The night sky hung like a clear mirror, with the moon suspended amidst twinkling stars. The northern part of the city had shed its hustle and bustle, and the Jing household had fallen into slumber. Only one room still emitted a faint light, with soft voices emanating from within.
Two girls were nestled on the bed, with a dim lamp glowing nearby. Jing Zejun, trying to find a topic of conversation to ease Jing Yi's fear, asked, "Yi Yi, what kind of person was Grandma?"
Jing Zejun hadn't seen Grandma Jing since she was three years old, and her earlier memories had long faded. The only time she had seen her was in the hospital room when Grandma Jing was on her deathbed. She had held Jing Zejun's hand, her expression both excited and remorseful. Tears streaming down her face, she kept saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Grandma..." Jing Yi's lips curved into a slight smile. "She was a very elegant old lady."
Though aged, with graying hair at her temples and many wrinkles etched by time, she always wore a gentle smile, looking every bit the kind grandmother.
"She loved to sunbathe in the courtyard every afternoon, but she was always very careful about sun protection. I found it strange - how could someone sunbathe while wearing sun protective clothing and a hat?"
'Yi Yi, quick, put on your sun protection clothes! Did you apply sunscreen?'
'Grandma, why would I need sunscreen if I'm sunbathing?'
'You're just too young! You're reckless now while your skin is still soft. Go on, hurry!'
Through the dim light, Jing Zejun could see the warm smile on Jing Yi's face.
"But Grandma always said she needed calcium, yet she didn't want more dark spots or wrinkles on her face. So she would wrap herself up to sunbathe."
Jing Yi snuggled into the blanket, the room filled with a cozy atmosphere. "Even though her posture was a bit stooped, she still walked quite sprightly, always mindful of her appearance. She didn't look like an 80-year-old lady at all."
The dim bedroom light cast shadows on Jing Yi's face. Jing Zejun thought to herself that Jing Yi must have loved her grandmother dearly, after all, she was the only family she had growing up.
"She loved to have gatherings with her old friends, drinking afternoon tea."
'Yi Yi, Grandma is going shopping with Grandmother Wang. You'll have to eat dinner by yourself tonight, okay?'
'Yi Yi, want to go for afternoon tea? Of course, it's just tea, no cakes. You should eat less sweets.'
Jing Zejun gradually calmed down, picturing a vibrant old lady in her mind.
"She was also quite stubborn. You might think she was living a rich, fulfilling life, but sometimes she'd sit in the courtyard, her eyes filled with sadness."
After Jing Zejun went missing, Grandma Jing took Jing Yi abroad. They rarely even made phone calls back home, let alone return to the country.
It wasn't that Jing Beicheng hadn't brought up the matter. Jing Yi had also tried to persuade Grandma Jing, after all, the old lady was getting on in years, and it must be lonely living abroad with just her granddaughter.
Jing Yi didn't mind, but she didn't want Grandma Jing to feel that way.
"But she was stubborn, insisting that life abroad was so comfortable, with her old friends and granddaughter. She refused to go back."
[But I knew that she always felt guilty deep down, feeling she had no right to return to that place.]
"Actually, all these years, Grandma had been looking for you. Even though she was abroad, she never lost contact with those missing persons agencies."
Jing Yi wasn't trying to explain anything on Grandma Jing's behalf. She had no right to forgive on Jing Zejun's behalf, she just didn't want the Jing family to continue misunderstanding Grandma Jing.
Jing Zejun's emotions were complex as she quietly listened to Jing Yi describe her grandmother.
"She was also a very stubborn person. Once she decided on something, no one could change her mind."
Jing Yi's gaze became distant as she continually recalled her daily life with Grandma Jing, a smile playing on her lips.
"I never met Uncle while we were abroad because Grandma would always 'chase' me out. She was always telling me to go do my own things, not to stay at home."
Jing Zejun was a bit confused. According to what Jing Yi said, Grandma Jing shouldn't have treated her like that.
Jing Yi smiled and continued, "She was just afraid that if I stayed there, Uncle would give me cold looks."
This was something Jing Yi didn't understand at first, and her former self never figured it out. Her former self always thought it was because of her status that Grandma Jing intentionally kept her from meeting the Jing family members.
But Grandma Jing always loved Jing Yi dearly. She just felt guilty about her own mistakes and didn't want Jing Yi to be caught up in that guilt.
Later, Jing Beicheng and the others came for another visit. That day, Jing Yi happened to be at home, and Grandma Jing had forgotten the time of their arrival.
It wasn't until she heard the sound of cars that Grandma Jing realized.
"And then what happened?" Jing Zejun was drawn into the story Jing Yi was telling with such relish.
"Then I thought, well, there's no way to avoid it now, we'll have to meet them. But to my surprise, Grandma grabbed me and rushed upstairs, repeatedly telling me not to come down."
It was on that day that Jing Yi overheard their conversation.
From upstairs, Jing Yi heard a middle-aged man's voice, sounding very authoritative, "Mom, are you planning to never let Jing Yi meet us in your lifetime?"
"You can see her after I'm dead."
"Mom!"
"Grandma, Dad didn't mean it like that." Jing Yi heard a younger voice.
"I know what you mean, but I'm the one who made the mistake. Yi Yi doesn't owe any of you anything. She doesn't need to face your cold looks."
The middle-aged man's voice sounded weary, "Mom, when will you come back with me?"
"Beicheng, if I go back, Rui Qing who has finally recovered..."
"So you plan to stay here with Jing Yi for the rest of your life?"
"I'll probably have to stay here for the rest of my life. I've said before, after I die, you can meet Yi Yi. When that time comes, I hope you'll take care of her, considering she'll be an orphan."
Jing Yi's gaze was distant. "The old lady was so stubborn. So our first meeting was also my first time meeting all the members of the Jing family."
There was a hint of sadness in Jing Yi's eyes. Jing Zejun noticed this and moved closer to Jing Yi, saying softly, "Then let me tell you about my adoptive parents."
"Alright."
Jing Zejun's adoptive parents were an ordinary couple who, due to health issues, couldn't have children of their own, so they adopted her from an orphanage.
"Mom told me that she spotted me at first glance in the orphanage. She thought this little girl was really pretty, and decided to bring me home right then."
Jing Yi's lips curved upwards involuntarily, seeming to picture little Jing Zejun in her mind.
"They were just an ordinary working-class family, but they never skimped on me financially. When they found out I had been kidnapped, they even kept track of missing person reports for me."
"Until I was eighteen, when they fell seriously ill..."