Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Li Yanchen put his arm around his wifeâs shoulders. âMy parents passed away a long time ago. If you donât mind, can I invite you over for the holidays? We can meet and eat together whenever we want to.â
âYes!â Lin Wan turned to Auntie Bao. âMother, you, Uncle Yang, and Grandma Yang can come over. Will this be okay with you? We can get together and have a nice meal.â
âWouldnât it be too much trouble for you? I live so far away in the Lin familyâs old mansion, and you have to drive all the way to pick me up. Itâll be easier if you leave me outâ¦â
Yang Ruoxi and Lin Wan were having none of that.
âPlease, itâs no trouble at all. You know, Wanwan always talks about you. You took care of her for so many years. Youâre like her mother.â
Auntie Baoâs tears fell again.
Lin Wan raised her head and looked up at the ceiling to prevent her tears from falling. âYes. Youâre my mother. I never knew how it felt to have a family, but you were always there for me.â
âChild, you and Xixi are practically sisters. That makes me your grandmother. I love you like I love my own granddaughter, alright?â said Yang Ruoxiâs grandmother.
âGrandmaâ¦
âGrandma, you have two granddaughters now. But you canât love Wanwan more than me.â
âAre you already jealous?â
âYes. Grandma keeps praising you. She asked me why I couldnât be as good as you.â Yang Ruoxi laughed.
Grandma Yang waved a dismissive hand in the air and glared at Yang Ruoxi. âYou little ingrate! You know I love you the most, but you still say things like that! â
âYou see that?â
âYour father and I have made sure you were brought up with love, you ingrate!â
âGrandma, I was just joking! I know you love me. Dad, do you want another daughter?â asked Yang Ruoxi.
Li Yanchen and Lin Wan understood what Yang Ruoxi implied. They turned to Yang Ruoxiâs father and addressed him as âFather Yangâ.
Yang Ruoxiâs father was baffled. He was honored to have a business tycoon as a son-in-law. He was more than willing to be Lin Wanâs father.
He laughed. âOf course!â
âItâd be better if you found us a mother, Dad,â said Yang Ruoxi.
Yang Ruoxi glanced at Lin Wan.
âMother, what do you think of my new father? He doesnât smoke or drink. Heâs down-to-earth and reliable. My grandmother is also very loving,â said Lin Wan.
âFather Yang, Auntie Bao is gentle, kind, and generous.â
Grandma Yang humored them. âIâm an old woman, and Iâm good at judging people. What do you think, Yiren? I like her, you know. I saw that you two got along together just fine.â
Yang Yiren glanced at his mother. âMom, Iâm so old. Who would even like me?â
Lin Wan fanned herself. âCome on, Mother. What do you think? You and Father Yang are both kind, honest, and single. Donât you want to live together?â
Auntie Bao pursed her lips and hesitated. â1 have nothing in Xuecheng Village. Wanwan was kind enough to provide me with a place to stay. Mr. Yang has everythingâ¦â
âIâll make sure you have everything. I can make Yiren add your name to the house we live in.â Yang Ruoxiâs grandmother had seen her son spend his time alone for the last ten years. He always rejected any woman she found for him.
Now that Yang Ruoxi was home, her father might not feel that lonely, but Yang Ruoxi would leave someday to live her own life. Her father will be all alone once again.
Yang Ruoxiâs grandmother felt that she might not be able to die in peace if her son didnât find someone to live with.
As for Auntie Bao, she had never dreamed about marriage. She used to think that she wouldnât mind living with an honest and kind man. However, kind and honest men were hard to come by. She had long given up on marriage. She was used to being alone.
âHan Jie, come on!â said Grandma Yang. âWhy donât you two talk to each other and figure it out?â
Yang Yiren was a man of few words. He felt embarrassed when his mother and his daughter pestered him.
âDad, you should ask her first,â said Yang Ruoxi. She pulled at her fatherâs sleeve. âYou wonât find anyone like Auntie Bao. Sheâs so kind. She loves children.â
In Lin Wanâs original world, Han Jie never got married because she was focused on taking care of the children of the orphanage.
âI⦠I donât have much to my name. I spent my life taking care of my family. The only achievement I have in my name is my Xixi. You might not become rich by following me, but Iâll always respect you and can be a shoulder to lean on.â
Yang Ruoxi was moved by her fatherâs words. She clapped. âMy dad is really reserved. He wouldnât utter these words if he didnât mean it. You two can exchange your WeChat contacts and chat privately if this is too uncomfortable for you. Maybe Auntie Bao feels too awkward to answer in front of everyone.â âWe already added each other on WeChat,â said Auntie Bao shyly.
âWow⦠there is hope indeed. Maybe Iâll have a father, a mother, and a grandmother, after all,â said Lin Wan.
âAlright, alright. Itâs settled then. Letâs eat now,â said Grandma Yang. She couldnât stop smiling.
Li Yanchen poured drinks for everybody. âLetâs toast to us becoming a family! From now on, weâll gather together at least once a month. Grandma is getting on in years, so weâll have to meet more often.â
âCheers!â Everyone raised their glasses. The room was filled with joy.
That night, Li Yanchen and Lin Wan drove everyone to their homes after the meal.
Lin Wan stayed a while in her old house and talked to Auntie Bao.
Auntie Bao boiled some ginger tea for Lin Wan.
âI remember you used to make this when we were sick. Youâd make us drink ginger tea till we sweated through our clothes.â Lin Wan wished Auntie Bao could remember the past..