Mr. Xiao’s Unconditional Love

Lu Beixiao could not spare another minute to answer his grandmother’s intrusive questions. He desperately needed a cold shower. Nonetheless, Grandma Lu continued to bombard him with questions, though he was already in his room.

“Silly old lady, the girl must be from the same neighborhood,” Grandpa Lu answered on his grandson’s behalf. He seemed to flash an annoyed look at his wife, which lasted only for a second. His eyes were soon filled with love and tenderness as soon as he saw her.

It seemed that the proximity was the reason why he did not walk the girl home. Grandma Lu became very curious. “The same neighborhood? Which family could it be?”

Grandpa Lu kept calm and ignored her this time.

“The girl from the Lee family is already 25 years old, right? She’s older than Xiao Xiao by four years, so she can’t be the one. Besides, she’s already engaged! No, that’s not right. Maybe, the Sun family? That’s not right, either. She’s no longer staying in the courtyard. Who else? Could it be our neighbor? Someone from the Ye family?”

Grandma Lu raised a bunch of questions, but Grandpa Lu never bothered to answer any of them. However, as soon as she mentioned the Ye family, he sat upright and gave her his undivided attention, eagerly waiting for her to say it right finally.

“Ye Zhenzhen is only 16 years old! She is still underage! That’s against the law!” Grandma Lu exclaimed.

Rather disappointed, Grandpa Lu laid back in his chair and remarked, “Silly old lady!”

“Hey, old man. Stop addressing me that way! If you’re so smart, why don’t you take a guess?” Grandma Lu was obviously getting frustrated.

At that point, Grandpa Lu turned his head to the side and kept her completely out of sight.

Excitedly, Grandma Lu continued to name a bunch of girls whose age was similar to her grandson. Of all the girls that she could think of, Ye Qiao was the only one who did not cross her mind.

…

A storm brewed during the night, accompanied by a drop in the surrounding temperature. The smell of wet land filled the air with a refreshing, earthy scent. The vegetables from the garden were drenched, making them look fresh and full of vigor.

Ye Qiao’s grandfather was a handyman. Unlike other retirees, gardening kept him on the fly all day. He even had some pet birds to keep him busy. Every piece of his land was fully utilized to grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

Stems of towel gourd clung to the wall, adorning the empty white space with a bloom of bright yellow flowers and long gourds that were ready for harvest. On another rack, the cucumbers were dark green and firm, seemingly ripe. Short clusters of cowpea, too, hung in the air. Even the tomatoes were ripe in time with a natural orange glow, unlike the red tomatoes that were commercially grown. There were some eggplants and green capsicums, too. The garden had everything that one expected to find.

She casually plucked a tomato and started savoring its freshness, which seemed to recapture all the tastes that she remembered from the past. The taste also reminded her of her hometown in Northern Suzhou. She still had not told her grandfather about her plan to visit.

Ye Qiao harvested a basketful of vegetables as a gift to the elders who lived next door. Hesitantly, she found herself standing still in Grandpa Lu’s garden as her past came to haunt her again. Her relationship with the elders was rather unpleasant because of her attitude and pessimism.

“Grandma Lu!” The hoary lady was small but stood tall. She stood by the bush, trying to cut some flowers.

Ye Qiao addressed Grandma Lu with a smile, though anxious.

Puzzled, Grandma Lu wondered who the early visitor was. She turned around and found a beautiful girl in a long, casual dress standing in front of her. The girl had a basketful of vegetables in her hand and a big smile on her face.