Old Master Yun sighed deeply and waved his hands before shaking his head. “Let’s not talk about things from the past. Bixue, you have to remember that after I die, your only relative in the Yun family would be Bilu. You have to rely on each other. The rest are not your relatives. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Grandfather. I understand. You’ll lead a long life. It upsets me when you say these kinds of things.” Yun Bixue looked at her grandfather’s head full of white hair. His words further perpetuated her sorrow and an urge to cry surged up in her heart.
“Okay. I’ll stop saying those. I still have to see your wedding ceremony and my great-grandchildren. My body is still sturdy. I can even take care of your children for a couple of years.” Old Master Yun’s eyes leaked traces of longing as he looked at Yun Bixue.
He was already so old, so he knew that his days were numbered. However, he really couldn’t bear to leave. It was only natural for people to pass away when they got old, but he couldn’t help feeling worried about her.
On behalf of his son and daughter-in-law, he wanted to make sure that both his granddaughters led blissful lives before he would depart in peace.Yun Bixue nodded her head profusely as she hugged her grandfather’s arm. She said in a teasing voice, “Grandfather, you have to look after us, alright? If not, no one would back me up if he bullies me.” As she said the last sentence, she threw a glance at Xie Limo and pouted at him.
Xie Limo shook his head as a chuckle escaped his mouth. This woman was becoming more and more like a little girl as time passed.
He reassured Old Master Yun, “Don’t worry, Grandfather. As long as I’m here, I’ll make sure that you’ll see your grandson grow up.”
“Great, great!” Other than ‘great,’ Old Master Yun did not know what else to say. He was very satisfied and delighted with his grandson-in-law.
But the more he looked at Xie Limo, the more he was reminded of his own son. Her son adored his daughter-in-law, and they shared a great relationship. It was a pity that…
“Grandfather, can you really not talk about what happened in the past?”
“You youngsters just need to take care of yourselves. The past had already gone by, so it doesn’t hold much meaning to talk about it.” He didn’t want his granddaughter and grandson-in-law to worry. They were about to have their wedding, so they shouldn’t be distracted by other matters. If that happened, he would never forgive himself.Yun Bixue knew her grandfather’s personality. He had a stubborn nature, so if he said that he wasn’t going to talk about it, he wouldn’t no matter how much they asked.
She looked at Xie Limo and blinked her eyes meaningfully.
Xie Limo caught her signal and said, “Grandfather, I’ll get someone to frame this painting and ask them to cook lunch for us. In the meantime, let’s play a few rounds of chess.”
Old Master Yun’s favorite pastime was chess. Once he heard the word ‘chess,’ his face lit up immediately, and he forgot about other things. “Alright, let’s go. We’ll sit there. I’ve already set the board for chess, and we’ll use the jade pieces that you gave me. I can’t bear to use it on normal days. I have always been waiting for you!”
“We’ll play chess for as long as you want.” Xie Limo reassured him.
Old Master Yun replied with a hearty laugh. His mood improved significantly as he played chess with Xie Limo.
Yun Bixue could finally let out a breath of relief. She was so worried. She placed a hand on her chest—it was so uncomfortable here just now.
She turned to Auntie Zhou. “Auntie Zhou, since Xie Limo had already ordered the chefs to cook our lunch, we can take this chance to chat.”
Auntie Zhou followed Yun Bixue to the yard and sat under the pavilion. Even though it was autumn, it was comfortably warm with the sun’s rays shining on this place.
“Auntie Zhou, Grandfather is a lot happier with your company. He has been in your hands for a long while.”
“What is Young Madam talking about? It’s my honor to get to know Old Master. He’s great and makes great company for this old me as well. I’m very much willing to take care of him.” From their day-to-day interactions, Auntie Zhou started to fall for Old Master.
