Upon leaving Chuyuan Hotel, instead of returning to Northern Group’s headquarters, Ling Ruonan headed directly to a courtyard house near the Imperial City.
She sat in an Audi A8 that was positioned in the middle of a 3-car convoy. The two cars that drove in front and behind her vehicle were both of the same model, both being Mercedes S600s. The convoy slowed to a walking pace as they moved past the compound gates, which were as heavily guarded as a fortress prepared for war. An armed policeman standing guard at the gateway raised his hand to salute the middle car before lifting the barrier, thereby permitting their entry.
The cars then rolled into the compound of an aged courtyard house.
Wu Yue, who sat in the front passenger seat, hastily got out of the car to open the door for Ling Ruonan.
Ling Ruonan straightened out her clothes after stepping out of the car. Standing in front of the majestic building, she took a few breaths to regain her composure before slowly making her way in through the front door.
“Oh, Nan Nan’s here?”
An old, but finely aged lady shuffled out with a welcoming smile upon learning of her daughter’s arrival. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you. Are you finally done with your never-ending work?”
She was none other than Ling Ruonan’s mother, Xie Enhua.
“Mother, I was passing by so I thought I’d drop by for a short visit. I’ve come to see grandpa but I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” When Ling Ruonan spoke to her mother, the menacing air around her faded away, leaving nothing but the image of a pure, obedient daughter who was currently holding her mother’s hand lovingly. “Is father also inside?”
“Your grandfather’s condition has been lackluster for the past few days so your father and I have been coming here everyday to check up on him.” Xie Enhua knew that there must’ve been some issue that prompted her daughter to come visit her old man, so she decided to cut straight to the chase. “Both grandpa and your father are inside. You go in first. I’ll go cut up some fruits for you.”
“Okay,” said Ling Ruonan while nodding. Letting go of her mother’s hand, she moved into the room they spoke of.
This courtyard house that was situated near the Imperial City was where Ling Ruonan’s grandfather, Ling Jinhua, lived.
As of this year, Ling Jinhua was at the ripe old age of ninety. His birthday was in two months’ time. And so, the Ling family had been preparing for the great event that was the old man’s 90th birthday.
As Ling Jinhua’s health was not at its best, Ling Ruonan’s father, Ling Mingrui, had been visiting his father everyday to make sure that his condition remained stable.
Ling Mingrui’s workplace was situated nearby too, which made it more convenient to do so.
As Ling Ruonan had expected her father to be here, she came here directly after seeing Ouyang Feifei at Chuyuan Hotel.
Ling Jinhua was speaking to his son quietly when she entered the room.
Both Ling Jinhua’s hair and his long, flowing beard was snow white, although there were only a few countable strands of hair left on his shiny scalp. His severely balding look paired with his failing condition made him look as if he had been sapped completely of his vitality. His condition was best described as a flickering candle that was soon to blow out.
Ling Mingrui was 66 years old. His career had once reached a height that no ordinary person could ever hope to match, let along surpass, in his lifetime. Because of his high social standing, he emanated a powerful aura that would make average Joes start sweating nervously whenever they were in his presence.
Just like how she was with her mother, Ling Ruonan let down the air of superiority she kept around her when she spoke to her father who was knelt down beside Ling Jinhua’s bed.
“Grandpa, Father, I’m home.” Ling Ruonan greeted them as soon as she entered the room.
“Ruonan’s here!” announced Ling Mingrui to his father with a smile. “Pa, Ruonan’s here to see you!”
“Has your condition improved, grandpa?” Ling Ruonan walked briskly over to her grandfather’s bedside and like her father, she knelt down. “If you’re feeling unwell, you absolutely must order for the doctor to be changed.”
“There ain’t a need for that. I’m dying of old age. Soon, I’ll get to see my comrades on the other side. Soon.” Ling Jinhua waved his hand as a gesture for Ling Ruonan to not be too concerned about him. “Sickness and death are both inevitable facts of life. It ain’t worth your effort making a fuss out of this.”
“But grandpa, you’re not old. I have faith that you’ll get back up if I manage to find you a better doctor.”
Ling Jinhua again, waved his hand to stop his granddaughter from doing such a futile act.
“Ruonan, did something happen today for you to come here?” Ling Mingrui knew his daughter well enough that he could almost read her mind.
“Grandpa, Father, I’ve brought Ziling over to live with me.” Now that her father has initiated the topic, Ling Ruonan gritted her teeth as she made herself clear. “We have been living apart for over 20 years now. Is our punishment not bad enough already? I have never even seen his face, not ever since he was taken away when he was merely 3 months old. You should know how devastated I was back then. I no longer wish to live like this. I am adamant that we live together from now on.”
Ling Ruonan’s tears started rolling down her cheeks uncontrollably upon making her statement.
“No way.” Ling Mingrui rejected her decision without thinking twice. “You have already crossed the line when you allowed him to study at Yenching University. Why are you so hard to satisfy?”
“But father, did you know that my boy almost died under someone’s gun today?” Ling Ruonan always lost her cool composure whenever she started speaking about anything that was even remotely related to Luo Ziling. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go on living if something bad were to happen to him.”
“An eagle that has braved the winds and storms will surely soar higher than the sheltered bramble finches,” said Ling Jinhua with his eyes closed.
Ling Ruonan was momentarily stunned by her grandfather’s words.
“What your grandpa is trying to say is that the eagle must overcome his own obstacles, else he’d become nothing but a bramble finch. That son of yours has a lot more to learn from life, especially at his age!”
Ling Ruonan went silent.
She understood what they meant.
Still, she found their opinion to be an impossible pill to swallow. Not daring to insist on her decision, she put forth another suggestion. “If that’s so, I would like to meet him personally. As a mother, is my request to see my own son, who I have never met since he was a baby, too much?”
Ling Mingrui shook his head. With a serious tone, he turned her down. “For the second half of this year and the first half of the coming year, there will be frequent personnel changes. Both your grandpa and I do not hope to stir up trouble during such a crucial moment.”
Ling Ruonan was at a loss for words. Gradually, the look in her eyes dullened.
“The Yang family is still bitter about what had happened. Their eyes have never moved away from you, even after so many years. For now, they still aren’t aware of what you had done with your son. If you wish to see your son alive, then it’s best to leave things as they are. That is of course, unless he possesses something that he could use to fend against the Yang family’s attacks.”
Hope emerged in Ling Ruonan’s heart as soon as her ears picked up on her father’s last sentence.
“Grandpa, Father, I understand now.” Both of them were not against bringing Luo Ziling back home. However, they wanted her son to experience life’s challenges firsthand so that he could grow as a person. Be patient and he should be allowed back into their home one day.
Finally, her pumping heart settled down.
After twenty years, she finally saw some change in her elders’ attitudes. As a mother, how could she not be excited about this?
Although they remained silent, both her grandfather and her father had consented to Luo Ziling being brought to Yenching University to further his studies. Hearing what they had to say today, she could feel the distance between her and her son gradually grow shorter. For the first time in forever, the idea of them sitting around the dinner table was no longer so far-fetched.
When she started thinking about that handsome man from 20 years ago, as well as the young man who was just beyond her reach now, she found it hard to calm herself down.
Ling Ruonan was sobbing so hard that she couldn’t speak when she exited her grandfather’s room.