Chapter 826: Chapter 828: Spending a Lifeti Together
Xiao Yifei has a peculiar trait. Almost all elderly people have a particularly good impression of him, and everyone seems to like him. He finds this strange himself but later rationalizes it, thinking that perhaps because he lived with his grandfather for a long ti, he learned how to interact with older people like grandpas and grandmas.
Mrs. Qian started chatting with Xiao Yifei, and sohow, they touched on past events.
Mrs. Qian began talking about her childhood and younger years: “Before the liberation, my father was the local landlord, so our family was quite wealthy. As the youngest child, I grew up living a lifestyle similar to the daughters of rich families portrayed in TV shows today. I never did a day’s hard work or even sothing as simple as wiping a table.
My parents truly doted on . Then things changed as the history books describe: our family lost its land, our house was taken away. My father passed away a few years after that, having gone through so much in those years.”
“Because of my poor background, I didn’t get married until I was 25. It wasn’t until I t your director that my fate changed. If not for him, I wouldn’t know where I would be right now, perhaps not even in this world at all.”
Mrs. Qian rambled on, and finally, she said, “I haven’t really talked about these things with anyone before. I don’t know why today is different—seeing you makes want to share.”
Xiao Yifei held Mrs. Qian’s hand and said, “Mrs. Qian, it’s my privilege that you are willing to share these things with . To be honest, I felt very close to you at first sight, as if you were family.”
Inferring from Mrs. Qian’s story, Xiao Yifei conservatively estimated her age to be over seventy, but she didn’t look it at all. At first glance, he thought the director was older, but it seed Mrs. Qian was seven or eight years older than the director. Xiao Yifei couldn’t help but admire how well Mrs. Qian maintained herself.
In terms of maintaining one’s appearance, beyond costics, supplents, and dietary adjustnts, the more important thing is to keep a youthful mindset, to relax, and not think about jumbled matters. Once the mind is at ease, everything else follows.
Seeing the ti was about right, Xiao Yifei bid farewell to the elderly couple, ensuring not to delay their rest. The director insisted that Xiao Yifei should drive his car ho, explaining that his daughter could give him a ride in the morning. Xiao Yifei accepted without hesitation, driving the director’s car back ho.
Ironically, just two minutes after Xiao Yifei left, the director’s daughter ca ho. Even the director thought it must be fate intervening to prevent his daughter from eting Xiao Yifei. They had arranged so many tis, even inviting him ho this ti, yet still missed each other. Perhaps this is what they call “fate brings people together who are not ant to et”.
Speaking of fate, it’s as inexplicable as that ti when he went for rural re-education, never expecting to et the love of his life there.
Leaving the director’s ho, Xiao Yifei’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. Especially after hearing Mrs. Qian’s story, he deeply missed his grandparents and longed to return to that small house at his grandfather’s place.
Xiao Yifei’s childhood was happy in many ways, but it wasn’t without its monts of unhappiness.
Before starting elentary school, he lived with his grandparents. People always said grandparents were affectionate across generations, and indeed his grandparents cherished Lin Mu dearly, saving all the best foods and drinks for Xiao Yifei. The grandmother he rembered was always gentle and kind, never scolding him. But his grandfather was not as easygoing.
Whenever he caused trouble and inconvenienced his grandma, even before she could say anything, his grandfather would sternly start lecturing him: “You little rascal, do you know how hard it is for your grandma to wash your clothes? Why are you so mischievous? When will you learn to behave.”
To the young Xiao Yifei, his grandfather always wore a look of disappointnt, but his harshest was just a stern scolding. He never laid a hand on Xiao Yifei, cherishing him as the only son of the Xiao Family too much to cause harm.
When Xiao Yifei reached school age, his parents insisted on having him live with them, reasoning that as the child grew, it would be better for the parents to take direct responsibility for his education and guidance.
Xiao Yifei still rembers the scene the day he left his grandma’s ho. He cried and resisted, not wanting to leave. At that ti, he thought once he left, he might never return. When his parents ca to pick him up by car, he clung tightly to a pillar in the yard, unwilling to let go no matter what.
Tears and argunts ensued until his grandma intervened, promising he could return every weekend. Only then did he reluctantly leave the ho where he’d lived practically all his life.
As the car drove away, Xiao Yifei climbed to the back window, seeing his grandma standing at the gate, seemingly in tears, wiping her eyes with one hand. The young Xiao Yifei didn’t understand what his departure ant, the possibility of never having ti to return, as it took a full day of driving to get from grandma’s house to his parents’ house.
Entering elentary school, although it was just elentary school, he beca very busy. His mom enrolled him in extracurricular classes, talent classes, and every weekend was filled with assorted courses. Each weekend, he would ask his mom when he could go back to grandma’s house.
At first, his mom had the patience to reassure him, “Once this month is over, we’ll go back.” But it seed there was never any free ti. Both parents had to work, and he had to attend all sorts of tireso lessons.
Yet, the day he longed for never ca. Eventually, his mom grew tired of the question and stopped answering it. Xiao Yifei shifted from initial anticipation to complete disappointnt.
Finally, he returned to grandma’s ho during the New Year. The mont Xiao Yifei saw his grandma, he ran into her arms, unable to hold back his tears.
His grandma wiped her own tears but kept smiling: “You silly child, here you are seeing grandma, what’s there to be sad about? Co on, give grandma a smile.”
Xiao Yifei tried to smile but ended up with a face that looked sadder than crying. That year’s Spring Festival was exceptionally unforgettable for him, being able to return to grandma’s ho brought him imnse joy, although each day he secretly counted the days, knowing that once the festival ended, he would have to leave again.
Later, in the second grade, his parents divorced. The reason was simple: being too busy with work, their marriage lost love, leaving Xiao Yifei as the odd one out. Neither parent had the ti to take care of him, so after discussions, he was sent back to live with his grandma.
This prospect brought great happiness to Xiao Yifei, but the night before he was supposed to go back, he learned he’d never see his grandma again. At that age, he had an understanding of life and death but had never experienced sothing like this before.
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