Fu Shinian had already fully prepared himself psychologically for the elderly woman’s physical condition. After all, she had undergone major surgery years ago, had once battled a virus, and was now over eighty years old. Sooner or later, she would leave.
But Fu Shinian never thought it would be now.
At a ti when there was still no news of Qiqi, the news from the elderly woman shocked him. Even though he had ntally prepared himself, it was not sothing he could easily accept.
She was the closest person to him in this world.
Dr. Zhang didn’t say anything further, allowing Fu Shinian ti to process. However, it seed Dr. Zhang didn’t quite understand that even if Fu Shinian were given the entirety of a day, he might still not be able to process it fully.
The only thing he could do now was suppress all his emotions:
"Dr. Zhang, how much ti does my grandmother have left?"
Dr. Zhang looked at Fu Shinian:
"If her condition is good, about half a year."
And if it isn’t?
That question was left unasked by Fu Shinian—it held no aning anymore. In the end, he simply nodded gently: "Thank you. We’ll have to trouble you during this ti."
"Don’t worry, I’ll do my best."
Su Shiyue then knocked and entered, saying that their grandmother had woken up. Fu Shinian nodded, rose from the sofa, and as he stepped toward the door, Dr. Zhang called out to him: "I heard from Shiyue that you’ve been searching for the child recently. Any news yet?"
Fu Shinian shook his head:
"Still trying."
Dr. Zhang didn’t say anything further, and Fu Shinian left the room.
Not seeing her for a few days, the elderly woman’s frail appearance alard Fu Shinian. He walked over, sat by her bedside, and tightly held her hand, forcing a smile: "Grandma."
She looked at him, her gaze earnest:
"Qiqi... is there any news?"
Fu Shinian desperately wanted to nod, to give her a surprise, to bring Qiqi in the next mont to greet her. But such a simple action was beyond him now. It wasn’t that he couldn’t lie—he knew he could—but after lying, how would he explain himself later?
He remained silent, and the elderly woman already understood the aning behind his quietness. Her eyes grew slightly red as she looked at him:
"I just dread of Qiqi. She ca back to see . The little girl had gained quite a bit of weight, her hair had grown longer. She was sitting right where you are now."
Fu Shinian’s eyes inexplicably reddened as well:
"She’ll co back. The police and our people are still searching. As soon as there’s news, I’ll let you know. You need to focus on resting and getting better. You promised Qiqi you’d help take care of her younger siblings before."
The elderly woman remained silent for a while, tears quietly slipping down her cheeks and vanishing into the wisps of white hair at her temples. Fu Shinian pulled out so tissues and gently wiped them away, but she held his hand:
"How many days has it been?"
He looked at her and replied:
"Fifteen days."
"Yes, fifteen days." Her voice was barely audible: "The chances of Qiqi coming back..."
"Grandma..."
"I hope more than anyone that Qiqi returns." She looked at him: "I know my own body. I probably don’t have much ti left. I’ve lived a life with little to worry about—my husband treated well, my son did too, and my grandson makes proud. I didn’t have much reason for concern or unease. But now..."
"What’s between you and Su Mu has always been a weight on my heart. Watching you two live harmoniously these past days eased my mind, but with Qiqi missing and possibly gone forever, what’s between you and Susu..."
"That won’t happen, Grandma. Qiqi..."
"Don’t lie to when we’re face-to-face." She looked at him, forcing a smile: "There’s no need for false assurances now, is there? Half a month has passed, and I can see the confidence in your heart eroding bit by bit. This is reality; it won’t disappear just because we try to comfort ourselves."
"Qiqi is the bond between you and Su Mu. The two of you made it here, becoming better than before, because of her. Without Qiqi, it wouldn’t have been possible, and things might’ve even turned worse. But if Qiqi disappears from your lives like this, I’m afraid Susu will collapse as well."
Fu Shinian didn’t tell her about Su Mu’s current state—because truth be told, she had already collapsed.
"Susu is a sensible child; she wouldn’t bla you for Qiqi’s disappearance. But the two of you... it’ll be hard to make it through this. That’s what worries and what I can’t let go of." She sighed: "You knew Qin Nianwan’s motives back then, but you still drew close to her—for Shi Lihua’s sake. If you’d predicted this outco because of Qin Nianwan, perhaps you wouldn’t have gone along with her act."
Fu Shinian acknowledged her words, but there was no turning back now.
The grandparent and grandchild fell silent. She turned to look out the window at the falling snowflakes—soft and scattered. The tears she had managed to stop earlier rolled down anew, her voice turning hoarse:
"It’s snowing. I wonder if Qiqi is cold..."
As Fu Shinian left Gui Ning Residence, the snow had grown heavier. He suddenly wanted to wander together with Su Mu in weather like this—and of course, he wished Qiqi could be there, bustling between them. But now, he could only imagine it.
Given Fu Shinian’s poor state lately, it was Song Yi driving. Because of the snow, the car moved slowly. Watching the scenery outside the car window and the exhilarated snow-bound pedestrians, Fu Shinian suddenly felt as though he had been transported to another lifeti—as if he hadn’t shared in a normal person’s joys, sorrows, or emotions for an eternity.
Upon returning to Bishui Yuntian, he unexpectedly found Su Mu not upstairs but standing at the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window. She was cloaked in a light blanket, standing motionless. Jiang Bei was seated on the sofa, keeping his gaze fixed on her. Only when Fu Shinian stepped in did Jiang Bei rise and speak softly:
"How’s the elderly woman?"
Fu Shinian glanced at Su Mu and shook his head lightly: "Not good."
Jiang Bei furrowed his brows slightly but said nothing. Not giving her much ti to dwell on this, Fu Shinian asked: "When did she co down?"
"Susu? I told her it was snowing, and she ca down. She’s been standing there ever since."
Fu Shinian responded softly and hesitated briefly before walking over.
Su Mu didn’t react to his approach; she maintained her posture without blinking. Fu Shinian quietly stayed by her side for a while. Eventually, he spoke:
"I just returned from Gui Ning Residence after seeing Grandma. She isn’t doing well."
Su Mu blinked slowly, then turned her head toward Fu Shinian. He also tilted his head toward her:
"The doctor said we should prepare ourselves ntally."
Reviews
All reviews (0)