Chapter 55 Visiting Grandma

Chapter 55 Visiting Grandma

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, wisps of smoke began to rise from the breakfast stalls at the alley entrance.

Lin Mianmian was awakened by the birdsong outside the window. When she opened her eyes, Xie Lin was propping himself up on his arm and looking at her, his eyes filled with the soft morning light, so gentle it was unbelievable.

His fingertips were still on the ends of her hair, his movements so gentle as if he were afraid of disturbing her dream.

"Awake?" he asked in a low voice, his voice hoarse from just waking up.

Lin Mianmian nodded, snuggled closer to him, and brushed her nose against his warm chest. "When are we going to the hospital to see Grandma?"

"Wait until you've finished washing up." Xie Lin ruffled her hair.

"Grandma likes roses. Yesterday, the flowers in the yard were in full bloom, so I picked a few branches and tied them up with rope."

Lin Mianmian was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the bedside table. Sure enough, there was a bunch of bright red roses on the table, with glistening dewdrops still clinging to the petals, clearly picked that morning.

A warmth filled her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears.

After tidying up briefly, Xie Lin changed into a clean set of casual clothes, shedding his usual aloofness and arrogance, and gaining a more gentle and down-to-earth air.

He carried the flowers, held Lin Mianmian's hand, and slowly walked towards the hospital.

The roads in the old town are winding and meandering, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

When they passed a breakfast stall, Lin Mianmian bought two cups of soy milk and two meat buns, and handed one to him: "Have something to eat first, the food in the hospital isn't very good."

Xie Lin took it, took a bite, and the warm meat filling melted in his mouth. It tasted like something from an ordinary alley, but it was sweeter and more delicious than any delicacy he had ever eaten before.

Looking at the soft, squishy girl beside him, his heart melted completely.

When the smell of disinfectant from the hospital hit her, Lin Mianmian paused, her fingers unconsciously tightening.

Xie Lin noticed her nervousness, squeezed her hand, and whispered to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The ward was quiet, and sunlight streamed through the window onto Grandma's bedside.

Hearing footsteps, Grandma looked up and her cloudy eyes lit up instantly when she saw Lin Mianmian.

"Mianmian? What brings you here?" Grandma tried to sit up in her hospital bed, but Lin Mianmian quickly stepped forward and pressed her down.

"Grandma, please take it easy." Lin Mianmian held her grandmother's hand, her eyes reddening. "I came to see you. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, it's an old ailment, it's nothing serious." Grandma smiled and patted her hand, then her gaze fell on Xie Lin behind her.

Xie Lin stepped forward, handed the rose in his hand to his grandmother, and respectfully greeted her, "Grandma, hello. I am Xie Lin."

He adopted a very humble posture, without the slightest trace of his former arrogance, and his eyes were full of sincerity.

Grandma looked him over, noticing his neatly pressed clothes and manicured nails, then at the hand he was holding with Lin Mianmian, a complex emotion flickering in her cloudy eyes.

She took the flowers, smelled them, but there was no smile on her face. She simply said, "Sit down."

Lin Mianmian's heart clenched instantly, and she secretly tugged at Xie Lin's sleeve.

Xie Lin simply patted the back of her hand to reassure her, then sat properly on the chair by the bed, quietly listening to Lin Mianmian and her grandmother chatter about everyday things.

"Aunt Zhang from the alley asked about you, saying she hasn't seen you in a long time..." Lin Mianmian tried to find a topic to ease the atmosphere, but her grandmother's attention remained fixed on Xie Lin.

There was gratitude in that gaze, but even more so, there was alienation.

Finally, Grandma spoke, her voice heavy: "Young man, I heard about what happened before. You helped me pay off that medical bill, and I will remember your kindness."

Xie Lin quickly shook his head: "Grandma, you're too kind. It's what I should do."

"But affection is affection, and life is life." Grandma changed the subject, her gaze falling on Lin Mianmian's face, full of tenderness.

“Mianmian grew up with me since she was little. She is innocent and kind. Your Xie family’s world is too complicated. I’m afraid she will suffer if she stays with you.”

These words were direct and sharp, and Lin Mianmian's face turned pale instantly. She quickly said, "Grandma, that's not how it is."

"Mianmian, don't speak." Grandma interrupted her, looking at Xie Lin with a firm gaze.

"Xie Lin, you are a son of a wealthy family, while Mianmian is from an ordinary family. The two of you are not a good match."

The air in the ward seemed to freeze instantly. Sunlight streamed in through the window, but it couldn't warm the awkward, icy atmosphere.

Xie Lin's fingers tightened slightly. He looked at the worry in his grandmother's eyes, then at the girl's reddened eyes beside him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to speak when Lin Mianmian spoke first.

"Grandma!" Lin Mianmian stood up, her voice tinged with urgency and a sob.

"Do you know? Xie Lin is not what you think! For me, he gave up his status as the heir of the Xie family, gave up hundreds of billions of family assets, and broke with his family."

Grandma was suddenly stunned.

With red eyes, Lin Mianmian continued, "He paid for your medical bills with his last savings! He has nothing left now, no servants, no mansion, just a bank card and me."

“We were looking for a place to live yesterday, and we were turned away by many real estate agents. Those people were only doing it because of the Xie family. But he didn’t complain at all. He just said that as long as he was with me, he didn’t care where he lived!”

Her voice grew increasingly choked with emotion, but her grip on Xie Lin's hand tightened: "He used to be a pampered young master of the Xie family, but now he's crammed into your little house with me."

I'm learning to mop the floor, learning to live a normal life. Grandma, he didn't just do it on a whim; he truly loves me!

The ward was quiet except for Lin Mianmian's suppressed sobs.

Grandma stared blankly at Xie Lin, at the determination in his eyes, at the down-to-earth air about him after the extravagance had faded, and her cloudy eyes gradually welled up with tears.

She had lived most of her life and seen too much hypocrisy, but she had never seen a rich young master go to such lengths for a girl.

Xie Lin walked up to his grandmother, his voice still gentle, but with an undeniable solemnity: "Grandma, I know you're worried that Mianmian will suffer. But I assure you, in this life, even if I have to sell everything I own, I will never let her suffer even the slightest hardship."

“I have never regretted giving up everything from the Xie family, because every day I spent with her was more meaningful than all the luxurious life I had in the past.”

Grandma looked at him without speaking for a long time, then slowly reached out and took his and Lin Mianmian's clasped hands. Her palms were rough, but warm to the touch.

"Silly child..." Grandma's voice choked with emotion, "Why didn't you tell me sooner about something so important?"

She patted Xie Lin's hand, and the aloofness in her eyes completely disappeared.

Instead, she expressed heartache and acknowledgment: "I'm sorry you had to suffer, child. It was I, an old woman, who judged you with my own petty mind."

Lin Mianmian's tears instantly burst forth. She threw herself into her grandmother's arms, sobbing as she called out, "Grandma..."

"Alright, alright, don't cry." Grandma patted her back, then looked at Xie Lin with eyes full of relief.

"From now on, you should all stay in the alley. If I have food, you will have food too."

"If the Xie family dares to cause trouble, I, this old woman, will risk my life to protect you!"

Xie Lin's eyes instantly reddened, and he solemnly bowed to his grandmother: "Thank you, Grandma."

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the three people, and the air in the ward finally warmed up again.

The fragrance of roses filled the air, mixed with the smell of disinfectant, yet it became the most beautiful sound of everyday life that Xie Lin had ever heard.