Chapter 93 I Let Go
The next morning, around seven o'clock, Shi Zhenglin loaded Long Weihe and Lin Yao's suitcases into the car and put Qian Duoduo's backpack on the passenger seat. He was going to take them to the airport and then drop Qian Duoduo off at kindergarten. "It's been around zero degrees over there these days, with a little snow. Did you two bring enough clothes?" Shi Zhenglin asked. "Yes," Long Weihe said, getting in the car with Lin Yao. Qian Duoduo asked, "Can you come back for Christmas?" Long Weihe hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Not tomorrow. Be good at your uncle's house and listen to Aunt Xu." "We won't go to kindergarten tomorrow. We'll take you and Shi Shi out to play," Shi Zhenglin tried to cheer him up. Qian Duoduo noticed Lin Yao was still unhappy. "Don't be sad, little sister. Your grandma will be fine. She won't die." Lin Yao pulled his ear and smiled. She hadn't asked Long Weihe to accompany them. They were too busy with orders at the company lately, and the children also wanted to celebrate the holidays. Long Weihe simply bought a plane ticket, saying she wanted to go see her grandma. Late last night, Tang Ruifen finally called, waiting until the old lady had completely lost her appetite. She said she was worried about disrupting her work, but she didn't respond. She had already contacted her cousin before her call to inquire about her condition, and he said she had about four or five days left. She couldn't bear the impending separation. Her relationship with her grandmother had always been stronger than her parents'. She'd booked a hotel near the hospital and had no plans to go home. On the way, Lin Yuxun called to say Fang Qin's offer had been accepted and that he'd come to talk to her about the audit. She said she was going back home to check on the audit and would put it on hold until she got back. He asked her why she was home so suddenly, and if something had happened. She said nothing, she just wanted to check on the situation. He was bewildered by her sudden change. "Why didn't you tell me in advance?" "I was in such a rush, I forgot." "Did I do something wrong?" "No." "When will you be back?" "Not sure. I'll tell you later." "Not sure... How do you expect me to..." "Go ahead and do your thing. Think carefully about the audit." Landing at her hometown airport, the bone-chilling cold air was familiar to her. They dropped their luggage at the hotel and headed to the hospital. Lin Yao's uncle and his family were caring for her in the ward today, along with Lin Xiangrong. "Xiaolong's here too, but he didn't tell me and didn't go to the airport to pick you up," Lin Xiangrong said as they met in the hallway. Her aunt interrupted hastily, "Yaoyao, go talk to Grandma. She's been nagging you these past few days." Lin Yao ignored them and headed straight for the bedside. Seeing her frail grandmother, she dropped her bag. She squatted down at the head of the bed, her face pressed against hers, and softly called, "Grandma..."
The next morning, around seven o'clock, Shi Zhenglin loaded Long Weihe and Lin Yao's suitcases into the car and placed Qian Duoduo's backpack on the passenger seat. He planned to take them to the airport and then drop Qian Duoduo off at kindergarten.
"The temperature there has been around 0 degrees these days, and there has been a little snow. Did you two bring enough clothes?" Shi Zhenglin asked.
"Enough." Long Wei closed the car and sat with Lin Yao.
Qian Duoduo asked, "Can you come back for Christmas?"
Long Wei hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, "I won't be back tomorrow. Be a good boy at your uncle's house and listen to Aunt Xu."
"We won't go to kindergarten tomorrow. We'll take you and Shi Shi out to play." Shi Zhenglin coaxed him into a good mood.
Qian Duoduo saw that Lin Yao was always unhappy, "Little sister, don't be sad, your grandma will be fine, she won't die."
Lin Yao pulled his ear and smiled at him.
She didn't let Long Weihe go with her because they were all so busy with orders at the company and the children also wanted to celebrate the holidays. Long Weihe bought a plane ticket directly, saying she wanted to go see her grandmother.
Tang Ruifen finally called very late last night. She waited until the old man could no longer eat anything before calling, saying that she was worried about affecting her work. After hearing a word, she didn't answer her.
She had already contacted her cousin before her call to ask about the situation, and he said she only had four or five days left. She couldn't bear the impending separation. Her relationship with her grandmother had always been stronger than hers with her parents.
