Su Shiyue hadn’t expected Su Mu to co, let alone at this particular mont. She abruptly stood up from the dining table and looked at Su Mu:
"Sister-in-law, why are you here? Is it about my brother?"
These days, everyone was so on edge that even Su Shiyue, usually carefree and casual, was sensitive to the slightest stirrings. Su Mu sighed inwardly and replied:
"No, don’t overthink it. Your brother and Qiqi are both doing fine. I ca to see Grandma—I haven’t visited her in a long ti."
Upon hearing this, Su Shiyue finally exhaled in relief, as though the re act of standing up had drained all her energy. Upon hearing Su Mu’s reassurance, she slumped heavily back into her chair. Su Mu smiled faintly. Before she could turn to head toward Grandma’s room, Su Shiyue stood up again:
"Sister-in-law, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Why don’t you have so food first before going in?"
Su Mu glanced at the ti:
"Is Grandma still awake?"
"Yes, she just finished dinner and is chatting with Auntie Wang."
"Then I’ll go see her first," Su Mu said. "You can eat. I’ll co out afterward."
"Alright."
Before entering Grandma’s room, Su Mu politely knocked on the door. As she pushed it open, she was greeted by Grandma’s beaming smile. Seeing this, Su Mu’s expression softened. "Grandma, you knew I was coming?"
"Mm, as soon as I heard the knock, I knew it was you. Very few people co into my room these days, and even fewer knock. I figured it must be Susu, the most polite one. I hadn’t even told Auntie Wang you’d co in, and there you were already."
Su Mu couldn’t rember how long it had been since she last saw Grandma—it didn’t seem like it had been long. Yet, in just those few days, Grandma seed to have aged and grown more frail dramatically. Seeing this, Su Mu felt a pang of sorrow. She understood the inevitability of life—birth, aging, illness, and death—but when this natural cycle befell soone close to her, it was impossible to accept it gracefully without unease and reluctance.
Grandma could tell what Su Mu was thinking simply by observing her expression. She smiled gently and gestured for her to co closer. Su Mu snapped out of her thoughts and stepped forward, placing her hand in Grandma’s. It wasn’t her imagination—Grandma’s hand felt so cold, so thin.
Suddenly, Su Mu recalled what the family doctor had told her and Fu Shinian the last ti she visited: "Grandma doesn’t have much ti left."
Su Mu wanted to cry.
But she forced herself to hold it in.
Grandma sent Auntie Wang out of the room, leaving just herself and Su Mu. She pulled Su Mu into her chest and stroked her hair gently, like comforting a child. After a long while, she said tenderly:
"You’ve had a tough ti recently, haven’t you?"
Since Qiqi went missing, Su Mu had lost control, vented, and even broken down hysterically. But she’d never felt tired—not really. It was as though so inexplicable force had kept her going, preventing her from giving up, keeping her waiting and searching.
But she was a regular person, not a deity. She could get tired too. Maybe things hadn’t quite settled yet; maybe her exhaustion simply hadn’t had the chance to erge. But in this mont, curled up in Grandma’s embrace, feeling her gentle strokes and listening to her words of concern, that deep-seated fatigue began crawling out of her, like seedlings growing after the rain, blooming swiftly until it left her utterly drained, so weak she could barely lift her hand.
Yet, she felt relieved. It was as if the weight pressing on her shoulders suddenly fell away. She had felt sothing similar back at the hospital, but it wasn’t as complete as it was now. Only now did she feel truly liberated, free, like her old self—finally.
"Grandma," Su Mu said softly. "I don’t feel tired. I really don’t. Things have turned out better than I ever imagined."
Grandma chuckled:
"Susu, you’re so easily satisfied."
"What else can I do? I originally thought I’d never see Qiqi again in this lifeti, but now she’s lying in the hospital. Sure, she’s injured, but at least she’ll recover, and she’s alive. I have you here with , and Fu Shinian is back too. When Qiqi returned, I thought I’d lose Shinian forever. But now Shinian is back, though still unconscious. I can wait. The doctor says it’s only a matter of ti until he wakes up. Whether it’s the next second or years from now, I think I’ll be okay. I’ll just keep waiting—even for a lifeti if needed."
