That weekend, Shen Jia Yan went home again.
Shen Yan wasn’t home because of work, so the house felt exceptionally quiet.
Jiang Jing sat on the single-seater sofa, looking at Shen Jia Yan who was also seated on the sofa. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her tone carried a hint of doubt. “It’s not even the end of the month yet. Why did you suddenly come back?”
Shen Jia Yan leaned lightly against the sofa, her fingers unconsciously rubbing her knee as if sorting through her emotions.
She lifted her eyes to glance at Jiang Jing, her lips curving up slightly, but her smile seemed weary. “I missed Grandma, so I wanted to go see her.”
Jiang Jing was taken aback, then raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with skepticism. “Didn’t you just visit Grandma not long ago?”
Shen Jia Yan didn’t answer right away. She merely gave a soft “mm,” her gaze drifting off into the distance.
“That was the week before last.” She paused, her voice softening. “I just missed Grandma. Can’t I go see her?”
Jiang Jing watched her, her eyes gaining a layer of scrutiny.
Though their personalities differed greatly, she knew her daughter all too well.
She was always calm and restrained, never one to express emotions easily, let alone suddenly “miss Grandma” out of nowhere.
This trip home was definitely not just about missing Grandma.
Jiang Jing lowered her arm, her tone softening. “Of course you can go see Grandma. She talks about you every day.” Then she added, “But… if something’s happened, you can tell me too.”
Shen Jia Yan was slightly stunned. Then she smiled and looked down at her hands. “Mom, what could possibly be wrong with me?”
Jiang Jing didn’t press further. She simply sighed and rose to head to the kitchen. “Alright then, go if you want. I’ll prepare some snacks that Grandma loves for you to take over. I still have work, so I won’t go with you.”
Shen Jia Yan watched her back, her gaze flickering slightly. She said softly, “Thanks, Mom.”
Jiang Jing didn’t turn around. She just gave a soft “mm,” her tone hiding a gentleness she wasn’t good at expressing.
Soon, the items were prepared, and the driver arrived to pick up Shen Jia Yan.
It was still a forty-minute drive.
They arrived at Grandma’s house.
“Grandma, I’m back.” Shen Jia Yan called softly from the living room doorway, her gaze sweeping over the empty room.
The nanny emerged from the kitchen, cloth still in hand, and greeted her with a smile. “Yan Yan’s here. Your grandma is resting in her room.”
Shen Jia Yan checked the time: 3:30 p.m.
Her brows furrowed slightly, her tone tinged with tension. “Grandma doesn’t usually rest at this time. Is she feeling unwell?”
The nanny sighed and lowered her voice. “She’s had a bit of a cough lately. I suggested contacting your parents to take her to the hospital for a checkup, but she always says they’re busy and told me not to.”
Shen Jia Yan’s expression darkened.
She nodded and said softly, “I understand. Thank you, Auntie Liu.” As she spoke, she headed toward Grandma’s bedroom.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to instruct, “Please keep a close eye on Grandma. If anything seems off, contact me right away, or call my parents directly. Don’t listen to her.”
The nanny nodded in agreement. Watching Shen Jia Yan’s retreating figure, she couldn’t help but sigh softly. “This child is always so attentive.”
Shen Jia Yan gently pushed open Grandma’s bedroom door.
Sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains, casting soft shadows across the room and onto the bedside.
Grandma was propped up against the headboard, covered with a thin blanket, her eyes closed and breathing steady.
She looked even thinner than the last time they’d met, her skin paler, the wrinkles on the back of her hand seeming deeper.
Shen Jia Yan walked over quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. She called softly, “Grandma…”
Grandma slowly opened her eyes. Seeing it was her, a smile immediately bloomed on her face. Her voice was a bit hoarse but warm. “Yan Yan? Why are you back so suddenly?”
Shen Jia Yan looked down at her, her lips curving up, though she couldn’t hide the worry in her eyes. “I missed you, so I came to see you.”
Grandma smiled and propped herself up slowly with her hand on the bed.
Seeing this, Shen Jia Yan quickly reached out, carefully supporting her arm until she was steadily leaning against the headboard with the pillow behind her back.
“Grandma, why didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well?” She frowned, her tone reproachful but mostly heartbroken. “It’s too late today. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the hospital for a full checkup. We can’t delay it anymore.”
Grandma looked at her, her gaze tender with a touch of childlike stubbornness. She waved her hand gently. “Oh, it’s not that serious. The weather’s turned cooler these past couple of days, and I’ve just had a little cough. Lying down for a bit makes it better.”
Then she added with a beaming smile, “When you were little and had a cold or fever, I stayed up all night taking care of you. Now with these old bones of mine coughing a couple times, it’s nothing.”
Shen Jia Yan pressed her lips together and said nothing. She just looked down at Grandma’s hand—that hand covered in wrinkles, once her warmest support in childhood.
She gently took hold of Grandma’s hand, her voice low and resolute. “But it’s not your time to take care of me anymore. It’s my turn to take care of you.”
Grandma paused, then smiled, her eyes gaining a misty sheen.
