The night before they left for City B, Fang Ruoye had already rehearsed what she wanted to say to her grandmother.
First of all, she wanted to apologize to her grandmother for her stupidity, for her stubbornness, and for her poor judgment of character.
Second of all, she wanted to beg her grandmother's forgiveness and vow that she would never again go against her grandmother's warning.
Third of all, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her grandmother, to make up for the past seven years.
Even as she took one step after another toward the solarium, she kept mumbling what she wanted to say, making sure that she did not stutter and expressed her sincerity clearly.
Grandma Jiang disliked those without backbones, so she must show her determination before her grandmother. Otherwise, how could she repay the mistake of the past seven years?
She must never, never again disappoint Grandma Jiang.
And yet, when the automatic door to the solarium opened and Fang Ruoye caught sight of the frail elderly sitting on a rattan chair, her heart shattered into pieces.
In the seven years of not meeting each other, Grandma Jiang had changed a lot. She seemed to have shrunk a lot, and she looked a lot weaker and more frail than before. The elderly slowly turned around and looked at Fang Ruoye, the granddaughter she refused to see for the past seven years.
"Ruoye?" she softly called out, her voice tinged with weakness.
Whatever she rehearsed up to the second before she opened the door was completely forgotten. Fang Ruoye only remembered picking up speed, dashing toward her grandmother, throwing herself into her lap, and sobbing like a little girl.
"Grandma!" she wailed loudly.
"Grandma, wahhhhhh!!!"
Seeing Fang Ruoye sobbing on her lap like that, even Grandma Jiang could not help but shed some tears.
"You silly child," she gently chastised. "What are you crying for? Don't you know that I feel pain whenever I see you cry? Do you want this old woman to cry as well?"
She guided the sobbing Fang Ruoye to the empty seat next to her and squeezed her hands lovingly.
"Welcome back, Ruoye," she said. "There is no need to talk about the past. These seven years, Grandma has been too stubborn and prideful. You have suffered a lot. After everything that happened, I just want to hold you in my arms and talk to you. How are you, now?"
After she left the Luo house, Fang Ruoye relied a lot on the Jiang brothers' kindness. They treated her with so much love and affection, but she did not dare to speak from her heart.
It was because she did not want to appear weak and ungrateful.
But in front of Grandma Jiang, who saw her grow up from childhood, she was able to speak about her grievances.
Fang Ruoye spoke about her heartbreak when she was unable to conceive again following her miscarriage.
She spoke about her guilt, mixed with apprehension, that forced her to stay in a marriage with a disloyal husband.
She spoke about her heartbreak when she found out that the best friend, whose career she secretly supported, and who knew about her infertility, was the one having an affair with her husband.
She also spoke about the mistreatments she received from both Luo Yanming and Hong Yinling, one after another.
"If not for my brothers defending me like knights on white horses, I wouldn't know what to do," she sniffled.
Grandma Jiang wiped her tears with her white handkerchief and harshly spoke, "If they cannot even protect you, I am going to disown them!"
Fang Ruoye laughed.
"Grandma, how can you be so partial to me? My brothers are going to get jealous."
Grandma Jiang clicked with her tongue impatiently.
"Can I not? You are my dear granddaughter. Boys are supposed to protect girls. That's what we do in the Jiang family."
Fang Ruoye leaned against her grandmother and sighed.
"Grandma, how could I be so stupid?" she murmured. "If I had listened to you back then, I wouldn't have to suffer through so many grievances."
Grandma Jiang spoke with knowing wisdom, "The cycle of karma dictates both our triumphs and our setbacks. What rises will eventually fall. Waste no energy on regret; instead, hold fast to the wisdom gleaned from your mistakes."
And then she suddenly remembered something.
"Right. You have a daughter, don't you? What's her name, again?"
"Her name is Xianxian. Luo Xianxian."
"Xianxian..."
Grandma Jiang nodded thoughtfully. She then began to recite a poem from the Book of Songs, "The great beauty moves slowly, she lodges in the rural suburbs. The four stallions are spirited, the red tassels on their bits flutter. How gentle and lovely she is! How refined and virtuous!"
"It is a good name, indeed."
Fang Ruoye nodded with a smile.
"I remembered that Grandma liked this poem a lot."
"Indeed, indeed..."
Grandma Jiang patted Fang Ruoye's cheek gently with her wrinkly hand.
"I want to see her. Help me outside."
Meanwhile, outside, Luo Xianxian was hanging out with her uncles in the garden.
"Mommy is taking so long," Luo Xianxian mumbled against her teddy bear. "Uncles, is great-grandmother scolding my mommy a lot?"
Jiang Cheng patted Luo Xianxian's head lovingly.
"How can that be? Your great-grandmother loves your mom a lot."
"But my great-grandmother dislike my dad..."
And no matter how many times Luo Xianxian denied it, she was still her father's daughter. The little girl let out a tiny whimper, but then Jiang Yue pulled her onto his lap.
"Xianxian, do not worry, alright? Uncle will protect you from Great-Grandma for sure!"
Right afterward, the door opened, and Grandma Jiang stepped out from the villa, with Fang Ruoye supporting her body.
"Protect her from me? What do you take me for, an ogre?"
Though towering almost thirty centimeters above their grandmother, the three grown men instinctively recoiled at the sound of her voice.
And poor Luo Xianxian, quivering uncontrollably like a leaf caught in a tempest, instinctively sought refuge behind her uncles.
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Author's note :
Update, contract application has been rejected hehehe.
I will still continue writing this story if I have enough readers, otherwise I will end it prematurely. Thank you for those who give this novel a chance!