Grandma had probably heard all about this from Su Shiyue, so when Su Mu spoke, her breathing remained calm. Her hand continued stroking Su Mu’s hair, radiating a comforting strength. After a few silent seconds, Grandma’s voice ca again:
"I originally worried you wouldn’t be able to bear it, so I wanted to find a ti for you to co over so we could talk. After all, I don’t know when I might leave this world suddenly. If I left without seeing you happy and well, I wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully."
"Grandma..." Su Mu lifted herself from Grandma’s chest, trying to say sothing, but Grandma stopped her.
"I already know what you want to say. But Susu, you’re a mother now. You should learn to take life and death more lightly. I used to worry about passing away before Qiqi ca back. Then Qiqi returned, so I thought I’d finally be at peace. But later Shinian disappeared, so I decided I had to stick around for a while longer to support you—otherwise, your suffering would’ve been too much to bear. But now Shinian has returned, and your little family is finally whole again. Though you’ve been through trials and hardships, you’re together now, and nothing is more important than that."
"So..." Grandma held Su Mu’s hand. "Even if I were to close my eyes now, I’d leave without regrets."
"Grandma, don’t say that. Don’t you want to see Qiqi recover? Don’t you want to see Shinian wake up? Besides, we haven’t remarried yet—you wouldn’t want to miss witnessing that, would you?"
Grandma smiled faintly:
"The heavens have already given so much ti. I should be content, not greedy for more. And anyway, Qiqi will recover her health, Shinian will wake up, and your wedding will be grand and magnificent. These things are bound to happen. Whether or not I’m there to witness them doesn’t matter as much. Knowing those good things are waiting for us nearby is enough for . I’ve made my peace."
"I haven’t," Su Mu said with rare stubbornness. "If you’re not here, I won’t make peace with it. I want you to see in a wedding dress, to witness becoming Shinian’s wife again. That matters to . And if Shinian wakes up and you’re not there, he’d be heartbroken."
Grandma smiled softly:
"Susu, people across the world leave us every day—but not everyone gets the chance to say goodbye. We must learn to cherish each mont of life, treating every minute as if it’s our last. That’s the only way to live without regrets. Shinian ca to visit before he went to find Qiqi—it seed he was preparing for the worst. He told a lot then. We’ve already said our goodbyes."
"Grandma..."
"Alright," Grandma interrupted Su Mu. "Let’s not discuss this anymore. It makes it sound like I’m leaving any mont. While I don’t have much ti left, I’ll live well and try to hang on. Who knows—maybe tomorrow Qiqi will start talking again, and Shinian will wake up. What I said earlier was simply a worst-case scenario. I don’t think the heavens are so unkind. Don’t worry."
Su Mu let out a faint chuckle:
"These days have been hard on you too, Grandma."
"I’m okay. Really. Life is what it is—whether long or short, easy or difficult, it’s still a lifeti. The one passing away is freed, but it’s those left behind who suffer. My only worry was you struggling to co to terms with everything. But now that things have gotten better, I see the heavens are truly rciful. You’re still young, not even thirty, yet you’ve endured more hardships than most do in a lifeti. From now on, there will only be peace, happiness, and smooth sailing for you. You will certainly be very happy."
Su Mu looked at Grandma with a smile:
"I’ll take that blessing to heart, Grandma."
"Of course! My blessings are always spot-on."
Ultimately, Grandma’s health wasn’t good, and after chatting with Su Mu for a while, she beca fatigued. Su Mu noticed her weariness and chose not to continue talking. She helped Grandma lie down. Before Grandma settled in, Su Mu hesitated briefly before speaking:
"Grandma, should I bring Qiqi back to let you see her?"
Grandma shook her head with a smile:
"No need. Let her recover well at the hospital. If I ever feel like taking a stroll, I’ll go visit her myself."
"You take good care of yourself too."
"I always do."
After Grandma fell asleep, Su Mu quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Su Shiyue was still in the living room. When she saw Su Mu step out, she stood up from the sofa and asked in a hushed tone: "Grandma’s asleep?"
