An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 215 Cui Yan (Part 2)

Seeing Huo Qingshan remain silent, the old man sighed: "Xiao Yan has been a thoughtful child since she was little. This is inseparable from the fact that she lost her loved ones at a young age. Like you, her mother passed away early. Her father... sigh, let's not talk about it. It's more upsetting to talk about it."

"..."

The old woman paused for a moment, then said, "Grandma knows you don't have feelings for Xiaoyan, and these things can't be forced. But then again, if it weren't for Xiaoyan's mother back then, it might have been questionable whether your mother could have given birth to you safely."

This brings up a past event. Years ago, the Lin family lived at the foot of the mountain, and their clinic was located in the town. The clinic was much smaller than it is now.

For a long time after Lin Caiyun became pregnant, Huo's father only came back to visit once due to work reasons, and spent most of his time in the army. Huo's maternal grandparents were busy with the business of the clinic all day long and never had a moment to rest.

One day, more than a month before her due date, Lin Caiyun slipped and fell at home. It was a hard fall. She shouted for help, but no one was home. The sound of rain pattering on the eaves and roof tiles drowned out her cries for help.

She felt a thick, warm liquid flowing down her legs. She knew what it was without even thinking. Lin Caiyun wanted to crawl out of the toilet and to the door to ask her neighbors for help, but she fainted halfway through because she was too exhausted.

It was Cui's mother, who came over to drop by to deliver some pickles, who discovered Lin Caiyun lying unconscious on the ground, barely alive.

This area is sparsely populated, with only a few scattered households. To find the nearest village clinic or barefoot doctor, one would have to walk at least ten kilometers along mountain roads, not to mention the time it would take to get to the town.

The mountain path was rugged and it was raining heavily. However, Cui's mother was anxious and her steps became more and more hurried. In order to save time, she deliberately took a shortcut. As if things weren't bad, the mountain path was washed away by the rain. When Cui's mother stepped on it, the path collapsed and she rolled down the steep slope.

It's truly amazing. After falling down the slope, Cui's mother gritted her teeth and climbed back up by herself. Not only that, but she also dragged her injured leg and walked another two kilometers of mountain road to find the nearest village clinic. It's no exaggeration to call it a miracle; her willpower was simply astonishing.

In the end, Lin Caiyun was fortunate enough to give birth to Huo Qingshan without serious injury, but she almost lost half her life in the process. Huo Qingshan was a premature baby and was actually not very healthy in his childhood, always getting sick. Lin Caiyun took care of him day and night, which made the health problems she had developed during childbirth even worse. This is why a cold later took her life.

The pool of blood on Cui Yan's bed today was shocking and reminded Grandma Huo of the day she returned home and saw a patch of blood on the floor as soon as she entered the main room. This stirred up a wave of fear and, more than anything, heartache in her heart.

"More than 20 years ago, Xiaoyan's mother sacrificed a leg to ensure the safety of my daughter and grandson. Now, I am unable to protect the only flesh and blood she left behind. Qingshan, to be honest, Grandma is heartbroken."

Ah Lian had originally chosen a good family. They lived in the city, were well-off, and the man was handsome, refined, and had a respectable job. They were even planning to get married. But then she suddenly became lame in one leg, and the man's parents vehemently opposed the marriage. The engagement fell through, and Ah Lian lost her job at the mine's canteen because of her disability. In the end, she had no choice but to marry that good-for-nothing man. Outsiders always say that your grandfather and I are kind-hearted, but in reality, our Lin family owes them far too much. Ah Lian's life was completely ruined by that accident, and our family is destined never to be able to repay it.

I've never told you these things before. I thought you were just a child. You were born back then, you didn't understand anything, you knew nothing, and you had no obligation to bear these heavy burdens.

But now that things have turned out this way, Grandma is suffering alone and always wants to talk to someone. Grandma Huo felt genuinely guilty and even had a guilty conscience.

