How could Da Zhuang not see that Xia Ran was pretending to be calm?
"It's alright, Xia Ran. Men are everywhere. I'll definitely introduce you to a few good ones in the future, and I guarantee they'll all be your type! Trust me!"
Da Zhuang put his arm around Xia Ran's shoulder and said in a grinning tone.
Since Xia Ran didn't want anyone to know about his sadness, he would cooperate with her.
"No need." Xia Ran put the last dish on a plate.
"You don't need to worry about me. I have no intention of dating or getting married again. I just want to stay with Grandpa. He's getting old now, and I need to be with him every day."
"Anyway, we have rental income at home now, so we don't lack money. I plan to buy another car and take my grandfather on a road trip. My grandfather raised me from a young age, which was very hard. I want to cherish the time I can spend with him."
Chapter 197 Grandpa Xia in a Coma
"You..." Da Zhuang wanted to say something, but Xia Ran interrupted him.
"Alright, alright, stop talking. Hurry up and get your bowl and chopsticks to eat. Aren't you hungry? I'm starving. I'm going to call Grandpa."
Xia Ran walked past Da Zhuang and went out, but when she got to her grandfather's room, she saw her grandfather lying on the ground.
When Xia Ran saw this scene, her heart skipped a beat.
"Grandpa!" Xia Ran suddenly realized what was happening and shouted, rushing over. "Grandpa, Grandpa, don't scare me! What's wrong, Grandpa? Grandpa!"
Xia Ran's tears fell uncontrollably, and he hurriedly half-lifted his grandfather.
Dazhuang, who heard the noise, rushed over and was shocked when he saw Grandpa Xia's appearance.
"Grandpa, what's wrong with Grandpa?" Dazhuang said as he walked over. "Xia Ran, put Grandpa on my back and quickly take your phone outside to find a car to take Grandpa to the hospital."
Xia Ran knew she wasn't as strong as Da Zhuang, so she could only follow Da Zhuang's orders.
However, due to extreme fear, Xia Ran's hand holding the phone trembled, and her steps as she went out were unsteady.
Xia Ran's mind went blank. He went to the door, found a car, and took his grandfather to the hospital. While the doctor examined his grandfather, Xia Ran and Da Zhuang waited outside.
Xia Ran's hands were icy cold, and her eyes were brimming with tears from crying. Her bewildered look made Da Zhuang feel a pang of sympathy.
"Xia Ran, don't worry, Grandpa will be fine."
Xia Ran: "If anything really happens to Grandpa, I will not forgive myself, nor will I forgive Gu Zheng."
Xia Ran originally didn't hate Gu Zheng. He believed that his previous marriage to Gu Zheng was due to his own arrogance, and he felt that he had only himself to blame, so he didn't hate Gu Zheng.
But when he saw Gu En come over today, he felt hatred. And now, if anything happens to his grandfather, he will definitely not forgive Gu Zheng.
Hearing Xia Ran's words, Da Zhuang was momentarily speechless. He could only pat Xia Ran on the shoulder and say comfortingly,
"No, Grandpa will be fine, don't worry."
Xia Ran didn't speak, but the tears she had managed to hold back were about to burst from her eyes again.
He thought his grandfather had truly accepted his divorce from Gu Zheng, but he never expected that his grandfather would find it so difficult to accept.
As time ticked by, Xia Ran grew increasingly frightened and worried.
Dazhuang had initially been reassuring Xia Ran with great confidence, but as time went by, he became less certain.
Just as Xia Ran was about to break down and cry, the door to the ward opened, and Xia Ran rushed in almost instantly.
"Doctor, doctor, how is my grandfather? Is he alright? He..."
When Xia Ran spoke, her voice was choked with sobs, and she eventually couldn't even utter a word.
The doctor said, "The patient is fine now, but he is an old man, so you younger family members should not always upset him. You should go along with him. If he suffers another bout of depression, he might not be able to be saved. He just needs to rest in the hospital for two days and then he can go home."
