Chapter 166: He Has Liked You for Many Years
"It’s you?"
Grace Winslow recognized her at a glance. It was the same old woman whose house she had looked at before. Her husband’s surname was Forrest, though Grace hadn’t yet asked for her first name. But what was the old woman doing at her house? And from the looks of it, she seemed to be on good terms with Irene Lynch?
"Mom?" Grace looked at Irene Lynch, confused.
Irene Lynch was also puzzled, not expecting Grace to know the old woman. She wiped her hands. "Why are you back at this hour?"
"You and Dad weren’t back when Joy and I came home last night. I was worried, so I found some time to come check on you. Mom, what’s going on? Are you hiding something from me?" Grace explained, then glanced at the old woman sitting in the courtyard.
The old woman still looked listless and her complexion was poor. Grace worried she might have a medical episode at any moment.
"Ms. Forrest lives alone. I happened to find her collapsed on the side of the road when I was out shopping for groceries, so I helped her."
"Seeing her all alone with no one to look after her, I couldn’t rest easy, so I started checking on her at her house whenever I had time. Last night, after your dad and I went with Sean to look at desks and chairs, we stopped by to see her on our way back. We didn’t expect her to have an episode and pass out. We rushed her to the hospital, which is why we got back so late."
"I was worried something else might happen to her, so I invited her to stay here for a while. That way, I can keep an eye on her."
"She’s not a bad person. Don’t listen to the nonsense people are saying. She’s a very good person."
"Grace, you’re not mad that I kept this from you, are you?" Irene Lynch asked, worried Grace would disapprove of her helping the old woman.
But she just couldn’t bear to see the old woman all by herself.
The old woman might be ill-tempered, but she wasn’t a bad person at heart.
Grace looked helpless. "When have I ever been mad at you for something like this? But this is a big deal. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have at least been prepared."
"She can stay here. Get a room ready for her. If there’s anything you can’t handle on your own, come find me at the university."
"Do you have enough money? If not, I can give you some."
"Enough, enough, more than enough! You gave me several thousand before, and I still have plenty left." Hearing Grace’s words, Irene Lynch’s face lit up with a smile.
"Ms. Forrest, this is my daughter, Grace Winslow. She’s a student at Crestwood University."
Grace smiled and greeted the old woman.
The old woman maintained her usual look of someone who couldn’t be bothered with anyone, offering neither of them a pleasant expression.
Grace looked helpless.
Irene Lynch, however, didn’t seem to mind. "Ms. Forrest, I’ll get a room ready for you in a bit. There’s one in the back with good light and ventilation."
"Don’t try to butter me up. I have nothing now. You won’t get anything from me, so there’s no need." The old woman snorted, her tone harsh.
Hearing this, Irene Lynch just smiled, unbothered. "I’m not after anything. My husband said he used to know your husband and was fortunate enough to be under his care. It’s no trouble for me to look after you. With just one more mouth to feed in the house, what could I possibly want from you?"
"I have sons and a daughter. My daughter is filial, I have money... I don’t lack a single thing."
The old woman sat with a stony face, saying nothing.
Grace pulled Irene Lynch aside. "Has she always been like this?"
"Not always. She can be more reasonable at times. She’s not in good health, she’s getting on in years, and her family went through what they did. It’s normal for her to be a bit wary of people, so just be patient with her. Her husband was your father’s old boss," Irene Lynch explained in a hushed voice, afraid Grace would misunderstand and want to kick the woman out.
Grace knew her mother was dead set on letting the woman stay.
She knew it was pointless to try and persuade her otherwise.
"Alright, then. If everything’s fine at home, I’ll head back to class. My afternoon is packed. If you need anything, come to the university and have someone at the gate tell the guard," Grace said with a nod. After giving her instructions, she turned and left.
Irene Lynch saw her to the door.
When she returned, she saw the old woman still sitting there with a sour expression. She sighed and sat down across from her. "Ma’am, we all have to look forward in life."
"I know what you went through was probably devastating, and you still haven’t moved on from it. Your body will never get better if you’re always sad and heartbroken. The doctor said you need to stay optimistic and cheerful, or else something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."
"There’s no obstacle in life that can’t be overcome. My life used to be even harder than yours, and look at me now. I’m doing just fine, aren’t I?"
"My daughter, at such a young age, fell for the wrong person. She was deceived and married a bad man. But now, she’s gotten into university, hasn’t she? She’ll have the brightest future ahead of her and won’t be troubled by the past anymore."
"You shouldn’t always dwell on the unhappy things from the past. Try to think about happy things more."
The old woman looked at Irene Lynch. Sometimes she couldn’t understand what this woman in front of her had to be so happy about.
It seemed that every time they met, there was a smile on her face.
She seemed so happy.
She had a husband who was very good to her, a filial and sensible daughter, and two sons. Though she’d never met them, she imagined they were filial as well.
She, too, was once this happy, with a perfect family.
But unfortunately, everything changed overnight.
Some things you could never go back to.
She didn’t trust anyone.
Her entire family had been destroyed by people they once trusted.
’How could someone be kind to a stranger for no reason?’
’If someone is giving something, they must want something in return.’
’The only thing I have left that anyone could possibly want is that house.’
It wasn’t as if no one had tried to get on her good side lately. She had driven them all away with a scowl.
Irene Lynch was an exception.
She never seemed to take your insults to heart. No matter how much you hurt her, she always showed you kindness and a smile.
The old woman averted her gaze, closed her eyes, and stopped looking at her.
’What a fool, happy all day for no reason.’
On her way, Grace ran into Sean York.
Sean York stopped his bicycle and greeted her. "Comrade Grace, are you heading back to the university?"
"Yes. And you?" Grace nodded.
"Looking for new listings! Our line of work isn’t easy. We have to go door-to-door, asking and negotiating. How else can we find properties to show clients?" Sean York replied with a smile.
He seemed quite happy about it.
Grace shook her head. "Oh. Well, I’m heading back to the university."
"By the way, Archer went back to his military base. Did you know?" Sean York was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and asked.
Grace’s steps faltered. She was silent for a moment before replying, "No, I didn’t."
"His job is pretty dangerous. He’s almost lost his life several times. Actually, I’ve known about you for a long time. He’s liked you for many years. As for that business with the Quinn family... maybe he didn’t handle it well. But the engagement between the two families was officially called off. I never thought the Quinns could be so shameless. Now that they see Archer has risked his life to build a career and gain some status, they’re trying to cling to him and force a connection."
"It’d be a real shame if you two broke up over this." Sean York looked at Grace. He knew he probably shouldn’t be saying these things, but he couldn’t help himself.
Grace didn’t turn back. She stood there for a long while before replying faintly, "I’m going."