She didn’t refuse again, merely sighing softly as if finally willing to admit she was getting old and needed care.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.” It was Grandma’s usual gentle tone. “But you don’t have much time since you just got back. Contact your parents later and have them take me sometime.”
Shen Jia Yan thought about it and agreed that Grandma had a point. She really didn’t have much time this trip and didn’t want to delay the checkup because of that.
“Okay, I’ll contact Mom and Dad later.” She nodded.
Grandma watched her, her gaze tender and perceptive, as if she’d seen through her troubles the moment she walked in.
She patted the spot beside her gently, her voice warm but insistent with concern. “Now, tell me about you. What happened?”
Shen Jia Yan froze, her fingertips tightening slightly, as if the words had poked at something deep inside.
Yes, Grandma had always understood her best—her silences, her stubbornness, the emotions hidden behind her smiles…
Shen Jia Yan looked down and tugged at the corner of her mouth, trying to smile but unable to.
“Grandma…” she began softly, her voice very low.
But the words reached her lips, and she didn’t know where to start.
She had liked someone for a very, very long time—so long she’d forgotten when it began.
She’d loved her diligently, approaching carefully, giving her all her gentleness.
She was willing to wait for her, to hide her emotions for her, to smile and say “it’s okay” when she turned away.
But in the end, she couldn’t even get a single “I like you too.”
Sitting beside Grandma, her gaze sank bit by bit, as if sinking into a tender yet painful memory.
Finally, she spoke, her voice light as the wind. “I… liked someone for a very long time.”
Grandma looked at her, no surprise in her eyes—only heartache and understanding.
She had known.
From Shen Jia Yan’s last visit, in her joyful mood, her bright eyes, her light tone…
Back then, she was like a light she couldn’t hide—her lips unconsciously curving up, even her speech rhythm laced with smiles.
But today, her smile had faded, her eyes dimmed, her voice softened.
Grandma knew something beyond her expectations must have happened.
She sighed softly and gripped Shen Jia Yan’s hand tightly, as if trying to warm the chill in her heart bit by bit. “Having someone you like is a good thing.”
“Did something happen between you two?” Grandma didn’t rush her. She simply encouraged her in the gentlest tone to let out the emotions she’d bottled up for so long. “Will you tell Grandma about it?”
Shen Jia Yan looked down at Grandma’s hand—that hand marked by the years, yet more reassuring than anyone’s.
She took a deep breath and confessed, “I told her I liked her.”
“I mustered up a lot of courage and said a lot—when I started liking her, that I wanted to walk a long road with her, that I wanted to always be by her side.”
Her voice choked slightly here, but she tried to stay calm. “But she… doesn’t like me.”
She paused, then finally voiced the most painful part. “She just sees me as a friend.”
With that, it was as if she’d used up all her strength, her whole being sinking.
She didn’t cry. Her eyes just went empty, burying all her emotions deep.
Grandma said nothing, simply watching her quietly, her gaze tender and heartbroken.
She didn’t ask who it was, didn’t rush to say “let it go” or “it’ll pass,” or even “you deserve better.”
She just patted Shen Jia Yan’s hand gently, over and over, trying to warm that cold spot in her heart.
“Yan Yan, liking someone isn’t wrong.” Her voice was soft but firm. “Being willing to say it out loud and fight for it makes you very brave.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Grandma’s voice was gentle, yet carried a power that pierced the heart.
“You just loved someone too earnestly.”
Shen Jia Yan looked at Grandma, a layer of water finally welling in her eyes.
She wanted to say “I know,” but found she couldn’t.
She liked her too much.
So much that even after rejection, she couldn’t hate her, blame her, or say anything bad about her.
Grandma sighed softly, reading all the emotions she hadn’t voiced. “Sometimes, loving someone isn’t about getting a response.”
Her voice was gentle, carrying the wisdom of years. “It’s because in that moment, you truly fell for them—because that person made your heart race, made you tender, made you hopeful, because you were willing to be brave for her once, even if there was no result in the end.”
“Grandma hasn’t read many books, but when it comes to matters of the heart, I know a thing or two.” She touched Shen Jia Yan’s cheek. “Your grandpa loved me just as earnestly back in the day.”
Grandma looked up at Grandpa’s photo on the corner table, her eyes full of tenderness. “He was outstanding when he was young and fell for me, but I knew I wasn’t as good and felt unworthy, so I rejected him.”
“Your grandpa didn’t give up. He told me, no matter the outcome, I had to be brave for my love once.” Grandma’s eyes reddened slightly. “I’ve always remembered those words.”
Shen Jia Yan’s tears finally fell.
Grandma gently wiped the tears from her eyes, as tender as when she’d coaxed her to sleep as a child. “Our Yan Yan is wonderful. You’ll definitely meet someone who loves you just as earnestly someday.”
“Grandma will always be with you, always support you.”
Shen Jia Yan composed herself, looked at Grandma, took a deep breath, and mustered all her courage to ask the question buried deep in her heart, ever so carefully. “Grandma, what if the person I like… is a girl?”
Will you still always be with me, support me?