She booked a hotel directly near the hospital and had no plans to go home.
On the way, Lin Yuxun called to say that Fang Qin's offer had been sent and that he was coming to talk to her about the audit. She said she was going back to her hometown to take a look around and that the audit would be put on hold until she returned. He asked her why she had come home so suddenly and if something had happened. She said nothing was wrong and that she had just come home to take a look around.
He was overwhelmed by her change.
"Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"I was in such a hurry that I forgot."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"When will you be back?"
"Not sure, I'll tell you later."
"Not sure... How do you want me to live..."
"Go ahead and do your thing. You can reconsider the audit." Landing at her hometown airport, the bone-chilling coldness she felt after getting off the plane was familiar. They dropped their luggage at the hotel and headed to the hospital.
The people taking care of Lin Yao in the ward today are Lin Yao's uncle and his family, and Lin Xiangrong is also there.
"Xiaolong is here too, but he didn't tell me and didn't go to the airport to pick you up." Lin Xiangrong said as they met in the corridor.
The eldest aunt interrupted hurriedly, "Yaoyao, go and talk to grandma. Your grandma has been talking about you a lot these days."
Lin Yao ignored them and went straight to the bedside. Seeing her frail grandmother, she dropped the bag in her hand to the ground. She squatted at the head of the bed, put her face close to hers, and called softly, "Grandma..."
Grandma opened her eyes, saw her clearly, and smiled at her with a light in her eyes, "Yaoyao...my Yaoyao is back, my dear..."
Lin Yao tried to smile with red eyes.
"Grandma is old, it's almost time, don't be sad."
"I'm not sad."
Long Weihe came closer and asked, "Grandma, do you still recognize me?"
"...Xiaolong..." Grandma was happy, "Good boy, I remember you. How come you are here too..."
Long Wei held her hand and smiled, "Grandma, I missed you and wanted to come see you."
"...You're so thoughtful... It's great that you're together... My Yaoyao is alone outside, thanks to you... two good children... I feel relieved..."
Lin Yao and Long Wei talked about how grandma loved to laugh all her life. Neither of them shed a tear. They spoke softly and smiled to accompany her.
Grandma was too weak to say much. She would open and close her eyes for a while, without any sadness. She just kept repeating the same few words: "Eat well, take care of yourself..."
After leaving the ward, Lin Yao threw herself into Long Weihe's arms and cried.
Lin Xiangrong followed, "I just called your mother, she's cooking. Take Xiaolong home for dinner."
Lin Yao ignored him and pulled Long Wei away.
Lin Xiangrong knew why she was like this. Pei Yifeng had been to his house when she came back. He didn't force her to follow him, so he had no choice but to let her go.
Long Weihe advised her, "Come home for dinner when you get back. What happened between them back then is not something Pei Yifeng can explain in just a few words."
She didn't respond and pulled her into a taxi. "Get in the car. Your phone is blowing up. Call Shi Zhenglin back."
Lin Yao took her to a hot pot restaurant.
"Long Weihe, do you still remember the first time we met?" Lin Yao asked.
"Remember—" Long Wei laughed, "Sly dog."
Back in college, Long Weihe was a talented dancer and manager. She was elected director of the school dance troupe, and when they were selecting new members, Lin Yao greeted her with a "Hello, Senior Sister," and then performed a routine. She thought her dancing was terrible, and indeed, it wasn't, so she passed on her.
Lin Yao asked her on the spot why she couldn't do it, and she said that the number of places was limited and others danced better than her.
Lin Yao had been enrolled in dance classes by Tang Ruifen in elementary school, and she had some basic skills. Unconvinced, she followed Long Weihe around for a few days, calling her "Senior Sister" repeatedly. Long Weihe relented and accepted her. They've been inseparable ever since.
"Do you feel that I am becoming more and more like you as time goes by?" Lin Yao asked again.
"I don't think so. You're still as stubborn as ever. I can't even get you to come home for dinner."
"I don't hate them, I just really don't know how to face them. From the time I was born until they had their falling out, all the sweaters I wore were knitted by Aunt Lan Jing. I still remember those little bunny and flower patterns. Later, I even hated her... I just felt sorry for Aunt Lan Jing. Whenever I see them, I think of Aunt Lan Jing and Brother Xiao Feng."
