Reborn in the 80s: Everyone Falls For Me
Chapter 324 - 323: Decision (2 more)

Chapter 324: Chapter 323: Decision (2 more)

The old lady had a dream last night, where she saw that heartless old coot of a husband of hers.

The dead old man actually told her he missed her.

And in the dream, he looked as young and handsome as he did when he passed away...

In her dream, the old lady cried and said she wanted to accompany him, but he refused, saying she had grown old and ugly, and he didn’t want his ugly wife anymore.

So early in the morning, the old lady sat at the factory entrance, pouting and sulking, ignoring anyone who called out to her.

Xu Doudou, still half-asleep, ran over and hugged the old lady’s knees, her voice milky as she asked, "Grandma, what’s wrong with you?"

Upon hearing the word "grandma," it was as if the old lady had been provoked, her voice suddenly rising in pitch.

"You little dead Doudou, grandma grandma, what grandma, call me sister."

Xu Erhong, who had hurried over, felt completely disheveled upon hearing this.

And true to form, Xu Doudou obediently echoed, "Sister."

"You little dead child, do you not have any respect for your grandma anymore?" The old lady scowled fiercely at Xu Doudou, picked up Little Doudou onto her knee, and took off her shoe to spank him.

The spanks were loud, and Xu Doudou cried out in a racket as well.

After a few spanks, the old lady suddenly noticed a shadow blocking the light and glanced up.

Seeing Xu Erhong about to come over, the old lady said coldly, "Do you want a beating too?"

Looking at that pitch-black sole of the shoe, Xu Erhong recalled his woeful childhood and shrank his neck, not daring to go rescue his own son.

With the mentality of not sacrificing himself for another, Xu Erhong shamelessly said, "That’s your grandson, treat him how you please."

The old lady rolled her eyes at his spinelessness, a far cry from her late husband.

She put down Xu Doudou, who was now a mess of tears and snot, and instructed, "Take your son and get far away from me."

"Eh, alright then."

Xu Erhong immediately picked up Xu Doudou to make a quick escape, but even as he was being scolded, Xu Doudou didn’t forget to turn back and wave at the old lady.

Fearing another spanking and with a sobbing voice, he called out, "Bye sister."

Xu Erhong stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face. Annoyed, he smacked his son and said speechlessly, "You silly child, what nonsense are you talking, if she’s your sister, that would make me her... Ah."

The old lady flung her shoe sole at the back of Xu Erhong’s head, and struck by the hit, Xu Erhong realized he’d said something fatal and ran for his life.

To lighten his burden, he dropped Xu Doudou to the ground before breaking into a run, screaming as he fled, "Mom, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

The old lady found his behavior disgraceful.

Once Xu Erhong had run a good distance, he realized his mother hadn’t chased after him. He turned back in surprise to see her sitting on a stool sighing heavily.

Feeling distressed, he immediately ran back and squatted in front of the old lady: "Mom, what’s wrong?"

"Go away, don’t bother me, you distressing brat, seeing you just upsets me."

Xu Erhong: "..."

Xu Erhong had wanted to make the old lady laugh, but realized it wasn’t going to work. He turned to glance at his son.

Having just been smacked by the old lady, Xu Doudou’s face was smeared with a mix of saliva, snot, and tears, squatting in front of him just as foolishly.

Xu Erhong turned his face away in discomfort, not wanting to look at his son who was even more distressing.

Noticing that the old lady wasn’t in a good mood, Xu Erhong felt some distress himself; his mother had never shown such a side in front of him.

Emotions that seemed sorrowful and heartbroken.

After all, in the eyes of Xu Erhong and his siblings, they could only ever see their mother’s fierce side.

The old ladies who usually went to the market would have been closely monitored by the old lady herself if they headed to the town.

But today, when the vegetable-shopping lady passed by her, she didn’t even give her a glance.

The old lady even thought she hadn’t been seen, so she specifically asked the old lady if she wanted to go together.

The old lady listlessly waved her hand: "You go ahead, don’t mind me."

That’s when Xu Erhong truly noticed something was amiss; his mother was definitely troubled by something.

But she wouldn’t say, and Xu Erhong had no way of finding out.

In the whole family, whom the old lady would give face to, the answer immediately sprang to mind.

Xu Erhong could only run back to the office helplessly and give Xu Niannian a call.

As soon as Xu Niannian received Xu Erhong’s call and heard her grandma was in a bad mood and hadn’t even eaten breakfast, she was extremely worried.

She thought something must have happened to the old lady, for when had she ever had moments of being in a bad mood?

