Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 333 Grandpa is gone
Yan Jiekuang walked alone, slowly towards the next yard, passed through the moon gate in the backyard, and came to the door of the east wing. He stood there for a long time. When he heard Mr. Ji coughing, he went up and knocked on the door gently.

The old man's voice came from inside, "Who is it? It's not locked. Come in."

Yan Jiekuang adjusted his expression, pushed the door open with a smile, and said, "Grandpa, it's me. I'm here to see you."

Old Man Ji tried to get up, but he had no strength. Yan Jiekuang hurried over, helped the old man up and leaned him against the bed.

The old man asked, "Where are the children? Why didn't you bring them here?"

"I'm having dinner in the west wing. I'll be here soon. I finished eating first, so I came here first." Yan Jiekuang replied.

Mr. Ji forced a smile and said, "I know it myself, why do you want to send me to the hospital?"

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "Yes, it's better to go to the hospital."

Mr. Ji said, "Okay, I'll stay one more day today, and you can take me there tomorrow. Where's my granddaughter?"

Yan Jiekuang said: "She went to work and will come over in the evening."

Old Master Ji nodded. At this time, he heard Xixi's voice coming from outside: "Grandpa, Grandpa, Xixi is here to see you. Look what I brought you."

The two looked towards the door and saw Xixi holding a bowl with strawberries in it, which looked freshly picked.

Mr. Ji was happy and said, "My little Xixi is so nice. She still misses her great grandfather."

Xiao Hai said from behind: "Grandpa, I picked all those."

Xixi was unhappy, turned around and said, "I washed it."

Shi Lei, Shi Li, Da Pang and Xiao Pang came in one after another, all shouting "Hello, great grandfather, we are here to see you."

Mr. Ji smiled from ear to ear and said, "Okay, okay, great grandfather is very happy that you came to see me."

Yan Jiekuang stood up and walked out of the house, leaving the room to the children, who chatted with the old man.

Yan Jiekuang stood at the door smoking, looking at the sky, in a daze. He did not expect that time passed so quickly. Grandpa Ji was almost at the end of his life. He was unwilling to accept it in his heart, but the facts had told him that Grandpa Ji's condition was very bad. Being able to chat with the children was already a great effort for Grandpa Ji. He used all his strength to hold on.

After smoking a cigarette, Yan Jiekuang went into the house and sent the children back to let the great grandfather have a rest. After the children left, Grandpa Ji was no longer energetic. Yan Jiekuang helped Grandpa Ji lie down, and soon the old man fell asleep.

Yan Jiekuang gently covered the old man with a quilt, quietly walked out of the house, closed the door, and then walked towards the west wing.

After returning to the main hall of the west wing, Yang Ruiping made himself a cup of tea. He came over and asked, "How is it?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "It's not good. Ji Lian and I will take the old man to the hospital tomorrow. It's safer to go to the hospital."

Yang Ruiping sighed and said, "Time is not forgiving. When you have time, ask the old man if he has any wishes. Don't leave any regrets behind."

Yan Jiekuang nodded and said, "I understand. Where's my dad?"

Yang Ruiping said: "I went to sell the vegetables. There are too many vegetables in the greenhouse at home. If they are left there any longer, they will go bad."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Didn't you send off the neighbors or anything?"

"After giving it away, there will be a lot left." Yang Ruiping said.

Yan Jiekuang shook his head and said, "Why didn't you just call Xiaobao and let Chunfenglou take it?"

Yang Ruiping was stunned and said, "Oh, why didn't I think of that? This old man is the same, he is blinded by one leaf."

In the afternoon, Ji Lian arrived at the west wing first. Yan Jiekuang told her about her grandfather. Ji Lian turned around and ran next door. Recently, she had been busy with work and neglected her grandfather.

When Yan Jiekuang arrived at Grandpa Ji's house, Ji Lian was lying on her grandfather and crying.

Old Man Ji is the only relative Ji Lian has in this world. She has been dependent on her grandfather since she was a child. The relationship between them is extremely deep, and Ji Lian just can't believe this fact.

The old man patted Ji Lian's back gently and said, "My dear granddaughter, there are only two things I have done in my life that I am proud of. One is that I took the initiative to take you away from your hometown and came to Sijiu City. The other is that I married you to Jie Kuang. You have enjoyed all the blessings you should have in the second half of your life. There is nothing to regret."

Ji Lian said: "I am planning to take you back to my hometown to have a look. You should take good care of yourself and everything will be fine."