"It's bad enough that you're involved in this. Have some pity on yourself."
Lin Yao smiled, fiddled with her phone for a bit, then put it down and gave her some of her favorite tripe. "I've booked a flight for you. It's for tomorrow morning. You can go back."
"I don't plan to go back tomorrow, I'll go back the day after tomorrow. I haven't been to your house to see your mother yet!"
"I saw my grandma and she was happy. That's enough. You go home and spend the holiday with them."
"What kind of festival is this? It's just kids playing around."
"Lin Yuxun's case is also quite urgent. New Year's Day is coming soon, and their group will start an audit in January. I plan to stay here to accompany my grandmother until the end. Time is running out. Please go back and help me to handle the next step for him."
She told her in detail about yesterday's meeting with the auditor and the situation on Lin Yuxun's side. Long Weihe said that she would ask Lin Yuxun to deal with this matter when she returned tomorrow.
Lin Yao said that if she was sure, she would call Li Xuan first, and Long Weihe would meet with her later. They both thought Li Xuan was reliable and sensible, so they agreed on a sincere yet somewhat reserved approach to her.
"Tell me the truth, what do you think of Pei Yifeng and Lin Yuxun now?" Long Weihe wanted to confirm.
"My feelings for Lin Yuxun are getting stronger and stronger. Brother Xiaofeng, I've let it go. Once I've let it go, I've let it go. Even if Lin Yuxun and I don't have a good ending in the future, I will never keep him as a backup. I can't hurt him, I can't let him have any illusions."
After dinner, she sent Long Weihe back to the hotel and returned to the hospital to accompany her grandmother.
Datou called and asked if she was back, saying he and Heipi were coming to visit her. She said she wasn't home, but was staying at the hospital with her. He asked her to have supper together that evening, but she said they wouldn't get together this time, as she was back to spend time with her grandmother.
The person she said she had let go appeared in the ward in the afternoon. Datou's call was probably a test from him.
Lin Xiangrong was also in the ward. When he saw Pei Yifeng coming, he sent everyone else out and ran outside the hospital to squat and smoke.
Lin Yao sat beside his grandmother, watching her sleep with her eyes closed, without moving or looking at him.
He took a chair and sat down next to her.
After a long moment, he pulled his hand out of the pocket of his black coat, pinched his nose, and turned to look at her sideways. "Are you cold?"
She shouldn't, she thought their conversation was over for that night.
After sitting quietly for a few minutes, he took the thermos cup she had placed on the bedside table to pour some water, then brought it back and handed it to her.
"Drink some water."
She held the cup in her hand and asked, "Aren't you working?"
"I asked a colleague to help me with my mom's matter for half a month. During this time, I just want to do what I want to do."
"You should do what you need to do. If it's not appropriate here, don't bother grandma."
"I'll stay with you and grandma."
She was silent for a moment, then continued, "We are all experiencing loss right before our eyes. Do you think we should cherish it?"
"Yes, time is running out, so I want to cherish it, and only want to cherish you."
"I cherish the family relationship between us, and I also cherish my current love. We must face reality."
He lowered his head and said nothing.
"Brother Xiaofeng, in front of Grandma, let's think carefully about our childhood. We were together every day back then. I don't know what you think, but that time was truly the happiest time of my life, unique and something that will never come back. That's why I cherish it. I don't want our current shadow to overshadow that time. It would be such a pity to lose even this most beautiful part. If you cherish it too, don't wait for a future with me. It will only be in vain, with no hope. Let go of yourself... learn to love others... obsession is too painful..."
Grandma made a sound, opened her eyes slightly and looked at them.
"Xiaofeng...Yaoyao..."
"Grandma..." Lin Yao smiled and went to hold her hand.
Grandma reached for his hand.
He held it with trembling hands.
"...you two brothers and sisters are the same...you all need to be good...everyone needs to be good..."
With tears streaming down his face, he choked out, "Okay."
"Yaoyao, I now... I want to spend the next few days with grandma and you, just as a way of saying goodbye to the past. I'll listen to you, let it go, and won't bother you again."
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