Chapter 475: 475: Deep Affection

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However, Luo Liansheng didn’t say much about this matter, simply smiling as he said, “Alright, as long as your mom is there, this matter will definitely be handled properly. The things from the past, Grandpa didn’t tell you because he wanted your mom to tell you after you met her. Some things, Grandpa doesn’t express well, your mom will definitely do a better job than Grandpa.”

“Grandpa, I basically know everything now. I never imagined our family’s affairs could be so complicated,” Luo Ziling didn’t want to talk about these sentimental matters with his grandfather and, with a smile, shifted the topic: “Grandpa, are you not going back to the small mountain village? Are you going to stay in Yanjing permanently?”

“No,” Luo Liansheng shook his head, “It’s just that I had some things to take care of over here and wanted to stop by and see you. I still need to go back to the Northwest. Winter has arrived in the Northwest, and I should gather some herbs. If I miss the season, many of the herbs can’t be collected. I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I heard from your mom that she’s planning to have you over for dinner tonight, so I came along.”

“Grandpa, you’re going into the mountains alone to gather herbs, and now that the heavy snow has sealed the mountain, it’s very dangerous,” Luo Ziling said to Luo Liansheng, looking worried: “Why don’t I go with you? We can look after each other, and if there’s an accident, we can come to each other’s rescue.”

The herbs that Luo Liansheng refined required many ingredients that could only be gathered during winter, which couldn’t be found in other seasons. Over the past years, every winter, it was Luo Ziling who would accompany his grandfather into the mountains to gather herbs.

The Tianshan Peaks were already covered with white snow, and though Luo Liansheng was experienced, he was getting on in years, which worried Luo Ziling that he might have an accident.

In such places, the dangers faced alone were many times greater than if two people went together.

“It’s okay,” Luo Liansheng shook his head, rejecting Luo Ziling’s offer, “I’ll get a few companions to go into the mountain with me. Going alone is indeed too dangerous. Don’t worry about me. The people I find are all experienced with the snow, potentially even more so than you, so there won’t be any dangers.”

“Have you really found companions to go into the mountain with?” Luo Ziling asked doubtfully. In the past, it had always been just the two of them going into the mountain, and Luo Liansheng hadn’t arranged for other companions.

“Why would Grandpa lie to you? However, when winter break comes, you shouldn’t come back here. By then, Grandpa probably won’t be there,” Luo Liansheng’s face still showed his affectionate nature, “You should continue to stay in Yanjing, keep your mom company, or make plans with a few friends and go on a trip. You’ve been by Grandpa’s side for so many years, and Grandpa never really had a chance to take you around, except when going out to treat people. You’re grown up now and should have your own life. Since your mom brought you to Yanjing, don’t worry about Grandpa. Live your own life!”

These words from Luo Liansheng made Luo Ziling feel a bit sentimental, as if he had been abandoned by his grandfather.

Having spent so many years in close quarters with Luo Ziling, Luo Liansheng could nearly read his grandson’s mind. Seeing Luo Ziling’s sudden forlorn expression, Luo Liansheng knew he had misunderstood his words and quickly smiled and said, “Once your life in Yanjing settles down and Grandpa has taken care of some matters, he will also come to Yanjing. At the very least, I’ll visit you often. Grandpa is old now and obviously can’t live in the Northwest forever, especially since that’s not Grandpa’s hometown. When I find some free time, I’ll tidy up the old house in Yuezhou and move to the South to retire. The climate there is much milder than in the Northwest. The watertown of the South is the perfect place to retire, and it’ll be easy for you all to come visit me.”

Hearing Luo Liansheng say this, Luo Ziling felt a little reassured and smiled again: “After I heard from my mom that our hometown is Yuezhou, I realized why you loved Yuezhou Old Wine so much, as well as making stinky tofu and sun-dried moldy vegetables. If I don’t go back to the Northwest this winter break, I’ll visit Yuezhou to search for our old house.”

“Go ahead, don’t go back to the Northwest, take a look at Yuezhou. That’s our real hometown. The little village in the Northwest was just a place where we stayed temporarily,” Luo Liansheng seemed suddenly somber, his eyes moist as he looked at Luo Ziling, “Ah, the two of us were forced to stay in the Northwest for twenty years, and now we’ve finally returned to the inland. That place will eventually just be a memory. Grandpa won’t live there anymore, and you should only think of it as the place where you grew up, not our hometown. Our true hometown lies in the beautiful South.”

Luo Ziling knew that when his grandfather spoke of these things, he must have been thinking about the past, otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown such an expression.

He understood even more that his grandfather’s heart concealed many things, things that perhaps nobody else knew about.

Ling Ruonan couldn’t possibly know everything about the matter, and its complexities were likely known only to Grandfather himself.

“Ling’er, when Grandfather came to Yanjing this time, besides your mother, I haven’t seen anyone else; you shouldn’t tell others that Grandfather has been to Yanjing,” Luo Liansheng reminded Luo Ziling before adding, “Don’t pry too much into the past. What your mother has told you is enough to know. The grudges of the previous generation, we will try to let them deal with it as much as possible, trying not to get you involved. However, if there are still people who want to bear a grudge against the older generation over you, seeking revenge, then we will not agree. If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone. But if someone offends me, I will certainly retaliate!”

“Grandfather, I understand,” Luo Ziling nodded earnestly.

After talking about these things for a while, Luo Ziling brought up the matter mentioned by Li Haiyang, which was about collaboration on the production of antiseptic medicine and cooperation with Ouyang Feifei.

“As for the matter with Li Haiyang, let me deal with it; you don’t need to worry about it. As for the cooperation with the Ouyang family, since Ouyang Feifei has taken the initiative to propose it, you can collaborate with her. Grandfather’s medicinal recipes and secret medicines are all for you. Grandfather didn’t give you a happy childhood or adolescence, and I couldn’t even let you attend school like a normal person, so I will compensate you with these things! All of Grandfather’s belongings are at your disposal.”

The words of Luo Liansheng almost brought tears to Luo Ziling’s eyes.

He never expected that his grandfather would feel such a sense of guilt and was even prepared to leave behind his life’s work to him as an inheritance.

Honestly, he had never blamed his grandfather for anything, and Ling Ruonan felt the same.

Grandfather took him away when he was three months old and raised him single-handedly with all the messy work of nurturing. The kindness of raising him was something Luo Ziling felt he could never repay.

Ling Ruonan also felt full of gratitude and guilty towards Luo Liansheng.

Unexpectedly, Grandfather felt guilty towards him too, feeling that he didn’t provide a perfect life. Luo Ziling truly wanted to cry his heart out.

Luo Liansheng took out two notebooks from his travel bag and handed them to Luo Ziling: “These are the formulas for the medicines that Grandfather has developed over the years, as well as the ones based on the work of our predecessors; you have already mastered the Acupuncture Skills, there is no more for me to teach.”

Luo Ziling stood there in a daze, not expecting his grandfather to hand over these things to him right there and then.

When he reached out to take them, he felt the two thick notebooks were as heavy as a thousand pounds, almost too heavy to hold.

This was the life’s work of his grandfather!