But she didnāt care, she only cared about her elderly companion in front of her.
The old man did not disappoint her either, after achieving success, he did not abandon his wife who had shared hardships, giving her everything he could offer.
Through thick and thin.
The old woman looked at the old man holding her hand, her eyes red with tears gathering.
"Itās about time, letās go." The old man checked the time, hugged his old wife, and said.
Then the two stood up and walked towards the hall.
At this time, in the hall, there was a middle-aged couple and a pair of siblings already sitting there.
They had just sat down.
And the scene that started it all unfolded.
The younger son continued playing with the iPad.
The wife secretly tugged at the manās sleeve, reminding him he could start talking.
The man looked at his parents again, no longer hesitating.
Then he spoke:
"Dad, um..."
At the same time, another voice rang out.
"Zizhong, let me go out."
It was the fatherās voice.
The man was stunned by these words, lifting his head abruptly.
He looked at his father in surprise.
Even the wife who had been silent with her head down raised her head in astonishment.
Noticing everyoneās gaze, the old man slowly spoke: "Zizhong, thereās not much time left, the ventilation duct definitely needs cleaning. Without cleaning, we canāt hold out for long. Let me go, put some iron pieces in my coat, the wind is too strong, Iām afraid I wonāt reach there without being blown away."
"Oh, right, what were you about to say?"
The middle-aged man heard this and inexplicably felt guilty.
He and his wife had been conspiring behind closed doors about all possibilities, but hadnāt considered this one.
Before he could speak, his father volunteered.
He didnāt know how to react for a moment.
The wife beside him signaled a ā1ā.
He understood immediately.
This meant to go with the first plan, regardless of whether it was before or after persuasion, the method would be the same.
Now knowing his fatherās determination and attitude.
He could pretend to persuade, making the situation look better.
So he said, "Dad, let me go instead, Lele and Juanjuan are in your care. Youāre getting on in years, and your movements arenāt as agile. Iām the man of the family; I should go at such a time."
The old man shook his head with a self-deprecating smile and said, "Haha, precisely because Iām old, Iāve lived enough, at this age, I have no value, just a waste of food. Let me go, donāt say anymore, and donāt argue with me. This is settled."
The middle-aged coupleās minds jolted upon hearing the old manās words.
These words sounded similar to what they had said in the room, fearing someone might have overheard them.
Indeed, it was overheard, but not by the old man.
On the table, besides the middle-aged couple and the two elderly people, one was engrossed with an iPad.
And a 15-year-old sister, a peculiar expression on her face.
She was the one who eavesdropped at their door.
Now seeing her parentsā expressions, she realized they thought her grandparents had overheard their conversation.
"How laughable!" thought the sister to herself.
The old man, seeing the son and daughter-in-law remain silent.
Stood up again and said, "Zizhong, Meimei, you must live well and take care of the children. Lele, Juanjuan, you must be obedient, one day Doomsday will pass. Lele, stop playing iPad so much."
"When I leave later, close the door immediately, or it will be troublesome if Zombies get in."
After speaking, he glanced at his old companion and kissed her forehead.
The old womanās eyes welled up, and a tear fell.
She said nothing, just silently followed the old man to prepare.
The table was quite peculiar.
No shouting, no mournful crying.
As if nothing had happened.
Only the sister looked at where her grandparents had left, lost in thought.
"Could they possibly want to leave us behind?"
The sister wondered if everything was an illusion.
After all, she grew up in an environment filled with deceit.
"Iām going back to my room."
The teenager said before running back to his room.
"Ungrateful child!"
"Alas..."
"Hmph!"
But what no one knew was.
After closing the door, tears suddenly streamed down the teenagerās face.
That was Grandpa, the one who truly loved him in this family.
The only one who truly loved him.
Yet he couldnāt express it.
Disguise, everyone in this family wore a mask of disguise.
Disguise.
The iPad in his hand.
Dropped to the floor, the game screen, stuck on the same frame.
He wasnāt really playing.
....
The old man donned his jacket, surprised to see his old partner also gearing up.
"Nonsense! What are you doing? Iām enough on my own."
The old partner smiled and said, "Once youāre gone, this world has no meaning; itās not worth lingering in."
.....
(Seeking monthly ticket)