After the doctor gave some more instructions, he left, and Xia Ran finally felt relieved.
"Alright, let's go in and see Grandpa first." Dazhuang breathed a sigh of relief.
If something really happens to Grandpa, Dazhuang is afraid Xia Ran herself won't be able to go on living.
Xia Ran nodded and went into the ward. Because the old man needed to rest, a private room was booked.
When Xia Ran looked at her grandfather lying in bed with a ventilator, her eyes reddened again.
It's all because of him. If it weren't for him, how could Grandpa have been hospitalized twice in such a short period of time?
My grandfather used to never get sick except for regular check-ups, let alone go to the hospital.
But now... looking at Grandpa Xia's much older face, a deep sense of guilt welled up in Xia Ran's heart.
"Dazhuang, I really regret it, I regret it so much, but... I don't know what to do except regret it. Grandpa raised me from childhood, but I have disobeyed him and hurt him time and time again."
"I didn't hate Gu Zheng before. I know it was all my own fault. Why did I have to like him? Grandpa tried to persuade me, but I just wouldn't listen. Dazhuang, isn't this what they call 'not turning back until you hit a brick wall'?"
Xia Ran looked at Grandpa Xia's face and murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
After hearing this, Da Zhuang felt even more heartbroken.
"No one's life is smooth sailing. Who hasn't made mistakes? There's a saying that goes, 'To err is human, to forgive divine.' It's never too late to turn back now."
Dazhuang had never been in a relationship, so he didn't know what heartbreak felt like, but looking at Xia Ran's expression, he knew how painful it was.
He was already somewhat afraid of marriage, and now he's even more afraid of it.
However, if he's going to find someone, he should find a woman. He'll definitely treat his wife very well and will never become a scumbag like Gu Zheng.
"Is it too late to turn back now?" Xia Ran murmured to herself. "I hope that when Grandpa wakes up this time, he won't be angry anymore, otherwise I really don't know what to do."
"No, that won't happen," Dazhuang said firmly. "Grandpa loves you so much, he'll definitely understand how you're feeling, and he'll never feel sorry for you again."
Xia Ran didn't speak, but just stared intently at her grandfather.
Meanwhile, Gu Zheng, in another city, also opened his eyes.
Qin Hao and the others, who had been waiting anxiously, finally relaxed.
However, due to his injury and the surgery, Gu Zheng only opened his eyes briefly before falling asleep again.
Fortunately, the doctor said that this means the critical period has passed.
At the door of the ward, Qin Hao returned Lin Yi's thermos to Lin Yi and said,
"Thank you for staying here with me for so long, and for the hot milk. My brother is alright now, so you should go back and rest for a while so as not to delay your work. Let me see you out."
Lin Yi nodded and walked ahead. Qin Hao could only follow quickly. The two remained silent the whole way, and Qin Hao felt a little awkward, so he spoke up when they reached Lin Yi's car.
"Um... don't worry, I won't forget what I promised you. I'll come find you as soon as my brother gets better."
Qin Hao was referring to the matter of becoming Lin Yi's nanny.
Chapter 198 Heartbreaking Past Events
Lin nodded, glanced at Qin Hao, and said,
"Go inside. Call me anytime if you need anything."
Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then said thank you.
Lin Yi didn't say anything more, turned around and got into the car.
After watching Lin Yi's car leave, Qin Hao turned and went into the hospital. But when he thought of Lin Yi suddenly appearing in front of him with a thermos last night, a strange feeling welled up in his heart again.
Qin Hao had a vague feeling that this strange feeling was a bit unsettling, but in the end he didn't think too much about it. At this point, it was better to worry about his brother.
It was already evening when Grandpa Xia woke up. Xia Ran sat beside him waiting for him to wake up, while Da Zhuang had already gone back to cook porridge for Grandpa Xia.
The doctor said that it would be better for Grandpa Xia to eat a lighter diet now that he is in good health.
