"At that moment, A felt like her whole world had collapsed. They had planned to go home to see their parents, but then B said she didn't like A anymore, that she had suffered enough with A over the years, and that A couldn't have children for him. So in the end, B abandoned A, leaving her with all the houses and most of the money, and then left."
"A spent some time in a daze and almost died in his own home. Later, he remembered that he still had his parents, so he pulled himself together. He went back to see his parents and wanted to apologize to them and admit that he was wrong."
"But his parents refused to see him, and B's parents had already left that place. A knelt at the door of his house and fainted. His parents finally forgave him, but because they had been looking for him all these years and were depressed all the time, they both passed away two years after A returned home."
After Grandpa Xia finished speaking, his eyes were already wet. He looked at Xia Ran and asked a question.
"So, Xiaoran, do you know who that A is?"
Chapter 199 Gu Zheng Questions Xia Ran
Xia Ran moved her lips slightly, but in the end she didn't say anything. She just held Grandpa Xia's hand tightly.
He knew who this A was, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He never imagined his grandfather would have this side to him, and he felt so sorry for him.
"Yes, it's me, it's definitely me." Grandpa Xia admitted without hesitation. "Don't you feel sorry for Grandpa after hearing this? By the same token, I feel sorry for you too."
Xia Ran opened her mouth, but still couldn't say anything.
Grandpa Xia wiped away his tears and continued,
“Xiao Ran, the reason why Grandpa didn’t let you be with men when you were young was just because he was afraid that you would follow in my footsteps. In an era when homosexuality was despised by everyone, that person abandoned his parents and left his hometown.”
"He ate only one steamed bun a day for me, and he was even willing to sell snow to save me. He was practically willing to give his life for me. How could someone like that abandon me in the end? Tell me, what did Gu Zheng ever do for you?"
“He has never done anything for you, which is why I don’t agree to you two being together. Xiao Ran, if Gu Zheng had treated you even half as well as that grandfather did back then, I wouldn’t be so opposed to it.”
"But he didn't, so Grandpa was very opposed at the time. But the way you knelt in front of me reminded me of how I felt when I knelt before my parents. Looking at your determined eyes, I couldn't bear to separate you. I thought that since you still had a marriage certificate in this day and age, you could go all the way, but I never expected that..."
As Grandpa Xia finished speaking, he patted Xia Ran's head, his heartache evident in his eyes.
Xia Ran felt terrible. "I'm sorry, Grandpa. I was wrong."
“I said the same thing to my parents back then,” Grandpa Xia suddenly laughed. “And they even answered me back then.”
“They said you did nothing wrong. At least they believe that when I knelt down and begged them, that person must have loved me very much. So, Xiaoran, Grandpa just didn’t want you to follow in Grandpa’s footsteps, so don’t hate Grandpa.”
"Grandpa, I know, I will never do it again."
Grandpa Xia smiled and said, "Grandpa isn't saying you can't date or get married. You can find someone you like in the future. But this time, you have to be careful and not act recklessly."
Upon hearing this, Xia Ran paused for a moment before nodding. He didn't dare tell his grandfather that he had no plans to find someone else, for fear that his grandfather would be even more upset.
"Alright, I'm tired and want to sleep. Don't think too much about it. Grandpa is just old and his health isn't good anymore. It's none of your business."
Grandpa Xia knows Xia Ran too well. He knows Xia Ran will be upset about his hospitalization today, which is not what he wants to see. He only hopes that Xia Ran will always be safe and happy.
Xia Ran understood what his grandfather meant, but the more he understood, the more upset he felt.
He didn't ask his grandfather about that B, afraid it would make his grandfather even sadder. He never imagined that his grandfather, who was always cheerful and smiling, would have such a painful past.
Grandpa Xia fell asleep, and Xia Ran quietly stayed by his side. Even after falling asleep, Grandpa Xia's face seemed to have aged a lot more than before.
Xia Ran thought of what his grandfather had told him. Yes, someone who was so good to his grandfather and was willing to risk his life could abandon him in the end. How foolish he must have been to think he could be with Gu Zheng.
If two people who love each other can't be together, then what about someone who is only giving their heart?
Xia Ran suddenly felt relieved; he had just been too naive and foolish before.
Gu Zheng woke up the next morning, the second time after his first awakening.
He looked up at the white ceiling and remembered what had happened before; he thought he would have died in that situation.
He wasn't afraid of death before, but he was terrified at that moment because he hadn't apologized to Xia Ran yet, and he still wanted her to forgive him.
"Brother, you're awake?" Qin Hao, who had been watching over him, immediately went to call the doctor after seeing Gu Zheng wake up.
The doctor gave Gu Zheng a check-up, and the recovery was going well. He just needed to rest because he had surgery on his lower back.
Gu Chen watched Gu Zheng from the side, tears streaming down her face.
Gu Zheng moved his lips and spoke with difficulty.
"Don't cry..."
"Waaaaah... Daddy... I thought even you didn't want me anymore, I was so scared..."
"No, listen to me." Gu Zheng could only speak slowly.
Qin Hao: "Okay, Xiao Chen, don't cry. Your big dad is sick and needs to rest. Let's not talk to him or bother him, okay?"
Gu Chen swallowed back his tears, nodded, and then remained silent.
However, Gu Zheng turned his gaze to Qin Hao and spoke with difficulty.
“Xia Ran…”
Qin Hao paused for a moment, "I know what you mean, but you can only recover now. It was not easy to save your life. If you don't take good care of yourself, you may never see Xia Ran again."
