Chapter 243: He Never Forces Others to Do What They Dislike

Thanks to Zhou Du getting a preventive shot in advance, Xia Xi was mentally prepared; before Xu Yanfeng walked up to her, she put down her chopsticks and stood up, cutting off what he might say: "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll order you another serving; the food has gone cold."

She was in the hotel banquet hall, where six tables were set for the feast; Xu Yanfeng hadn't come yet, the guests had finished eating and left, and now several tables were littered with leftovers, and it wouldn't be long before the staff came to clear them.

Xu Yanfeng had come from out of town; there was no reason to make him eat other people's leftovers.

Since they reunited, every time they met she had put on a stern face and acted unfamiliar with him; it was rare to see her demeanor calm, and Xu Yanfeng wanted to keep this pleasantness, but unfortunately things went against his wishes—he had something to ask her: "I heard people say your family used to…"

"Xu Yanfeng!" Xia Xi, severely sleep-deprived, her thoughts slow and her nerves jangling, couldn't handle his questioning in this state, so she dodged it: "If there's anything, we can talk later; I'm exhausted and want to go to sleep."

Xu Yanfeng pressed his lips together, left the rest unsaid, and fixed his gaze on her face.

She had her hair tied in a low ponytail; her face was very white under the light, a pallid white, with a faint blue‑black tint under her lower eyelids, her eyes threaded with red bloodshots, wearing a black sweater and tight jeans, her whole appearance frail and fragile.

Xu Yanfeng felt reluctant to press further; he temporarily shelved his doubts and let her go: "Take care and rest."

Xia Xi turned, picked up the quilted jacket draped over the chair back, held it to her chest, gave him a slight nod, brushed past him, and slowly exhaled.

She truly feared Xu Yanfeng would seize her and press for the truth without regard; right now her mind was dull, like paste, unable to think carefully, and a moment's inattention could make her slip up and say something she shouldn't.

He seemed to have changed, yet also seemed unchanged, still the same upright gentleman as before, never forcing others to do what they dislike.

Leaving the banquet hall, Xia Xi leaned one hand on the wall and, dragging her sore legs, wearily made her way to the elevator.

Back in her upstairs room, she leaned against the door for a long while before lifting her foot to go inside, where she ran into Su Jinru: "Are the two kids asleep?" She hadn't heard any noise.

"They're asleep; she got up too early this morning and, after just a few bites, fell asleep." Su Jinru brushed the stray hairs from her temples, her eyes showing concern, "You should get some sleep too—you've been rushing around nonstop these days."

Xia Xi murmured an assent, first went to check on the children, then went to the bathroom to wash up, and wrapped herself in the blankets.

She was so exhausted that she slept straight through until dark; when she pulled out her phone to check, it was already eleven at night.

Su Jinru still hadn't slept; she sat on the sofa, doing nothing but staring blankly.

Xia Xi leaned against the headboard and called out to her: "Mom."

Su Jinru blinked, looked up at the bed, and said: "Awake? Are you hungry? The hotel restaurant is surely closed now; I'll go out and buy you something to eat."

"No thanks, I can't eat. Why aren't you resting?"

"I can't sleep; I'm thinking about your grandmother."

At the mention of the grandmother, Su Jinru's voice changed tone, a hint of choking in it. For years she had never stopped feeling guilty. Family members often comforted her, saying that the family's past misfortunes were entirely Xia Chenggang's fault and had nothing to do with her, urging her not to blame herself. She knew her family didn't blame her, but she could not forgive herself.

If it weren't for her blindness to people's character and poor judgment in choosing a husband like Xia Chenggang, then trusting and indulging him too much, how could he have ruined the whole family?

Ultimately, the root of it was her fault.

The old lady's passing worsened her guilt; she felt unfilial, unable to let her mother, who had toiled all her life, enjoy a peaceful, worry‑free old age, causing her mother to live in fear and depart with regret.

Xia Xi got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, sat beside Su Jinru, and hugged her: "Grandma cared most about us; she certainly wouldn't want to see us sad because of her. When I was little, you told me that when people die they become stars, and I've always remembered. There must be a star up there that is Grandma, watching over us."