The moment Xia Ran saw her grandfather wake up, her nose started to sting with tears again.
"Grandpa, is there anything else that's bothering you?" Xia Ran asked as she pressed the emergency call button. The doctor said to call them over to check on Grandpa once he woke up.
Because he was still on a ventilator, Grandpa could only shake his head at Xia Ran and say that he was fine.
The doctor arrived quickly, examined Grandpa, and took the ventilator away after confirming that he was alright.
After the doctor left, only Xia Ran and Grandpa Xia remained in the ward.
Grandpa Xia has been helped up and is now sitting up against the headboard of the bed.
Xia Ran held Grandpa Xia's hand tightly, her voice choked with emotion as she spoke.
"Grandpa, if you're angry, you can scold me or hit me, why keep it all bottled up inside? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"
Grandpa Xia looked at Xia Ran and could only sigh, his eyes filled with both heartache and helplessness.
"Xiao Ran, let Grandpa tell you a story," Grandpa Xia said.
Xia Ran didn't know why Grandpa Xia wanted to tell him a story, but he nodded nonetheless.
Grandpa Xia: "Back in the 1980s, there was a young man, let's call him A. He had a very happy family and lived a decent life. His parents were government employees. In that generation, he was better off than most people."
"He had been in school all along. His original wish was to finish his studies, find a stable job like his parents, get married, have children, and live a simple but happy life. But all his plans were disrupted by the appearance of another boy, B."
"They were both twenty years old that year, twenty years old, such a wonderful age, a time of passion and energy. They initially didn't like each other, but they gradually developed feelings for each other, and they got together almost without hesitation."
As he spoke, Grandpa Xia's eyes filled with memories, as if he had suddenly returned to that summer filled with the chirping of cicadas, where the person held his hand tightly and the two shared a drink.
Xia Ran kept looking at Grandpa Xia, and when he saw the memories in Grandpa Xia's eyes, he suddenly felt as if he understood something.
But he didn't interrupt Grandpa Xia; he just continued listening.
"In those days, it was unacceptable for two men to be together, but they didn't care at all. They wrote letters to each other to express their longing, went out together, and fantasized about their wonderful future together, just like any other couple."
"They kept this a secret from each other's parents, but unexpectedly, after a year of secretly being together, their affair was discovered by B's parents. B's parents couldn't accept it and went directly to A's house to make a scene, saying that A was shameless for seducing their son."
"This matter eventually spiraled out of control. The pressure from both sets of parents, the gossip from the neighbors—everything weighed on them, but they weren't afraid. They endured it together. They even knelt before both sets of parents to beg them to agree to their relationship."
"But how could parents of that era possibly accept it? Both sets of parents agreed that if they insisted on being together, they would sever their father-son relationship. Even so, the two young people gritted their teeth and stayed together."
"Later, the two of them left the place where they were born and raised without their parents' knowledge. They thought they would go out and make a living first, and then go back after their parents calmed down."
"They left that place penniless, and finally went out to make a living with the help of the only friend who didn't look down on them, who gave them eighty yuan. In those days, eighty yuan was their entire fortune for their friend who was just over twenty years old."
"And so, A and B started working odd jobs and becoming street vendors. They lived in basements and once each could only afford one steamed bun a day. But even then, they felt life was sweet because they were always together."
"Later, A got sick, and she was very sick. They had only been away from home for a few months at that time. B spent all the 300 yuan they had saved by working and living frugally to treat A's illness. In the end, it was still not enough money. He even went to sell snow without A's knowledge and cured A. A only found out about this later."
"Later, their relationship grew even stronger, and then their lives gradually improved. They went from renting a basement to renting a one-bedroom apartment, then from working odd jobs to opening their own shop, and then they even bought their own houses, one, two, three..."
"But just as their lives were getting better and better, A found that B was different. She no longer spent time with him whenever she had free time, and she no longer cooked for him every day or took walks with him like before. Later, he found out that B was cheating on him."