Chapter 651: To Hell with Letting Go!

"Nan Nan, if I hadn't met you, I would have died long ago."

"Every day now is something you helped me fight for, something I've earned."

"In the past..."

The old man sighed, though the kindness on his face never changed; he looked into the distance, ethereal and vague.

"I am not at ease!"

"Our Huaxia has not yet grown up; how could I be at ease handing it over to others?"

"Now, I am at ease."

The anxious look from before had vanished.

Replacing it was a sense of detachment, along with some memories.

The coughing every night in the past, the exhaustion every day, and the dark period of Huaxia—he could not let go; he could not let go of handing it to anyone.

But now...

Watching the rapidly developing Huaxia, watching the young people one by one.

What else did he have to be uneasy about?

"But, a child one has raised oneself—no matter what, one cannot be at ease handing them over to others, right?"

An Yinan looked at him; regarding the old gentleman's state of mind, besides Feng Shu who was by his side, she was likely the only one who understood it best.

"I am not at ease."

The old gentleman admitted it quite readily, but then added, "But so what?"

His body—he knew it.

Having held on for so many years, it was all thanks to those little pills, and thanks to the Eight-Section Brocade that Nan Nan had taught him.

If he hadn't met An Yinan.

He likely would have died three or five years ago.

"Please rest well; you can live longer," An Yinan said urgently.

Seeing her anxious face, it was the first time he had seen this girl anxious.

"I am tired."

The old man said these three words, making An Yinan feel as if all her strength had been drained away.

Yes, he was tired.

An Yinan lowered her head, looking at the ground, looking at the backs of her feet; for a moment, at this tea table filled with laughter, there was some silence.

"On the battlefield, life and death are common, Comrade An, have you not yet let go?"

Yes!

She should have let go!

But...

Let go, my foot!

Tear after tear fell unconsciously from the corners of her eyes, thinking of every single thing the old gentleman had done; in his entire life, there was no room for himself, no room for family—all there was, was the country, was Huaxia!

It made her admire him.

But...

She could not cure him now; she had really tried her best, tried hard to treat the old gentleman's old injuries.

But, while injuries and illnesses could be treated, aging could not.

Her Health Pill could regulate his constitution, but the old gentleman had worried too much for so many years; he had aged too quickly.

The outcome was set; she was powerless to change it.

She could not change it.

"Hahaha~"

At this moment, a burst of laughter came from the side.

The old gentleman looked at An Yinan's tears and laughed helplessly; the girl who hadn't feared anyone in the conference room just now was shedding tears now.

"You!"

"With this temperament, you will suffer losses in the future!"

An Yinan shook her head, "The person who can make me suffer a loss hasn't been born yet."

Her words made the old man laugh heartily again.

This girl was truly a treasure.

"When you return from the City, bring those two children of yours to see me; what are their names?" The old man skipped over the topic.

Life and death were too heavy, especially at An Yinan's age.

"The boy is named Chen Anhua."

"The girl is named Chen Anxia."

When speaking of the two children, An Yinan's emotions stabilized a bit, and in her mind were the smiling faces of those two children.

No matter what emotions she had, thinking of them would change her mood.

"Anhua, Anxia, a peaceful Huaxia."

"Good names."

The old man nodded and smiled.

"When you return from the City, you must bring them for this old man to see," he repeated once more.

An Yinan nodded, "Okay."

How could she refuse an old man like this, who had only the people and the country in his heart?

"Those little meatballs, Feng Lao makes them taste too terrible; you should make some for me later."

Feng Lao did not know what was going on; the little meatballs he made were always bitter, making one not want to eat a second one after the first.

The little meatballs Nan Nan made had a light, fragrant flavor.

"Alright! From now on, I will make all of your little meatballs." An Yinan agreed immediately.

The old man looked gratified.

An Yinan left.

Arriving at the entrance of the Villa, Feng Zhong opened his mouth several times, but still did not ask.

In the end, the two of them looked at each other in silence.

"Return safely." Feng Shu did not ask, but said this to An Yinan.

He knew that the old gentleman was concerned for Comrade An's safety.

"I will."

An Yinan nodded firmly, then got directly into the car and left.

The old man saw Feng Zhong walking back, "Did you see her off?"

"Yes." Feng Zhong stood behind him.

"Looking at you, you didn't ask?" The old man was curious.

"I didn't ask; it's not important anymore." Feng Zhong shook his head.

In fact, for many things, there is no need to ask; the answer is already in one's heart.

Returning to the Dayuan, the two little ones were searching all over the house.

"Mama!"

"Mama?"

Dabao and Xiaobao, the two milk-fed babies, were searching room by room.

Liu Xicai and Sun Chunhua each followed one, fearing the two children would fall or bump into something.

Truth be told, these two children were very easy to care for and did not fuss at night.

Unless they were feeling unwell—though among these two children, only Xiaobao had once eaten too much and had a stomachache, requiring a trip to the hospital—the two children had rarely caused any trouble.

"Dabao, Xiaobao."

An Yinan walked into the house and saw the happy family; the gloom she had felt at the Villa instantly dissipated.

There were many things she was powerless to change, but she had already done her best; even if the outcome could not be altered, and even if she would feel brief sorrow, the path still had to be walked—forward, always forward.

"Mama!"

"Mama!"

Hearing the familiar voice, the two little babies immediately looked toward the door.

When they saw the familiar figure, the children immediately broke into wide grins.

When Xiaobao laughed, drool even flowed out; the little ones were in their teething phase.

"Look at them, once they have their mother, they don't care about anyone else." Liu Xicai pointed at the two little ones.

Sun Chunhua also nodded, "Children are just like that; no matter how long it has been since they saw you, and no matter the parents' moods, in a child's heart, their parents are the best and most worthy of reliance."

Liu Xicai nodded in agreement.

An Yinan picked one up with each arm; the two little ones were chubby now, but she had great strength, and if it were any other mother, it would truly be hard to lift them, but she felt no pressure.

She reckoned that in another two years, she would still be able to lift them both with one arm each!

"Mama." Dabao called out in a milky voice, then kissed An Yinan's face.

Over there, Xiaobao followed suit and immediately kissed the other side.

However...

She forgot about her own drool and smeared An Yinan's entire face with it.

Seeing An Yinan's frozen footsteps and her helpless expression, the people in the Main Hall all burst into laughter.

Everyone was laughing; the two little ones didn't know why everyone was laughing, but they laughed along too.