Xia Ran asked Gu Zheng, noticing that he seemed unusually reliant on Gu Zheng today.
Gu Zheng patted his head. "Of course, I'll have someone arrange it."
Xia Ran nodded gently and bent down to look at the child.
"Xiao Chen, how about you sleep with your dad tonight? Your dad is a little tired today and wants to sleep alone."
"Okay, Daddy, don't worry, I'll be good. You should also be good and go to sleep. Don't cry or feel sad, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy will listen to you." Xia Ran gave the child a forced smile and then went back to his room.
Since Grandpa's bedding had already been disposed of, Xia Ran took out a new one from the closet to put on the bed. Xia Ran had specially bought this one a couple of days ago, wanting to replace Grandpa's blanket with a new one. This blanket was light and warm, but she never expected that Grandpa would pass away before she could even change the blanket...
Xia Ran lay on the brand-new mattress, wrapping himself up completely in the blanket. Only in this way could he find a little bit of security at this moment.
When his grandfather was still alive, he always felt that no matter how much trouble or play he caused, he always had a home and a grandfather to accompany him. But now that his grandfather is gone, he seems to have suddenly lost all his sense of security.
This kind of security is something no one else can give.
Xia Ran's tears flowed silently, and she could only hug the blanket tightly.
After Xia Ran went into her room, everyone else went back to their own rooms as well.
On a day like today, they are not in the mood to talk, much less to laugh or joke.
Gu Zheng took Gu Chen back to the other side and clumsily helped Gu Chen take a bath. After Gu Zheng carried Gu Chen, who was wrapped in a blanket, to the bed, Gu Chen suddenly said something.
"Daddy, this is the first time you've ever bathed me like this."
Gu Zheng paused for a moment before speaking seriously.
"From now on, your eldest father will try to spend more time with you and your younger father, but you have to be good and obedient, especially lately, you know? Your younger father is already very sad because he lost his great-grandfather. You have to be obedient and stay with him, and accompany your younger father with your eldest father, so that your younger father can be happy again soon."
Gu Chen nodded vigorously, then suddenly hugged Gu Zheng's neck, saying in a somewhat awkward tone,
"Big Daddy, I love you."
Gu Zheng looked at Gu Chen uncertainly, as if he could hardly believe what he had just heard.
Gu Chen actually released Gu Zheng's neck after he finished speaking. Because he was embarrassed, he kept his head down, and his face and ears were very red.
Upon seeing this, Gu Zheng was certain he hadn't misheard. He patted Gu Chen's head, his voice unusually gentle.
"Why are you suddenly talking about these things with your uncle today?"
“Because…” Gu Chen looked up at Gu Zheng, “Because my stepfather told me this a long time ago, that I should be brave enough to express the love in my heart, otherwise others will not know. He also said that if you don’t express your love in time, you may never have the chance to say it again.”
“I…I didn’t understand what my stepfather meant before, so I was reluctant to say it. But now I understand, and I’m a little sad that I didn’t tell my great-grandfather that I love him sooner. Otherwise, he would have heard me. Now I want to say it, but he can’t hear me anymore.”
As Gu Chen spoke, tears streamed down his face without warning. Gu Zheng looked at the child, his heart trembled, and he gently stroked the child's head.
“It’s okay. You can hear your great-grandfather now. He’s just watching us from another world. As long as you keep thinking about him, he’s still in your heart.”
Gu Zheng never expected his child to say these things, but undeniably, he felt gratified and even more guilty towards Xia Ran.
Xia Ran's way of teaching children was something he had never done before.
"I understand, Daddy." Gu Chen sobbed for a moment, then wiped away her tears and quickly composed herself.
After coaxing the child to sleep and making sure the child was sound asleep, Gu Zheng took a shower, grabbed a blanket, and knocked on Lin Ziming's door.
Lin Ziming had just returned from delivering Yu Wu's belongings and taken a shower. He was quite puzzled by the knock on the door, but his puzzlement turned into surprise when he saw that the person at the door was Gu Zheng.
