After midnight

It has been a long time since Grandpa was given medicine and bandages, and he is still lying in bed unconscious. No one could have predicted the consequences of this time, because it was Grandpa who had to bear it, and he was already too old.

The girl stood stubbornly by the bed waiting. No one could persuade her to stop. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red.

An Yan and Su Ziling also stood there, no one spoke, the silence in the room was depressing. No one had expected such a sudden situation, and gradually, the room began to become dim.

As time went by, Su Ziling's repressed self-blame and shame became more and more difficult for him to breathe. He didn't know what An Yan would be like, but it would definitely be heavier than his.

"Grandpa!" The situation was broken by the little girl's shout of surprise.

Grandpa woke up, and An Yan and Su Ziling both relaxed a lot.

"Grandpa~" The girl's eyes were red as she carefully approached him. An Yan and Su Ziling also hurried forward. An Yan helped Grandpa up, put the pillow upright, and let Grandpa lean on it. Su Ziling stood beside the girl and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm sorry." An Yan lowered his head and said, he didn't dare to look at grandpa or the girl. Su Ziling understood why he was like this, because he also silently said sorry to the two of them many times in his heart. He was sorry to grandpa and the girl.

But who would have thought that the girl and grandpa actually shook their heads at the same time as a reply. Grandpa looked at An Yan and said, "Your name is An Yan?"

After An Yan nodded, Grandpa turned to look at Su Ziling, who said hurriedly, "I am Su Ziling, Grandpa."

Grandpa nodded slowly, "Don't feel sorry for me... I am the one who feels sorry for you. I want to use this old body to ask you for one thing..." He took a deep breath and continued, "I will leave the girl in your care from now on..."

After understanding the metaphor in her grandfather's words, the girl shook her head, threw herself on the mattress and burst into tears.

Su Ziling's expression was very stunned. At that moment, many thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally these thoughts stayed in the vague and unreachable future. It is a big deal to take care of a person's life, not to mention that as the "son of God" and "guardian", they don't even know where their future path will go.

"This is indeed difficult... I know that there is no need for an old person like me to block this... cough cough... I just selfishly want to make this request more justified... cough cough cough..."

"Grandpa, don't get excited and speak slowly." Grandpa started coughing anxiously. Su Ziling hurriedly persuaded him, but he didn't dare to agree just like that.

"Now that things have come to this...girl, grandpa must tell you something, you must listen carefully."

The girl raised her red eyes, and the old man touched her head lovingly. He looked at the girl, then withdrew his hand and looked up at the ceiling.

The old man's thoughts seemed to have gone back to a long time ago, and he began to describe it in a light voice. "I was born in Tingzhong, grew up in Tingzhong, and have hardly left Tingzhong in my life. Although I didn't go to school when I was a child, my family opened a store, and I learned some accounts from the accountant and learned some words. I am not an illiterate old man."

Grandpa stopped coughing and spoke in a long tone. "Later, I grew up, got married, inherited the family business, and later had a son and a daughter-in-law. Life was always so peaceful. I was born without any ability and didn't expect to have any ability. Until one day, it was so long ago that I no longer remember it, but the pain has always lingered deeply, making me regret for half my life.

"As far as I can remember, a rare business came to our door that day and asked us to deliver the goods to Xidu. It was said that the goods were very special and the original delivery person had an accident in the pavilion, so he came to us. I was very worried, but I didn't stop him because the commission was very high. However, my son and daughter-in-law never came back after they left."

"I asked around and went everywhere, including Xidu, but there was no news of the two living people. They disappeared without a trace. A few years later, my husband passed away, leaving me alone... I finally gave up hope, sold the shop, and settled down in this place. I didn't dare to go back to my original home, for fear of being saddened by the scene, and I didn't dare to stay away from the pavilion, for fear that they would never find their home again if they came back."

Grandpa spoke calmly, but Su Ziling felt very heavy. At this time, An Yan suddenly approached the girl, sat on the bed, and held the girl who had thrown herself on Grandpa in his arms. The girl raised her head slightly with her wet eyes and looked at him, then nestled in his arms without resistance.

"So, girl." Grandpa retracted his gaze and looked at the girl in An Yan's arms and said, "You are not actually my biological granddaughter."

The girl had been sobbing intermittently, but suddenly, as if a switch had been pressed, she stopped sobbing abruptly, her face full of shock. But then the girl reacted and immediately cried out loudly in pain. An Yan hugged her tightly as if he had been prepared.

Su Ziling was dumbfounded. In a trance, he remembered that his grandfather had said that he was the only one left. Su Ziling stood there at a loss. He looked at the girl crying in An Yan's arms, thought again and again, and walked out of the room.

Outside, it was completely dark.

