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

Chapter 302 Memorial Service (Part 1)
Many people attended the memorial service.

Among the throng of people, Meng Youyou saw many familiar faces—his former comrades-in-arms, leaders, and subordinates, including Huo Qingshan's maternal grandparents, and Cui Yan.

It was Grandma Huo who called out to her first. It had only been a little over a year since they last met, but the sprightly old woman she remembered was now emaciated, her sunken eyes filled with an unyielding weariness. Meng Youyou almost didn't recognize her.

Yes, what in this world is more mentally devastating than "a parent outliving their child"?
Meng Youyou was unsure how to address the other person, but after thinking for a moment, she nodded slightly and called out, "Grandma."

The old man, with a hunched back, leaned on a cane with one hand and was supported by Cui Yan on the other arm as he slowly walked to her.

"Thank you for still being willing to attend Qingshan's memorial service." Grandma Huo's first words emphasized her gratitude.

It seems she was unaware that Meng Youyou had also gone to the front lines, and only assumed that Meng Youyou had specially rushed back from the capital out of consideration for righteousness.

Then came the second sentence: "I think he'll be happy." Grandma Huo looked into her eyes and said, her tone containing too many complex and incomprehensible emotions.

These words, especially coming from the mouth of this old woman, were quite puzzling, but Grandma Huo's next words quickly cleared up Meng Youyou's confusion.

“A couple of days ago, their leader took me to Qingshan’s dormitory to sort through his belongings. There were some items that I didn’t know what to do with. After thinking about it, I still think I should give them to you.”

Grandma Huo slowly turned to the side, took a brown paper document bag from the handbag that Cui Yan was carrying, and handed it over with trembling hands.

As Meng Youyou reached out to take it, she subconsciously looked down and pulled out the first one on top, which turned out to be a "Marriage Registration Certificate".

Grandma Huo sighed first, then slowly said, "When I saw this marriage approval document, it was neatly stacked together with his military medals."

Meng Youyou quickly finished reading the contents, and then her gaze lingered on the last line for a long time: "It is proposed to approve the confirmation of the marital relationship between Comrade Huo Qingshan and Comrade Meng Youyou, and this is submitted for approval."

“I saw it. The approval and stamp date on this document is from the few days you stayed at the clinic. Commander Wang told me that on the day he submitted his marriage application, he was in a great hurry and kept urging the leaders to expedite the process. Later, when the approval was finally granted, he suddenly said he didn’t want to get married, which infuriated his leaders. They scolded him for treating the serious organizational procedures like child’s play, saying it was utterly absurd!”

The old man shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed, "Only now do I realize how much sin I have committed!"

“When people get old, they really become confused, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and do all sorts of absurd things. It’s Grandma who has let you down, and also let Qingshan down.” In that moment of emotion, the old woman couldn’t help but stomp her cane hard, and her body swayed back and forth, almost falling over.

Meng Youyou hurriedly stepped forward, put her hand on the back of the old man's hand that was gripping the head of his cane, and tried to say something, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

The words "I don't blame you" stuck in my throat, rolling around and around, the resistance increasing with each attempt to get them out, making them difficult to utter.

In the end, Meng Youyou couldn't bring herself to offer that insincere, comforting remark; she said nothing.

Grandma Huo already suffered from chronic asthma, and emotional excitement could easily trigger a violent cough, making her breathing intermittent. Cui Yan, who had been standing silently by her side, paid close attention. Seeing this, she raised her hand and gently patted Grandma Huo's back to help her catch her breath.

After a long while, seeing that Grandma Huo had gradually calmed down, Meng Youyou let go of her hand.

She then rummaged through the other items in the file folder, her fingertips reaching inside to touch a thick stack of stiff cardstock. She randomly pulled out a few, and they turned out to be postcards. The scenic pictures printed on the front of the cards caught her eye; they were so familiar: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Xuanwu Lake, Jiming Temple… all places they had once walked hand in hand together.

Sweet memories were suddenly revealed: at noon that day, in the Nanjing post office, the lobby was somewhat empty. He quietly appeared behind her and asked, "After looking at so many postcards, is there any you want to buy?"