However, when he saw Gu Zheng holding a quilt and a pillow, he became even more puzzled, and a very strange idea even popped into his head.
"Is there something you need?" Lin Ziming asked calmly.
"Keep an eye on the child for me, I'm going to sleep across the street." Gu Zheng's tone remained indifferent.
Lin Ziming was a little confused. "Why are you sleeping across the street? Are there no rooms left there?"
"I'm sleeping on the sofa, but I'm worried about Aran. I'm afraid something might happen to him in the middle of the night. Could you watch the child for me?"
After saying that, Gu Zheng grabbed the blanket and pillow and went over.
Because Gu Zheng was the last one to come out, he didn't lock the door, but left it ajar, and he pushed it open with a gentle push.
Lin Ziming didn't come to his senses until Gu Zheng left. Reflecting on Gu Zheng's words, he clicked his tongue twice. He never expected that Gu Zheng would have such a day, that he would be willing to sleep on the sofa for Xia Ran.
But this is for the best; it can be a comfort to Grandpa's spirit in heaven.
Thinking of the old man, a trace of sadness appeared on Lin Ziming's face, and he muttered to himself.
"Grandpa, don't worry, we'll take good care of Xiao Ran. No one will bully him. You can go find the person you're looking for and see the person you want to see."
They were indeed very saddened by their grandfather's passing, but they also understood his thoughts and actions. Knowing that the person they had waited for their whole lives had always loved them, and that they had misunderstood that person, how could they not go with him?
Actually, when they first didn't know Xia Ran's true identity, they felt sorry for their deceased grandfather, because he had learned too much about his grandfather and that person's story from his father. He thought that two people who loved each other so much would never marry someone else, but then they found out about Xia Ran.
Although they were happy that Grandpa Xia had a house full of children and grandchildren, they still felt that the other person didn't deserve it. It wasn't until they learned Xia Ran's true identity yesterday that they realized that neither of them had betrayed the other and that they had always loved each other deeply.
Grandpa's decision was undoubtedly a form of reunion in disguise.
What they need to do now is help Xia Ran get through this as soon as possible.
Xia Ran was half asleep when he was woken up by thirst in the middle of the night. He sat on the bed for a while before he remembered what had happened that day: his grandfather was no longer with him.
He got up and opened the door to get a drink of water, but as soon as he turned on the living room light, he found someone huddled on the sofa—it was Gu Zheng.
When Xia Ran saw this scene, her heart was suddenly struck hard. The sofa was so small, how did Gu Zheng manage to sleep there? And shouldn't Gu Zheng have gone back to sleep?
He walked over, and Gu Zheng opened his eyes just then. The moment he saw Xia Ran, his eyes cleared up instantly.
"Ran, what's wrong? Is there something you want to do?"
He sat up quickly, his eyes filled with worry. Xia Ran looked at him, feeling a pang of unease.
"What...what are you doing here? Why didn't you go back to sleep? And where's the child?"
"The child is sleeping over there. I asked Lin Ziming to keep an eye on him for me. I was worried about you, so I brought the blanket over here."
Upon hearing Gu Zheng's explanation, Xia Ran was even more at a loss for words. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said, "I'm going to get a glass of water," and then turned and went into the kitchen.
After drinking a glass of warm water, Xia Ran felt a little calmer.
"Is there anything wrong? Do you still have a fever?" Gu Zheng's voice suddenly rang out behind her, startling Xia Ran.
"No." Xia Ran shook her head and put down her water glass. "Otherwise... you can go back to sleep. I'm fine now, I can manage on my own."
"No need, I'll keep an eye on you. Anyway, it'll be morning in just a few hours. Do you want to go back to sleep?"
Gu Zheng still placed his hand on Xia Ran's forehead to check, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Xia Ran did not have a fever.
Xia Ran subconsciously felt uncomfortable with Gu Zheng's closeness and tilted her head back slightly.
"Well... I'm going to sleep now. You... whatever you want."
