Su Yinwan and Rong Jing waved goodbye to Grandma Yang briefly.
He then turned back to get the remaining gifts from the trunk, and the two walked side by side toward the old house.
"Grandpa, I'm back."
Before Su Yinwan even stepped into the courtyard, her voice was already echoing throughout the old house.
Further inside, one sees an old man with white hair and beard, his face etched with wrinkles, sitting in a wicker chair, listening to music with his eyes closed.
Having not seen her grandfather for several months, Su Yinwan felt that he had aged and thinned, and her nose couldn't help but feel a little sore.
"Grandpa, Xiaowan is back."
Su Yinwan bent down and squatted down, resting her hands on the armrests of the rattan chair.
Grandpa Su opened his eyes and looked at his granddaughter who had suddenly appeared before him, a kind smile on his lips.
"Why did you two suddenly come back? You didn't even tell me beforehand. I thought you wouldn't be back until Mid-Autumn Festival, cough cough cough."
He looked at Su Yinwan, then at Rong Jing behind her, and was overjoyed.
"I missed you, so I came back to visit." Su Yinwan felt a pang of sadness as she looked at her grandfather, who started coughing again as he spoke.
Grandpa Su's health is now far inferior to that of Grandpa Rong.
He suffered a serious injury when he was young, and due to a lack of proper care, he developed chronic health problems.
She gently patted her grandfather's back and said with a slight reproach, "Grandpa, it's autumn now, remember to wear more clothes. Look at yourself, did you not listen to Aunt Qin again?"
Seeing that he was only wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt, Su Yinwan frowned.
The old man was a bit stubborn, always thinking he was as strong and healthy as he was when he was young, and refused to admit that he was getting old.
Thinking of the gray-green checkerboard pattern she saw in the living room when she came in, she knew that her grandfather must have put the blanket that Aunt Qin had given him to keep warm back.
Because of this small matter, Aunt Qin called her several times, blaming the old man for not cherishing his health.
Every time this happens, Su Yinwan would video chat with her grandfather, giving him a long lecture, which would end with the old man giving a perfunctory nod.
Shaking her head helplessly, she got up to go back inside and get the thin blanket.
Just then, she looked up and saw Rong Jing coming out from inside, holding the thin blanket in his hand.
Su Yinwan had no idea when he went in.
However, it's clear that the man is thoughtful, quietly doing these considerate things.
Rong Jing spread out the thin blanket with both hands and slowly covered Old Master Su with it.
"Grandpa, listen to Wanwan. The weather is getting cooler now, so you need to take better care of yourself."
"Yes, yes, with you two keeping an eye on me, how could I dare to be willful?"
Grandpa Su carefully examined his old comrade's grandson. Although he looked cold and deep, he was also resolute and steady.
Although they hadn't met many times, he did have a very good impression of Rong Jing.
Although he was rather taciturn and exuded a coldness that made him unapproachable when the two families first met.
But he always believed that his old comrade's family upbringing and character were of the highest quality.
Most importantly, he believed that Rong Jing would treat Su Yinwan well for the rest of his life.
"Ah Jing, how is your grandfather's health?"
Grandpa Su leaned back in his rattan chair, holding a teacup in his left hand.
"Grandpa is in good health and his spirits are quite good."
Rong Jing watched as Old Master Su finished his tea, then picked up the teapot and refilled it for him.
"That's good. In a while, our two families will celebrate the festival together, and we should ask him for a drink."
It had been quite a while since Grandpa Su had caught up with his old comrades.
When they meet, they bicker and argue endlessly, but when they don't see each other, they miss each other terribly.
Older people tend to cherish the people and things around them more.
“Okay, Grandpa, I’ll prepare the best wine for you then.”
"This child is so sensible."
Grandpa Su smiled and patted Rong Jing's shoulder as he leaned down.
"Grandpa, I am your own granddaughter, how come you've neglected me?"
Su Yinwan felt a little jealous watching the two of them interacting so well.
"Look at this child, why is he throwing a tantrum? He's just like he was when he was little."
Grandpa Su patted Su Yinwan's head.
"Oh? Was Wanwan always like this? No wonder she needed to be coaxed every day."
Rong Jing looked at his wife's pouting lips and smiled indulgently.
"Of course, and he's mischievous too."
Grandpa Su rolled his eyes, stroked his white beard, and reminisced about the past.
"I remember when she was seven years old, she had grown a bit taller, and she would climb the tree with the little granddaughter of the Yun family next door every day to steal bird eggs."
"Back then, her grandmother would always chase after her with a bamboo stick, wanting to teach her a lesson by 'beating her with a bamboo stick,' but she always managed to escape by luck."
"Grandpa~" Su Yinwan tried to stop the old man from continuing, afraid that he would tell Rong Jing all the embarrassing things from the past.
Wouldn't she lose face in front of him in the future?
“Look how clever and mischievous you were when you were little. Every time you got into trouble, you would go to Yu Mo and ask her to plead with your grandma, so that your grandma would eventually stop hitting you.”
He fondly recalled how much joy and laughter the two sisters brought to the family when he was a child.
"It's such a pity your sister is gone. I'm an old woman who has to bury her child. Sigh..."
When Grandpa Su mentioned Su Yumo, he couldn't help but sigh, his voice even trembling slightly.
“I promised your grandmother that I would watch you two sisters find good homes and live happy lives. If I close my eyes one day, I don’t know how I will face your grandmother.”
For some reason, the old man seemed rather melancholy today, and he kept talking about parting and life and death.
The atmosphere was somewhat somber.
Su Yinwan fought back her tears, choking out, "Grandpa, you still have us with you. You're destined to live to be a hundred. My sister's gone, and I..."
She couldn't continue speaking and hurriedly ran outside.
"Grandpa, I'm going to take a look."
"Okay, go ahead."
When Rong Jing came out, he saw a woman sitting on the steps, head down, knees pressed together, weeping bitterly.
He pursed his lips, his eyes filled with melancholy.
When he sees his loved one sad, he can't help but feel sad too.
This is perhaps what it means to be connected heart to heart.
He stepped down two steps and sat down next to Su Yinwan.
He gently patted the woman's shoulder, quietly letting her release her sorrowful emotions.
Su Yinwan was not a person who cried easily.
During the time Su Yumo was away, she felt as if she had fallen into an abyss.
There was no sunlight, only darkness.
There is a voice in every nightmare.
'Su Yinwan, you killed your sister, it's all your fault.'
'Your sister deserved a happy life, but you ruined it all.'
"No... Sister, I'm sorry."
Su Yinwan recalled that year when she woke up from such nightmares.
Thinking back to how Grandpa lay in bed for a whole month after learning of my sister's death;
Thinking of my parents' grief at losing their daughter, I have to accept this fact.
She was a sinner to begin with.
Su Yinwan hated herself intensely.
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