But Su Ziling only stayed outside for less than a minute before he decided to go back. He couldn't leave An Yan alone there, and who knows what might happen inside after he came out. But surprisingly, as soon as Su Ziling entered the house, he noticed that it was much calmer. Grandpa closed his eyes and lay flat, while the girl lay in An Yan's arms, as if she was tired of crying.

An Yan saw him come in and picked up the girl and walked towards the door. He put the girl in Su Ziling's arms and whispered to him, "Take the girl into the house and let her sleep for a while. It's getting dark. I'll go cook."

Su Ziling took it, and the girl obediently lay on his shoulder, and he carried her out. Eating is a magical thing, it can pause the suffering that people are enduring at the moment.

Su Ziling put the girl on the bed and took off her shoes. Before leaving, the girl grabbed him and called out softly, "Brother Su Ziling."

The girl looked at Su Ziling with tears in her eyes. Su Ziling couldn't bear it and said, "Be good, have a good sleep."

After hearing this, the girl nodded obediently, let go, and closed her eyes. After confirming that the girl was sleeping soundly, Su Ziling went to the kitchen. Seeing him come in, An Yan did not stop his movements. "I told grandpa that we would listen to him carefully, and also persuaded grandpa that he needed to rest now, and the girl also needed time to accept it."

"Is Grandpa seriously injured?"

"Yeah, I'm holding my breath."

"What should we do? Should we take the girl with us?"

"Bring it." An Yan said and continued to cook. Su Ziling looked at him. An Yan seemed to be very casual when he made this decision, but Su Ziling knew that he was very serious, and there was no doubt that he was serious. At this moment, Su Ziling's heart was greatly shaken, and he finally showed his usual smile.

After the meal was ready, he went to call the maid to eat. The maid was silent and listless. She ate a little bit of rice but didn't really eat it.

"Girl, take this bowl of porridge and come in with me." When Su Ziling could hardly bear it anymore, An Yan finally spoke.

Su Ziling looked at the two of them, put down his chopsticks and the food he had not finished, and followed them in.

An Yan carefully fed the old man spoonful by spoonful. The old man ate very slowly, swallowing one mouthful with great effort and then waiting for a while before he could eat the next one. The girl stood by his bed, her head drooping, her fingers nervously tugging at the corner of her clothes.

"Girl, come here." After An Yan finished feeding her, Su Ziling hurriedly took the bowl and placed it on the empty table beside her.

The girl stood facing the old man, who looked at her lovingly for a long time before saying, "Girl, you have to know that if the rest of my life is not so sad and there is a little joy, it is because of you. But you grow up too fast, too fast..."

The old man spoke much slower than last time. The girl cried and half leaned on the old man, wrapping her tender arms around him. Grandpa blinked, tears fell down the wrinkles on his face, and he didn't have the strength to hug the girl back.

Su Ziling couldn't help but feel sad. He turned his head away to suppress the sadness that was about to overflow from his eyes.

The old man trembled and let go of the girl. He had more to say. "Girl, when grandpa saw you for the first time, you were placed in a small basket outside the house. I thought, what kind of parents would put such a small and cute child here? Placed next to this remote, poor and shabby-looking roof? I searched the basket and only found a letter, nothing else."

After the old man finished speaking, he fixed his eyes on the cabinet on the right side of the room. An Yan understood what he meant and went over to open the cabinet. After a while, An Yan found it.

Su Ziling didn't know where the letter was hidden, but it still looked smooth and clean in An Yan's hand, not like a letter left seven or eight years ago. The old man kept it well, as if he was waiting for this day.

The letter was opened, and there was only one simple sentence on it: I leave this child in your care.

The letter was surprisingly simple. It didn't say why, there was no information about the girl's parents, not even the girl's name and date of birth. It seemed that it existed only to say hello to the owner of the house. An Yan quietly put the letter away.

"Girl," the old man explained to her with difficulty, "Later I went to the town to inquire, and there was no family that didn't want children, so your parents must be from outside... ahem..."

Su Ziling quickly leaned over to touch his grandfather's chest. "As you grew older, I became more certain that your parents must not be ordinary people, because you are so tall and handsome. You are different from others. It's just... unfortunately, I have no information about your parents. It's because grandpa is useless..."

The girl looked at her grandfather, crying and shaking her head, unable to say a word. Suddenly, her grandfather stood up and grabbed An Yan's arm with all his strength, "Take her away... She doesn't belong here... Even if it doesn't happen, I won't live for more than a year or two. I'm old and my life will soon be over..."

Grandpa held on tightly, holding on to An Yan tightly. The girl choked even harder when she heard this. Su Ziling looked at the scene in front of him and felt anxious. Didn't An Yan just agree to take the girl with him? Why didn't he say it?

Su Ziling looked at An Yan with doubt and anxiety. An Yan stood straight, letting his grandfather hold his hand without any movement. After a moment, he looked at the girl, who stood beside him, unconsciously leaning towards him. An Yan's hard face relaxed a little, and finally, he nodded.

