After getting into the car, Yan Sui fell silent. He was wondering what the old lady of the He family wanted to see him about.
It can’t possibly be because she got sick and suddenly came to her senses, willing to forgive He Wan and by extension, accept him, right?
A flash of sarcasm crossed Yan Sui’s eyes, but before he could think any further, a peeled sugar-roasted chestnut was stuffed into his mouth.
“Sweet and sticky, very delicious.”
Meng Ting said this and then continued peeling chestnuts with his head down. His movements were slow, and his expression was very focused, as if he needed to do it this way to peel the chestnuts well. The fact is, his daily practical skills are indeed very poor, and peeling chestnuts is no exception.
Yan Sui chewed and thought, Meng Ting wasn’t wrong; it was indeed very sweet and sticky, just like the Meng Ting he had tasted.
He took over the paper bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts that Meng Ting was holding, peeled one at a speed three or four times faster than Meng Ting, and then fed it to him.
“I’ll peel them,” Yan Sui said when he saw Meng Ting stop chewing and chew his food. He slightly lowered his head and kissed his sweet lips.
Meng Ting couldn’t help but glance at the front seat out of the corner of his eye, but unfortunately, Yan Sui was sitting too close to him; apart from him, he couldn’t see anyone else.
“Then I’ll finish peeling this,” he said, leaning slightly forward, and kissed Yan Sui’s lips in the same manner. His eyes curved, and the picturesque charm of his brows instantly captivated anyone who looked at him.
Yan Sui had to exercise great restraint to suppress the urge to continue kissing the person.
Meng Ting finished peeling the chestnuts in his hand and continued to feed them to Yan Sui. Then he asked for another one and continued to peel them slowly and carefully. At the same time, he was also fed a lot by Yan Sui.
After half a large bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts was consumed, Yan Sui looked out the window, rolled up the bag, and placed it in a compartment in the car. “Save it for tonight.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting replied. He was already quite satisfied. It was only because Yan Sui was peeling them for him that he could eat so many at once; otherwise, it would take him a long time to eat just one. This feeling was particularly good, and it was even better because Yan Sui was peeling them for him.
Yan Sui took out some wet wipes from the compartment, wiped his hands, then took Meng Ting’s hand and cleaned it for him. Finally, he lifted Meng Ting’s chin and wiped his lips.
Meng Ting blinked and watched. He had completely adapted to Yan Sui’s meticulous care. At the same time, he kept this care in his heart. He liked Yan Sui, more and more each day.
Zhao Bing, who was driving in the front seat, had also gotten used to Yan Sui and Meng Ting’s unabashed display of affection. It couldn’t really be called a display; as long as the two were together, even without speaking, the atmosphere was always warm and sweet. This is a very natural expression, which has already made many people envious.
The car stopped in front of the He family’s old residence. Yan Sui got out first, then helped Meng Ting out. A man in a suit and leather shoes walked out from the iron gate. His name was He Zhen, two years younger than He Yu and two years older than He Wan. He was forty-five years old, and although he was halfway through his forties[mfn]不惑過半 (bù huò guò bàn): 不惑 (bù huò) means (literary) to be not confused; without doubt; with full self-confidence; (literary, figurative) 40 years of age. 過半 (guò bàn) means over fifty percent; more than half. T/N: At first, I’m super confused with this. But I think the author means he’s more than 40 years old, not that he’s past the age of confusion.[/mfn], he looked quite young.
When he saw Yan Sui, a smile appeared on his face, showing no hint of estrangement. “Yan Sui has arrived; this must be Ting Ting, right?”
“Second Uncle,” Yan Sui called out to him, tilting his head and whispering a few words to Meng Ting.
Meng Ting followed suit and called out, “Second Uncle.”
He Zhen’s expression paused slightly when he heard this. He seemed to have doubts about this ‘Second’, but he couldn’t refute anything. Even during the years when He Yu went missing, he was still the second young master of the family, a fact that had never changed over the years.
“My mother wants to see you, come with me.”
Yan Sui nodded, holding Meng Ting’s hand to follow him. Over the years, the two families had grown distant, and since Yan Sui and He Zhen were of different generations, they hadn’t interacted much. Naturally, there was nothing much to talk about at this moment.
Today is the 67th birthday of the old lady of the He family. Many people have come to give gifts and attend the banquet. As they walked through, naturally, some recognized Yan Sui and Meng Ting, greeted them, and then turned to whisper to each other.
He Zhen did not take Yan Sui and Meng Ting to the banquet hall but instead bypassed it and brought them to a small courtyard behind the main residence. Old Lady He and Old Master He have lived here for many years, just like Old Master Meng, who are accustomed to quietness and have special requirements for peace.
They arrived at a tea room. After He Zhen had the servants serve tea to Yan Sui and Meng Ting, he left first. Soon after, he returned, supporting Old Lady He.
At sixty-seven years old, one cannot expect her to retain the youthful beauty of her younger days; the relentless passage of time spares no one. However, there are still things that time cannot erase.
Old Lady Su from the Su family exuded elegance, while Old Lady He was genuinely gentle. Naming her daughter ‘Wan[mfn]婉 (wǎn): (literary) gentle; tender; tactful; beautiful; graceful; elegant.[/mfn]’ was an expectation for her to be gentle, but He Wan’s actions to date were completely contrary to this ‘gentle’. It would not be an exaggeration to call it ironic.
She glanced at Yan Sui, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. He Zhen helped her sit down, and one could see her trembling hands.
“Mom, you just recovered from your illness, don’t get so agitated.”
As He Zhen spoke, he glanced at Yan Sui and Meng Ting, “Isn’t Yan Sui here to see you?”
