Deep Fog Kiss

Jiang Li silently recited a long passage in her heart, and the corners of her lips curved into a deep smile.

She took a deep breath and opened her clear eyes, only to find the man watching her with a relaxed expression.

"Jiang Li, do you think this is a place to make a wish?"

Jiang Li was suddenly taken aback, thinking that he had the ability to read minds and had heard her thoughts just now.

She inserted a stick of incense into the celadon incense burner, and wisps of pale blue smoke curled around her temples.

She raised her dimples and looked at Gu Zhishen, "Yes, Grandma Xi said she would grant my wish."

"Oh?"

The man asked, amused, "What did you promise?"

Jiang Li walked slowly closer with her hands behind her back, playfully raising her chin as she gently moved closer to him.

The sweet scent of orange mixed with sandalwood emanating from her body quietly approached Gu Zhishen's nose.

A warm breath sprayed out, and she wagged her tail like a smug little fox.

Her red lips parted slightly, her voice twitching, "I won't tell you."

A smile crept into Gu Zhishen's deep eyes, and he was about to speak when a voice came from outside the ancestral hall.

"Second Young Master, Miss Li," a maid announced from outside. "The Old Madam has woken up and is very happy to know that Miss Li is here. She has come to invite Miss Li over."

......

The old lady's courtyard is called "Yi Yuan," which is the sunniest and most tranquil courtyard in the Gu family compound.

She was over eighty years old and didn't like overly lively or noisy environments, so Gu Yueze arranged for her to stay at Yiyuan.

As soon as Jiang Li entered Yiyuan, she saw several people standing by the lakeside pavilion in the center of the courtyard.

She immediately spotted her great-grandmother sitting in the middle, her hair silver-white, her face as calm and kind as ever.

Jiang Li suddenly noticed the wheelchair beneath her, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Great-grandmother was the person who treated her best and loved her the most after she entered the Gu family.

She even felt that the old lady treated her better than she treated Gu Rou.

So during her years in the Gu family, the person she relied on most was Gu Zhishen, but the person she was closest to was her great-grandmother.

Before she went abroad, she made a special trip to visit her great-grandmother, who was still in good health and walked with a sprightly gait at that time.

How did you suddenly end up in a wheelchair?

Jiang Li hurried over, "Great-Grandma!"

The elderly man in the wheelchair turned his head when he heard the voice, and immediately smiled kindly when he saw who it was.

"Yes!" she replied gently, "Little Pear is here."

She then looked at the man who had come with her, her eyes softening, "Ah Shen is here too."

Feng Suqin stood beside the old lady, holding a porcelain bowl in her hand, and looked up to see the two people walking towards her.

"The two of them arrived early this morning, but they didn't want to disturb you since you were resting."

She smiled warmly, "I just happened to come over and chat with you."

The old lady gently took Feng Suqin's hand and patted the back of her hand with satisfaction, "It's obvious that you arranged this. You're very thoughtful."

Feng Suqin nodded and smiled, "This is what a daughter-in-law should do."

The old lady looked at the two people approaching from a distance and gently waved, "Little Pear, come here quickly."

Jiang Li walked quickly closer, her eyes red, and squatted down beside the old lady's legs. Under the cashmere blanket were the old lady's bony legs.

"Great-Grandma..." She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears, "Are you sick? Why are you in a wheelchair? I clearly..."

She choked back a sob; her great-grandmother was perfectly healthy when she left.

Feng Suqin continued, "The old lady fell seriously ill a year ago, nearly died, and suffered a lot."

Jiang Li looked at the old lady with teary eyes, "Why weren't you told about something so serious?"

When she called, the old lady always said that she was doing well.

If others didn't say anything, that was fine, but Gu Zhishen hadn't told her about it either.

Even when she asked him about it during the two days she returned to China, he didn't mention it.

She turned to look up at the man beside her. "Uncle knows too?"

There was a clear hint of blame in his tone.

But then she suddenly thought, what reason did she have to blame Gu Zhishen?

