coobybook Chapter 253 We Agreed
Chapter 253 We Agreed
For an entire long afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the study floor, creating dappled patterns of light and shadow.
Zhou Zhengxiong, however, remained seated at his desk like a statue, motionless.
His deep eyes were fixed on the letter in his hand, as if trying to see the writer's face and thoughts through the thin paper.
He would sometimes gently pick up the letter, bring it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, and sometimes slowly put it down, his brows furrowed, lost in thought.
This process repeated itself many times, and it seemed impossible to ever make up one's mind on what to do.
He had read this letter countless times; every word and every sentence was deeply imprinted in his mind.
However, even though he knew the contents by heart, his inner turmoil and hesitation did not diminish in the slightest.
In fact, the letter had been delivered to him more than a month ago.
At the time, he intended to tell his mother the important news in the letter as soon as possible.
But who could have predicted that at that crucial moment, his mother suddenly fell ill for some unknown reason. The illness came on rapidly and became so severe that he had to temporarily keep the news a secret.
And so, the days passed by, dragging on until today.
After a long while, he stood there with a solemn expression, as if he were going through a fierce internal struggle.
Finally, as if he had made a momentous decision, he took a deep breath and resolutely turned to walk slowly toward the backyard.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Zhou had just finished her dinner.
On the elegant dining table sat steaming hot chicken soup wontons, emitting an enticing aroma.
You see, at noon, the old lady enjoyed the braised pork and bamboo shoot soup and yellow croaker noodles that Shen Cao had carefully prepared. The delicious dishes immediately whetted her appetite.
Sure enough, she has already eaten more than half a bowl of chicken soup wontons.
Just as Grandma Zhou was about to put down her bowl with satisfaction, she suddenly noticed her eldest son standing quietly in front of her.
She couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Why did you come here so late?" As she said this, her eyes were full of love and concern.
Because she knew that her eldest son had always been an extremely filial son, especially during the time she was sick, he had been busy taking care of her all day long, and he looked much more haggard.
Zhou Zhengxiong waved his hand, signaling all the servants to leave. Seeing this, Old Madam Zhou understood that her son must have something important to discuss with her.
She gently wiped her mouth, then gave a wink to Zhang Mama beside her. The latter quickly directed the servants to clear away the sumptuous dinner on the table and quietly left the room.
After everyone left, the mother and son slowly moved to the soft couch. Old Mrs. Zhou leaned gracefully against the couch, while Zhou Zhengxiong sat respectfully on a stool to the side.
His eyes were full of concern as he gazed at Old Madam Zhou and asked softly, "Mother, how are you feeling now?"
After a pause, she continued, "I noticed you ate half a bowl of wontons just now. I wonder if you feel any discomfort?"
Grandma Zhou smiled and shook her head, saying gently, "My child, don't worry. I'm much better now and don't feel anything is wrong."
At this point, she frowned slightly, as if she were reproachful, and continued, "If it weren't for that Granny Zhang believing what that little girl said and insisting on not letting me eat more, I would definitely have been able to finish all the remaining wontons!"
Upon hearing his mother's words, Zhou Zhengxiong finally felt relieved.
It seems that my mother's health is not seriously affected. Her previous loss of appetite was mostly due to excessive worry caused by her longing for home.
However, the thought of telling his mother the news made his heart pound, and he hesitated for a moment.
Grandma Zhou seemed to notice his hesitation. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"
Zhou Zhengxiong looked at his mother, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
But Old Mrs. Zhou seemed to sense something. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Is there any news about your aunt?" She had previously instructed her son to find her sister's whereabouts, and for some reason, seeing her son's hesitation, she was quite certain that he had found out something. However, looking at her son, she felt uneasy.
Especially considering her son's hesitant expression just now, she dared not speculate.
But her reddened eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Seeing his mother's expression, Zhou Zhengxiong knew that she had already guessed it.
He took the letter out of his pocket and carefully handed it to his mother.
Grandma Zhou tremblingly took the letter from her son's hand. Looking at the curled edges of the letter, her unease intensified.
Zhou Zhengxiong kept a close eye on his mother's emotions.
Therefore, the moment Mrs. Zhou's body went limp, he quickly got up and supported her.
"Mother, please accept my condolences."
"My aunt in heaven would never see you so heartbroken."
Grandma Zhou couldn't hear her son's voice at all. The letter said that her older sister had passed away from illness more than a month ago.
She was still thinking of going back to Hangzhou to see her older sister one last time. Before the turmoil that year, they had agreed to go back to the old house to celebrate her older sister's 70th birthday. Her older sister would be 70 next month, but what she received was this kind of news.
She never imagined that she would never see her older sister again in this lifetime.
"Sister..." she called out sadly in the direction of Hangzhou.
No wonder she suddenly felt incredibly sad a month ago and felt like crying for no reason.
I miss my hometown terribly and wish I could go back and see it right away.
She has lived in Xin'an County for more than ten years and has long been used to life here.
She didn't know why she suddenly started feeling homesick.
It wasn't until Shen Cao brought her a bowl of yellow croaker noodles that she realized she wasn't homesick at all; she was missing her older sister.
When she was young, her mother passed away early due to illness, and her father was busy going out to work to earn money every day.
She was raised by her older sister since she was a child, and they had a very close relationship.
"Sister, I want to eat your yellow croaker noodles on my birthday."
"Okay, as long as you behave well, I'll make it for you whenever you want to eat it."
"It's a deal then." After saying that, she extended her little finger to make a pinky promise with her older sister.
My older sister once said that once you've made a pinky promise, you have to keep it for life.
Sister, I'll come find you again in my next life and eat the yellow croaker noodles you made yourself.
Seeing his mother's sadness, Zhou Zhengxiong comforted her, saying, "Auntie passed away peacefully without suffering any hardship."
At the Shen Family Restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged glances after hearing Shen Cao's words.
Shen's mother never expected that her daughter would have such an opportunity.
The Zhou family is the richest family in Xin'an County. Everyone in Xin'an County knows the character of Old Madam Zhou. They are very happy that such people want to take Shen Cao as their goddaughter.
However, they still wanted to hear their daughter's opinion on this matter.
"Cao'er, what are you thinking?" Shen's mother asked.
Shen Cao thought for a moment, "Mother, I have never met my grandmother or maternal grandmother since I was a child."
"When I was little, I was very envious of the children in the village who were lying in their grandmothers' arms listening to stories."
"And I met Grandma Zhou yesterday, and I felt especially close to her."
"I really like her, and I'd love to be her granddaughter."
“However, even though I like it, I still want to follow your and Father’s wishes.”
"Because you and Father are my closest relatives."
Shen's mother was deeply moved by Shen Cao's words. Her daughter, whom she had raised, respected her so much, and her Cao'er was still so sensible.
Mrs. Shen looked at Mr. Shen and nodded, "We agree!!"