Meng Youyou replied lazily, "I don't plan to buy it, but you can."

What did she say back then? Something like... she felt that he had "pursued" her too easily, and she would only be satisfied if he wrote her ninety-nine love letters.

Meng Youyou lowered her eyes and carefully read the bold and vigorous handwriting on each postcard, while Grandma Huo's weathered voice rang in her ears: "There is no name on them, but I think these are all for you. Some of these postcards have writing on them, and some are still blank, so I brought them all over."

The old man's hoarse voice continued, and as he spoke, he began a new round of confession: "When his mother was young, she told me that she wanted to get married, and I didn't actually approve of it at first."

I told him that the man only married you to repay a debt of gratitude; he doesn't love you. Two people who don't love each other coming together in a muddle won't end well.

But at that time, seeing that she had already plunged headlong into it, I couldn't bring myself to keep pouring cold water on her, so I stopped insisting and went along with her wishes. But in the end..." The old man stopped abruptly as he spoke, and just shook his head sadly.

"Later, when Qingshan grew up, he ran up to me one day and told me that he was getting married. I asked him why."
He lowered his head, not daring to look me in the eye, but still firmly said the answer: "Grandma, because I love her."

He must know what I mean by "why." Grandma Huo only briefly mentioned this part and did not discuss it in detail.

"Why?" This shouldn't be a question an elder would ask when hearing a younger person express their beautiful wish to get married. However, Grandma Huo simply couldn't understand it.

Why her of all? Grandma Huo couldn't understand, and subconsciously didn't want to accept it. There are so many smart and beautiful girls in this world; no matter which one you bring home, Grandma would be genuinely happy for you.

But why does it have to be the surname Meng?

With such a deep-seated grudge between her and her own father, how could she possibly want to marry a daughter of the Meng family?

At this moment, Grandma Huo's gaze was fixed on the girl's face in front of her. The strange feeling she had when she first met her, which she had scrutinized but still found difficult to genuinely accept, was completely gone.

The old man's hand holding the cane curled involuntarily at the knuckles. He skipped over this long-ago inner monologue and continued, "After he brought up the idea of ​​getting married that time, I didn't respond to him. I said to put it aside for now and eat first."

He stood there blankly in front of me, not moving an inch, head down, not saying a word, not daring to say another word, afraid of saying too much or saying the wrong thing and hurting me, but it was clear that he was not willing to back down.

I understood immediately! He really wanted to get married. So, I started convincing myself to accept it. I still remember the look on his face the moment I asked him to bring you home…

At this point, a loving light shone in the old man's eyes: "The last time I saw Qingshan with such an expression was on his seventh birthday. On that day, his father not only made time to come back and celebrate his birthday with him, but also brought back a big surprise, giving him a toy gun with a wooden handle."

Back then, this was a rare treat in the countryside. He was absolutely thrilled with it, so excited that he ran off happily with his "treasure" to show off to the other kids in the village.

Standing opposite her, listening quietly, Meng Youyou clearly saw a pure and happy smile on the old man's face in that instant.

However, that smile vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep sense of melancholy, and her tone naturally became heavy: "As for the various changes that happened during the time you came to our house, you are basically aware of them." No one noticed that at this moment, Cui Yan quietly lowered her head.

"Actually... it was all my fault. I told him that a person can't be without conscience and should be grateful. I ruined his happiness with my own hands!"
You know, why is it that the older people get, the less they understand life? If those two were in the afterlife, they'd all get together and berate this old woman! One mistake after another, and neither of them would ever be truly happy.”

At this point, Grandma Huo seemed unable to continue. She raised her hand to cover her eyes and nose, and sobs escaped from between her fingers. The old woman's hand twitched and trembled, the skin on the back of her hand thin and wrinkled, hanging loosely on her bony frame.

It's hard not to be moved when you see it.

Meng Youyou stuffed all the remaining postcards she hadn't finished reading back into the file bag. She looked up at the person in front of her, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, and said softly, "Grandma, actually, he sent me a gift last year on my birthday to show his affection. I really liked it, and my anger subsided considerably at that time. Later, he came to the capital to see me, and I agreed to get back together with him."

