Sun Xiaoxiao shook her head in the face of her mother-in-law’s sharp question. “Mother, don’t say that. I gave birth to Beibei. I want only what’s best for her…”
“Enough, say no more. I don’t want to hear it. You have your own thoughts and I have mine! Leave! Get out of my sight!”
“Mother…”
“Begone!” the old woman shouted.
Sun Xiaoxiao did not want to anger the old woman. If the matter blew up, it would definitely alarm Beibei and Gong Yi, so she acquiesced to her mother’s demand. “Mother, please don’t tell Beibei about this conversation of ours…”
The old woman gripped the handles of her wheelchair tightly. Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll keep this conversation a secret from Beibei. This is the only thing I will do for you. Think of it how you will. I’m doing this for Beibei. However, if you dare treat Beibei poorly in the future, I won’t let you off – even if I have to come back and haunt you as a ghost.
“Mother, don’t worry. I will treat Beibei well.” Sun Xiaoxiao promised repeatedly.
That night…
Gong Yi couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in bed, his thoughts consumed by the fire coursing through his veins. He wanted nothing more than to pluck the ripe fruit sleeping next door.
No. He had to control himself. He could not act recklessly – not in her own home.
Getting up, Gong Yi opened the door and strode out. He needed some fresh air.
The moment he stepped out, he saw Beibei’s grandmother seated in her wheelchair.
There was a certain bleakness to the scene he encountered. Not a single light was lit in the large hallway. The only source of illumination came from a high window which allowed shafts of moonlight to filter in. The old woman, whose head of white hair looked like fresh snow, sat quietly in her wheelchair, a vacant look in her eyes. She did not comment on his sudden intrusion. Instead, she continued staring out the window at the bright orb hanging in the sky.
His heart ached. It was as if he was looking at a painting telling the story of the old woman’s life, encompassed in a single moment in time.
“Granny, it’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep?” Gong Yi squatted down beside her and asked softly.
The old woman retracted her gaze, smiling pleasantly at the young man next to her. “Oh, if it isn’t Young Master Gong. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
Gong Yi was too embarrassed to explain his reason for being awake, so he deflected it by asking a question of his own. “Granny, is there something on your mind?”
The old woman shook her head. “No… I used to fear that I would die young, and it often kept me awake. When Beibei was young, I feared that she would die before her time. Now that she has grown up and become such a fine young woman, what else is there to keep me up? No, there is nothing on my mind…”
Gong Yi felt his heart constrict listening to the old woman’s words. “Granny, be at ease. I’ll stay by Beibei’s side now and forever.”
The old woman closed her eyes, gratified. Her daughter had fallen prey to a man. She hoped her granddaughter would not suffer the same fate and that she would find happiness in a man she loved.
Wasn’t this the law of life? Parents brought up their children in wait for the day they are joined with their life’s partner.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” At this moment, Bai Beibei’s soft voice sounded. She had just exited her room when she saw Gong Yi squatting beside her grandmother.
Bai Beibei was dressed plainly in a white evening gown. She looked like a cute angel in those snowy linens.
Upon meeting Gong Yi’s eyes, Bai Beibei could not help but recall the scene that took place by the car. It brought a rosy tint to her cheeks which she tried but failed to hide by looking down.
Love was in the air, and it was plain for all to see.
“What’s going on tonight? It seems like no one is feeling sleepy! Beibei, come, tell Granny what’s on your mind,” the old woman smiled, causing her wrinkles to fade for a time.
Bai Beibei sat beside Gong Yi and cupped the old woman’s hands in hers. “Granny really enjoys teasing me!”
Sleep eluded her, tossing and turning as she did. Sandwiched by thoughts of her mother and Gong Yi, sleep was the last thing on her mind. Gong Yi’s words shuttled in and out of her ears, repeating in an endless loop. Sleep was a luxury denied to her.
“Granny, why are your hands so cold? Let me get you something to wrap them in.”
“There’s no need, I’m fine. Granny doesn’t feel cold.”
The old woman held Beibei’s soft little hands. Her unfocused eyes were filled with love and pity as she looked at the young couple. “You came just in time. There’s something I want to tell you.”
“Granny, what is it you would like to say?” Gong Yi asked.
“Young Master Gong, I wish to ask you a question. Do you really love Beibei? Can you promise me that you’ll treat Beibei well, now and always?”
“I love Beibei. I promise that I’ll treat her well for the rest of my life,” Gong Yi said without hesitation.
“Very well,” the old woman nodded, placing Beibei’s little hand into Gong Yi’s, “Then this old woman shall hand Beibei over to you. Both of you, kowtow and pay your respects. Weddings aren’t popular here. This ritual is more commonly used. It is as good as any marriage. Beibei is now your wife. Go and enjoy the night of your wedding together. Perhaps you’ll be blessed with a child…”
Bai Beibei was left gobsmacked by her grandmother’s words. She had been wed to Gong Yi just like that?
No red books, wedding gowns, vows, or guests. It was just the two of them and her beloved grandmother – her grandmother who had, moments before, handed her over to Gong Yi.
Naturally, she was more than happy to be wed but what about Gong Yi?
He was of noble birth. Was he willing to have her as his wife?
Bai Beibei stared blankly at the man beside her.
Gong Yi’s gaze held nothing but tender affection. Grasping her soft little hand, he took her from the old woman and paid his respects to her.
The moment he did so, a blinding smile bloomed across Bai Beibei’s lips, blossoming like a beautiful flower.
Perhaps, he was trying to reassure her grandmother. After all, a customary marriage was not recognised under civil law. In legal parlance, she was still unwed.
Nonetheless, in her heart, she was already his wife.
“Alright.” the old woman smiled, “Beibei, you’re already Young Master Gong’s wife. I have a few words I would like to say to you. Don’t be willful, think of Young Master Gong in everything you say and do, and live life to its fullest. Life is too short to be wasted on petty squabbles – be more tolerant of each other. I wish you both a long and happy life together…”
Bai Beibei nodded obediently. “I understand.”
“Granny, would you like me to call Auntie?” Gong Yi asked softly.
“There’s no need. Let her sleep.”
As she spoke, the old woman reached out with withered hands and clasped Bai Beibei’s face gently, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. “Beibei, answer this last question of mine… Did your mother ever hit you when you were young?”
Bai Beibei did not understand why her grandmother was asking her such a question and brushed it off as the eccentricities of old age. Yet, there was something in her words that brought tears to her eyes. It was all so very strange.
Rubbing her face against her grandmother’s calloused hand, she said, “Granny, I can’t remember what happened when I was young.”
“Heh, heh heh,” her grandmother coughed out a laugh. “That’s good. I’m relieved.”
The old woman withdrew her hand and leaned against the backrest of her wheelchair. She raised her head to look out the window once more, then closed her eyes.
“Granny, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me like that! It’s getting late and you shouldn’t be out and about in the cold. Let me wheel you back to your room. We can talk more tomorrow.”
Bai Beibei got up, moving to wheel her grandmother back into her own room.
“Beibei.” Gong Yi grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Beibei asked, rattled.
Gong Yi regarded Beibei’s grandmother solemnly. Her hand was dangling off the side of the wheelchair, hanging limply in the air.
“Beibei, Granny… has passed on.”
Bai Beibei choked down a sob. Placing her slender index finger under her grandmother’s nose, praying that Gong Yi had made some mistake, Bai Beibei checked for a sign, any sign, that he had been mistaken.
Granny was not breathing.
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