The year she went abroad, she took the initiative to cut off contact with Gu Zhishen.

She had thought Gu Zhishen would contact her, but he didn't.

She had considered that if Gu Zhishen wanted to contact her, it would be easy.

Unless he doesn't want to.

So she stubbornly refused to contact him for those two years.

Gu Zhishen stood to one side, looking down at her with a slight frown and a deep, unfathomable look in his eyes.

Feng Suqin's gaze swept over Jiang Li, then landed on Gu Zhishen. "Zhishen, back then—"

"It's nothing serious, why are you worrying about it while you're abroad?"

The old lady interrupted Feng Suqin before she could finish speaking. Her gaze was kind and gentle, and her wrinkled hand gently patted Jiang Li's head. Then she looked at Gu Zhishen and said, "I told A-Shen not to say it. I'm getting old, and I have many health problems. I know what I'm doing. Why should you younger people worry about this?"

After saying that, she smiled and said, "But you, Grandma Feng, have really had a hard time these past two years. You've taken care of me all by yourself. It's my blessing to have such a good daughter-in-law."

"Taking care of you is what I should do, there's no hardship involved." Feng Suqin bent down and tucked the cashmere blanket around the old lady's legs. "As long as you're healthy, Yueze and I are at ease."

The old lady nodded. "Suqin, you've had a long morning. Go and do your work. They'll be fine here."

Feng Suqin nodded slightly, turned around and left the courtyard.

Only three people remained in the quiet courtyard. Jiang Li pouted slightly, tears welled up in her eyes, and she hugged the old lady tightly, sobbing softly on her lap.

Only when no one else is around can she act like a child and be spoiled in front of her great-grandmother.

"How did you get sick?" Her voice trembled with tears. "You didn't even tell me, you kept it from me. If I hadn't come back, how long were you planning to keep it from me?"

The old lady laughed instead, "Look at our little Pear, she hasn't been back for two years, and as soon as she comes back, she wipes her tears on my leg."

"Ah Shen." She looked at the man sitting silently to the side and smiled, "Look at Xiao Li, she grew up by your side, how come she's become such a crybaby?"

"It has nothing to do with me." Gu Zhishen's cold expression softened slightly. "Grandma, you spoiled her."

"I spoil her, of course I'll spoil our little pear."

The old lady looked down at the girl who was kneeling on her knees. "Our Xiaoli is the lucky star of the Gu family."

"Great-Grandma," Jiang Li said, leaning her head up onto her knees, "I just saw Grandma Feng bringing you Chinese medicine. Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?"

"Don't worry, they're just some Chinese medicinal herbs to nourish the body." The old lady smiled kindly. "Your Grandma Feng is so thoughtful and considerate. She always finds different ways to help me stay healthy. With her by my side, I might even live to be a hundred years old."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Jiang Li quickly wrinkled her nose. "You're already over eighty this year, how could you only live to be a hundred? You're in such good health, you'll definitely live to be two hundred!"

"Two hundred years old?" the old lady asked with a laugh. "Then I'll be senile."

"I'm not confused at all," Jiang Li corrected her. "When you're two hundred years old, you'll be the luckiest person in our family!"

Jiang Li has a sweet tongue, which makes the old lady smile from ear to ear.

Gu Zhishen's gaze couldn't help but fall on her pink lips, which kept saying nice things. How come she could say nice things to everyone else, but was so rude to him?

They really are bullies within their own ranks.

"Come, let Great-Grandma see how well she's been doing abroad these past two years."

The old lady cupped Jiang Li's small face in her hands, looking her over from left to right. Suddenly, her brows furrowed in displeasure. "You look a little thinner. Your face doesn't feel as plump as before. Did you suffer abroad?"

"No, Great-Grandma." Jiang Li smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I'm doing well abroad, but I miss you a lot."

The old lady chuckled upon hearing this, "So you only want me?"

She glanced at Gu Zhishen, who was sitting silently to the side, and teased, "Don't you miss your uncle? You used to be so clingy to him at home, like his little tail."