So, over the past year, I've consistently received letters from him, and I've also received many postcards like these. We've never lost contact.

Upon hearing these words, the old woman's cloudy, gray eyes seemed to be suddenly illuminated, becoming clearer. She asked incredulously, "Really?"

Meeting that expectant gaze, Meng Youyou nodded emphatically: "It's true. I forgave him a long time ago, and we made up a long time ago. The reason we didn't rush to get married was mainly because I wanted to secure an important job opportunity at my workplace, since the policy is more lenient for unmarried young employees. We discussed it and decided to postpone the wedding for a while."

She smiled and looked into the old woman's eyes, saying earnestly, word by word, "Grandma, you are a very, very important person in his heart. He won't blame you." She then added with gentle, kind eyes, her voice firm, "Really!"

21-year-old Meng Youyou arrives in a completely unfamiliar world, and soon she easily falls in love with a man named Huo Qingshan.

22-year-old Meng Youyou experienced heartbreak and being dumped, tasting all the bittersweetness of love.

23-year-old Meng Youyou reunites with the man she can't forget on the battlefield, and they fall in love again, disregarding everything. However, the story ends with her losing her love forever.

If you do the math, the time they wasted and didn't see each other was far more than the time they spent loving each other!

Meng Youyou was still somewhat naive and couldn't completely ignore it, so she smiled generously and said, "It's alright."

But... even though she couldn't completely stop blaming or complaining, Meng Youyou was willing to weave such a lie and try her best to make the other party believe it.

Because this was a loved one he deeply cherished, Meng Youyou sincerely hoped that this poor old man, who had lost both his daughter and grandson, could have one less worry in his already troubled old age.

If telling a simple lie can alleviate her guilt, wouldn't that increase her happiness?
Given this, Meng Youyou had no reason not to do so.

The old man was still in shock from the unexpected news, his gaze blank, unsure of where to look. After a long while, as if he suddenly remembered something, he stopped using his cane and placed it under his armpits. He then lowered his head and hurriedly reached into his pockets, pulling out a neatly folded embroidered handkerchief from one of them.

He held it gently in his palm, then peeled back the corners of the handkerchief one by one, revealing a plain ring lying in the center of the handkerchief, gleaming.

The old man gently picked up the snow-white platinum ring with his fingertips, held it up in front of her, and added with great reverence, "And this too."

"Qingshan put all these things together at the very back of the drawer." As the old man said this, tears welled up in his eyes.

The tears welled up in her eyes in an instant, and a smile that seemed to be a mixture of relief and reassurance appeared on the old woman's face: "He must have wanted to give it to you too, but he just didn't find the right opportunity. Perfect timing, Grandma will give it to you for him today."

Before she could even reach out, the old man bent down, took her hand, carefully placed the ring in her palm, and gently patted it with his own palm, muttering softly, "I'm giving this to you on his behalf."

Over and over again: "I'll give this to you on his behalf."

The old woman was frail and could no longer stand for so long. Only after she had personally handed everything to Meng Youyou did the weight on her heart lift slightly, and she finally moved with the help of the person beside her to sit down on the chair in the corner.

Meng Youyou picked up the ring from her palm. As soon as her fingertip touched the inner band, she felt the slightly raised texture, and she immediately realized something. Meng Youyou held the ring up to her eyes and examined it against the light. The silver-white metal inner band was engraved with the letters "my princess".

(My Princess)
That's right. That guy is always tight-lipped, yet he loves doing these old-fashioned carving tricks.

It's so unoriginal! It's incredibly cliché! How could it possibly appeal to a young girl?

Right, Meng Youyou?

Meng Youyou stared at the plain ring for a long time, until her eyes were dry. Finally, she silently curved her lips and put the ring on the ring finger of her left hand—the size was just right.

His precision was so remarkable that Meng Youyou couldn't help but recall past events—when did he secretly measure the distance without her noticing?

Meng Youyou stood there for a long, long time, stubbornly trying to find an answer, but ultimately her search ended in failure.

And she may never get the answer to that question.