The old gentleman trembled and extended his hand, Xu took a few quick steps forward and knelt in front of him, tilting her head, “Grandfather, Wan’er is unfilial and has made you worry all these years.”
“Wan’er, is it really you?”
The old man’s voice trembled with disbelief. His hand wanted to fall on her face but didn’t dare, lest this was a dream, and if he moved, the dream would disappear.
Tears blurred Xu’s eyes as she grabbed the old gentleman’s hand and stroked it onto her face, letting him feel the warmth of her face, “Grandfather, it’s really me, I’m back, your Wan’er is back.”
“Wan’er!”
Tears spurted out of the old gentleman’s eyes, for ten years he had dreamt of Wan’er every time he woke up and cried bitterly. If he had been more careful back then and could have noticed something unusual about Wan’er, or let her get married earlier, Wan’er would not have been missing from life and death. Now, his Wan’er is back, she is really back, not in a dream.
“It’s good to be back, it’s good to be back.”
Xu cried uncontrollably, “Wan’er is unfilial and has made you worry all these years.”
She had grown up at the old man’s knee, her feelings were deeper than for her own father, she could not imagine how the old man had come through all the years she had been missing, she only remembered that before he disappeared her grandfather’s hair was black, hale and hearty, a man in his fifties looked like a thirty year old. And now, not only was her grandfather’s head full of white hair, but he also didn’t have the same spirit he used to have. All these were caused by her, and she was the one who was unfilial.
The people in the courtyard were red-eyed.
It was not good for the two of them to cry any longer, so Song Wangyue took a few steps forward and walked up to them, “Grand great grandfather.”
He should have guessed that if she was not Wan’er’s daughter, how could she resemble her so much?
“Foreign great …… grandfather …… right …… not …… up …… you …… guys.”
If he hadn’t been greedy and wanted to keep Wan’er at home for two more years, Wan’er wouldn’t have disappeared.
If he had asked Song Wan Yue to understand the day he saw her in the Western Market, he would not have seen Wan Er only today.
“The courtyard is not the place to talk, let’s go inside and talk about what we have to say.”
Song Si held the old man while Song Wan Yue and Gu Yi held Xu up and helped her into the house. The two grandchildren cried for a while longer before their emotions gradually calmed down.
“Wan’er, tell grandfather, who did this to you back then?”
The old man did not ask Xu if she had lived a good life all these years, he knew it was not good. People in the countryside lived a hard life, it was good to have enough to eat and warm clothes, and his heart ached at the thought of it.
Xu shook her head, “I had a head injury back then, when I woke up I forgot everything from before, now I only remember my mother and grandfather, nothing else.”
The old man’s heart ached even more, what had his Wan’er been through back then?
Song Wan Yue spoke up, “My mother has never remembered anything for so many years, until she had a headache once in a while years ago, saying that something flashed in her head, we thought it might have something to do with her memory, so we hired a doctor to give her acupuncture, expecting her to remember something, but nothing worked until today when she saw the set of red coral jewellery my grandmother gave me, my mother’s memory was triggered and only then did she remembered you and my grandmother.”
The old man nodded, “In other words, if Wan’er saw more familiar things, she might be able to recall more things?”
“That’s what it says in principle, but I don’t want my mother to take that risk.”
The old man understood what she meant, but he couldn’t even die in peace until Wan’er’s disappearance was investigated.
“Girl, did you already know your mother’s identity?”
Song Wan Yue didn’t hide it, “Not for a long time, it was the suspicion I had that day when I saw my grandmother in Da …… and it wasn’t until I saw my mother’s portrait in your study that I confirmed it.”
“You also have a suspicion of someone, right?”
Otherwise Song Wan Yue would not have said to her that day that Huo was in shock.
“Yes.”
Song Wan Yue looked at Xu, “I suspect that it was Huo’s family who did this to my mother.”
“The Huo family, mainly Wen Zhong.”
Song Wan Yue told the story of that day when Wen Zhong came to the door, “He was shocked when he saw me that day, and asked if my elder brother and I were real siblings, if he didn’t have a ghost in his heart, he wouldn’t have come to the door and asked that.”
“If that’s the case, all the more reason to let your mother go back to the Xu Mansion, so that the people who harmed her will naturally sit up and reveal themselves whenever they act.”
“I want to wait until big brother has passed the temple exams, by then they will have scruples, and even if my mother goes back, they won’t dare to make a move easily.”
The old gentleman was amazed at her thoughtfulness, and at the same time a sense of pride rose in his heart; this was Wan’er’s daughter, his maternal great-granddaughter, who was only eight or nine years old and already had such a thoughtful mind, she would certainly be even more remarkable in the future.
“Okay, listen to you.”
After saying this, he looked around the house, not seeing anyone he wanted to see, and asked Xu, “Where is your husband?
Xu’s eyes were red, but her face was smiling, “He didn’t come, if grandfather wants to see him, have Yi’er send someone back to fetch him over.”
The old man wanted to see Song Lin, to know what kind of man had married his granddaughter, but he knew that now was not the time, “There is no hurry, there will be a long time to come.”
Another question, “Who is in your family?”
Xu answered one by one and told him about her mother-in-law and Song Shu both coming over.
The old man understood Song Si’s identity and once again regretted that he had not pursued the matter when he saw Song Wan Yue’s face.
Song Wan Yue winked at Song Si and Gu Yi and the three of them quietly withdrew, leaving the two grandchildren talking in the room.
The old man had to get up and go back to the house only after the curfew bell had been rung, “Tomorrow, you should send your mother to the Xu residence and bring her out.
Xu assisted him as he walked outside, responding one by one.
When his granddaughter was found, the old man’s energy returned, and he walked with energy.
Ever since he entered this courtyard, Gu Yi has been there and still hasn’t left, obviously someone very close to him.
“He is Yi’er, who was betrothed to Yue’er years ago.”
“What do you mean?”
The old man suspected he had heard wrong, how old was Yue’er, how could he be betrothed?
“It’s a long story, I’ll tell grandfather about it slowly some other time.”
The curfew bell was still ringing, so the old man couldn’t delay any longer and had to get on the carriage, thinking that he would come back tomorrow and ask what was going on.
……
At the entrance to the Xu residence, the old gentleman was waiting there.