Mr. Ji pointed to the cabinet and said, "Jie Kuang, there is a box over there, bring it here."

Yan Jiekuang opened the cabinet and took out a sandalwood box. He had found this box for the old man.

Yan Jiekuang handed the box over, and the old man said, "Open it, there are things for you inside."

When Yan Jiekuang opened the box, the first thing that caught his eye was the two jade pendants, one of which he found in the palace, and the other of which Ji Lian had once worn.

Mr. Ji said: "I have studied it until now and read many books, but I still don't understand it. I hope that one day you can solve this mystery."

Below the jade pendant is a map, which should be a map of SX Province in the 1970s. There is a small circle drawn on Yulin, and an address is written on the top of the map.

Mr. Ji said, "This address is our home address. I have never forgotten that home. Below is my home's title deed. If you have the chance, take Ji Lian back with you and bring my ashes back with you and bury them in our ancestral grave."

Ji Lian was already sobbing and unable to speak, but she still said vaguely: "Grandpa, you will live a long life and you will get better."

Old Master Ji wanted to raise his hand to touch Ji Lian's face, but he didn't raise his arm. He said, "Silly child, your grandfather is already 87 years old. I know my condition very well. Fortunately, I have been healthy until now."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Grandpa, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Grandpa Ji said, "There is an address at the bottom of the box. It belongs to your grandmother. We got separated when we were fleeing from the famine. If you have a chance, go there to see if she is still alive. If she is not, please visit her grave and burn some paper for me. If she is, please tell her that I did not marry another woman and I am doing her justice."

Yan Jiekuang couldn't stop crying, but when he saw that the old man was a little weak, he quickly pulled Ji Lian up and said, "Grandpa is tired, don't disturb him, we will take him to the hospital tomorrow."

Ji Lian glanced at her grandfather and nodded, then she helped the old man lie down, and the couple quietly left.

Yan Jiekuang said as he walked, "I'll make some porridge tonight, you come and serve the old man." Ji Lian agreed, and then said nothing, walking silently. Yan Jiekuang caught up with her, held Ji Lian's hand with his own, and said, "You still have me."

Ji Lian nodded heavily with tears in her eyes. Yan Jiekuang went straight into the kitchen after returning to the west wing. Ji Lian took the box back to her room. The children wanted to talk to Ji Lian, but when they saw her face was very ugly, they stopped and did not disturb their mother.

Xixi took her short legs and ran towards the kitchen in the front yard. She was sure that her father did not come in and must have gone to the kitchen.

Xiao Hai was stunned for a moment, then chased after him, and the children behind him also followed him to the front yard.

"Dad, Dad, what's wrong with Mom? Is she crying?" The voice came in before Xixi entered the house.

Yan Jiekuang turned around and saw that the children had all arrived, so he said, "Your mother is in a bad mood, don't disturb her, okay?"

Xixi stared with big eyes and asked, "Why is mom in a bad mood? Did you provoke her?"

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "No, I didn't. It's just that your great grandfather is sick and your mother is worried, so she is in a bad mood."

Xixi rolled her eyes and said, "Then let's go see Grandpa. When Grandpa sees us, he will get better and Mom will feel better too."

The children turned around and were about to leave, but Yan Jiekuang quickly stopped them and said, "Don't go, don't go. Your great grandfather needs to rest and just fell asleep. Go play in the back garden. Daddy will cook for him."

When the children heard this, they stopped and walked towards the back garden.

As soon as the children left, Yan Bugui came back happily, pushing his old and broken 28-inch cart.

Yan Bugui saw Yan Jiekuang busy in the kitchen and asked, "What time is it? Are you cooking?"

"I'm back, Dad. I'm making dinner for the old man. It needs to be stewed for a while longer." Yan Jiekuang replied.

When Yan Bugui heard that he was going to cook for the old man, he said, "Then you do it. I'll go find your mother."

After saying that, he ran to the backyard. When Yan Jiekuang saw his father's expression, he knew that Yan Bugui had made a lot of money on this trip.

Yan Jiekuang made a ginseng chicken soup and a ginseng and poria porridge. They took a long time to cook and now it is difficult for the old man to chew.

When it was almost evening, Ji Lian went out with the food box. Unexpectedly, Xixi followed behind her, holding her mother's hand and saying, "Mom, let's go together to feed Grandpa. Grandpa will definitely eat a lot more when he sees Xixi."

Ji Lian showed a rare smile, held Xixi's little hand, and said, "You are really mom's little cotton-padded jacket."