Huo Qingshan grasped his grandmother's hand tightly, using some force. The old woman looked up at her grandson standing beside her and continued, "Even her mother's death, I feel, is related to our family. At that time, you had already gone to the capital with your father, and your grandfather and I had moved to the town. One day, that beast of a father of hers went back and searched through the money that A-Lian had saved up for Xiao-Yan's schooling. A-Lian had lost her job, and that money was earned by doing odd jobs day and night. A-Lian stopped him from searching through it, but that beast showed no mercy and was really ruthless. A-Lian's passing was also very sudden. When I received the news that she was dying and rushed back, she was already on her last breath. I still clearly remember that scene. She took Xiao-Yan's hand and placed it in my palm, saying that she would entrust her to my care from now on. At that time, she even insisted on getting down and kowtowing to me. I couldn't stop her. She said that she could only feel at ease after kowtowing."

As Grandma Huo spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. She wiped her face, and the tears stopped falling. "Xiao Yan was so small back then." The old woman raised her other hand, making a gesture in the air to indicate the height.

"She just kept lying by the bed crying, saying, 'Mommy, where does it hurt? Tell me, and I'll rub it for you.'"

It was then that I learned that Ah Lian had been in pain for several days before she left, but she kept putting it off to see a doctor, afraid of spending money and worried that Xiao Yan wouldn't have enough money to go to school.

After saying all that, the old man gazed intently at his grandson's bowed profile, revealing his meaning: "When you accompanied me to see the medicine yesterday, you asked me how many wooden bowls there were in the house? I know what you meant. After that morning, one of the wooden bowls was missing. I also understand what you wanted to say. You wanted to prove your girlfriend's innocence."

"I asked you before, besides being pretty, what else did you like about her? You said she was kind, sincere, and frank, what else was there? ...Oh dear, I'm getting old, I can't remember very well." Grandma Huo patted her forehead, not knowing whether she really couldn't remember or not.

"But Qingshan, not every girl is so lucky to grow up in a family like hers. Don't blame Grandma for being biased. I raised Xiaoyan myself, and I know better than anyone how sensitive she is. She has no sense of security and usually pretends to be fine, always smiling and cheerful, as if she has no worries."

But I know she often has nightmares and often stays alone in a corner talking to herself. Especially after she bumped her head last year, her memory and other things have declined a lot. She repeated a year this year, but her grades are still far worse than last year. She has never told her family about any of this. She keeps it all to herself, locks herself in her room and studies hard, struggling with herself.

There may be some things I don't know about. In short, all sorts of things have piled up, putting her under a lot of pressure. She tends to overthink, is always preoccupied, and habitually worries about gains and losses, to the point that she sometimes does things to a somewhat extreme degree.

But in the end, it's all my fault. I failed to provide her with a healthy and comfortable environment to grow up in, and I failed to raise her to have a sound mind.

Her mother is a very good person, I'm so sorry, Ah Lian..."

The old woman patted Huo Qingshan's hand with one palm, her tone more solemn than ever before, with a hint of pleading: "Grandma has never asked anyone for anything in her life, let alone you. Qingshan, can you promise Grandma that you can postpone your marriage to her for now, at least until Xiaoyan has passed the college entrance examination. Give her some time to adapt and accept it. Once she gets into university and sees a wider world, maybe she will let go of you. It won't be too late for you to get married then!"

Seeing Huo Qingshan hesitate for a long time without speaking, the old man almost pleaded: "Xiaoyan's life really can't be ruined any further. This child has suffered enough in her life. Give her some time, and she will gradually understand."

Meng Youyou was sitting near the rear door when the bus stopped at a stop. Some people got off from the rear door, while others boarded from the front. The ticket seller shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't push! Don't push! Board from the front! Monthly pass, please show me; cash, hand over here! Next stop: Department Store!"

Meng Youyou closed her eyes wearily. Did Huo Qingshan say anything after that? Meng Youyou thought about it and it seemed not. He didn't say a word from beginning to end, and didn't express a clear opinion. He neither agreed nor disagreed.

So, Meng Youyou couldn't help but ask herself: What exactly is this?
What is the value of their relationship?