Chapter 21 (1/2)

Translated by Karcessel of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

The days passed by and the cold treatment continued on for over a month. Old Man Yang tried to call every day, but none of the calls ever went through. Things continued on like this, and Old Man Yang became more and more depressed.

Though knowing that unless this matter with Yang JianGuo was resolved Old Man Yang could not be happy, Lin ShuYi and Shen Fu still tirelessly tried to cheer him up.

These past days, Old Man Yang had a lot to think about. A house was not a living creature, but a person was. If he were really to cut ties with his son over a house, he would never have the face to see his wife again even in death. Old Man Yang kept thinking that if not for the fact that Yang JianGuo’s mother had passed away when he was so young, his personality would not be like this now. This was all because he grew up without a mother.

Along this line of thought, there was no point keeping the house. He didn’t have many years left to live in it any way, and if the house was sold, he didn’t think his wife would mind that much.

Old Man Yang ran this through his head for two nights, and came to a decision. He would sell the house. As for the restaurant, he would go with his original plan, and give it to Lin ShuYi. It wasn’t as if Yang JianGuo had any desires to run it himself, and Old Man Yang didn’t plan on moving away to live with them either. He would just rent some place nearby. As the saying went, a leaf always falls near its roots, and Old Man Yang was late in his years now. He didn’t have the youthful exuberance to go settle in another city. He thought spending the rest of his years peacefully watching over this restaurant would be just fine.

Mentioning his intentions to Xiao Wan’s grandmother earned him a harsh scolding. “I’ve always said your temper is too good. Zhao XueMei has been waiting on these exact words, and you’re just going to give in to her wishes like this…”

Old Man Yang sighed, looking at her. “But how could I lose my son over a house?”

Xiao Wan’s grandmother stopped talking. She really pitied the hearts of parents. No matter how awful a son was, there were very few parents willing to fully abandon him. Also, she thought that Yang JianGuo wasn’t really a bad person, he just married a bad wife. “Then are you planning to go find them in the city yourself?”

Old Man Yang sighed again. “Right now, they won’t even pick up my calls. If I don’t go looking for them, what could I do?”

“But if you really moved in with then, could you really stand Zhao XueMei’s temper?”

“I’ve thought it through, and decided I won’t be going to live with them. I’ll just rent a place nearby, and besides, I’m already this old, I couldn’t get used to a new place anyway. As they say, a leaf always falls near its roots. I’ll just pass the rest of my days here.”

Talking about this topic, Xiao Wan’s grandmother couldn’t help but feel quite sad. She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t want to accept his decision either. Looking at the two children busily working away outside, she said, “Then what about the restaurant? You can’t be planning on giving this away too, right?”

“No, I won’t be giving it to Yang JianGuo. And even if I did, it would just be sold anyway. This restaurant isn’t very big, so I don’t think Zhao XueMei would want it either. I was thinking of letting Xiao Yi have it, to keep the craft alive.”

Truthfully, Xiao Wan’s grandmother had already guessed Old Man Yang would say this. He didn’t have any value for monetary gains anyway. It was such a pity that good people never receive good news. Old Man Yang had such a weak and useless son, still treating him so harshly in this old age.

“Aye, I think leaving it to him is a good idea too. Now, I’m going to say something, and before you dislike it, just listen: this child, though not related to you, I think is far more filial that that actual grandson of yours.”

Old man Yang grinned. “Aye, I think the same. It would be just great if he were really my grandson, I’d smile even if I were dreaming that.”

“Oh right. When do you plan on going?”

“In a few days. I’ve been feeling a bit of pain lately.”

“Pain?” Xiao Wan’s grandma looked Old Man Yang up and down. “Where do you feel pain? Do you want to go to a hospital to get it checked out?”

Seeing that she was about to go call Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi, Old Man Yang quickly waved his hand to stop her. “There’s no need to call them, it’s nothing important. My stomach’s just been hurting a bit recently. It’s probably because I’ve been so under the weather these past few days I haven’t been eating properly. I ate some jujube millet porridge today and it’s already much better. Don’t let those two kids know, or else they’ll get too worried.”

“Alright, if you say don’t say anything then I won’t say anything.” Xiao Wan’s grandma knew that these past few days while Old Man Yang had been feeling pretty bad, and that these two kids have tried their best to cheer him up. There was no need to let a small matter like this put them in a panic.

On Zhao XueMei’s side, she was watching the phone, waiting for Old Man Yang to deliver the house to their door when she found out that her mother was sick. They said her condition was so severe she needed to be hospitalized. When Zhao Xuemei received the call, she was in tears and immediately told Yang JianGuo to pack up so they could go see her in person.

However, though Yang JianGuo really was worried, he didn’t really want to go. In his heart he was still thinking about his own father, and wanted Zhao Xuemei to go alone. When Zhao Xuemei heard this, she exploded. “My mother is so sick she’s hospitalized, and you’re say you don’t want to go? What? So your father is important but my mother isn’t?!!”