Chapter 196: Meeting
Su Zhaozhao grew excited at the thought of meeting the original host’s grandparents.
When the bus reached her stop, Su Zhaozhao got off and followed the route from her memory. She wove through several streets and, after a dozen or so minutes, finally arrived at a house.
It was a large home, situated right next to the moat in Jiang City.
The house was built in an old style and had a small courtyard. It was quite a sizable property, a clear sign that the original host’s mother came from a wealthy family.
’No wonder the original host’s mother was so eager to cut ties. Rich people like this really are easy to get entangled with!’
As Su Zhaozhao stood at the door, a memory of the original host’s childhood suddenly flashed through her mind.
Her parents had brought her here to offer New Year’s greetings, and many people had held her in their arms.
She recalled that the original host also had two maternal uncles, as well as older male and female cousins.
’It’s been so many years. I wonder how they’re all doing.’
Shaking off her thoughts, Su Zhaozhao raised her hand and knocked on the door.
After a moment, the door opened from the inside. A small, thin old man wearing reading glasses opened it. His gaze fell on Su Zhaozhao and froze.
After a long pause, he spoke, his voice tentative. "Zhaozhao?"
"Grandpa." Su Zhaozhao gave him a radiant and sweet smile.
She couldn’t stop tears from welling in her eyes.
’The resemblance is uncanny, truly uncanny,’ Su Zhaozhao marveled inwardly. This old man in front of her looked exactly like her own grandfather.
"Oh, it really is Zhaozhao!" Xu Yingmin immediately opened the door wider and let her in.
He called into the house, "Chunhong, come see who’s here!"
Su Zhaozhao saw an old woman walk out from inside the house. Her gaze landed on Su Zhaozhao and froze.
"Zhaozhao..."
Soon, the old woman who looked so much like her own grandmother from her previous life came walking out.
Su Zhaozhao couldn’t hold back any longer. She ran forward and threw her arms around her. "Grandma!"
Li Chunhong was startled; she hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to hug her the moment they met. But then she heard the hint of a sob in Su Zhaozhao’s voice.
A pang of sorrow struck her heart.
"Zhaozhao, it’s alright, it’s alright now. Have you been through a lot out there? You can tell Grandma all about it."
Su Zhaozhao had been wondering how she would face them when she returned.
She worried they would scold her, worried they would drive her away.
But she never, ever expected them to accept her so quickly.
’But hadn’t the original host’s mother ruthlessly cut ties with them? And besides, the original host had said many heartless things to them as a child.’
Yet here they were, choosing to forgive her unconditionally.
Seeing her about to cry, they just assumed she had been bullied.
Su Zhaozhao let go of Li Chunhong and shook her head. "No, I’m just so happy to see you."
She didn’t need to act at all. Facing these two faces that looked exactly like her own grandparents, how could she not feel emotional?
’She had no idea what was going on with this world. Was it because the original host’s role in the novel was too minor, so none of this was ever mentioned? So, whenever she unlocked a new part of the story, did it substitute in people she knew from her real life? That’s just too weird...’
But she pushed the thoughts aside. Looking at the two kind and gentle old people before her, she did her best to keep smiling.
Li Chunhong took Su Zhaozhao’s hand and led her inside.
Meanwhile, Xu Yingmin was off to the side, boiling water for tea.
"Zhaozhao, what brings you here all of a sudden? Did your father allow it?"
Xu Yingmin couldn’t help but ask. If he remembered correctly, the reason Su Zhaozhao hadn’t contacted them before was that she’d said she didn’t want to make her father sad.
So after that, they stopped trying to contact her.
But now, looking at Su Zhaozhao’s face, which so resembled their deceased youngest daughter, their hearts softened nonetheless.
’This child... she lost her mother at such a young age and had to survive under a stepmother. It couldn’t have been easy.’
"I don’t need their permission. Grandpa, Grandma, I’m married now. Did you know?"
Su Zhaozhao took a sip of the hot tea. The fragrant taste of green tea instantly refreshed her.
It calmed her nerves considerably.
"Married?" Li Chunhong’s head snapped toward Su Zhaozhao. "When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?"
"It’s... the grandson of my grandfather’s old comrade-in-arms. We had a childhood betrothal. My dad and stepmom were treating me poorly, you see, so I ran away to West State to marry him. I came back this time specifically to tell you about it."
"You’re being completely reckless!" Li Chunhong frowned. "Even if it was a childhood betrothal, do you even know what kind of person he is?"
’He’s the male lead,’ Su Zhaozhao thought. ’What’s there to find out? The fact that he’s the protagonist is enough. He’s definitely a good person.’
But she didn’t know how to explain this to her grandparents.
"He’s a very, very good person. He’s a soldier who defends our country!" Su Zhaozhao said. "Don’t worry. He’s on a mission in Jiang City right now, though I’m not sure when he’ll be back. But he said that as soon as he returns, he’ll come visit you right away."
"So you’re saying you came all the way from West State?" Xu Yingmin asked, looking at Su Zhaozhao.
Su Zhaozhao nodded and proceeded to tell them what Su Dashan and Zhang Fengxia had done, adding her own apologies for the past.
"Grandpa, Grandma, after my mom passed away, you wanted to take me in. I knew you were good to me, but I was young at the time, and my dad had me fooled. I said some awful things, and I’m really sorry."
’No matter what,’ Su Zhaozhao thought, ’it was right to admit to past mistakes.’
"It’s fine, we know. You were just a child, how could we hold it against you?" Xu Yingmin said. "We knew your father must have put you up to it. But he is your biological father, and we’re just your grandparents. We couldn’t interfere." As he spoke, the thought of Su Dashan trying to sell Su Zhaozhao for a good price made him furious.
"It’s just... I never imagined that Su Dashan could be such a scoundrel. You’re his own daughter, yet he could do something so outrageous! It’s despicable!"
"It’s okay, it’s all in the past now," Su Zhaozhao told them.
"You’ve been on a train for three days and three nights. Why don’t you get some rest? Chunhong, go prepare a guest room so Zhaozhao can sleep."
"You’re being too kind..." Su Zhaozhao said quickly. She had originally planned to stay at a guesthouse.
This place wasn’t like West State; there were plenty of guesthouses and even some proper hotels to choose from.
"Don’t say things like that." Li Chunhong glanced at Su Zhaozhao. "You silly child, we’re family. You should be staying at home with us!"
Their hearts ached for Su Zhaozhao. This child, who seemed so mischievous when she was little, was now so reserved and cautious.
’They couldn’t imagine what she must have been through all these years.’
Su Zhaozhao took a shower. Just as she was about to go to sleep, she heard a voice from the doorway: "Grandpa, Grandma, I’m here!"