Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Grandmaâs 8oth birthday wasnât planned to be a big one, but Han Qiao and the rest were moving to Chenzhou City, so they had to show their sincerity.
Han Qiao ordered a jade bracelet from the shop. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
She planned to return to Xishan Village before she left Puyi County and took Ah-Yao back for a trip.
Grandpa didnât come even after a month. Firstly, he was old, and secondly, Grandpa seemed to have caught a cold.
Perhaps they were even more afraid that she wouldnât let them go back to the county town because of what happened.
But in truth, Han Qiao also understood.
It wasnât that Grandpa and Grandma didnât want to come to the county town, nor did they want to go to Chenzhou. They just wanted to preserve their relationship with Uncle and the others.
They were on her side, and others had to talk.
They had a few sons yet they did not live in their sonsâ houses, and instead, they lived in their granddaughtersâ houses.
They were afraid that people would talk about how unfilial their sons were.
When the bracelet arrived, Han Qiao decided to return to Xishan Village.
She brought her grandparents to the county town for a few days.
Maybe after this farewell, they might not see each other for a year, or maybe even three years.
When Han Qiao and Heng Yi were talking about this, Heng Yi said, âIâll go to Xishan Village to pick them up.â
âDo you want me to go with you?â Han Qiao asked.
âNo need, I can persuade Grandpa and Grandma.â
Heng Yi drove the carriage and left for Xishan Village that very day.
When he arrived at Xishan Village, Eldest Sister-in-law Han was surprised. âWhy is Brother-in-law here?â
âIâm here to bring Grandpa and Grandma to the county town for a few days. Weâre moving to Chenzhou soon.â
Eldest Sister-in-law Han expressed her understanding.
When Heng Yi first saw Grandfather and Grandmother, they looked old and haggard.
They had been fair and fat in the county town, but now they were much thinner. Their clothes were not as clean when they were in the county town.
Heng Yi opened his mouth.
For a moment, he felt a little uncomfortable.
âHeng Yi!â Grandpa called out with a smile.
He had caught a cold a few days ago. It was not very serious, but he could not eat too much.
The countryside was not like the county town, where there was a lot of food. Back in the county town, if he could not eat a certain food, the cook immediately changed to something else.
If they were not allowed to eat greasy food, they would have lighter dishes. If the rice was difficult to swallow, they changed it to porridge. Then, there would be various soups to accompany their meal. There would always be something palatable for them to eat.
âGrandpa, itâs me.â Heng Yi stepped closer to them.
Squatting in front of Grandpa, he held his hand. âGrandpa, Iâm here to pick you and Grandma up and bring you to the county town for a few days.â
âTo the countyâ¦?â Grandpa hesitated.
He wanted to go.
It was nice to go to the county town. Everything would be arranged. They would go to the opera every day and the hot food would be ready at any time.
He didnât even need to prepare anything himself.
There were even people massaging his hands and feetâ¦
âGrandpa, Iâll go talk to Eldest Uncle and Youngest Uncle.â
Heng Yi patted his grandpaâs hand and went to find his uncles.
Eldest Uncle was working in the fields, and Second Uncle went out to collect things and did not come back.
When Heng Yi arrived, his uncles and aunts were very enthusiastic. They talked to Heng Yi and asked him about their children.
âTheyâre all under Ah-Qiaoâs control, so Iâm not too sure.â
Even if he knew, Heng Yi wouldnât tell them.
He wouldnât care about such things. Han Qiao could scold and punish her family, but he couldnât.
When Uncle Yao came back, he was covered in mud.
Seeing Heng Yi, he smiled. âWhy are you here? Is Ah-Yu still sensible? If heâs not, then I give you my blessing to teach him a lesson.â
âCousin Ah-Yu is very good. He studies and practices martial arts very hard.â
The youngest uncle smiled happily when he heard that.
He let Heng Yi sit down first and went to wash up.
Aunt Yao quickly followed, âWhy are you covered in mud?â
âHe fell into the field when he was pulling a cow for someone.â
If it werenât for the mud, he wouldnât have come back.