This action naturally caught Grandpa's attention, and he breathed a sigh of relief after letting go. Su Ziling also breathed a sigh of relief, and he looked at the girl, whose eyes were filled with a layer of surprise. He knew that An Yan really liked the girl.

At this moment, Grandpa suddenly seemed to remember something and said to An Yan: "Name... the girl's name... I didn't give the girl a name because I felt I was not qualified, but the girl can't be without a decent name as she grows up."

An Yan nodded and thought for a while before squatting down. He gently wiped away the tears on the girl's face with a gentle smile. "Your surname is An, just like mine, and your name is Xiao Su. How about An Xiao Su? I think it sounds nice."

After An Yan squatted down, Su Ziling could easily see An Yan's movements. Every smile of An Yan made Su Ziling feel that An Yan was gentle. He was a person who was too much like water.

The girl nodded and threw herself into An Yan's arms, and An Yan stroked her hair. Everything was settled, so An Yan took the girl out of the house, and Su Ziling went to Grandpa's bed and put the pillow down for Grandpa to rest.

When Su Ziling got very close to his grandfather, he realized that his grandfather's breathing had become very heavy. His grandfather closed his eyes and his hand unconsciously rested on the wound.

"How do you feel?" he asked as he helped his grandfather lie down.

"……fine……"

Su Ziling could tell that his grandfather was speaking reluctantly and his expression was not very good, so he hurriedly said to his grandfather: "Wait for me, I will go out to boil the medicine."

Su Ziling walked out of the house and saw An Yan coming over, so he went up to him and asked, "Where's Xiao Su?"

"In her room."

"I see that grandpa is in pain, I want to boil some medicine, An Yan, why don't you go get some painkillers first?"

"it is good."

At night, after two rounds of medicine, Grandpa finally fell asleep. After An Yan and Su Ziling stayed in the room for a while, An Yan said, "You go and rest first. I'll take care of Grandpa."

"Okay, then you can call me later in the night and we can take turns."

An Yan nodded, and Su Ziling went to rest, but he slept until dawn.

Before dawn, the sky of Xidu was hazy and chaotic, and there was no one on the quiet streets, but soon, from the moment the sun rose, all this would be broken. An Yan and Su Ziling were away from the disaster in Xidu in the pavilion, but the storm would soon affect them.

"Yin." Ye came hurriedly early in the morning. "Lu Xian was murdered last night."

"Lu Xian? Are you talking about Lu Lang's cousin, the one who stabilizes the Lu family's political situation in Xidu?"

"Yes, it's him. Who else could it be but him?"

"Where did the news come from? How far has the situation escalated now?"

"I don't know, but what is certain is that there will be chaos. As for the news, it naturally came from the Lu Mansion." Ye paused intentionally or unintentionally.

Lu Mansion? Yin calmed down after hearing this. He sat back down, stroking his chin with his index finger, then picked up the book on the table and threw it at Ye unexpectedly. Ye smiled and dodged slightly, and the book fell to the ground with a dull sound.

"How dare you lie to me, boy?"

Ye laughed loudly. "Yin, you are still so awesome."

"Humph." Yin said disdainfully, "If the news really came from the Lu Mansion, it only means that the Lu family has taken control of the situation and leaked it out on their own initiative. I'm afraid that many people will receive the same news in a short while."

Ye nodded in agreement.

"Lu Xian is..."

"I don't know. It will take some time to find out."

Yin nodded meaningfully, "I don't think Lu Xian will die so easily. At present, the most important thing is to find out who did it and what their purpose is. They actually dared to attack Lu Xian directly, so there must be something complicated behind it."

"Do you think Lu Xian didn't die but took control of the situation?"

"Yes, and he is taking advantage of the situation. He must get to the bottom of this matter. Of course, if my speculation is wrong and he unfortunately dies, then who will stabilize the situation in just a few hours? Ye, no matter what, if this matter continues to expand, Xidu will definitely become a dangerous and huge vortex."

"What do you want to do?" Ye asked seriously.

"It's nothing. 'Dark Night' is just an intelligence organization and can't get involved in this mess. Don't worry, Lu Xian is not a small figure. There will be people who intervene besides the three major families." Yin spread his hands, indicating that he was powerless.

"You mean..."

"Yes." Yin nodded affirmatively, "When the time comes, we can just give them the information and help them. This will show our sincerity and won't leave us out of this matter."

"I understand. I will have my secret agents pay more attention to the Song family."

Ye left, but Yin was not so relieved. As he expected, Xidu would not be peaceful recently, and he would not be able to return to Xindu in a short time. Before the real battle started, there would definitely be political turmoil. As the foundation of various political forces, Xidu would bear the brunt.

That day, the sun had just risen. Lin Xuanfeng looked at the letter on his desk, thought for a long time, and then set off.