After saying that, he left the kitchen and went back to his room, his back view giving the impression of fleeing in panic.
Gu Zheng watched Xia Ran return to her room, then finally sighed and curled up on the sofa again.
Xia Ran, wrapped in the blanket in the room, was wide awake. His mind was filled with images of Gu Zheng, a grown man, curled up on the sofa, and the words Gu Zheng had just said.
Does Gu Zheng really like him?
Xia Ran remembered what his grandfather had said: time is the final proof. So, could he and Gu Zheng perhaps wait and see?
For the next few hours, Xia Ran couldn't sleep at all. He just stared blankly at the door. It was probably around dawn when he finally dozed off for a bit.
Chapter 424 A Unrestrained and Arrogant Smile
When Xia Ran came out of the living room the next day, everyone was already waiting for him, and their faces showed undisguised worry.
Xia Ran smiled gently at them, "I'm fine now. Has everyone finished breakfast?"
The others were a little worried when they saw Xia Ran's reaction, but in the end, it was the child who ran over and hugged Xia Ran's leg first, raising his head and saying,
"Little Daddy, we've already eaten. You should go and eat too. We've saved some for you."
Xia Ran patted the child's head. "Okay, Daddy will go eat now."
Gu Zheng was now certain that Xia Ran had figured things out; at least she wouldn't be as unwilling to eat as she was yesterday.
"Go wash up first, I'll go to the kitchen and get your food. The car is ready, we'll leave after you finish eating."
Xia Ran nodded to Gu Zheng and then went into the restroom. After he took the child into the restroom, Da Zhuang and Lin Ziming exchanged glances, all looking relieved.
It seems that Xia Ran's condition today is much better than they expected.
Breakfast was wontons, and as Xia Ran ate them, she couldn't help but think of her grandfather, whose favorite food was wontons and similar dishes.
He blinked his slightly sore eyes, but finally put those sad feelings behind him.
Grandpa just went to see the person he likes, and he should be happy for Grandpa.
When they set off for Liucheng, there were two cars. Gu Zheng and Xia Ran were in one car with their child, and Lin Ziming, his son, and Dazhuang were in the other. Gu Zheng had arranged for four drivers from his home to take turns driving, as the rest of the group did not intend to drive themselves.
Xia Ran put her grandfather's urn in a black backpack and held it tightly in front of her.
He didn't have much energy to pay attention to other things; everyone else just stood there silently, backpack in hand, gazing at the scenery outside the window.
Because Gu Chen had been reprimanded by Gu Zheng, he behaved himself throughout the day and did not bother Xia Ran, but simply snuggled up to her.
They arrived in Liucheng at 1 p.m. Gu Zheng also had a company here, so he had already arranged for people here to book hotels and such for them.
Xia Ran wanted to go to the cemetery as soon as she arrived in Liucheng, but Gu Zheng stopped her.
"Aran, let's have lunch first, everyone's hungry. We've already arrived in Liucheng, a little longer won't make a difference."
“Yes, Xiaoran,” Lin’s father chimed in. “The cemetery is quite remote, and there’s nowhere to eat there. Let’s eat first before we go. Even if we adults can endure the hunger, what about Xiaochen? He’s still a child.”
Xia Ran glanced at the child before finally nodding.
"I'm sorry, I was in too much of a hurry. Let's go get something to eat first."
"The dining area is on the second floor, we can just go up there. We'll also stay here," Gu Zheng said.
They are now at the hotel entrance.
Xia Ran nodded, and the group entered the hotel.
The food on the second floor of the hotel smelled delicious, but everyone was eating in silence, without any joy or happiness.
In fact, Dazhuang often wanted to say something to make Xia Ran happy, but whenever he saw the forced calm on Xia Ran's face, he couldn't say anything. In the end, everyone could only finish lunch in silence.
"Ran, do you want to rest for a bit before going?" Gu Zheng was a little worried that Xia Ran's body wouldn't be able to handle it, and he didn't know if she had slept well last night.