Upon returning home, Guan Wenru immediately called the factory and asked Lei Yongkang to tell Bai Yun to come back.
Upon receiving the news, Baiyun hurriedly rode her bicycle back to her family compound.
Guan Wenru sat alone on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), staring blankly out the window.
The sound of bicycle brakes screeching came from the yard, followed by hurried footsteps.
The door was suddenly pushed open!
Baiyun rushed in, panting!
As soon as she entered the room, she saw her sister sitting there all alone, her eyes red and swollen, her expression sorrowful.
Baiyun's heart sank to the bottom in an instant!
Her voice trembled violently, and she could barely stand, gripping the doorframe, "Sister, sister...Grandma...she..."
She couldn't bring herself to say anything more; immense fear choked her.
Guan Wenru slowly raised her head, looked at her sister, and tears silently streamed down her face again.
She gently patted the seat next to her, her voice hoarse and low, "Xiaoyun, come and sit down."
Baiyun, as if all her strength had been drained, staggered to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed Guan Wenru's arm, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with desperate pleading:
"Sis! Where's Grandma?! Where is Grandma?! Say something, sis! What happened to Grandma?!"
Guan Wenru grasped her sister's cold, trembling hand and pulled her to sit beside her.
Looking into her sister's terrified and grief-stricken eyes, she nodded with difficulty, "Xiaoyun, Grandma is gone."
Gone...
These two words struck like a bolt from the blue, completely shattering Baiyun!
Baiyun immediately threw herself into Guan Wenru's arms and burst into heart-wrenching sobs!
She clutched her sister's clothes tightly, her body trembling violently, "Grandma!"
Baiyun cried uncontrollably in her sister's arms, all her longing and unbearable grief turning into torrents of tears that soaked Guan Wenru's clothes.
Guan Wenru didn't say anything more, but simply hugged her younger sister tighter, gently patting her back, letting her vent this belated... immense sorrow in her arms.
Once Bai Yun had calmed down a bit, Guan Wenru asked, "How have you and Xi Mufan been getting along these past few days? Have you thought it through? Shouldn't you take things to the next level? Grandma's wish is for you two to live happily together."
Xi Mufan is 27 years old, and Bai Yun is 25 years old.
In this day and age, Xi Mufan and Bai Yun are not young anymore, and they are indeed old enough to get married.
When Xi Mufan was mentioned, Bai Yun seemed somewhat dazed.
She lowered her head and said, "Sister, Brother Mu Fan... he's gone."
Guan Wenru frowned. "Gone? Where did they go?"
Bai Yun's voice lowered even further, almost inaudible, "He...he went back to the city, back to the capital...to go to university."
"What?" Guan Wenru's eyes widened suddenly; the news was very unexpected for her.
"Baiyun, explain yourself! What do you mean by 'going back to the city to study at university'?! When did this happen?! Xi Mufan went back to university? Then... what about you?! What... what's going on with you?!"
Bai Yun dared not look Guan Wenru in the eye. "Just... just ten days ago, it was a quota for the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, a rare opportunity to return to the capital... and he... he left."
Guan Wenru looked incredulous. "He left as soon as there was a spot? What about you two? What was the plan for how to handle your relationship?"
She and Xi Mufan practically grew up together, and after so many years, she considered herself to know Xi Mufan fairly well.
Xi Mufan has a responsibility; he can't just abandon Baiyun because he has a spot to return to the city.
Baiyun lowered his head, unsure how to explain.
Guan Wenru gripped her shoulders with both hands, his face grim. "Baiyun! Explain yourself! What exactly happened?! Tell me everything! Don't leave out a single word!"
Baiyun was intimidated by her sister's imposing manner, and her voice trembled with tears as she recounted how she had gone to get a certificate and get her marriage certificate that day, but had run into Che Xiaoni and learned that Xi Mufan had a quota to return to the city.
Then she felt she couldn't hold Xi Mufan back, so... she did a series of irrational things afterward.
Upon hearing this, Guan Wenru was so angry that she was panting heavily. She forcefully tapped Bai Yun's forehead with her finger. "You! You! Are you stupid?! Such a big thing! Why didn't you tell me back then?"
"Huh? Am I not your real sister?! You kept such a big thing to yourself?! You made the decision all by yourself?! If you had told me back then, things wouldn't be like this now!"
Bai Yun's tears fell. "I...I'm afraid...I'm afraid of affecting your mood. Grandma is seriously ill, you and your brother-in-law just reunited, and there are so many things going on at home. I don't want to add to your worries! Besides...and I think Xiaoni is right. He's going back to study; he has a bright future ahead of him. I can't hold him back..."
Guan Wenru, exasperated, tapped Bai Yun's head hard again, her voice filled with disappointment. "Screw you, you're just adding to my troubles! My silly sister! You're going to drive me crazy! What have you done to him?! What's wrong with him going to university?! Does going to university mean you can't get married?! Who says that?! Is Xi Mufan the kind of person who would abandon his wife for his future?! Did you even ask him?!"
Baiyun sobbed, "I didn't ask, I was just afraid... afraid he'd regret it later... afraid he'd blame me..."
"!"
sky!
Guan Wenru took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger.
Actually, it was also her fault; only she, her grandmother, and He Yanzhi knew about her rebirth.
They didn't tell Baiyun at all, and Baiyun had no idea what would happen in the future.
Baiyun believes that without the opportunity to return to the city, she will probably have to stay in the countryside for the rest of her life.
Baiyun, lacking any omniscient perspective, was completely unaware of the changing times. In her mind, either the two of them would spend their lives rooted in the countryside, or Xi Mufan would rise to prominence, and the two would part ways.
well!
Guan Wenru sighed deeply.
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