Chapter 28 - 28 28 Can I See Him_1

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Can I See Him?_1 Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Can I See Him?_1 Jian Qing cast a knowingly long gaze at Yang Lin and Yang Xiang. Compared to Yang Xiang, Yang Lin was quite an interesting character – at least she didn’t wear her stupidity so plainly on her face!

Uncle Qiu gestured invitingly with his hand, “Miss Qing, let’s go.”

Yang Lin’s face immediately darkened with rage as Jian Qing and Uncle Qiu walked off in the distance. “Jian Qing, let’s see how long you can enjoy your triumph,” she thought, venom in her eyes.

Yang Xiang let go of Yang Lin’s hand and complained with a sullen face, “Sis, why did you let her go so easily? She is going to meet Grandfather!”

Yang Lin looked at her sister with a reproachful glance and rebuked, “What would you suggest we should do? Didn’t you hear what Uncle Qiu just said? Jian Qing was invited by Grandfather himself. Do you dare to kick her out?”

Inside this old mansion, Grandfather was the one who held the power, and he had the final say. None, even their grandfather, would dare or have the authority to drive away a guest that he invited, let alone them.

“But… who knows whether Jian Qing will slander us in front of Grandfather. And, as you know perfectly well, Grandfather is already partial towards her…” Yang Xiang’s voice faded softly, a simmering resentment in her heart.

Yang Lin snorted in disdain, “Can’t you control your emotions, sis? If you continue this way, you will someday get yourself into serious trouble.”

“Okay, got it,” Yang Xiang grumbled.

“Good! Remember this: do not deliberately provoke Jian Qing, at least not in front of others. I don’t know whether Uncle Qiu will take your words back to Grandfather.” Yang Lin advised with concern.

Yang Xiang obediently nodded her head.

…

Upon hearing that Jian Qing agreed to come to the mansion, the old Patriarch An was so excited that he couldn’t sit still. He was already waiting for her in the garden pavilion.

The aroma of tea was wafting in the air while the boiling water was forming faint steam. The tea set was already laid out, but the tea leaves remained untouched.

Old Patriarch An, rubbing his hands together, looked forward in anticipation, looking very different from his stern demeanour when in the presence of others.

Seeing a silhouette walking beside Uncle Qiu in the distance, Old Patriarch An couldn’t contain his excitement, so he stood.

“Qing girl!”

The urgent sound echoed into Jian Qing’s ears.

Seeing this, Uncle Qiu beamed and commented to Jian Qing, “Master hasn’t been this happy for a long time.”

Jian Qing remained silent, her gaze fixed on the jubilant old man.

Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Old Patriarch An gingerly descended the steps of the pavilion. Age had slowed his pace, making his legs and feet feeble.

Upon seeing the elderly man approach, Jian Qing’s heart was filled with a complex sourness. Unconsciously, she quickened her pace.

“Slow down!” Jian Qing reached out and held Old Patriarch An’s hand, uttering softly.

Whole taken aback, Old Patriarch An looked down at the slender, jade-like hand, his tiger-like eyes becoming misty with moisture.

A faint smile emerged on his face. The years had etched many lines over Old Patriarch An’s face, but they couldn’t conceal his radiant spirit.

Uncle Qiu, seeing the backs of the elderly man and young woman, felt a moment of gratification deep in his heart.

After helping Old Patriarch An to sit down, Jian Qing also took her seat opposite him. She shut off the kettle then began to brew the tea.

Old Patriarch An said nothing, only watched the woman in front of him with an affectionate smile on his face.

Rewarming the pot, adding tea leaves, swishing the water through them to awaken their fragrance, brewing the tea, pouring it into cups, every move was like clouds floating in the sky and water flowing along, giving a kind of pleasing aesthetic.

Old Patriarch An, holding his white beard, observed, “Do you prepare the tea like this frequently?”

Such tea-making skill couldn’t be developed without years of practice— none of the younger ones in his house possessed such a craft.

“Hmm.” Jian Qing replied with an indifferent nod.

She had picked up some interest in it because her grandpa loved tea, and so, she learned it from him.

When the tea cup was filled to three quarters, Jian Qing put down the teapot and handed the tea to Old Patriarch An. “Try it!” she proposed.

The delicate tea aroma gently diffused into his nostrils. Old Patriarch An picked up the tea cup, noticing that the tender yellow leaves were gently floating like a small boat.

After one sip, Old Patriarch An’s eyes lit up. He downed the rest of it in one gulp, “Tasty!”

Better than any made by a tea master.

Jian Qing was sipping her tea lightly, and she only returned a faint smile to Old Patriarch An’s praise.

Now that the person was there, the tea was being tasted, it was time to get to the point.

Putting down the teacup, Jian Qing looked at Old Patriarch An and said, “Old Patriarch An, you didn’t specifically ask me to come over for tea, did you?”

The mood that was originally buoyed by her praise fell apart with the term “Old Patriarch An”. A layer of melancholy shrouded Old Patriarch An, his once robust voice now raspy. With a sorrowful look on his face, he asked, “Child, do you have to always call me that way?”

Seventeen years later – Does she still bear such a deep grudge against him?

Was she really not willing to call him “Grandfather” anymore?

Jian Qing, with the same light smile on her face, replied calmly, “What’s wrong with that?”

“But you used to call me Grandfather all the time.” Old Patriarch An’s complainant gaze persistently fixed on Jian Qing—his face expressing grievance.

Jian Qing’s eyes filled with a blurry haze intercepted with reminisces.

“Grandfather, your beard, it makes you look just like Santa Claus! Are you going to give Nuonuo presents too?”

“Of course dear, whatever my Nuonuo wishes for, Grandfather will fulfill it.”

“Grandfather, Mommy hasn’t allowed me to eat ice cream recently, Nuonuo really wants it.”

“Oh, my darling, let Grandfather take you there, we’ll do it secretly.”

“Yay, Grandfather is the best. Nuonuo loves Grandfather the most.”

The dialogue of the old man and little girl echoed faintly in her ears. The indulgent smile of the old man which she thought she had forgotten was still vivid in her mind.

“Qing girl, Qing girl…”

Old Patriarch An’s anxious voice brought Jian Qing out of her reminiscing. The old man’s smiling face in her memory now overlapped with the one in front of her. It seemed as if nothing had changed from that time, but in reality, they could never return to the past.

“What’s wrong?” Old Patriarch An asked with concern, thinking that something was amiss with Jian Qing.

“Nothing,” Jian Qing replied.

Old Patriarch An sighed slightly and then couldn’t resist asking, “Qing girl, how is Yanyan… your younger brother? How have you two been doing all these years?”

Jian Qing, calmness in her eyes, replied lightly, “An Nuo and An Yan died seventeen years ago. What is left now are Jian Qing and Jian Luo.”

A pang of pain shot through Old Patriarch An’s heart. His calloused hand clenched into a fist, “Qing girl, can I meet him?”

He didn’t dare to expect forgiveness from the siblings, but in his few remaining days, he wanted to see the other child whom he had failed.