"If you want to see Xia Ran and get his forgiveness, you first need to be in good health. Otherwise, will you become a ghost to see him?"
Perhaps because Gu Zheng was lying down, Qin Hao became bolder and directly retorted to Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng didn't speak, but he had to admit that what Qin Hao said was true, so he could only remain silent.
Grandpa Xia went back home after resting in the hospital for two days. Although Grandpa Xia looked the same as usual, Xia Ran gradually noticed that Grandpa Xia's mental state was not quite right.
In the past, whenever Grandpa Xia had free time, he would go to the big banyan tree not far from his home to play chess, cards, or mahjong with others, and then leisurely go home for dinner, or go out for tea and meals with a few old friends.
However, since returning from the hospital, Grandpa Xia has basically stopped going out and spends his days watching TV at home. But when he watches TV, he is always absent-minded, and his memory has even deteriorated. Sometimes he forgets things, and he looks much older than before.
Xia Ran roughly understood what was going on, and felt even more distressed. If it weren't for him, how could Grandpa have remembered those past events?
Grandpa is probably in this state because he's thinking about the past, which is why he's in a bad mood.
Not only Xia Ran noticed Grandpa Xia's unusual behavior, but even Da Zhuang noticed it.
Da Zhuang looked at Grandpa Xia, who was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea but was actually lost in thought, and couldn't help but ask Xia Ran a question.
"Xia Ran, don't you think there's something wrong with Grandpa's condition?"
Chapter 200 Yu Chao's Thoughts
They're in the living room right now; if they speak softly, Grandpa won't be able to hear them.
Xia Ran nodded, and then told Da Zhuang about her grandfather's affairs.
After hearing this, Da Zhuang was unable to calm down for a long time. Looking at Grandpa Xia outside, he felt waves of sadness in his heart.
“I never imagined that Grandpa would suffer such a profound and unforgettable pain. No wonder he still seems so absent-minded even though he's been discharged from the hospital for a week. By the way, you probably don't know, but I've seen Grandpa coughing a lot these past two days. He seems to be in worse health than before.”
Xia Ran was stunned after hearing this. He hadn't heard his grandfather cough at all. Was his grandfather deliberately hiding it from him so that he wouldn't worry?
"I'll go ask Grandpa." Xia Ran got up immediately, but Da Zhuang stopped her.
"Don't go. Grandpa definitely doesn't want you to know or worry. This is a heart problem for Grandpa. The most important thing for us now is to make Grandpa feel better."
"By the way, Grandpa's been out of the hospital for so long, how about we take him out for tea? Doesn't he really like tea? Maybe seeing his old friends will cheer him up."
Xia Ran nodded after listening, and thankfully, Grandpa Xia finally agreed to go out with them.
Xia Ran didn't expect to run into Yu Chao again when she arrived at the restaurant.
Yu Chao hadn't expected to run into Xia Ran. He was stunned for a moment before quickly greeting her.
"When did you get back? Where are your son and the others? Didn't they come back with you?"
Yu Chao was unaware of Xia Ran's divorce, so he subconsciously asked about it.
After Yu Chao finished asking the question, he noticed that Da Zhuang and Grandpa Xia's expressions were not quite right, only Xia Ran's expression remained unchanged.
"I'm divorced," Xia Ran said with a smile. "So I'm single again! That's great!"
Yu Chao was clearly stunned after hearing Xia Ran's words; he hadn't expected Xia Ran to get a divorce.
He instinctively wanted to ask more questions, but he stopped himself in time, knowing that asking too many questions would hurt people.
But now that Xia Ran is divorced, does that mean he has a chance?
"By the way, senior, don't talk about me, why are you still at home? How's work over there?"
Xia Ran promptly changed the subject, and Yu Chao, who was at a loss for words, quickly answered.
"I quit my job and now plan to develop my business from home. I started my own small company and plan to take it slowly. I'm here today to talk business with clients."
"Really?" Xia Ran was a little surprised. "That's great. I hope your company will thrive."
Yu Chao smiled at Xia Ran, a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
"Thanks."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone called Yu Chao's name.
Xia Ran: "If you're busy, go ahead and do your work. I'll stay home anyway. Let's get together when you have time."
Yu Chao was too busy, so he didn't refuse Xia Ran's suggestion.
"Okay, then I'll get together again while I'm busy. We'll keep in touch by phone later."
"good."
After Chao left, Xia Ran led Grandpa Xia and Dazhuang into the private room. They had originally planned to sit in the lobby, since they could meet some of Grandpa Xia's old friends.
But for some reason, there were so many people sitting in the lobby today that there were no seats available, so they had to go into the private rooms.
As soon as they entered the private room, Dazhuang couldn't wait to ask Xia Ran a question.
"Xia Ran, who was that person just now?"
If it weren't for Xia Ran's current mood, Da Zhuang would really like to tease her. After all, he saw that person's eyes clearly, and they definitely had feelings for Xia Ran!
Xia Ran: "He's one of my seniors."
"Senior, huh?" Da Zhuang narrowed his eyes but didn't speak.
It's not a good time to bring up this topic.
Xia Ran didn't notice Da Zhuang's hope. After responding to Da Zhuang, she let them order food.
Although Grandpa Xia maintained a cheerful demeanor, he was quite different from before, which made Xia Ran feel very sad.
"Grandpa, how about we go on a trip? I have some free time now, so let's buy a car and go on a road trip, okay?"
Xia Ran spoke cautiously, as if afraid that Grandpa Xia would be unhappy.