Chapter 620: Chapter 618: Adoption of _1 Chapter 620: Chapter 618: Adoption of _1 “If it really is him, we’re in trouble,” the old man said seriously, sighing, “whatever happens, let it come at me. Don’t let anyone else be implicated, especially Xiaren.”
A knock came from outside the door. The old man called out to enter, and saw Qiao Xiaren’s figure appear in his field of vision: “Grandpa, you wanted to see me?”
The old man’s expression softened considerably as he got up, leaning on his walking stick. Qiao Xiaren Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!
“It’s nothing important, just wanted to have a few words with you,” said the old man, smiling. He gave a look to Uncle Wu who, understanding his meaning, exited the room and closed the door behind him.
Qiao Xiaren’s gaze unintentionally fell on a photo that the old man was tightly clutching, and she looked somewhat surprised: “Is this a photo of Auntie when she was young?”
The person in the photo looked slightly inexperienced. She had two braids hanging over her shoulders, with a fringe that appeared fresh and natural.
However, it seemed to be a group photo. A masculine hand was draped over Qiao Lang’s shoulder, covered only by the old man’s thumb.
The photo had slightly yellowed with age; it was clearly more than twenty years old.
“Yes, it’s an old photo of your aunt from when she was twenty.” The old man suddenly removed his finger, revealing the clear image of the man standing next to Qiao Lang to Qiao Xiaren.
He had a very good-looking face and was still young, but what surprised Qiao Xiaren was that he wasn’t he uncle! However, their posture was so intimate it was clear that the two in the photo had an exceptionally close relationship.
“He was once your aunt’s greatest love.” The old man sighed and suddenly turned to look at her. “Over twenty years ago, we lived in Qing City for a while. Your aunt and him, that was when they met. He was a sort of small-time hoodlum in Qing City, many young girls secretly watched him. At that time, there wasn’t even a term for flirting. I knew your aunt was seeing him secretly and was so mad, I whipped her with a riding crop and even used my influence to chase that man out of Qing City. The marriages of the children from the four great families, they simply aren’t decided by the children themselves.”
The old man seemed to recall that time from over twenty years ago. Back then, men and women wouldn’t boldly declare their love as they do now. Even if they had affection for each other, they would keep it unsaid, their inexperienced antics both awkward yet beautiful.
That young man at the time, it was as if he had walked out from behind a backlight and right into Qiao Lang’s heart.
“What happened to that man afterward?”
“Afterward? That man disappeared. He might have died, or he might be living in some corner of the world, who knows?” The old man muttered softly, intentionally keeping his tone light. “Your aunt remained melancholic ever since, even after meeting her current husband, your uncle, she was never truly happy. In this life, your grandpa truly owes your aunt…”
Qiao Xiaren clung to her grandfather, not knowing what to say.
“Actually, your aunt didn’t need to endure all of this,” the old man continued, revealing another astonishing fact that made Qiao Xiaren even more shocked. “In reality, I adopted your aunt from an orphanage.”
“What?” Qiao Xiaren’s eyes widened slightly, “Auntie was adopted?”
“A fortune teller predicted a female child for the Qiao family. Your grandma and I discussed it and decided to adopt your aunt from a nearby orphanage.”