“Dad, how are you feeling?”
Grandpa Xu looked at the three people who had just walked in. His son, Xu Zhenchao, kept his head bowed in habitual silence; even when facing a father with limited days remaining, that honest and simple face showed no extra emotion. The concern and worry on his daughter-in-law’s face were real, but so were the guilt and calculation. Grandpa Xu shifted his gaze to his young granddaughter, whose eyes were red, and sighed in his heart.
Grandpa Xu was a rural man through and through. He and his late wife had been honest and dutiful their whole lives; their greatest achievement was putting their only son, Zhenchao, through normal college to become a teacher. His greatest pride—and ultimately his greatest regret—was marrying Wang Suzhen into the family.
Wang Suzhen was born into a family in an ordinary small town, but she possessed an extraordinary heart. She was traditional and filial, yet bold and aggressive.
“Sit down, all of you,” Grandpa Xu said calmly. “I only have a few days left. While I’m still lucid, I have some things to explain to you.”
Xu Zhenchao’s lips moved, but he didn’t make a sound for a long time. Wang Suzhen forced a smile and comforted him, “Dad, don’t overthink things. The doctor said you need more rest.”
“I know my own body. Yining isn’t here; tell him to find time to come back once.” Grandpa Xu waved his hand and continued, “The old house in the county isn’t worth much. The house you and Zhenchao bought for me and your mother in Ancheng has been sitting empty. I also have about a million yuan saved up in my hands. All of this goes to Yijing.”
Wang Suzhen disagreed. “Yijing is a girl; she’ll eventually marry out. Zhenchao and I can just prepare a marital home for her. The old ancestral home in the village and the house in the county should still go to Yining.”
Xu Yijing kept her head down and remained silent.
Grandpa Xu looked at Wang Suzhen with a complex gaze and insisted, “You’ve always handled the family business. I can’t—and don’t want to—control how you distribute that. However, the assets I just mentioned are mine to dispose of. My mind is made up; you don’t need to say more.”
Wang Suzhen hesitated, but seeing her daughter standing there, she ultimately didn’t push further. She simply said, “As you wish.”
“Also,” Grandpa Xu said, “there is no longer any hope for a future between Xiao Zhi and Yining. Whatever belongs to that boy should be returned. Don’t take advantage of the child.”
“Dad, what are you saying? When did we ever…” Wang Suzhen’s voice gradually died away under Grandpa Xu’s silent stare.
“Suzhen, a person should only enjoy the fortune that matches their capability,” Grandpa Xu said earnestly. “We were never a wealthy family. It is because of you that we can live the life we have today, and I am grateful to you for that. But our reach has already extended far enough. Let’s let go of what isn’t ours, okay?”
Wang Suzhen replied, “Dad, the company is developing very well. It’s about to go public. Once this investment is in place, our family company can be listed…”
“Is it really doing well?” Grandpa Xu interrupted her. “Without Xiao Zhi’s ten million, could the company have survived?”
“What ten million… who took his…”
“Suzhen!”
Wang Suzhen shut her mouth and said sheepishly, “Dad, let Yijing step out first. She’s just a child; she shouldn’t be hearing this…”
“She’s almost twenty! She’s not a child! Let her listen. Let her stay and be a witness. If things really reach that point with Xiao Zhi, Yijing will step forward to testify for him!”
“Dad! Yining is your biological grandson! We are one family, yet you side with an outsider? You want Yijing to help an outsider!”
Grandpa Xu said, “I don’t understand big philosophies, but I know ten million in a bank would earn a lot of interest in a year. Xiao Zhi is pure-hearted and lent you the money unconditionally. You cannot act against your conscience. Our Xu family cannot act against its conscience!”
“Dad, you were kind to him; this is what he should do. He isn’t short of money anyway—what’s wrong with helping us out? Forget ten million; if he just sold a few of the calligraphy pieces and paintings his parents left behind, it would be more than that. If it weren’t for you, he would have…”
“Silence!” Grandpa Xu grew angry and scolded, “What kindness did I show him?! What kindness could I possibly have?! I merely gave him a ride and said a few words. Can this bit of ‘kindness’ make him owe the Xu family for a lifetime? He owes us nothing, and he owes Yining nothing!”
Seeing Wang Suzhen’s face turn pale and then flushed, Grandpa Xu softened his tone. “Suzhen, we have all seen your sacrifices for this family. But the children are grown now. Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay home and enjoy your life? The children will have their own fortunes; why must you interfere so much?”
“I am taking responsibility for Xiao Zhi’s ten million. You and Zhenchao will write a promissory note. Xiao Zhi is soft-hearted; if the company’s cash flow is tight and you can’t pay it all back at once, pay it in installments.” Grandpa Xu said firmly, “Regarding Yining, he is the one who did wrong. If he did wrong, he must take responsibility. You are not to tie Xiao Zhi down.”
Wang Suzhen looked up, incredulous. “Dad, did Shi Zhi tell you this? Did he come to see you? How can he be so heartless!”
“Suzhen, I am old, but I am not blind.” Grandpa Xu sighed. “Do you think I don’t know the things you’ve done? Yining has been ruined by you… he was ruined by you…”
Wang Suzhen stammered, “Dad, I did it all for the Xu family. I couldn’t let the Xu line end with him…”
Grandpa Xu raised his hand to stop her. He turned to his young granddaughter and said, “Yijing, Grandpa is a bit hungry. Could you go buy me a bowl of small wontons from Ning’an Road?”
After Xu Yijing left, Grandpa Xu spoke in a cold voice: “The Xu family has always had a thin lineage and weak sibling bonds. I had no siblings, and Zhenchao has no siblings. When it came to Yining, we finally hoped for Yijing to arrive. The whole family should have pampered her, yielded to her, and favored her. Why is it that you always dislike her?”
“Dad, I…”
“Suzhen, ever since you married into this family, your mother and I have treated you like our own daughter, and you have treated us like your own parents. That is very good,” Grandpa Xu said. “I am just an uneducated rural man, yet even I don’t have the obsession with carrying on the family name. Why are you so stubborn?”
“What does it matter if Yining likes men or women, or if he can have children in the future? As long as the children live well, isn’t that enough?” Grandpa Xu asked. “But why must you force him to do other things? Is this fair to Xiao Zhi? Is it fair to that girl? You say you don’t want the Xu line to end—is Yijing not a child of our Xu family? Does the child she bears not have the Xu family’s blood?”
“You are a woman as well. Why are you so biased? Why do you look down on women so much?”
Wang Suzhen sat frozen in her chair. She thought of her own parents, who had favored her brother, and asked herself numbly: Yes, why? But why?
Shi Zhi knew nothing of the conversation in Grandpa Xu’s room. After leaving the nursing home, he didn’t head home immediately. Instead, he walked to the side of the road, found a bench, gave it a quick wipe, and sat down to space out.
The nursing home was in the suburbs, sparsely populated and tranquil. Many unnamed flowers were planted in the green belts along the road. The early summer breeze, carrying the scent of flowers, blew against his face, washing away the dust of the world.
The atmosphere of twilight he had brought out from the nursing home was baked by the intense sun into a genial scent. The gloom in Shi Zhi’s heart gradually cleared.
Just then, a message came in.
Shi Zhi stared at the message for a long time, his gaze finally landing on the icon of a green ginkgo leaf.
He smiled, finally letting go.