Chapter 639 - An Eventful Night of the Past
Old Guan weakly turned the photo album's pages.
He smiled while his thin and wrinkled fingers touched his daughter's young face on the photos. Her daughter was still an eight-year-old chubby princess in the picture. She very much looked like Guan Gu Ri and Xixin did when they were little.
The old man nostalgically reminisced the old but fond memories as he turned the pages softly.
On his side were three more photo albums of his grandsons. He also looked through them one by one.
He saw a picture of his daughter and his three grandsons. They were in the garden of the Guan Mansion. Her daughter was smiling while carrying the two-year-old Guan Gao Huan. Guan Gu Ri and Guan Xixin were still small boys who were grinning side by side and holding hands. While the two-year-old Gao Huan wanted to join them, the little boy had no choice but to be carried by his daughter in her arms as the young one was still too young and weak to run around.
Old Guan weakly shook his head while smiling. He remembered that time clearly because he was there.
When his daughter was alive, he spoiled his grandsons so much as a loving grandfather. They were many pictures of them taken, with his daughter and his grandsons, compiled every year.
However, the lively pictures stopped.
On the next page was only him, the young teenager Guan Gu Ri, and the gloomy Guan Xixin.
The old man's heart ached.
Why was he so blinded by rage at that time and abandoned his third grandson? He had really committed such a grave mistake.
His eyes misted over, and he blinked the mist away.
He took the album containing pictures when Guan Gao Huan was still an infant while his daughter was hugging the baby with a big smile.
Unable to take it anymore, he hugged the album to his c.h.e.s.t dully. His mind mourned inwardly for his mistake and asked for forgiveness from his daughter.
Then a picture dropped from the album.
Recovering from his daze, Old Guan put down the album and reached out for the fallen picture.
"Oh, this? It is still here?"
It was an old picture of him and his friends when he was still young.
The head butler heard his murmur from the side. He stepped forward and also took a peek. "Oh, it's you, Headmaster, together with the other headmasters."
Old Guan smiled as he looked at the picture.
In the photo, he, Old Xiong, Old Lu, and Mistress Tang were sitting around a table, smiling. They were still all in their early twenties back then. They were wearing formal clothes and had glasses of wine in their hands. They were happy and lively.
Their background had a group of foreign dancers.
"I remember this night. This photo was taken abroad. Our parents brought us to a business trip overseas while training us in the process... Oh?"
He saw a head of silver in one of the dancers.
Realization hit upon him.
"Oh, come to think of it. This is the night where Old Lu fell in love with Priscilla. Because of that, Old Xiong brought me out to drink and have fun with the other dancers."
Old Guan smiled at the memory.
It was a chaotic night, since Old Lu fell in love at first sight and suddenly announced to them that he would bring back the silver-haired dancer to their country home. His friend, Old Xiong, just gritted his teeth, turned away, and dragged Old Guan to drink.
At that time he did not understand why his taciturn friend suddenly had a bad mood on such a good day. It was only years later when the fight between Old Xiong and Old Lu got intense that he came to know Old Xiong's past relationship with Old Lu's lover.
As the two youngsters drank on that night, Old Guan, who was a healthy young man back then suggested to have fun with the pretty dancers that the event organizer brought. The foreign dancers welcomed them since they were rich young masters. He vaguely remembered that he even spent a night with one of the pretty dancers back then.
He had fun that night while he teased Old Xiong whether he got jealous of Old Lu finding a pretty woman. It was really a fun night, but that was also the start of Old Xiong and Old Lu's internal fight.
"Sigh. I miss those times when I was still young and lively."
The head butler smiled. Recently, the Headmaster became more and more reminiscent of the past.
He looked at the picture again, watched for a long time, and finally commented casually. "Now that I see it closely, Master and Third Young Master Gao Huan looked alike. He very much looked like you."
Old Guan looked at the picture once more. He in his early twenties in the picture indeed very much look like Guan Gao Huan. His nose, the shape of his eyes, and even the shape of his brows all got by Guan Gao Huan. None of his other two grandsons got so much alike by him. They got their features from his wife. "Haha, that's right, he got my handsome looks."
A knock suddenly interrupted. The voice of a butler sounded.
"Head Butler, Third Young Master Gao Huan is here."
The Head Butler and Old Guan exchanged glances.
Guan Gu Ri had just visited them yesterday. After his visit a week ago, he might have found something out as he looked at the old man with worries. But Guan Gu Ri never asked about his condition. After that, Guan Gu Ri would visit daily and bring fruits or delicious food that the old man liked. He even personally cooked them.
Old Guan had no choice but to accept Guan Gu Ri's visit. He also enjoyed his eldest grandson's caring company.
But he never expected the youngest grandson would visit here as well. Did Guan Gu Ri tell the youngest?
The head butler answered the question in the old man's mind. "Based on my understanding of Eldest Young Master Gu Ri, he will never cause trouble for you, Master. Even if he had guesses about your health condition, he will not leak it to the others and cause them to worry at this time, because he understands your wishes."
Old Guan nodded.
Even though the eldest was not very talented, in behavior, he was the kindest and most obedient among his grandsons. Old Guan especially appreciated the eldest in these past few days.
"I know. Let the youngest come in."
Guan Gao Huan entered the room. He was immediately assaulted with a strong medicinal aroma.
It seemed like the old man was doing his best to cure his illness. Nevertheless, there was no antidote for the poison. The old man was bound to die.
"Grandfather." Guan Gao Huan showed his sweetest smile.
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(A/n: Do you remember in volume 1 where Old Lu and Old Xiong reminisced the time when they met Priscilia? Old Lu told his story when he first met Priscilla. That photo was taken that time.)
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