Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 779 - 776: The Hardest Favor to Accept from a Beauty

Chapter 779: Chapter 776: The Hardest Favor to Accept from a Beauty

Chapter Seven Hundred and Seventy-Six: The Hardest Grace to Accept Is from a Beauty

"Your granddaughter?"

Xiao Yi was stunned for a moment.

"Yes, haha, I had wanted to introduce her to you last time, but... that little girl had some issues at her school and couldn’t make it back in time."

An Jinhua smiled slightly as he spoke, his eyes meaningfully glancing at An Lili.

When An Lili heard her grandfather suddenly bring up the last time, her mind immediately tensed up. Seeing the look in her grandfather’s eyes, her cheeks involuntarily reddened. That time, her grandfather had asked her to come back and cook a few dishes. She was quite certain that Xiao Yi was a swindler and had adamantly refused to come back, even deliberately finding an excuse to stay at the school. Unexpectedly, after going round and round, it was ultimately she who had eagerly asked her grandfather to invite Xiao Yi over.

But there was no time to be shy. When she heard her grandfather say "but," her heart was instantly replaced by nervousness, fearing that her grandfather would spill those embarrassing stories. Fortunately, in the end, An Jinhua found a good excuse for her, and her heart finally relaxed.

So that was it...

I should have thought of this!

Listening to An Jinhua’s words, a look of sudden realization appeared on Xiao Yi’s face. Everything that had felt odd, doubtful, and confusing suddenly made sense.

Previously, when he heard An Lili say her surname was An, he indeed suspected her relationship with An Jinhua, but he dismissed it, thinking it was too coincidental.

"What, do you find it surprising?"

An Jinhua couldn’t help but smile as he watched Xiao Yi’s expression.

"It is quite surprising, haha."

Xiao Yi honestly nodded.

"Is it surprising that Lili girl is my granddaughter, or is it her cooking skills that are surprising? Or is it both?"

An Jinhua looked at Xiao Yi with interest.

"Both are surprising."

Xiao Yi nodded honestly again. He indeed hadn’t expected An Lili to have such a skill, such masterful culinary skills! From her appearance, An Lili didn’t at all seem like someone who had spent much time around cooking smoke, immaculate as if she was untouched by the mundane world.

"Haha, everyone is surprised the first time they taste the dishes Lili girl cooks, but let me tell you, Xiao Yi, without any exaggeration, our Lili girl’s cooking skills are definitely at the master level. Even those so-called top-tier restaurants out there, their chefs might not make dishes as delicious as Lili girl’s!"

An Jinhua laughed heartily, his face showing an indescribable pride.

"Grandpa!"

Although she felt sweet inside hearing her grandfather praise her in front of her beloved, and a trace of pride and smugness arose, her face couldn’t help but blush shyly. "You shouldn’t praise yourself like that. Besides, my cooking is just passable, not as exaggerated as you say."

"Oh, our Lili girl, actually getting shy and modest today? Which way is the sun rising from?"

An Jinhua looked at his granddaughter’s shy expression, unable to hide a smile on his face, and teased with great interest, "I wonder who it was last time at Jingyue Pavilion who disdainfully said that her cooking was much better than theirs?"

"Grandpa..."

An Lili looked at her grandfather’s expression, surprised that he would be so direct in front of Xiao Yi, teasingly bringing up some of her ’embarrassing moments’. Her face instantly turned even more bashful, and she shuffled her feet vigorously.

Xiao Yi could naturally discern the implication in An Jinhua’s words. Seeing the hint of an ambiguous smile in Elder An’s eyes, Xiao Yi’s face couldn’t help but reveal a bit of awkwardness. However, at that moment, he simply pretended not to hear and kept his head down.

An Jinhua watched his granddaughter’s expression and glanced at Xiao Yi, who was silent and looking down beside her. A sigh flashed through his eyes.

Having lived a long life, his own emotional experiences were neither notable nor complex. In the context of his time, it was natural for people to come together and live out their lives until the end. But as a doctor who had practiced medicine all his life and seen all kinds of worldly affairs, he was no stranger to matters of the heart.

Although it couldn’t be said that Xiao Yi was making his stance clear, one thing was obvious— he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about this matter, at least not as enthusiastic as his own granddaughter... From this alone, his granddaughter’s emotional journey might not be so smooth.