"Mm, just now."
"I asked the kitchen staff to save so food for you. Eat sothing before you head back to the hospital. You’ve lost so much weight lately."
Su Mu smiled faintly:
"It’s fine. Isn’t the ’slender beauty’ look trending these days?"
"Don’t get any skinnier." Su Shiyue walked beside Su Mu toward the dining room. "When my brother wakes up and sees you like this, he might feel so heartbroken he faints again."
"Let him faint. If he dares not to wake up, I’ll just find another man to marry. After all, we haven’t remarried yet. He doesn’t have the right to sign off on my decisions."
Su Shiyue stared at Su Mu, unblinking. Su Mu couldn’t help but glance back at her with a faint smile: "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing." Su Shiyue snapped out of her daze but paused for several seconds before smiling again: "Actually, I think you should say that in front of my brother often. He’s so attached to you—he might just wake up instantly from sheer excitent."
Su Mu raised an eyebrow in response:
"I’ll try it when I get back."
Su Shiyue hadn’t anticipated she’d agree, and she froze montarily. "Sister-in-law, are you serious?"
"Of course," Su Mu nodded. "Right now, I’ll try anything that might wake Shinian up—no matter how bizarre it sounds. Who knows? It might actually work."
Su Shiyue chuckled:
"Give it a shot. Maybe he’ll spring up off the bed and rush to the Civil Affairs Bureau with you."
Su Mu smiled but said no more.
Su Shiyue accompanied Su Mu to the dining table, and Auntie Lin brought the food out from the kitchen. As she arranged the dishes, Auntie Lin couldn’t help but tear up, looking at Su Mu. Detecting Auntie Lin’s gaze, Su Mu turned to her and instantly understood what she was thinking. Smiling faintly, she said:
"Auntie Lin, I’m really doing fine. Don’t worry about ."
"You’ve lost so much weight. If you’re not too busy in these coming days, I’ll have the driver deliver als to the hospital daily. Or you can co ho to eat—it’s the sa, just farther away."
"Alright, I’ll make ti to co back." Su Mu smiled warmly. "Before, I was worried my state might affect Grandma, since Qiqi hadn’t co back. Now that both Qiqi and Shinian are back, I don’t have anything weighing down anymore. I should spend more ti with Grandma. When I plan to return, I’ll call you in advance, Auntie Lin. Just make sure to prepare the dishes I like."
"Of course, of course." Auntie Lin laughed happily. "I’ll make sure to fatten you up in no ti."
After chatting for a while, Auntie Lin returned to her work, leaving only Su Shiyue and Su Mu in the dining room. Su Mu was truly hungry and began eating right away. At first, she didn’t notice Su Shiyue, assuming she was simply keeping her company. But midway through her al, it struck her that sothing might be amiss—especially when she glanced at Su Shiyue and caught her seemingly evasive gaze.
In that instant, Su Mu realized that she must have sothing she wanted to say. As for what it might be, Su Mu already had a guess. It was probably about who had found Fu Shinian.
In truth, several months had passed already, and Su Shiyue hadn’t ntioned Yu Qingzhou since. Su Mu didn’t think Su Shiyue had truly let go of that Chapter, but her reaction now surprised her. She still cared.
"You want to ask sothing?"
Su Mu’s question startled Su Shiyue, as if she hadn’t expected her to speak up. After a mont’s pause, she steadied her emotions and smiled faintly:
"Sister-in-law, you’re so clever. You’ve probably guessed what I want to say, haven’t you?"
"I have a guess, but I’m not sure why you want news about him. Is it because you can’t let go?"
"No, I’ve already let go. But even if I hadn’t, what difference would it make?" Su Shiyue smiled mockingly at herself. "I just feel that, after all, he’s still my brother. When I acted rashly back then, it drove him away. I think he probably hasn’t had it easy all these years. I’m his last family mber in this world. Even if we don’t reconnect, I shouldn’t push him further away, don’t you think?"
Su Mu looked silently at Su Shiyue for a long ti, making her feel sowhat uneasy:
"Did I say sothing wrong?"
Su Mu shook her head:
"No. I just think... you’ve grown up."
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