Chapter 138 The Best Farewell
When the two arrived, Grandma was already in her final moments, breathing shallowly. Medical staff surrounded her bedside, but she just stared unfocusedly at a point on the ceiling.
Lin Yu followed Jiang Chuan to the bedside and looked at him calmly, calling out softly, "Grandma!" But the old woman didn't respond at all, as if she were isolated in another world.
Lin Yu bent down, took his grandmother's withered and cold hand, and pressed it against his cheek as usual, and said softly, "Grandma, it's me, Banban. Jiang Chuan and I have come to see you."
Miraculously, the hand seemed to move slightly. Grandma's previously unfocused gaze gradually regained its focus.
She turned her head with extreme slowness and effort, her gaze falling on Lin Yu's face. Her eyes held a clarity she hadn't seen in a long time, even a kind of lucidity in her final moments.
She murmured weakly, "Banban, good child..." Then, with her cold, wrinkled hand, she trembled and grasped Lin Yu's wrist. "Where's the bracelet Grandma gave you? Why aren't you wearing it?"
Remembering the misunderstanding when he gave her the bracelet, and seeing the earnestness in the old woman's eyes now, Lin Yu completely let go of the past grievances. He held his grandmother's hand tightly and whispered a promise.
"It's too precious, I keep it carefully at home. I'll definitely wear it for you when I get married to Jiang Chuan."
Hearing Lin Yu's answer, a peaceful smile appeared on Grandma's lips. She then turned to look at Jiang Chuan, who was standing quietly to the side. Her gaze lingered on his face for a long time, as if she had finally recognized her grandson.
A moment later, she shakily reached out her hand and laboriously turned towards the bedside table. Seeing this, Lin Yu quickly got up, opened the drawer next to her, and took out a rusty tin box.
"Xiao Chuan..." Grandma looked at the box Lin Yu had placed beside her, finally calmed down, lay back down on her pillow, and gently beckoned to Jiang Chuan. "...Come here."
Jiang Chuan did as she asked, taking two steps forward and squatting down by the edge of the bed, letting her gently place her hand on the lid of the box.
"You didn't come to see Grandma for your birthday two months ago. Grandma knows you're busy, so she's been saving up for you." Her tone was full of affection for him.
Jiang Chuan hesitated, holding the box in his hands. He pressed his thumb against the lid and lifted it open with a little force. Inside was a box of neatly stacked peach shortbreads.
However, after being left for a long time, mold had appeared on the edges of several pieces. But Grandma seemed oblivious, still treasuring them in the place closest to her, waiting day and night for her beloved grandson to return.
Jiang Chuan kept his head down the whole time, and Lin Yu couldn't see his expression clearly, but he could see that the knuckles of his fingers gripping the iron box were gradually turning white.
Her heart skipped a beat. She stood up and gently placed her hands on his shoulders, using the warmth of her palms to offer him a silent comfort.
Grandma seemed to regain a moment of clarity, her voice weak with remorse. "Grandma is sorry to you, and sorry to Qing'er..."
The moonlight streaming through the window fell on her face, revealing the regret hidden in the wrinkles of time. "Grandma shouldn't have pretended to be confused... She didn't protect your mother, nor did she keep this family together."
A single, cloudy tear slid down her cheek. She looked up at Jiang Chuan, her voice as ethereal as smoke. "Xiao Chuan, Grandma is leaving."
"You're a good kid. Don't keep everything bottled up inside. It's so tiring to live like this."
After saying this, the last bit of clarity in her eyes slowly faded like a candle flame, her arm fell limp, and then she stopped breathing.
Jiang Chuan remained kneeling by the hospital bed without saying a word until the electrocardiogram turned into a straight line. Only then did he slowly raise his hand and gently wipe away the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.
He admitted that he had been deliberately avoiding showing concern for his grandmother. Every time he stepped into the nursing home, it reminded him of the car accident that killed his parents.
He resented his grandmother's silence back then, but also felt sorry for her now, suffering from illness and delirium.