As an elder, he undoubtedly hoped that his granddaughter would have a smoother path in every aspect and not have to suffer too much. This was also why he was so strict with her normally, because he knew that being strict would help her develop good habits, which would make her life’s path smoother. However, when it came to matters of the heart, he truly had no solution.

Letting everything take a natural course seemed best. No matter what, it was good for her to experience it. After all, children must learn to grow up on their own!

An Jinhua sighed silently in his heart.

Having sensed Xiao Yi’s thoughts, at this moment, he had made up his mind in his mind to stay out of his granddaughter’s love life in the future and let her and Xiao Yi develop their relationship naturally.

The world of the young is best left to them to live in; it’s not quite appropriate for an old person to interfere. That would be awkward for both them and himself.

An Jinhua had noticed some things, but the utterly joyous An Lili at this moment didn’t sense anything unusual. An Lili’s life could be said to be very smooth. Under An Jinhua’s strict guidance, she did not live the so-called ’free’ extravagant and decadent lifestyle like other ordinary wealthy or influential offspring, nor did she develop any vulgar habits. Nevertheless, given An Jinhua’s status, it was impossible for him to let his beloved granddaughter suffer any hardships.

Under her grandfather’s influence and education, she had always been outstanding in every aspect throughout her life. Whether it was academics, character, or talents, she was always the best among her peers. From her childhood to adulthood, many boys at school expressed their admiration for her. If all those love letters and gifts were piled together, they probably could have filled this house, but she never paid any attention to them, completely dismissing such matters.

Having grown up with her grandfather, she, deeply influenced by him, loved traditional medicine and aspired to possess some of the noble characteristics she saw in him. In her eyes, the boys at school were either extremely foolish or a bunch of useless, selfish people – she simply couldn’t regard them highly, until Xiao Yi appeared.

Several chance encounters had already established a vague impression of Xiao Yi in her mind. Her grandfather’s constant words by her side had also given her a clear understanding of his character and accomplishments in medicine. Everything culminated in their last meeting, after learning the truth, triggering an intense, pure burst of youthful sentiment...

In terms of emotions, like a kindergarten student, she was incapable of controlling her own intense and pure first passion. It was impossible for her to ponder, explore, control, or grasp...

Just like many girls in their first love, her attention quickly focused entirely back on Xiao Yi. She was drawn by his every move, and she began enthusiastically serving him food, constantly asking about various aspects of his life, eager to understand everything about him...

An Lili’s feelings were clear to Xiao Yi. He was neither insensitive nor dim, and he could not fail to notice such a strong display of emotion. Last time in the hospital, when he saw An Lili’s burning glances, he had already understood the girl’s feelings. He also believed An Lili was an excellent girl, something he could discern even if she was not An Jinhua’s granddaughter. Now that he knew she was Elder An’s granddaughter, he understood even more clearly where her excellence came from.

But just like with Han Lu, he truly couldn’t bring himself to accept this enthusiasm.

Currently, he was completely uncertain about his future path and did not know what his next steps would be. Just Wang Qingqing’s feelings alone already made him feel as if he was carrying a heavy burden on his back.

Several times, facing An Lili’s enthusiasm, he wanted to express some of his own feelings, but ultimately, when he saw An Lili’s face, that pure, sweet, clear smile, saw the sincerity and ardor in her eyes, and then seeing Elder An beside her, some things he simply could not utter.

In that moment, he also understood why Elder An had shown such strange behaviors at the beginning: emotions, everything, they all stemmed from An Lili...

In his heart, while he was grateful for An Jinhua’s trust and affection, this very act also sent a clear signal that he was willing to entrust his granddaughter to him and did not see him as an outsider. But at the same time, his heart couldn’t help but feel an awkwardness, a weight of affection that was difficult to bear...

What should have been a very enjoyable and delicious dinner, turned out to be a meal where Xiao Yi felt like he was on pins and needles. With many concerns weighing on his mind, he had no appetite. Although he ate quite a lot under An Lili’s enthusiastic hospitality, he couldn’t actually taste any of the dishes. (To be continued. If you like this story, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation or monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)