Free Web NovelChapter 427: Chapter 423: Where to Stay?
No one in the room had expected what Feng Ling said.
Grandma Sun, Grandma Dingzi, and Aunt Zhao nodded repeatedly. At their age, they didn’t hope for much—just for their children and grandchildren to be filial, ensuring they would have someone to look after them in their old age.
If nothing else, Feng Ling was at least filial. She was taking care of her destitute grandfather, so she certainly wasn’t a greedy person.
Sun Jiaming also glanced at Feng Ling, thinking the girl was all right. It wasn’t easy for someone so young to be able to do all that.
Li Zhi watched Feng Ling with admiration. The first time he saw the girl, he felt she had a certain spark about her. When he learned her name was Feng Ling, he thought it suited her perfectly. Now, hearing her story, he found her to be filial and strong—qualities most people didn’t possess. His impression of her was very good, and the more he looked at her, the more he liked what he saw.
’A girl like Feng Ling is either truly wonderful or incredibly good at hiding her feelings,’ Gu’er thought. ’You can’t judge someone based on one incident or a single sentence. I’ll have to see what she’s really like in the future. I just hope she’s truly the way she appears.’
"I’m not just bragging, my granddaughter is truly wonderful. She’s a beauty, that goes without saying, and she’s hardworking. She can do anything and endure any hardship. She has suffered so much with me these past two years. She wouldn’t let me go out to beg, saying she could support me. She washed clothes and did labor for others until her hands were raw. It truly broke my heart to see it. I’d go out to beg behind her back, and every time she saw me leave, she’d cry in secret. She felt it was because she wasn’t capable enough to give me a good life, that I was dragging her down. How else could she have ended up like this?"
As Guan Yicai spoke of his granddaughter, he was filled with guilt.
Grandma Sun held Feng Ling’s hand and wouldn’t let go. She could understand Guan Yicai’s feelings; she had once been in the same position.
"You’re my grandpa, so it’s my duty to do anything for you. Please don’t ever feel like you’re a burden. As long as you’re well, I’m happy, no matter how hard I have to work."
Feng Ling said, her eyes turning red.
"Let’s not talk about it anymore. You’re a good girl. You’ve done more than enough."
Grandma Sun stroked Feng Ling’s hand. Feng Ling’s face was pretty, but her hands were very coarse, a clear sign that she worked hard regularly.
"Jinxiu, I never asked, is Jia Ming married? If he isn’t, then what do you think of my..."
Before Guan Yicai could finish, he was cut off by Feng Ling’s cry: "Grandpa."
A faint blush appeared on Feng Ling’s face, but her gaze was firm. After her cry, Guan Yicai didn’t say another word.
"He is, he’s married! This is my grandson’s wife, Gu’er. Come forward and let Grandpa Guan have a look at you."
Grandma Sun said, hurriedly calling Gu’er over.
Gu’er knew what Guan Yicai had left unsaid, but she didn’t mind. She stepped forward gracefully, calling out with a smile, "Grandpa Guan," and then, "Sister Feng Ling."
"So this is Jia Ming’s wife! And pregnant, too. You’re about to hold a great-grandchild! Wonderful, you’re a fortunate woman. I saw Jia Ming’s wife just now, but I didn’t know who she was at the time. She seems like a good person, too."
Guan Yicai nodded. He had a good impression of Gu’er as well. When he had first come in, Gu’er hadn’t given him a scornful look; on the contrary, she had invited him to sit down and hadn’t shown any disgust.
"Sister-in-law."
Feng Ling quickly returned the greeting.
Everyone started chatting casually again. By a tacit agreement, no one mentioned Guan Yicai’s unfinished words.
When it was time for dinner, Sun Jiaming found a set of his clothes and had Guan Yicai wash up and change. They all ate dinner together at the Sun family home.
Aunt Zhao cooked a sumptuous meal, and Sun Jiaming even opened a bottle of liquor, pouring a full glass for Guan Yicai.
"Good, good."
Tears welled in Guan Yicai’s eyes, but he couldn’t say anything else. How long had it been since he’d lived a day like this? How long had it been since he’d felt like a human being?
The meal was lively. Throughout, Gu’er kept observing Feng Ling. Feng Ling would periodically put food on her grandfather’s plate, choosing things that were easy to chew and digest. As for herself, she only ate from the dishes directly in front of her. She rarely reached for anything far away, never standing up to get something, no matter how good it looked.
Grandma Sun and Aunt Zhao, afraid she wasn’t getting enough to eat, served her some food, which she accepted and ate completely.
’This girl is very attentive and good at taking care of people,’ Gu’er thought, ’but my intuition tells me I don’t really like her. Maybe it’s because of Guan Yicai’s unfinished sentence, or maybe it’s just the feeling Feng Ling gives off. She must be a person of incredible forbearance and self-restraint. If they’ve had such a hard life for the past few years like Guan Yicai said, surely going hungry and cold, yet she can control herself with so much food on the table... This girl is definitely not as simple as she seems.’
After dinner, everyone started chatting again, and Grandma Sun asked Guan Yicai where he and Feng Ling were staying.
"Ah, Jinxiu," Guan Yicai said. "Honestly, you’re the last person I wanted to know that I’d fallen on hard times. I was afraid you’d laugh at my misfortune."
He sighed.
"We’re too old for this, acting like children. Why would I laugh at you? Who hasn’t lived through hard times? My own life has only gotten better recently. What right would I have to laugh at you?"
Grandma Sun shot Guan Yicai a look.
"You’re right. Then I won’t worry about you laughing at me. Originally, with the money that girl Feng Ling earned, we were renting a tiny, run-down house. We could barely get by and afford food. But a few days ago, I got sick, and all our money was spent on my treatment. For my sake, the girl basically went without food or drink for days and even bought me an old hen to nurse me back to health. I recovered, but we were broke. We had no money to pay the rent, so today, we were kicked out. The landlord was even afraid we’d try to leave our two ragged quilts behind as ’rent payment’. If we weren’t absolutely desperate, that girl would never let me go out begging again. At first, I was thinking that since the weather isn’t cold, we could just find a doorway to spend the night. But I did get a little money today. I figure I can find a cheap inn for us to stay the night."
"How could that be acceptable? Now that you’re here, we can’t let you sleep in a doorway. We’d help even a stranger in this situation, to say nothing of you two."
Grandma Sun was clearly against the idea.
’Gu’er knew Grandma wanted to let the two of them stay, but where would they put them? Feng Ling was a girl, so she could share the kang bed with Grandma, since Grandma Dingzi had gone back to her own home. But what about Grandpa Guan? They couldn’t have him sleep on the sofa or on a mattress on the floor, could they?’
’Her own house had space, but her aunt and her family were staying there, so it wasn’t an option to have Grandpa Guan move in. Gu’er glanced at Li Zhi. He was living by himself right now; Li Ting hadn’t been over to stay recently. His place definitely had room.’
"Grandma, Jia Ming, I think Grandpa Guan can stay at my place. If Sister Guan doesn’t mind, she can come over too. I have three rooms and live by myself, so there’s enough space. If she wouldn’t be comfortable with that, she can stay here with Grandma. We can manage for tonight and make other arrangements tomorrow. What do you all think?"
Li Zhi understood Gu’er’s meaning the moment he caught her eye, and he immediately spoke up.