His words made it seem as if Yan Sui had been refusing to interact with them all these years, but the reality was quite the opposite.
Old Lady He took several deep breaths before gradually calming down. She raised her hand, “You go out first, I want to talk with… Yan Sui for a while.”
He Zhen paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped out of the tea room.
“Grandma,” Yan Sui called out to her. He could call He Wan ‘Mom’, so it was naturally not inappropriate to call this side of the family that either. These terms of address did not represent anything significant; not only did he know this, but He Wan and the elderly lady in front of him should also be clear about it.
“Grandma,” Meng Ting also called out. His gaze didn’t linger much on the inner room. When he called out, he looked at Old Lady He, and after calling out, he lowered his gaze to Yan Sui’s and his intertwined hands.
He could sense that Yan Sui wasn’t particularly looking forward to meeting the elderly lady in front of him.
“Hey,” Old Lady He responded, her emotions slightly fluctuating again. She glanced around the tea room, looking at the servants, “Close the windows and you all go out.”
“Yes,” the servants responded and did as told.
What exactly does Old Lady He want to say? He Zhen can’t hear it, the servants can’t hear it, and she even fear being eavesdropped on.
“What do you need from me?”
As the servant closed the door, Yan Sui spoke first. Before meeting Meng Ting, his emotions had become increasingly indifferent. The only two elders who had been exceptions to this had already passed away. Yan Sui did not feel the need to perform any acts of filial piety or to engage in any mutual forgiveness dramas. This was true in the past and remains the same now.
He thought that the person in front of him would not need that either. Although she was agitated and sad, it was not because of him. He could see it clearly, he could tell at a glance——the difference between feigned emotions and genuine ones was always clear.
Perhaps his increasingly indifferent emotions were related to his keen perception. Meng Ting was the only exception left in his life.
Old Lady He’s life could hardly be described as smooth. She got married at nineteen and had a child at twenty, but just as the child turned one, she lost him. The pain of losing a child has accompanied her for over twenty years. After finally recognizing her son, both her son and daughter fell in love with the same person.
One was her son, whom she felt guilty towards; the other was her daughter, whom she had pampered since childhood. No matter whom she helped, it was never right. The subsequent developments were beyond her expectations. Her son died, her daughter had a child out of wedlock, mother and child were separated by death, and the bond between mother and daughter was severed…
She thought her tragedy would continue until her own death, but recently, she discovered a glimmer of hope.
“Yan Sui, your uncle might… no, not might, he’s still alive.”
As she spoke, tears that had yet to fall finally rolled down her cheeks. If it weren’t for Yan Sui and Meng Ting sitting across from her, she would have wanted to grab his hand and make him understand her indescribable, overwhelming emotions.
The dead person is still alive; how much comfort is that for the gray-haired people?
However, Yan Sui showed no emotion on his face, neither surprised nor understanding, as if he had no idea about the connection between He Yue and himself, as well as his biological father Yan Yu.
“How did you find out?” Yan Sui’s question was as calm as ever, not at all influenced by Old Lady He’s emotions.
“He came back. Not long ago, he returned to pay respects to his adoptive parents.”
Old Lady He had indeed been ill before, and after years of pent-up feelings, many people thought her time might be up, including herself.
Once her illness improved a bit, she had the driver take her around to see the sights. On a whim, she went to the home of He Yue’s adoptive parents. She couldn’t enter because she didn’t have a key, so she went to their grave instead. There, the caretaker who guided her mentioned that someone had come to visit them a few days ago.
“It was a man with a leg injury, and someone was carrying him.” This was what made the caretaker’s impression a bit deeper.
Upon hearing this, Old Lady He was so excited that she fainted for more than half an hour. When she woke up, her entire mental state had changed.
She then carefully questioned the caretaker again. Although his description was still somewhat vague, she almost instinctively confirmed that the man with the leg injury was He Yue, her eldest son who had once gone missing, was later found, and then ‘died’ after leaving again——He Yue.
“Yan Sui, Grandma wants to ask you for a favor, to help her find him, to confirm his whereabouts,” Old Lady He said, holding back her tears and looking at Yan Sui with a pleading gaze. Then she turned to Meng Ting, “Ting Ting, please let Yan Sui help Grandma. Grandma is begging you.”
“But… why Yan Sui?” Meng Ting asked.
Yeah, why Yan Sui? Old Lady He has a husband and family, and the He family isn’t lacking either. Why did she hide it from everyone and want Yan Sui to investigate? Is it because of some concern, or does she think that Yan Sui knows nothing and can be bullied like this?
Meng Ting directly asked what he found most surprising. He had said before that he had no sympathy, and it seemed to be true. An elderly person of such age was begging and pleading, yet he did not respond, instead asking her what was their relationship?
But Meng Ting felt he should ask. Even if Yan Sui didn’t ask, he would.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 047.1″]
無微不至 (wú wēi bù zhì): in every possible way (idiom); meticulous; with great care; There is no small part that is not taken care of; Describes caring and taking care very carefully.所作所為 (suǒ zuò suǒ wéi): one’s conduct and deeds; everything one does; one’s behaviour/conduct; all (that) one has done.
恩斷義絕 (ēn duàn yì jué): (of a married couple, etc.) to sever all ties; to split up; to break all ties; end of all ties; break off all relations; sever all bonds; complete estrangement; total disconnection; absolute separation; the love and affection between husband and wife or relatives and friends are completely severed and they will never have any contact with each other again.
心血來潮 (xīn xuè lái cháo): be seized by a whim; to be prompted by a sudden impulse; carried away by a whim; to do something on a whim; have a passing fancy/whim/brainwave; Refers to a sudden or accidental thought in his mind.
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