Shen Qinglan didn't stay at home long; after eating, she went to the hospital with Old Sir Shen. Shen Xitong originally wanted to go with them, but right before they were leaving, she received a call from the orchestra conductor and had no choice but to go to the orchestra's temporary residence first.
When they arrived at the hospital, Granny Shen had just woken up.
"Old woman, we're here," Old Sir Shen said softly to his wife lying on the bed.
"Granny." Shen Qinglan stepped forward, helping Granny Shen adjust her sitting position to make her more comfortable.
"Lanlan, didn't I tell you not to keep coming to the hospital?" Granny Shen held her granddaughter's hand.
Shen Qinglan gave a faint smile, "Today is the weekend; there's no class. I can't rest easy if I don't come to see you."
Granny Shen looked at her lovingly, "Granny is fine. Granny will live a long, long time; I still want to see my Little Qinglan get married and have children."
Shen Qinglan pressed her face against Granny Shen's palm, displaying a rare little-girl-like attitude, "Yes, Granny, you will surely live a long and healthy life."
Old Sir Shen sat on the sofa beside them, watching his wife's increasingly haggard face with a heavy heart. Even though he had prepared for this day for a long time, the pain still struck him deeply when it eventually came.
They say young couples grow old together. He and Granny Shen had weathered many storms over decades, never having a fight because Granny Shen was a true lady and wouldn't engage in quarrels. Besides, their relationship was always good, and even if there were disagreements, they handled them with mutual understanding.
Granny Shen gently stroked her granddaughter's soft black hair and said in a low voice, "Lanlan, Granny wants to eat some osmanthus cake from Zhang's on Dong Street today. Can you get some for Granny?"
Shen Qinglan paused, "Okay." She got up and left the ward.
It wasn't until the footsteps gradually faded that Granny Shen withdrew her gaze from the door and sighed deeply.
Suddenly, she covered her mouth and began to cough violently. Old Sir Shen hurried forward to pat her back, "What's wrong, old woman? Where are you feeling uncomfortable? I'll call the doctor."
As he spoke, he was about to press the bell by the bedside, but Granny Shen stopped him, shaking her head, "I'm fine."
Seeing that Granny Shen indeed stopped coughing, Old Sir Shen didn't insist and fed her a sip of water.
After catching her breath, Granny Shen said, "Old man, my days are numbered."
"Don't say such nonsense," Old Sir Shen was a bit angry, unwilling to hear his wife speak such discouraging words.
Granny Shen, however, was quite open-minded, holding Old Sir Shen's hand. She looked so thin, the illness having tormented her to the point where she was practically skin and bones.
"I know my own body better than you. Reaching this age and having a caring husband, filial sons, and obedient grandchildren, I've had no worries all my life. Living like this is enough. But, old man, there's still one thing on my mind."
Old Sir Shen's eyes were red. He tightened his grip on his wife's hand, "Tell me, I'll take care of it for you."
"My Lanlan, this child's temperament is cold. She left home when she was young and lived a hard life. We didn't take good care of her, which made her suffer and endure so much. It's our fault."
"Old woman, I know. I will cherish Lanlan and make up for everything she missed."
Granny Shen shook her head, "That's not what worries me the most. Lanlan doesn't get along well with her mother. Yun Rong hasn't had it easy all these years either. I can't say much, but Lanlan is innocent. Seeing her like this makes my heart ache."
Granny Shen clutched her chest, her eyes filled with true compassion.
"My granddaughter is so outstanding, so beautiful, she should have been treated like a little princess but was separated from us for more than ten years. Now that my time is running out, all I want is to see my granddaughter happy and find someone who truly loves her, cherishes her, and protects her for a lifetime."
Tears rolled down Granny Shen's aged face, falling onto the intertwined hands of Old Sir Shen and Granny Shen.
The warm liquid stung Old Sir Shen's heart.
"Old woman, rest assured, I will definitely find someone who loves, cherishes, and protects Lanlan. Leave it to me." Old Sir Shen looked at his wife and solemnly promised.
Outside the ward, footsteps softly echoed, and this time, they finally faded away while the two old people inside the ward remained unaware.
When Shen Qinglan returned, she didn't find Granny Shen and Grandpa Shen inside the ward. She learned from the nurse that Old Sir Shen had taken his wife downstairs.
She found the two elders in the garden.
At that moment, Old Sir Shen was pushing his wife for a walk. The glow of the setting sun cast long shadows on them.
Old Sir Shen's face held a smile; it was unclear what he had said to Granny Shen, who wore a look of nostalgia.
Shen Qinglan didn't approach them but stood silently, quietly watching the figures of the two elders.
Holding hands and growing old together, this phrase was easy to say but hard to achieve.
In this world, misunderstandings, temptations, death... so many factors cause lovers who should have grown old together to part ways. But from Old Sir Shen and Granny Shen, she had, for the first time, a profound sense of these words.
Before long, Old Sir Shen was unable to push anymore and sat down in a chair, holding his wife's hand, "Old woman, I'm old and useless; I can't even push you anymore."
Granny Shen smiled gently, "You're full of white hair now, so how can you not be old? I still remember when I first met you, you were just a young fellow. In the blink of an eye, we've both grown old."
Mentioning memories of their youth, Grandpa Shen shed his usual seriousness, smiling, "You're talking about me? Back then, you were just a little girl. Just because I picked a few peaches from your family's tree, you climbed up the tree to catch me yourself and couldn't get down."
Granny Shen was embarrassed by Grandpa Shen's mention of the past and gave him a playful glare.
Although her face was full of wrinkles, making such an expression now was far from beautiful, but Old Sir Shen seemed to see his wife's youthful, cute look again.
"Old man, take me home. I don't want to stay in the hospital anymore," Granny Shen suddenly said.
Old Sir Shen was stunned, immediately understanding the meaning behind his wife's words.
"Don't I understand my own body? In my final days, I just want to be with you all. The hospital is too cold; I don't want to stay."
Old Sir Shen was silent for a long time, finally nodding under his wife's expectant gaze.
"Grandpa, Granny, there you are; I've been looking for you for a long time." Shen Qinglan walked over at the right moment.
Old Sir Shen told Shen Qinglan about Granny Shen's decision. Shen Qinglan just looked quietly at Grandpa Shen and Granny, then agreed. If this was Granny's final wish, she chose to respect it.