In the old lady’s words, no matter how bad the mood was, life must go on. It’s all just living day by day, so why waste time feeling sad about spring and autumn? If she had that time, she might as well take it out on beating her son instead.

Jin Yu and Jin Ruiyang had gone out again, so Xu Niannian hurried along with Hu Yue to the village.

When they arrived at the village, sure enough, there her grandma was, sitting at the factory entrance.

When Xu Niannian came over, she just happened to see the old lady staring blankly at the distant flowers.

She hurried over.

"Grandma, what’s wrong?" Xu Niannian squatted in front of her and asked gently.

Today, everyone was asking her what was wrong. Xu Erhong asked, Liu Guimei also asked, Xu Zhiqiang and Chen Xiaorou were asking, and even that brat Xu Doudou was asking.

But none of these people got a single word from the old lady’s mouth.

When the old lady heard Xu Niannian’s voice, she lowered her head, gazed at her most treasured granddaughter, pouted her mouth with a heavy whine, "Grandma misses your grandpa."

Misses that short-lived ghost.

Xu Niannian was startled, not expecting this to be the reason.

Following that, she saw her usually fierce grandma wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes like a child, feeling wronged.

"Your grandpa was still young when he passed away. Last night I dreamed of him, he said he missed me, and I miss him too. I wanted to accompany him, but he said I was too ugly, now old and ugly, and he doesn’t like me anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Niannian felt sad and extremely sympathetic towards the old lady.

"Grandma, it’s all right, that was just a dream. Grandpa loved you so much, how could he possibly not like you?"

"Really? He still loves me?" The old lady looked at Xu Niannian with hope, a slight smile blooming on her wrinkle-covered face.

The old lady didn’t feel awkward at all talking about matters of love with her daughter.

It was in her nature to feel normal discussing these things.

Who decreed that old people can’t have love?

She just missed her short-lived ghost.

Xu Niannian watched her grandma’s childish side, and when talking about her grandpa, Xu Niannian felt as if her grandma became an eighteen-year-old girl again, shy and anxiously hopeful.

Xu Niannian suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

Thinking about how her grandpa died young and her grandma struggled to raise three children all by herself.

At that time, grandma must have wanted to join grandpa long ago, but unfortunately, she had responsibilities and three children who hadn’t grown up yet to care for.

It was reality that forced her grandma to become strong.

Xu Niannian smiled gently, "Grandma, if grandpa didn’t love you, why would he have married you?"

The old lady’s lips moved a few times, her face becoming a little red, "He was coerced into marrying me."

Xu Niannian: "..."

The old lady, seeing her granddaughter’s stunned expression, felt even more embarrassed. At that time, that short-lived ghost of her family was utterly unwilling to marry her.

The old lady got annoyed, having been rejected multiple times in her marriage proposals, leading her to take drastic measures.

One night she went to his small shabby house, stripped her short-lived ghost naked, and presented him with a fait accompli.

Cough cough...

At her age to still think about such embarrassing things, the old lady’s face turned even redder.

Tugging on Xu Niannian’s hand, she headed towards the house, "Let’s go, let’s go, Grandma won’t talk about this anymore. Our precious darling must be hungry, Grandma will go make you some noodles."

Now the whole family lived in a newly built tile-roofed house, which was right next to the factory.

Xu Niannian saw that her grandma seemed to be in a somewhat brighter mood and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

A woman who lost her loved one early in life, such pain is something that people who haven’t gone through it simply cannot claim to understand with the words "I understand you."

Who knows if her grandpa’s spirit in heaven can feel her grandma’s emotions.

Previously, Xu Niannian was a materialist, not believing in these things.

But if she could reborn into someone else’s body, what’s not possible?

Xu Niannian followed her grandma into the kitchen, and suddenly her grandma mentioned, "Niannian, about the jade finger ring given to the Jin household last time..."

The old lady wanted to take it back, thinking of having her granddaughter buy another gift to replace it and give back.

After all, her granddaughter was now wealthy, but thinking about a gift given for engagement, how could it be taken back?

Wouldn’t that be criticized as her granddaughter being at fault?

Thinking that her precious darling might be wronged because of it, the old lady immediately dismissed the idea.

However, Xu Niannian understood what her grandma meant and had her own plans in mind.

It seemed her grandma really cared about the jade finger ring, after all, it was something left by her grandpa.

That item was apparently being kept by Wu Lan, and although it wasn’t appropriate to take back an engagement gift, Xu Niannian decided she would retrieve it anyhow.

Wu Lan was reasonable, and with a proper explanation, she probably wouldn’t mind.

Even if she did, Xu Niannian had to get it back.