1107 Expect The Unexpected
Things we really want to avoid tend to find us eventually. Even though Song Xin'ai was clear about this, she still didn't expect to run into Elder Xiang so soon. If possible, she didn't want to face him.
For a moment, she couldn't decide whether to run or stay.
"It's so good to see you here, Professor Song," said Grandfather Xiang. And he wasn't being sarcastic at all. She couldn't tell what mood he was in to see her here because all she saw was kindness on his face.
That's odd.
Once upon a time, he was so majestic and intimidating that she dared not even look into his eyes. But now, he looked like a kind old man? What a surprise.
But thinking about what he had gone through in his life, it wasn't all that surprising too. He had gone through so many phases of life. Losing all his family when he was young, losing his ability to walk, and being unable to defend his country, he even had to lose his own wife.
He went through all of that and still didn't fall.
Since he could still maintain that gentleness and kindness, it showed how great of a person he was. Perhaps, that's why she found it so difficult to come in front of him again.
"Elder Xiang," she called out with a forced smile that looked very ugly.
Grandfather Xiang was a little surprised. He thought whether he was so used to understanding Raelle that now, it seemed he was able to see through Song Xin'ai's emotions too or was she that easy to see through after all these years.
But he had to say, facing her after so long, he was actually very calm. And the credit he had to give Raelle. For no other reason but that once he figured out how Raelle was similar to Song Xin'ai, it became very easy for him to understand this ex-daughter-in-law of his.
He used to think she was a person very difficult to understand but it didn't seem to be true.
"I heard you came and I waited that you'd come to greet me but I waited and waited and waited some more yet I didn't see you coming. So, here I am to see you myself," said Grandfather Xiang in a joking manner.
Song Xin'ai lowered her head feeling a bit ashamed, "I'm sorry for that. I thought you wouldn't wanna see me and be reminded of all the bad things on this happy day."
Grandfather Xiang shook his head at her. See? She was so quick in apologizing once she knew she was at fault. It was just like his darling Raelle.
"You sure it's not because you didn't want to see me?"
Song Xin'ai looked up at him, "How is that possible? Elder Xiang, trust me, that's not the case."
Grandfather Xiang smiled at her, "Xin'ai, how come you're still so cautious in life?"
Song Xin'ai pursed her lips, "Some traits are shaped when we are young. It's almost impossible to change after that."
Grandfather Xiang nodded his head at her and sighed, "I'm really glad that you came. Thank you for coming today!"
"Raelle invited me," she told him still in disbelief. "I didn't think she will invite me on her big day. I'm really happy she did."
"You should expect the unexpected from our Yenay," said Grandfather Xiang. "At times, she reminded me of you a lot."
Song Xin'ai shook her head, "She is not me, Elder Xiang. She is better than me. And I'm very glad about that too. The way you nurtured her is remarkable. I can't be more thankful that she had an elder like you beside her to protect her uniqueness."
Grandfather Xiang noticed the tears brimming in her eyes but those tears didn't fall. They just made her eyes look watery and a little more lonely.
"You're right. Chenyan did her best to protect Raelle's eccentricity."
Song Xin'ai smiled in relief. She knew they must have done their best. That's why she told Raelle that the biggest difference between them was that one was shaped with love and one with indifference. There had to be some difference between them.
No one was there to protect or support her uniqueness but Raelle was different from her. She had the support and love of these people who weren't willing to change her or shape her into something that would fit into the definition of 'normal' around here.
"You don't have to be so scared of me," said Grandfather Xiang. "Honestly speaking, I don't hate you or blame you for anything."
"Really?" she asked uncertainly. She couldn't actually believe it. She thought she was the real culprit for a lot of tragedies that happened to the Xiang family over two decades ago. So, how could he calmly say that he didn't hate her or blame her?
"Really," assured Grandfather Xiang. "Do you think I have time for playing the hate or blame game? If I continued to hate this or that person, wouldn't I be shortening my own life? And believe me, I still want to live for a little while longer. I haven't seen my great-grandkids yet. I have to see them before going to meet my old wife in the underworld. Otherwise, she definitely won't talk to me for being a disappointment who left too soon."
Song Xin'ai wiped the tear from the corner of her eye as she smiled at his words. She could actually vividly see Old Madam Xiang looking at Elder Xiang with disappointment. Even if public display of affection wasn't a thing back then, this old couple could still make anyone feel like a light bulb standing between them.
From his words, she could tell that he really missed his wife but he still didn't blame her. Because of the family, she grew up in, she was actually unable to ever understand the people in the Xiang family. But one thing was for sure, this family really provided her with the warmth that she lacked in her life.
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