Su Ruan walked out to the garden again before she answered the phone call. "Grandpa, happy new year!"
The person who called her at this time was her maternal grandfather, Ma Hao Dong.
The old man laughed happily as he heard his granddaughter's voice. "Su Ruan, happy new year."
"Grandpa, I was planning to call you a while later," Su Ruan said. "I didn't expect that you would call me first."
"Are you sure it's not that you have forgotten to call me?" Ma Hao Dong joked.
"Grandpa, that's not true. I was busy helping around my grandmother earlier," Su Ruan said.
"I know. Grandpa was only joking." Ma Hao Dong laughed happily and the two of them began to chat happily about their new year activity.
Her grandpa mentioned that the house was full of his young grandchildren that he decided to find a quiet place to relax. This was how he had found a chance to call Su Ruan.
"How's my mother? I haven't got the chance to call her yet." Su Ruan held her phone tighter as she recalled her mother.
"She's fine. She's busy helping your grandma to entertain the guests," Ma Hao Dong said. "You know how it is… D Town is a small place. Our neighbors are very close. Just now, a few of them come over to play mahjong."
"You're not playing with them?"
"Your grandma keeps saying that I am going to lose a lot of money. She won't let me play."
Su Ruan laughed as she imagined her grandma scolding her grandpa and how her grandpa would pull that pitiful puppy look on his face.
"Is your grandfather getting better?" Ma Hao Dong asked.
A while ago, Su Ruan had mentioned that her paternal grandfather fell down the stairs and had to stay home to recuperate.
"Mmm… His condition is getting better," Su Ruan said. "The doctor said that he needs a lot of rest to fully recover."
"That's good. That's good."
Ma Hao Dong heaved a sigh. It seemed that he had something to say but was reluctant to say them out loud.
"Grandpa, what is it? Is there something you wanted to say to me?"
Ma Hao Dong pursed his lips into a thin line. "Grandpa just missed you too much."
He wanted to ask again when would she be willing to come to D Town and visit him and her grandmother. However, Ma Hao Dong did not want to pressure his granddaughter too much.
If he kept asking, perhaps, Su Ruan would find him annoying.
Later, it would be difficult for him to see her again.
Ma Hao Dong and his wife had many grandchildren and they loved Su Ruan all the same. But because Su Ruan's parents were divorced, Ma Hao Dong would try to pay more attention to Su Ruan.
He would always worry about her and wanted her to live life happily.
However, it was hard for him to find out if Su Ruan was happy as she live far away when she decided to stay with her father. Moreover, this girl was very good at hiding her feelings and she was too considerate of the people around her.
Sometimes, Ma Hao Dong really wished that Su Ruan would be a little selfish and throw some tantrums to get her parents' attention.
"Grandpa, I missed you and grandma a lot as well." Her voice was soft as she spoke.
At this moment, Su Ruan suddenly thought about the dilemma that she has been having for the past few days.
Her grandpa had often asked her to come and visit him in D Town. Then, she would often give her excuse, telling him that she was too busy with work.
However, she had now lost her job and had her heart broken by that man that she had loved for years.
Capital City gave her bad memories that she was not willing to return to that place at this time.
After she returned to F City to visit her paternal grandfather, Su Ruan had decided to take a break and figure out what she wanted to do next.
However, she couldn't stay in F City. First, she did not want her paternal grandparents to worry. Second, she found that seeing her stepmother and stepsiblings made her feel a little uncomfortable.
Since her grandpa had often asked her to visit D Town, perhaps, this would be a good time… right?
Su Ruan cleared her throat and spoke, "Grandpa, you often invited me to visit you and grandma in D Town. Is that invitation still valid?"
Ma Hao Dong's expression froze. For a few seconds, he had thought that he had misheard things. Su Ruan would always give him excuses whenever he asked her to come over.
But this time, it was her who had mentioned this matter?
"What invitation?" Ma Hao Dong finally spoke after a few seconds of silence. His voice contained a hint of excitement as he spoke. "Su Ruan, you are welcome to come over to my place whenever you want to. Your grandma and I will always welcome you."
Her lips tilted up into a smile. Su Ruan had not thought that her grandpa would be this happy when she mentioned this matter to him.
"Then, how about I visit you and stay there for a while?"
"Of course. Of course. We would be happy to see you. Just tell me when are you coming. I will ask your grandmother to prepare some of your favorite food."
Su Ruan laughed happily as she listened to her grandpa's enthusiasm. At the same time, she was relieved that she finally found a place where she could escape.
She had always lived in the city. Perhaps a change of air is what she needed and staying with her maternal grandparents in D Town would be a good thing for her.
"Then, I will come over and visit you after the festivity is over, is that alright with you?"
"That's good. At that time, your cousins had all returned to their homes. There will be only me and your grandma. It's good that we will have you to accompany us," Ma Hao Dong could not hide his excitement. "Later, I will show you around. Su Ruan, I think you are going to love this town"