After the mother and daughter went out, Yan Jiekuang quickly prepared the family meal. Of course, there was no need to make soup, as there was still a lot of ginseng chicken soup left.

After a while, Yang Ruiping came to the front yard and helped Yan Jiekuang with his work. At around five o'clock, the family members came back one after another, especially Yan Jiedi, who sniffed before entering the house and said, "It must be the meal cooked by the third brother. The fragrance can be smelled even outside the door."

Yan Bugui walked to the front yard and started to prepare for dinner. He didn't eat much at noon, so he bought two buns to satisfy his hunger. The important thing was to sell vegetables.

After everyone was seated, Yu Li asked, "Where are Ji Lian and Xi Xi? Why can't I see them?"

Yan Jiekuang said, "No need to wait for them, they have gone to see the old man. Let's eat first. I've saved some food for them."

Then everyone started eating. Yan Bugui even poured himself a glass of wine. Yan Jiecheng said, "Dad, why are you only caring about yourself? Where are the three of us?"

"Just go and pour it yourself, why do you want me to serve you?" Yan Bugui said unhappily.

When Yan Jiecheng heard this, he realized it was true, so he stood up and went to get the wine himself.

The next day, Yan Jiekuang made porridge again and brought it to the old man himself. He fed him and dressed him after he finished eating. Yan Jiekuang was just about to turn around and call Ji Lian.

The old man stopped him and said, "Jie Kuang, wait, I have something to say."

Yan Jiekuang returned to the old man's bed in confusion. The old man said, "I know my body. I am going to die. Don't be too sad. Everyone has this day. I am grateful for your presence in my second half of life. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened."

Yan Jiekuang burst into tears. The old man continued, "I may only be here for a day or two. I promised you to go to the hospital because I don't want to hurt your feelings. After I'm gone, my granddaughter will be handed over to you. You have to promise not to let her down. After I'm gone, she will only have you. Do you understand, Jiekuang?"

Yan Jiekuang cried and said, "Grandpa, I swear, I will treat Ji Lian well for the rest of my life. I will accompany her till the end. I will love her even more and never let her down."

The old man smiled and said, "I believe you. Go ahead, let's go to the hospital and don't let Lian'er worry."

Yan Jiekuang walked out of the room in tears. He knew what the old man said was true. He thought about it and went straight back to the west wing. He first found his mother and said to her, "Mom, I'll be with the old man in the hospital these few days. I'll leave the child to you."

Yang Ruiping looked at Yan Jiekuang who had just finished crying and knew what was going on. He said, "Okay, go ahead. Don't worry about your family."

Yan Jiekuang called Ji Lian, and the two of them worked together to lift the old man onto the wheelchair and drove straight to Dongcheng District Hospital.

Yan Jiekuang went directly to Liu Zheng, and through Liu Zheng found the director of the hospital. He wanted the best ward and explained the old man's condition.

The dean was very considerate and approved it directly. He called the head nurse over and explained some things to her.

Yan Jiekuang took care of the old man day and night, and except for going out to get food, he always stayed with the old man.

In the past two days, only Yan Bugui and his eldest and second brothers' families came to see Grandpa Ji and chat with him.

On the second night, Yan Jiekuang, who was dozing off on the edge of the bed, suddenly felt his hand being grabbed. Yan Jiekuang woke up immediately, and Ji Lian, who was on the other side of the bed, also woke up.

The old man grabbed a person in each hand and said with a smile: "You two are a perfect match. You are my greatest pride in this life."

Yan Jiekuang was shocked. The old man suddenly became very energetic. This was a last gasp of energy. Yan Jiekuang burst into tears. Ji Lian was a little dazed, but the old man said, "Granddaughter, grandson-in-law, grandpa is leaving. I just dreamed of your parents. They have prepared a house for me. You must live a good life and stay together until the end. Don't be too sad that grandpa is leaving. Grandpa is already very content. Goodbye, granddaughter, goodbye, grandson-in-law."

Ji Lian burst into tears all of a sudden, the old man slowly closed his eyes, and Yan Jiekuang felt the hand holding him slowly loosen.

Yan Jiekuang also burst into tears. After a while, he finally realized that now was not the time to be sad, so he turned around and hurried to call a doctor.

After the doctor examined him, he shook his head and said, "The old man is old."

At this time, Ji Lian had fainted from crying. Yan Jiekuang first asked a nurse to take care of Ji Lian, and he forced himself to cheer up and rush home to report the death. He really couldn't handle it, so his father had to step in.

(End of this chapter)