He feared that one day, even his grandmother would completely forget the past, and then he would be the only one trapped in this secret that involved two generations.
Perhaps what Jiang Chuan truly cared about was not his grandmother's concealment, but the indifference behind it.
It was as if his and his mother's feelings could be easily discarded to maintain the facade of family integrity, as if his grandmother only turned a blind eye to his father's betrayal because she disliked his mother.
He always viewed his resentment towards his grandmother as a way of giving back to his mother, but he never realized that he was also trapped by this painful and distorted emotion, unable to extricate himself.
It was only at this moment that this belated gift and apology made him suddenly realize that his grandmother had also struggled, suffered, and regretted her initial choice.
They are just ordinary people bound by the limitations of their time, desperately trying to grasp something, but often losing more in the struggle.
Jiang Chuan suddenly remembered his childhood, how he always loved to sit on his grandmother's lap and listen to operas. He remembered the steaming hot peach shortbread and cookies his grandmother would bake after school every weekend. He also remembered the wooden hairpin his mother had given him, which his grandmother always wore in her hair after his mother passed away.
These seemingly trivial moments made him suddenly realize that they, too, had shared so many warm and beautiful moments. Perhaps, the true way to give back to family is never to cling to past mistakes, but to carry the memories of the past and move towards the future with dignity.
The resentment and grudges that had been building up in his heart vanished like dust in a gentle breeze, leaving no trace. Now, with Lin Yu by his side and as his witness, he has finally reconciled with all his family members.
Jiang Chuan leaned down and whispered in his grandmother's ear, "I understand, don't worry."
He forgave the hurt his grandmother had caused him, just as he forgave his father's betrayal and his mother's forbearance.
He finally accepted the existence of those imperfections, acknowledged his grandmother's limited understanding, and also accepted the unpredictability of fate, and then continued to live his life well with these memories.
Perhaps what Grandma wanted wasn't his forgiveness, but rather for him to completely let her go. Perhaps this was the best way to say goodbye to her.
Suppressed sobs filled the ward. Lin Yu gripped her grandmother's already cold hand tightly, and tears finally streamed down her face. That jade bracelet became the last keepsake her grandmother left for her and Jiang Chuan.
Outside the window, the morning sun was slowly rising, bathing the entire room in a warm yet sorrowful golden-red hue, as if bidding farewell to the elderly on their behalf.
Jiang Chuan entrusted a professional agency to handle his grandmother's funeral. Lin Yu accompanied him to pack his grandmother's belongings from the nursing home, and then went to a cemetery in the suburbs to select three adjacent burial plots to bury his parents and grandmother together.
After leaving the cemetery and getting into the car, Jiang Chuan truly felt that his last remaining relative had also left him completely.
He stared silently out the window, his eyes vacant, and after a long while, he managed a slight smile. "Banban, I have no family left."
"No, Jiang Chuan..."
Lin Yu leaned forward in the passenger seat, gently wrapped his arm around Jiang Chuan's shoulder, pulled his head into his arms, and patted his tense back with his palm, gently comforting him, "You still have me. I will become your family."
Jiang Chuan buried his face deep in the crook of her neck, his warm breath seeping through the fabric and rising up in wisps.
After a long while, he slowly raised his hand to wrap around Lin Yu's waist. His arms were strong yet gentle, and his voice came from between their intertwined clothes. It was somewhat muffled, but it was all the more deep and moving.
"Banban, I think I can finally answer your question from before."
Lin Yu's fingers paused, a hint of confusion in his voice. "What's the problem?"
"If I were to leave this world tomorrow, the thing I would regret most..." Jiang Chuan's voice was gentle yet firm. "It would be that you are not by my side."
My heart felt as if it had been ripped open, and amidst the acute and unexpected pain, a warm, lingering sweetness surged forth. These two complex emotions clashed and ultimately intertwined to create a thrilling, unsettling sensation.
She suddenly remembered the night they first met in Feicheng. The two of them sat at a roadside barbecue stall, chatting about anchor points while drinking local beer. The emptiness she felt then was finally replaced by this real warmth.
