Chapter 41: Kind Grandparents
An Yu’s grandparents’ house was a rare two-story building in Baiyan Village. Her parents had good jobs in the city and had used their earnings to build this house for the elderly couple.
Land was inexpensive in remote Baiyan Village, so the house was quite spacious, about a hundred square meters, almost too large for two elderly people.
—Much better than the place Luo Ling and her sister lived in.
Since this trip was primarily for the commission, An Yu hadn’t informed her grandparents beforehand, wanting to surprise them.
When she pushed open the door, the two elders were busy preparing lunch. They stared blankly at the three girls at the doorway for a moment, only reacting when An Yu spoke.
“Grandpa, Grandma!”
An Yu, carrying two bags, rushed forward and practically threw herself into her grandparents’ arms.
“Oh… it’s Xiao Yu! What brings you back at this time?”
Grandpa reached out a trembling hand and stroked An Yu’s hair, a loving smile appearing on his wrinkled face.
“Because I missed you~”
An Yu nuzzled her grandpa’s hand affectionately.
Grandma looked up at Luo Ling and Elsa, adjusting her reading glasses.
“Xiao Yu, who are these young ladies…?”
“Classmates.”
Luo Ling nodded slightly at Grandma.
“And good friends!” An Yu quickly introduced them to her grandparents. “This is Xiao Bai, and this is A Qian. They’re my best friends!”
“Xiao Yu’s friends?” Grandpa was taken aback, then sighed with emotion. “I didn’t expect Xiao Yu to make friends…”
“Indeed,” Grandma smiled at Luo Ling. “Xiao Yu was a very introverted child, afraid to even talk to the other children in the village. She used to hide at home all the time.”
An Yu? Introverted?
That…
Didn’t seem right.
Luo Ling couldn’t help but glance at An Yu, who quickly averted her gaze.
“I-I told you not to mention my childhood anymore…”
An Yu lowered her head slightly, blushing.
“Alright, alright, if Xiao Yu doesn’t want to talk about it, we won’t,” Grandma said with a chuckle.
“You didn’t even tell your parents to let us know you were coming,” Grandpa said, his tone filled with affectionate reproach. “Your grandma and I only have some plain rice and preserved meat. We didn’t have time to prepare your favorite dishes.”
“It’s fine, we’re not picky eaters. Plain rice and preserved meat are delicious too, right?”
An Yu winked at Luo Ling, who genuinely didn’t mind and nodded in agreement.
Elsa, still feeling unwell, just mumbled in agreement.
“Oh right, A Qian, come in and rest. I’ll get you some water.”
Seeing Elsa’s pale face, An Yu patted her forehead and hurried inside to get a thermos.
“It’s rare for Xiao Yu’s friends to visit. We must treat them well, especially such pretty young ladies,” Grandma said with a smile, glancing at Grandpa. “Go on, old man, slaughter two chickens in the backyard and get some of our specialties from the cellar. We can’t be impolite and embarrass Xiao Yu.”
“Alright, alright, always ordering this old man around…”
Grandpa grumbled, his back hunched as he walked towards the back door.
By the time An Yu returned with hot water, Luo Ling was sitting on the sofa in the living room, with the listless Elsa leaning against her.
For some reason, Bella, the teddy bear in Elsa’s lap, was unusually quiet, like an ordinary stuffed toy.
“Here, drink some water and rest,” An Yu handed Elsa the thermos with concern.
Elsa took the thermos with a dazed expression and took a few sips. She seemed to feel a little better, her spirits lifting slightly.
“Grandma, where’s Grandpa?” An Yu looked around, not seeing him.
“He’s in the backyard, preparing something delicious for you,” Grandma replied with a smile, then turned to Elsa with concern. “Oh, you poor child… are you alright? Should Grandma get you some of my special remedies…?”
“No, no, Grandma, please don’t!”
An Yu quickly intervened, afraid her grandma would actually bring out her remedies.
“She just needs some rest,” Luo Ling added.
“Really not going to try?”
“No…”
An Yu covered her face. Her grandma’s remedies were… something else.
“Alright, alright, if you say so.”
Grandma gave up.
“Xiao Yu, come and help! Hold these two chickens still!”
Grandpa’s voice came from the backyard. An Yu replied and turned to Luo Ling and Elsa.
“You two chat for a bit, I’ll go help Grandpa catch the chickens!”
After saying that, An Yu dashed off, disappearing in a blur.
Back in her hometown, An Yu seemed much more relaxed and genuinely happy.
Luo Ling turned and saw Grandma looking at her with a smile.
“Dear child, is Xiao Yu easy to get along with?”
“Yes.”
Luo Ling nodded slightly. Although she hadn’t known An Yu for long, she was indeed a lively and cheerful girl.
It was hard to believe that she used to be introverted…
“That’s good. When she was little…”
Grandma stopped mid-sentence, remembering her promise to An Yu, and quickly changed the subject.
“Never mind, never mind. Xiao Yu will scold this old woman if she hears me…”
“Grandma, can I ask you something?” Luo Ling said.
“Is it about Xiao Yu?” Grandma’s eyes lit up.
“No… it’s about another girl, about Xiao Yu’s age.”
Luo Ling took out her phone, scrolled to the Seer’s photo, and showed it to Grandma.
Grandma squinted at the photo for a long time, adjusting her reading glasses.
“I haven’t seen her, but she looks familiar… Oh right, I think it was two months ago, the police officers from the station came to the village looking for her… They even put up posters.”
Grandma returned the phone to Luo Ling, her voice filled with concern. “Did something happen to this girl? Does she know Xiao Yu?”
“Mm… something happened, but it has nothing to do with Xiao Yu.”
Although the answer was expected, Luo Ling was still slightly disappointed.
Perhaps Liu Songyi’s initial investigation was correct. The Seer wasn’t in Baiyan Village.
Just then, Luo Ling remembered the other two messages about the Seer. After a moment of silence, she asked,
“By the way, Grandma, are there… mushrooms in Baiyan Village?”
“Mushrooms?” Grandma looked surprised. “Dear child, why are you asking the same question as the police officers?”
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