Su Jinru used Xia Xi's shoulder to wipe away her tears, then changed the subject: "When are we going back? You've been so busy lately; taking two or three days off is enough—don't let it interfere with your work."

Xia Xi stepped back, looked at her, and said: "Your older sister is about to be released; let's wait for her to come out and then go back to Nancheng together, okay?"

"Your older sister…"

"You forgot—she has shown remorse inside and earned an eight‑month sentence reduction; she'll be out in a few days."

Su Jinru is also getting on in years; Xia Xi had told her this before, but she hadn't retained it, and she had thought Xia Yue wouldn't be released until late September this year—turns out there are only a few days left?

Sometimes, time flying by isn't such a bad thing.

The tears she had just stopped fell again; Su Jinru alternated between crying and laughing: "If she had come out a few days earlier, Grandma could still have seen her."

Xia Xi had certainly thought of this as well: "I and Xiao Xuan plan to go see your older sister tomorrow, to give her a heads‑up."

New Year's Eve was approaching; everywhere was fresh and renewed, the festive atmosphere strong, with malls big and small looping the "Happy New Year" song. The taxi took them to an increasingly remote spot, finally stopping at No. 68 Jianlin Road, Changfeng District—that was the prison.

Xia Xuan linked arms with Xia Xi, and the two entered together; Su Jinru would stay at the hotel to look after the children and not accompany them. Chen Songbai had already returned to Nancheng for work yesterday afternoon.

Seeing Xia Xuan made Yue Yue happy; she hadn't seen her little sister in a long time, was about to ask how she'd been doing, when she suddenly noticed a white thread tied to the zipper of Xia Xuan's down jacket—her smile froze. Then she looked at Xia Xi, who also had a white thread tied on her clothing. This was the sign of mourning.

In an instant she understood, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it, and turned to Xia Xi for confirmation: "…Is it Grandma?"

Each word was spoken with great difficulty; after she finished, Yue Yue fixed her eyes on Xia Xi's mouth, her gaze full of hope, wishing more than anything to hear Xia Xi say "No."

But in the end it was a vain hope; Xia Xi nodded: "Grandma… she passed away the morning before yesterday."

Yue Yue blinked, and tears streamed down; a surge of guilt and remorse washed over her. How could this happen? She was due to be released in just a few days—why couldn't Grandma have waited for her? She hadn't even seen her face, let alone had the chance to fulfill more filial duties.

Why did it have to be late by just a few days—only a few days.

Seeing her tears, Xia Xuan also wanted to cry, but she pressed her lips together and held it back, comforting her: "Sis, you still have Youyou; once you're out, we'll all celebrate the New Year together as a family."

Yue Yue was overcome with grief, unable to hear what she was saying; even when the visitation time ended, she still hadn't accepted the news of her grandmother's death.

Five years and four months—when spoken it's just a few short words, but as a duration it's incredibly long: long enough for a babbling infant to learn to recite ancient poems, long enough for a vigorous old man to rest eternally underground.

A few days later, Yue Yue walked out of the prison; snow was falling heavily from the sky, huge flakes, as if someone were pulling cotton from gray clouds.

Large snowflakes landed on her head and shoulders; she reached out to catch them, and a pure white clump drifted onto her palm, taking a long while to melt, leaving a pool of icy water that seemed capable of washing away impurity.

Xia Xi and Xia Xuan stood not far away, silently watching her, not daring to disturb her. Having been given a new lease on life, her emotions must be complex; she needed a little time to settle.

Yue Yue closed her eyes, face turned to the sky; snowflakes pattered onto her face, she drew a deep breath of biting cold air—cool from throat to lungs—but she didn't feel cold; this was fresh, free air.

After a long while, Yue Yue turned her head, her gaze falling on the two sisters waiting for her; she smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

Only then did Xia Xi and Xia Xuan step forward; Yue Yue embraced each of them with one arm.

Xia Xi said: "Mom is waiting for us at the hotel, and so are the children."