The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 83.2
This made her relax.
She hung up the phone and went to wash up.
Elderly people are light sleepers, and Zhang Qiu’s movement woke her grandmother. Grandma came out and asked, “Why are you up so early?”
“Something came up at school; I’m heading back early.” Zhang Qiu held her grandmother, “It’s still early, go back to sleep for a bit.”
“People get less sleep when they’re old. I can’t sleep anymore.”
“What time is your bus? I’ll cook you something to eat.”
“It’s at five.”
“That’s too late.” The old woman sighed, went back into the room, fumbled around for a while, and took out two banknotes, slipping them to Zhang Qiu, “Buy something to eat on the way; don’t go hungry.”
Zhang Qiu knew her grandmother was worried about her, so she didn’t refuse and accepted the money.
Zhang Qiu gave her grandmother some instructions, emphasizing them repeatedly, and only left when the time came.
The old woman, wrapped in a coat, waved at her in the faint light of the street lamp.
After getting off the bus, the timing was perfect. Zhang Qiu took the earliest subway back to school.
In the morning, Lin Luoluo was still sending messages to Zhang Qiu: 【I fell asleep last night. My phone was too hot to hold when I woke up. When did you go to sleep, Sister?】
【Not long after you did.】 Zhang Qiu replied gently: 【I see you. Look up.】
Lin Luoluo looked up in confusion and immediately saw Zhang Qiu standing at the school gate. Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she ran quickly to throw herself into Zhang Qiu’s arms.
“Sister! When did you come back?”
“This morning.” Zhang Qiu hugged Lin Luoluo.
“You must be tired, Sister.”
Lin Luoluo saw that Zhang Qiu’s downcast mood from yesterday had lifted a lot, but Zhang Qiu still noticed the dark circles under her eyes.
Her heart ached, and she gently rubbed Lin Luoluo’s head.
This little mind, she thought, was always thinking about something. Zhang Qiu could often catch the fleeting look of melancholy in Lin Luoluo’s eyes.
Lin Luoluo took Zhang Qiu’s hand, and the two walked leisurely through the campus.
Lin Luoluo asked, “Sister, can we really be good for a lifetime?”
“We will,” Zhang Qiu said.
Lin Luoluo nodded and slowly leaned her head on Zhang Qiu’s shoulder.
“Not just this lifetime; I hope we can be together in the next life and the one after that, too.”
“Okay,” Zhang Qiu softly said, “We will be together in the next life, the life after that, and this life, too.”
Only then did Lin Luoluo smile happily.
Over the weekend, during the break, Lin Luoluo went with Zhang Qiu to meet her grandmother.
Grandma, hearing that a very pretty young girl was coming, bought groceries early, determined to show off her cooking skills to Zhang Qiu’s friend.
At the dinner table, Lin Luoluo’s eyes were dazzled by the feast. She secretly asked Zhang Qiu, “When did Grandma start preparing all this? Won’t it be too tiring for her?”
Zhang Qiu whispered back.
“I couldn’t stop her. Grandma is happy.”
“She said it’s the first time I’ve brought a friend home, so she has to treat you well.”
Seeing that Grandma was about to go cut fruit, Lin Luoluo quickly stopped her, “Grandma, let’s just eat. There’s so much good food; we definitely won’t have room for fruit later. If I feel like having some, we can cut it then, okay?”
Grandma’s face was full of smiles. Her gaze fell on Lin Luoluo’s face with deep affection, yet as if she hadn’t figured anything out, she said, “You and Jiujiu eat. Grandma is old and can’t eat much. Since you came today, you must try Grandma’s cooking.”
Lin Luoluo couldn’t persuade her and was instead pressed into a seat at the dining table by the old woman.
Zhang Qiu covered her mouth and laughed.
Seeing Lin Luoluo glare at her, Zhang Qiu quickly called out, “Grandma, if you don’t sit down, she won’t eat.”
Only then did the old woman finish her work and come over, urging Lin Luoluo to eat quickly.
The old woman’s cooking was superb. Even a simple stir-fried green vegetable had a wonderful wok hei (breath of the wok).
Knowing that Lin Luoluo ate little and preferred light-flavored food, the dishes today were all tailored to her taste, not overly salted or heavily seasoned.
After having a bowl of soup and a few bites of the dishes on the table, Lin Luoluo was full.
But seeing there was still so much food, and not wanting to disappoint Grandma, she forced herself to eat a little more.
She ate until she was stuffed, moving from the dining table to the sofa, where Zhang Qiu secretly rubbed her stomach.
Lin Luoluo kept glancing toward the kitchen. She asked Zhang Qiu, “Grandma isn’t cleaning up, is she? We can wash the dishes. Don’t let her tire herself out anymore.”
Zhang Qiu said, “Let me wash them. You rest for a bit. Why did you eat so much? Does your stomach still hurt?”
Lin Luoluo whimpered a couple of times. Zhang Qiu rubbed her head again.
“Jiujiu,” Grandma called out, “Take this fruit out, and come with me to the room to find the photo album to show your friend.”
Zhang Qiu went to carry the fruit platter and then followed Grandma to the room for the photo album.
Grandma flipped through the album and introduced pictures to Lin Luoluo: “Look, this is Zhang Qiu when she was little.”
“This is when she just started elementary school.”
“This is a picture the boss took when she accompanied me to work. He thought she was cute. She wasn’t even as tall as the machine.”
“And this one was taken by the school after she won an award.”
“And this one.”
As she looked at the photos, Lin Luoluo slowly gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Qiu’s childhood. The old woman’s eyes held a deep, lingering light as she spoke softly, “Jiujiu never liked to talk much as a child. After she started school, I was always worried she’d be bullied. Her parents passed away early, and I’m just her grandmother; there’s a big age gap. She tends to keep everything inside. But now it’s good; now she has you. Grandma hopes the two of you will be well.”
Lin Luoluo’s hand, which was flipping through the photos, paused. She involuntarily looked at the old woman, who just smiled at her, tapping her lower back and saying, “I’m old now, not very useful anymore.”
Lin Luoluo suspected that Grandma had figured something out; the old woman seemed to have implied something, but then she thought it might just be her imagination.
Zhang Qiu escorted Grandma back to the room and walked back with a look of helplessness, holding a red envelope.
She slipped it to Lin Luoluo and said, “This is from Grandma. She said not to think it’s too little.”
Lin Luoluo stared blankly at the red packet, which confirmed her certainty: Grandma must have known. Yet, she said nothing, acting just as a parent might when their child first brings a significant other home, following their old tradition of giving the child the best of everything.
Lin Luoluo accepted it. She knew what this represented.
It represented the old woman’s approval.
And it represented the old woman’s permission for her to be a long-term companion to her child.
Love needs no words.