Lin Yu didn't speak, but tightened his arms and hugged Jiang Chuan even tighter, responding to his rare display of dependence and the most tender confession with silence.
......
In mid-October, Lin Yu finally finished the arduous registration exam. He was finally able to devote all his energy to the company's preparations.
Qi Sheng's office renovation was nearing completion, and he sent Lin Yu a message inviting her to visit.
Lin Yu remembered the custom of asking for good luck when opening a business in his hometown, so he specially prepared a red envelope for him. But as soon as he handed the red envelope over, Qi Sheng threw it back.
The firm is tucked away in a quiet villa area in Jing'an District, where Qi Sheng has rented the entire building as office space.
The interior features a minimalist design, with exposed concrete walls that exude a raw, rugged texture. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows frame the bamboo grove in the courtyard, creating a dynamic tableau that changes with the passage of time.
Qi did not make drastic changes to the original structure of the villa, but made subtle adjustments according to its layout. With just a few clever touches, he greatly enhanced the sense of openness and integrity of the space, creating a spacious and stylish office atmosphere.
"Brother, to be honest..." Lin Yu stepped on the dark gray cement floor, looked around the living room with its nearly six-meter-high ceiling, and suddenly turned around, his tone jokingly probing.
"After all these years in Australia, have you been doing any legitimate business?"
"Of course not." Qi Sheng followed behind her with his hands in his pockets, his tone completely calm. "I came back this time to plan how to sell you to Myanmar so I can raise the remaining money for recruiting soldiers."
Lin Yu was already used to his sharp tongue and continued up the spiral staircase without taking it to heart.
The staircase on the second floor faces Qi Sheng's office. One entire wall of project drawings is densely covered with design sketches, and the computer screen on the long desk is still lit up, displaying a job resume that has been half-read.
"You've probably squandered all of my uncle's savings, haven't you?"
She knew in her heart that it was just a joke.
Lin Jun had worked hard in Australia for many years and had accumulated a considerable amount of assets. Even Lin Yu's former aunt, Qi Ruoheng, came from a prominent family in the Australian Chinese community, so Qi Sheng was naturally not short of money.
However, Lin Yu knew his personality well enough to know that he would never easily touch his parents' money.
It wasn't that he was being pretentious; rather, he firmly believed that to have absolute control over one's life, one must first achieve complete economic independence. He would only actively seek support from his family as a last resort.
Qi Sheng leaned against the doorframe and scoffed, "What? In your eyes, is your brother really that incompetent?"
He walked to the window, pushed it open, and let in a flood of golden afternoon sunlight. "You can use the corner room on the first floor. Save on rent and hire a couple of bright employees."
"If everyone were like their boss, how would they make big money?"
"Which one? Which one?" Lin Yucai ignored his brother's teasing, jogging downstairs and pointing precisely to a door at the end of the corridor. "I want the one with the balcony!"
"You're such a pain." Qi Sheng said with a hint of disdain, but there was no impatience in his tone. He nodded at her, which was considered an agreement.
"At least you still have some conscience." Lin Yu nudged Qi Sheng's arm lightly with his shoulder, secretly pleased. Even if it was just a temporary place, having his brother as a safety net made all the difference. "I have to treat you to a big meal tonight!"
"Come on, we don't need your measly little bit of money." Qi Sheng raised his hand and lightly flicked Lin Yu's forehead with two fingers, teasingly saying, "Eating like this every day, I'm starting to worry about your boyfriend's wallet."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu shook her head smugly. "Hmph, my boyfriend is happy to! He said that he earns money so I can spend it. You single people can hardly understand this sweet burden."
She skipped and hopped towards the stairwell. Nearly thirty years old, she acted like a child again in front of her brother, able to act spoiled without restraint.
Qi Sheng followed her downstairs and locked the door. Watching her furious back, he took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Jiang Chuan. "Your girlfriend's gone crazy. Come back and take her away right now. We don't offer after-sales service."
Jiang Chuan was away on a business trip at the time. When he saw Qi Sheng's message, he clicked on the picture and looked at it carefully. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
