Ye Ling listened to her grandmother’s words and watched her actions, feeling as if her heart was being wrenched out. The jade pendant in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making it impossible for her to lift her hand. "Grandma... since it’s for me, can you keep it for me?" It seemed a voice was constantly telling her that if she accepted the jade pendant, her grandmother would leave her forever. "Sil, child, grandma is getting old, and my memory isn’t good. I’m not sure where I’ll put this thing, and one day it might be lost. You keep it for yourself, and I think it’s best worn close to your skin. Besides, your dad is right; you have to learn to accept that life has its inevitable stages of birth, aging, illness, and death. No one lives without sickness forever. Grandma has lived such a long life, even if I were to pass now and reunite with your grandpa, my heart would be content. Grandma won’t be with you for many more days, so I can only tell you one thing: no matter how you live your life or what you do, as long as you’re true to your conscience, you’re doing the right thing." "Grandma hasn’t seen much of the world and doesn’t know much, but we rural folk have always believed in this principle—to have a conscience. They say suffering is a blessing; suffering doesn’t mean being weak or cowardly, it’s because we understand humility, which broadens our minds. With this mindset, what can be difficult or impossible? Do you think that’s right?" It took Old Mrs. Ye several gasps to finish her sentence. Ye Ling looked on in heartache and nodded vigorously, "Grandma, I remember everything you said." In her struggle, she made a promise, "Grandma, don’t worry. I know what you’re worried about. You must have overheard what I said to my dad, right? Don’t worry, I won’t be impulsive again. No matter how poorly he behaves, it’s because of him that I’m here in this world, and I will always be grateful to him for giving me life." Old Mrs. Ye’s eyes were slightly wet. Her calloused hands gently stroked her granddaughter’s hair, "Silly child, consider all this as life’s whetstone, making you stronger in adversity." Even as she spoke these words, tears were falling in Old Mrs. Ye’s heart. Witnessing the conflict between her son and granddaughter, she felt helpless. She truly feared that once she was no longer in this world, the granddaughter she raised would become a child without a parent’s love. Therefore, under no circumstances could she allow her granddaughter’s relationship with her son to break down. After all, they are her parents, and as long as things don’t turn sour, if anything happens, her son wouldn’t just ignore it. This was the only thing Old Mrs. Ye could do, and knowing that her granddaughter understood her intentions gave her immense comfort. Her granddaughter was not raised in vain and was indeed the one who understood her best. "Keep the jade pendant safe." Having said that, Old Mrs. Ye reminded her, "If others see it, just say you found it. Your mother is biased. If she knows I gave it to you, she will definitely ask you to share it with Ye Qian. It’s not that grandma is biased, but Ye Qian has your dad and mom’s love and won’t lack anything. If I’m not here, you will have to take care of yourself." "Grandma, don’t worry. I will definitely take good care of myself." Ye Ling placed the jade pendant around her neck, tucking it inside her clothes, wearing it close to her skin. Then she held her grandmother’s hand tightly, not letting go, fearing that if she let go, her grandmother would disappear. Old Mrs. Ye looked at her granddaughter tenderly, "Lingzi, you have grown up, and I have nothing to worry about. The money at home is in the cabinet, you know where it is. If something happens to me, take the money and keep it for yourself for school, don’t give it to your parents." "Grandma, I remember." Ye Ling lowered her head, wiping her tears with her clothes on her shoulders. Then she lifted her head, her face resolute, "Grandma, you also have to promise me, take good care of yourself and get better, alright?" "Silly child." Old Mrs. Ye smiled lovingly but didn’t respond. She then looked up to see her son coming in from outside, the smile on her face faded, and she patted her granddaughter’s hand, "You go out, I have a few words to say to your father." Seeing her grandmother act like she was giving her final instructions, Ye Ling dared not leave, but facing her grandmother’s gaze, she didn’t want to make things difficult for her, so she nodded and got up to leave, never once glancing at the person who came in. After hitting his daughter, Ye He Ping calmed down outside, silently blaming himself. He knew that he was feeling guilty for causing his mother’s fainting and wrongly put the blame on his daughter. Realizing what he did, he felt ashamed to face his daughter. However, he couldn’t stop worrying about his mother, so he returned unexpectedly to find that she had woken up, which brought him some relief, though he became worried seeing that she kept him alone. "Sit down." Old Mrs. Ye looked at her son standing tensely by the bed and ultimately didn’t call out his name, and this was something Ye He Ping felt, causing his heart to ache as he dejectedly pulled a chair to sit by the bed. "I don’t know when this body of mine will give out. What you proposed tonight, I’ve thought it over, and it seems good. After all, my condition shouldn’t burden Lingzi. Tomorrow, go home and pack up, Lingzi and I will move back to the city with you. Your wife isn’t working either, so surely she can manage the cooking and laundry at home? While living in the city for a few years, one shouldn’t forget their roots in the countryside." Old Mrs. Ye’s words were clear—she was old and needed to go live with her son for her retirement. As for her daughter-in-law, who also came from the countryside, she shouldn’t complain about being overworked, as nothing could compare to the labor of working the fields for work points. There was also an implied criticism of her son for spoiling his wife too much. Ye He Ping’s ears turned red, "Mom, don’t worry. I initially came this time to bring you back for retirement. Bai Xue has already prepared the East Room for you, and you can just come and enjoy your retirement." Old Mrs. Ye wasn’t pleased after hearing this, only nodding faintly, "That’s good. I’ll live a few more years with this old body and spare you from rashly hitting and swelling a face like a steamed bun." "Mom..." Ye He Ping felt so ashamed he wished he could dig a hole and crawl inside. When he finally left the hospital room, he couldn’t quite remember how he got out. He only recalled locking eyes with his daughter’s cold and distant gaze, which brought him back to reality. He sat silently in the hospital corridor all night, reflecting on everything he had done, feeling he had been truly foolish. Meanwhile, back in the village, by the time Zhang Zhong drove the cart back, it was already past ten at night. Wang Changjiang and Si Jun hadn’t slept; they were waiting at Zhang Zhong’s house. Having heard that the family was staying for the night, they decided not to go to town in the middle of the night. The next morning, they boarded a cart to the town, only to encounter Ye He Ping’s family returning by car halfway there. Shockingly, Old Mrs. Ye had passed away silently in the early hours, and by the time Ye Ling found her by the bedside, her body had gone cold. (To be continued. 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