really miss. I remember Wenmo slept on this bed for a whole summer when he was little.

"Wenmo".

Xia Lian, who had been missing for a long time, heard shouts coming from the corridor. She peeked out and, seeing that no one was in the hall, knocked on the door of the room.

Wen Mo, who had just lain down, scratched his head, got up and opened the door, and saw the girl blinking her eyes, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"What? You don't actually want to sleep with me here, do you?"

How about giving your grandparents a surprise when they wake up in the morning? That sounds like a good idea.

When I was little, I said I wanted to be an astronaut and my grandparents already gave me a good scolding.

Xia Lian looked at him and shook her head. "Grandma wants you to go wash up."

"Oh, it's just washing up. I thought it was something serious." Upon hearing this, Wen Mo led her down the stairs back to the first floor.

Since just now, the girl has been being led around the house by her grandmother, who is holding her hand and talking incessantly about something. It must be something very serious, otherwise, the grandmother wouldn't have had that slightly sentimental expression.

Grandma, who was standing at the front door and about to close it, heard the noise coming from the stairwell, turned around and smiled at the two people who had just come downstairs, "Xiao Mo, go wash your face and feet before you go to sleep."

"Okay, Grandma."

Wen Mo responded and went forward to help close the door.

This is the case with self-built houses in the countryside. The doors are usually left open during the day, but they must be tightly closed at night.

After closing the door, Wen Mo went to the bathroom to wash up, leaving space for the two people behind him to talk.

Grandma had a lot to say to the new girl. She was old, but still in good spirits and spoke clearly. However, the cloudiness in her eyes and brows was impossible to get rid of. She held Xia Lian's hand and sat in the chair, chatting about something.

Wenmo had no interest in eavesdropping. Anyway, they were just talking about serious matters, nothing more than telling her to live well in her new home and not to treat her like an outsider.

The bathroom door was open, and the warm orange light inside was newly installed; I hadn't seen it when I went home for the Chinese New Year last time.

The water in the basin was freshly filled and the temperature was just right. After washing up, he passed through the living room, but it was quiet and no one was in sight. He guessed that they had finished their conversation and left.

"Xiao Mo, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

Grandma, who was processing leftovers in the refrigerator, turned around and said, rubbing her two wrinkled hands under her body. It seemed that in my memory, she always had this smiling face.

Wen Mo smiled and waved his hand, "I just ate, how could I be hungry? Grandma, why don't you rest for a while and watch TV in bed?"

"No rush, no rush."

Grandma shook her head and waved to him from the bamboo chair in the living room.

Wen Mo understood and sat down on the bamboo chair next to her.

The bamboo chair was woven by my grandfather. Although it makes a creaking sound, it is very sturdy and has a backrest, so it is quite comfortable to sit on.

It seems like these bamboo chairs came into view when I was just old enough to remember things. If I'm not mistaken, these bamboo chairs are older than me.

"This chair is still the same as before," Wen Mo said, stroking the chair with a sigh.

Grandma patted his head, her soft, straight hair swirling around her fingertips, and smiled kindly, "This chair was here when your father was just born."

"So early?"

"Yes, a lot of things in our family are quite old. When I first married your grandfather, that iron bucket came with us."

Grandma pointed to the iron bucket placed by the door. In Wenmo's memory, this bucket was used for soaking feet. Perhaps because it was old, it was pitted and had many small dents.

"That metal bucket is almost twice my size."

"Haha." Grandma laughed and shook her head, rubbing Wenmo's hand gently. "Let me tell you about that girl."

Wen Mo froze, his smile instantly turning to silence. But after a moment's thought, he realized there was nothing wrong with what she had said, and it didn't sound like she was being accusatory. So he took over the conversation and replied, "Grandma, please speak. I'm listening."

It was already night, ten o'clock at night. The grandmother and grandson sat in their usual spot and chatted for a long time, with most of their conversation revolving around Xia Lian.

Grandma probably knows more than she does. Xia Lian's mother, Aunt Zhou, is her father's cousin, and Xia Lian is her only daughter.

Shortly after Aunt Zhou became aware of things, both of her parents passed away.

Having a pretty face always brings trouble. Not to mention attracting attention, in those days, not having parents meant having no support and having to rely on yourself for everything.

Aunt Zhou was tired. She no longer wanted any of her life's wishes. All she wanted was to find someone to marry and have a peaceful home.

Because she had no parents, she didn't even have the right to discuss the bride price. Her marriage partner was chosen by his parents. When she met their son, although she couldn't understand why such a handsome person was single, at least Aunt Zhou felt some comfort.

Xia Misheng is a good actress.

He spends his days chasing after women. With a face like that, he doesn't even want to get married or date, let alone have a girlfriend, because he thinks it would be a burden.

But later there was no other way. His parents were urging him, so he had to accept his fate. However, he was still a little surprised when he met the girl.

Perhaps because they shared similarities in certain areas, their innermost thoughts were strangely identical.

Why is someone so good-looking single?

Later, when Xia Lian was born, life became unbearable, and the family fell apart.

After Aunt Zhou fell ill, she never asked anyone for help, nor did she know who she could ask for help. When her illness became terminal, she had already given up hope and only hoped that someone would take good care of her children in the future.

Grandma found out, she found out everything. It was only after Aunt Zhou passed away that someone slowly spread the news to her through the family network.

She felt a pang of pity, but there was nothing she could do. The illness was terminal and there was no cure. All Grandma could do was have her son attend the funeral and offer whatever help he could.

"And then, Xiao Lian came to our house?" Wen Mo asked, feeling a heavy weight in his heart again after hearing the complete backstory.

"Yes, it was too late by then." Grandma's eyes were a little cloudy as she continued to ramble on, "If only I had known sooner, perhaps she could still be saved, could still be saved..."

Grandma kept repeating the two sentences for a long time without stopping.