âHurry up and wash up. Heng Yi is here to take Father and Mother to the county. Do you think he and Ah-Qiao are going to take them to Chenzhou?â Aunt Yao said in a whisper.
Uncle Yaoâs hand that was taking off his clothes paused.
After a while, he said, âIt would be good if Father and Mother could go to Chenzhou. At the very least, they can live a few more years.â
Aunt Yao didnât know what to say.
âItâs not that Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law are unfilial. Itâs just that there are only these people in the family, and everyone is very busy. Father and Mother donât eat as delicately as they do in the county town. Ah-Qiao is an open-minded girl, and sheâs not a stingy person. Father and Mother eat well, dress well, and are served well with her.â
Uncle Yao quickly put on his clothes.
Then, he washed his face, âIf Heng Yi and Ah-Qiao have such thoughts, I will persuade Father and Mother to go.â
âWill Father and Mother agree?â Aunt Yao quickly said.
âWhy not? Look at how Father and Mother looked when they came back. Itâs only been a few months, and look what have they become?â
âEven if we are their children, we donât have the ability to provide them. How can we stop our parents from enjoying themselves?â
When Uncle Yao came out, Heng Yi was peeling oranges to eat.
It was the eldest grandson of his youngest uncleâs family who handed it to him.
It tasted sweet yet sweet. Not bad.
âHeng Yi, come and sit.â
âAlright.â
Heng Yi walked to his youngest uncle and sat down.
He immediately stated his intentions, âAll-Qiao and 1 wanted to borrow Grandpa and Grandma to go to the county town and bring them to Chenzhou.â âOriginally, I thought that Grandpa and Grandma didnât want to go either, so I didnât force them. But when 1 saw Grandpa earlier⦠He was much more haggard than when he was in the county town. Uncle Yao, Iâm not close to anyone, and my grandparents treat me well. I also want to have an elder by my side to make up for it.â
âI understand that Grandpa and Grandma are worried, but if Grandpa and Grandma continue to be like this, it will affect their longevity.â
Uncle Yao knew this too.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, âIâll persuade them.â
âI will also work hard to make money.â
Heng Yi nodded, thought for a while, and then said, âWeâre younger than they are, so we should take good care of them. If they donât want to go, Iâll get a servant or a maid to serve them here.â
âAh-Qiao suggested this before, but Grandma rejected it.â
When his uncle came back from the fields, Grandma also slowly walked over from the neighborâs house.
She was just helping out with something, so she walked very slowly.
She was very happy to see Heng Yi.
âHeng Yi, youâre here. Did Ah-Qiao and the newborn come for a visit?â
Speaking of which, she had yet to meet Ah-Yao.
Heng Yi stepped forward to support her, âHe didnât come. Ah-Qiao asked me to pick you and Grandpa up to stay in the county for a few days.â
Grandma paused.
âIâll just stay for a few days. I wonât go to Chenzhou with you.â
Heng Yi nodded, âYes, just a few days. You wonât have to go to Chenzhou.â
Grandma asked the eldest aunt to pack two sets of clothes for her and Grandpa.
Then, they got into Heng Yiâs carriage and went to the county town.
âHeng Yi, is Ah-Qiao still mad at Ah-Xiang?â
âYes.â Heng Yi replied.
ââ¦â Grandma hesitated for a moment before saying, âIs Ah-Xiang feeling better?â
âI donât know. If Ah-Qiao doesnât say anything about this, itâs not good for me to ask.â
âThen will Ah-Qiaoâs parents come back to Xishan?â Grandma asked again.
âFather-in-law and Mother-in-law rarely come to visit, but Ah-Qiao will arrange the food for them. Weâll give you money and expenses. Donât worry, Grandma. Ah-Qiao isnât ruthless. Sheâs justâ¦â
Heng Yi thought for a moment and said, âShe doesnât care about Father-in-law and Mother-in-law being biased. If Father-in-law and Mother-in-law had something good, she wouldnât mind them giving it to whoever they wanted. What she cared about was that Han Xiang had clearly done something wrong, but Father-in-law and Mother-in-law did not teach or reprimand her. Instead, they wanted Ah-Qiao to understand and forgive her, which is ridiculous..â