Luo Xianxian was very excited to meet her great-grandmother, but at the same time, she was also terrified of her.
"Uncle Jiang Wei, what if Great-grandmother doesn't like me?" she asked nervously as they rode in Jiang Wei's family car that Saturday, heading to Grandma Jiang's hometown in City B.
"Nonsense," Jiang Wei said with a soft giggle. "How can Great-grandmother not like you? You are as adorable as a little rabbit, Xianxian."
Luo Xianxian made pouty lips while resting her head on the huge teddy bear Jiang Yue bought her.
"Uncle Jiang Wei, you are only saying that because you love me. Great-grandmother hasn't seen me before. Maybe she will think that I am annoying."
Jiang Wei laughed.
"But we have only seen each other after you and your mom left the Luo house. How is that any different?"
"Yes, but... but... we chatted a lot, for many months!" Luo Xianxian stubbornly argued. "Of course, I am more familiar with my uncles!"
Fang Ruoye was not much help in this matter. Although the Jiang brothers assured her repeatedly that Grandma Jiang wanted to meet her, Fang Ruoye's anxiety remained unyielding.
She was so nervous that she started questioning her knowledge about her grandmother.
"Does Grandma still like the color yellow?" she asked while pinching the yellow blouse she was wearing. She bought this blouse specifically for this weekend's visit.
"Yes, yes, Grandma still likes yellow."
"And this perfume – I specifically chose a fresh jasmine scent. Grandma loves the smell of jasmine, doesn't she?"
She had also deliberately changed her perfume to suit Grandma Jiang's taste.
"Yes, Ruoye, she likes the smell of jasmine," came Jiang Wei's tired voice.
"I also brought some small gifts for my grandmother. Does she still like reading poem collections from Tsing Yuan?"
"Yes, Ruoye, she is still a big fan of Tsing Yuan..."
The brothers had had to answer these questions for the past three days. Although they all thought that Grandma Jiang would still hug Fang Ruoye if the latter was dressed in a potato sack and a pair of slippers, Fang Ruoye was strongly determined to make a flawless appearance before the elderly lady.
Eventually, all three brothers agreed to stop convincing Fang Ruoye. She would never believe them completely, anyway.
Let Fang Ruoye see for herself, how much her grandmother loved her!
Despite her status as the matriarch of the powerful Jiang family, with three successful grandsons to fling at jealous friends and acquaintances, Grandma Jiang remained humble and maintained a low profile in society.
Instead of taking up residence in one of the lofty apartments that the capital had to offer, she opted to return to her hometown and settled in a house near the lake.
Initially, she only wanted a small house, but her grandsons repeatedly urged her to get a bigger house. Because if she lived in a small house, it would not be convenient to host a family party. After all, she had three grown grandsons within the Jiang family and many more extended relatives who often came to visit from time to time.
In her old age, Grandma Jiang was surrounded by a lot of people, but she doted on her three grandsons and one granddaughter the most.
Grandma Jiang often said that the others were there to curry favor with her, but only these three grandsons and one granddaughter spent time with her because they truly loved her, with no hidden agenda behind their backs.
When Jiang Wei's car pulled up before Grandma Jiang's two-story lakeside villa, two other cars already stood there. They belonged to Jiang Yue and Jiang Cheng, respectively.
Although the Jiang brothers kept an impressive collection of luxurious cars in the city, when they traveled to Grandma Jiang's house, they settled for family cars. Grandma Jiang tended to criticize them for squandering a lot of money on these expensive "toys".
"It is better to donate money for charity purposes. There are so many abandoned children in need of a home," she often said. Never mind that the Jiang brothers were committed to donating a certain percentage of their annual income for charity purposes.
Their philanthropic endeavors extended beyond building and assisting many orphanages over the years. They had also financed animal shelters to provide care for stray dogs and cats, making sure that they were well taken care of!
Fang Ruoye took a deep breath before she stepped out of the car, her limbs moving awkwardly toward the villa.
Jiang Wei laughed as he dragged Fang Ruoye by her wrist and held her close.
"Don't be nervous. It's our grandmother. What are you so afraid of?"
Fang Ruoye's face turned slightly pale. She looked up at Jiang Wei nervously.
"I... I just don't want to disappoint my grandmother further..." she helplessly said.
"Oh, Ruoye... you have made a huge mistake seven years ago, and you have already suffered through it for seven years. Recently, nothing you have done can truly be described as disappointing. We are very proud of you, and so is Grandma."
Sitting at the lounge chairs at the verandah, overlooking the garden blooming in front of the villa, were Jiang Yue and Jiang Cheng. For once, they were dressed in casual clothes.
They waved their hands at Jiang Wei, Fang Ruoye, and Luo Xianxian ecstatically upon seeing them.
"Finally!" Jiang Yue shouted.
"Big Brother, do you need to hire a driver? Why are you driving so slow?" Jiang Cheng complained.
Jiang Wei responded by giving Jiang Cheng a small punch on the shoulder.
"I have Ruoye and Xianxian with me. Of course, I need to be careful."
"Uncle Jiang Yue! Uncle Jiang Cheng!" Luo Xianxian shrieked at her two uncles, her cute face full of smiles.
Jiang Yue lifted Luo Xianxian to his arms before he gestured at Fang Ruoye with his chin.
"Ruoye, Grandma is sitting in the solarium. Go and meet her."
Fang Ruoye nodded stiffly. She took a deep breath before she walked toward the solarium, alone.
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Author's note :
Beloved readers, in preparation for the book to get contracted and to fulfill the CQ quota, the chapters will be updated once every two days until the end of May. But in June we shall get two chapters daily ;)
Look forward to it, and please add the book to your library, thank you!