A few nights ago, Fu Lian had already asked Wen Baozhu if she wanted to look for Zhang Sumei.
Wen Baozhu's answer was negative.
Fu Lian didn't ask for the reason any further. He just respected her wish.
What else could be the reason?
What was the point of notifying a woman who had abandoned her mother and daughter?
Wen Baozhu bought a bunch of white chrysanthemums and gently placed them in front of the tombstone.
The portrait on the tombstone was a photo Wen Baozhu had dug out. The old lady in the photo was still healthy, with a kind and amiable smile.
Wen Baozhu stared blankly at the portrait for a long time.
The grandmother in her memory had always been the way she was in the photo; the person in the hospital bed a few days ago seemed so unreal.
After staring for a long time, she began to feel dazed.
These days, every time she woke up, she would sit in bed and stare blankly for quite a while.
Maybe her mind still couldn't accept her grandmother's passing. When she finally realized that her grandmother was really gone, she always felt as if she hadn't woken up yet.
"Grandma, come to my dreams more often."
Wen Baozhu looked at the old woman in the photo, trying to sound as light - hearted as possible: "You don't like girls crying, so I won't cry in front of you today."
She raised her hand and wiped the non - existent dust on the photo. Suddenly, her fingers stopped, and her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Grandma used to love pinching her cheeks and saying she wanted to check if Baozhu had eaten well.
In grandma's eyes, eating and sleeping well were of utmost importance.
"I'll eat and sleep well from now on. You have to come to my dreams often and praise me, or I won't listen to you anymore."
She talked to the tombstone for a long time, as if pouring out all the words she hadn't had the chance to say before.
The morning sun was bright, warming her body.
It was like a pair of gentle hands, softly caressing her back and gradually passing on the warmth.
The white chrysanthemums in front of the tombstone were gently swayed by the breeze, and the wind brushed across Wen Baozhu's face.
As she talked, her voice got softer and softer until finally it fell silent.
She slowly stood up from in front of the tombstone, staggering. It was only with Fu Lian's support that she managed to steady herself.
The man's expression was solemn. Looking at the side - face that had become numb from too much crying, the emotions in his eyes remained calm.
He was a man who was very indifferent when it came to family affection and couldn't truly empathize with Wen Baozhu's pain.
It wasn't that he had never experienced the pain of a farewell due to death. On the night his father passed away, he had felt a bit of sadness at first.
But it was quickly drowned out by things like the will, property, inheritance, and marriage contracts. He felt that his sadness was simply not worth mentioning.
"Thank you." Interrupted from her memories, Wen Baozhu turned her head, her eyes filled with sincere gratitude: "Thank you for letting me see grandma for the last time and sending her off."
She didn't mention the regret of grandma missing the treatment at all.
Fu Lian lowered his eyes, his gaze deep: "I should have arranged for someone to take care of the old lady earlier, knowing that some people couldn't be counted on."
This "someone" referred to Zhang Sumei.
"I didn't let you come to visit just because I wanted to find some other ways to see if there was still a chance for treatment."
Although Fu Lian was always indifferent when it came to family affection, he could tell from Wen Baozhu's words how important her grandmother was to her.
He had consulted many doctors, but they all shook their heads.
An elderly person was not suitable for frequent surgeries, especially for cancer that had been delayed for so long.
There was no way to turn the situation around.
Wen Baozhu was silent for a few seconds and only said: "Some things can't be predicted in advance."
Just as no one could have imagined that Zhang Sumei would still ignore her own mother even when she had a ten - million - yuan check in her hand.
There was no excuse for her, and there was no need to look for one.
At important crossroads in life, one thing was enough to see a person clearly.
"There's nothing to regret. The last lesson grandma taught me was to recognize my mother."
She tried to lift her lips and smile relievedly, but tears不知不觉 streamed down her face again.
The tears trickled into the corner of her mouth and onto her tongue, and the bitter and salty taste spread throughout her mouth again.
How could she not regret? How could she not feel the loss?
Fu Lian pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back, as if soothing her tenderly.
The sun was so good, and the breeze was just right. Fu Lian rarely exuded such tenderness, which was completely out of tune with his usual aura.
He wiped the tears from her chin and said softly: "When you want to cry, don't force yourself to hold it back."
Grandma didn't want her to cry so that she could learn to be strong; he allowed her to cry so that she could learn to rely on others.
At this moment, Fu Lian still didn't know whether he wanted Wen Baozhu to rely on him or if he just wanted to be needed.
---
Before leaving, Wen Baozhu said that she didn't know when she would come to visit her grandmother next time, so she wanted to kowtow to her grandmother one last time.
Fu Lian gave his silent consent.
Wen Baozhu knelt on the marble - paved bricks and gently lowered her head.
She pressed her forehead against the tombstone and leaned on it for a long time.
Fu Lian took a step back and patiently waited, but she didn't get up. It was as if she had merged with the tombstone.
"Wen Baozhu?"
Fu Lian's expression suddenly darkened. Then he quickly stepped forward and found that she had fainted at some point.
When he picked her up in his arms, she was so light that it made his heart ache, and her hands were extremely cold.
Fu Lian carried her and quickly returned to the entrance of the cemetery. He carried her into the car.
A Yan was also shocked when he saw this: "What's wrong with Miss Wen?"
Fu Lian's face was cold, and the aura around him was freezing cold: "Go to the hospital."
In the past, what Wen Baozhu was most proud of was her always - healthy physical condition.
Because her grandmother had taken good care of her, she was strong and healthy. She didn't go to the hospital even once a year.
Her annual physical examination reports also proved this.
From Chinese New Year until now, in less than half a month, she had already been lying on different hospital beds frequently.
As if having a premonition in her heart, when the doctor said "the fetal heart has stopped", Fu Lian didn't show much emotion.
He had long expected that this child couldn't be saved.
But when he was about to sign the declaration form for the uterine curettage surgery for her, he unexpectedly felt a moment of hesitation.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that he wasn't as deeply disgusted with his own child as he thought.
He considered himself indifferent to family ties and had no interest in having children and raising them.
But if there hadn't been these accidents, what if this child was born?
Even if Li Wenshu wanted to overstep and make a newborn child the new king, so what?
There were plenty of ways and means, weren't there?
But now it was meaningless to think about these things. He quickly pulled his thoughts back and quickly signed his name on the paper.
The doctor took the document and turned to the nurse, saying, "The surgery can start."