Raelle brought Grandfather Xiang home and took him straight to his bedroom to rest for a while. He had been out in the sun for a while. Although basking in sun was good for his health, he couldn't stay in the sun for too long.
As Raelle helped him to the bed, Grandfather Xiang kept saying, "This isn't your job. There are people who can do this. Stop tiring yourself."
"I am quite strong," said Raelle.
Grandfather Xiang looked at her helplessly, "I know. I know my Raelle is very strong but this is really not your job."
"I'm just taking care of my grandfather," was the only response she gave and that was enough of an explanation even for Grandfather Xiang who stopped talking about this.
Raelle fixed the pillows behind him, put the blanket on his legs, and even poured him a glass of water. Grandfather Xiang silently chose to enjoy his granddaughter's attentive care. This girl might not know how to take care of herself but she was quite good when it came to taking care of others. And that was also because of her attentive nature.
"Raelle," he called out.
"Hm?"
"Sit here with me," said Grandfather Xiang.
Raelle sat down obediently and Grandfather Xiang took her hand in his own. He gazed at her lovingly as he started, "About your siblings..." He didn't know how to continue but he didn't have to either since Raelle was more than capable to understand where he was going with this.
"I have no opinions," Raelle told him. "I never did. The fact that their surname is Xiang already gives them as much right to be here with you as I do. I can't possibly have any opinions on that."
Grandfather Xiang patted her hand, "Indeed. Our Raelle had always been a sensible child." He took a pause and added, "I just hope you're good to them."
"I'm always good to people," was her response. "It depends on people whether they are able to see my goodness or not. But at the end of the day, I think I'm a very good person."
Grandfather Xiang chuckled and nodded at her, "Yes, how can I forget that. What I meant was, give them some time to get used to your personality. I'm sure they both will be very good siblings to you."
"But Opa, what makes you think I need siblings in my life?"
Grandfather Xiang sighed, "I know you don't. But I want some peace of mind. I don't want to leave you alone."
"Isn't that why you found me a husband to make my own family?" asked Raelle. "Now why do you want to add more people into my life?"
"More the merrier," Grandfather Xiang replied.
"No, more spells for trouble and I've never been fond of trouble," said Raelle. "You and I both know I'm fine with what I have." She took a pause and looked straight at him, "You should stop thinking about it and take better care of yourself. I still need you to continue patting my head for a long while."
Grandfather Xiang felt his eyes burning when he heard that. One couldn't expect the words of love from her but how could he not feel this love from whatever she said?
"I'm not going anywhere," he rubbed her head lovingly. "But I still want you to give Weimin and Wai a chance. Don't rigidly close yourself off."
"Then Opa, why don't you give your son a chance?" asked Raelle and stunned Grandfather Xiang. "You say it's not Xiang Weimin or Xiang Wai's fault that they hadn't been in our life. But do you think it was Xiang Hulin's fault that I almost lost my life right after birth? If we think about it, he was pretty innocent in that matter as well."
Grandfather Xiang's expressions changed once he heard that and he was left just staring at this darling of his family. How could she even say something like that? It pained him to see that even though she was the wronged party, she was still willing to think about everything so rationally. That lack of emotion within her was always something that worried him.
"But I can't break a promise I made to your grandmother on her deathbed," said Grandfather Xiang after much difficulty.
"Opa, I have a question." Grandfather Xiang had a bad feeling about this. Her questions were never good. And he was proven right when she asked, "Is it important to break a promise to save a person, or is it more important to keep a promise by breaking a person?" Grandfather Xiang was left speechless because he couldn't answer that question. "Is the dead more important or the living?" She asked further. "For the regrets of a dead person, is it okay to throw someone into a living hell for a lifetime?"
"I never had answers to your questions and I still don't," he told her. "Because I can't think like you, Raelle. You see the world in a way, I won't be able to. Even though I've lived longer than you, I'm willing to admit that I might not be better than you."
"Opa, you've always been the best to me," said Raelle. "I was just questioning. You don't have to answer it. I don't mind." She stood up to leave but stopped and said, "But Opa, I do know that grandma didn't want Xiang Hulin to be my father but why did you stop being a father to him?" She didn't wait for an answer and opened the door to leave saying, "Take care. I'll call you for lunch when it's ready."
Grandfather Xiang was left staring at the closed door in a daze. Truth be told, he never had any answers for his granddaughter's questions. She seemed to know how to extract herself from the situation completely and look at it from a rational point of view.. But he wasn't that capable enough to extract his feelings.
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