The room was huge and carpeted, giving off a tranquil feeling. An older gentleman sat in front of the
window, watching the snow falling outside with distant eyes. Such a beautiful scene made one feel
peaceful looking at it.
However, the older gentleman was not sitting in an ordinary chair but in a wheelchair. Even though it
looked sturdy and high–tech, it was still a wheelchair.
“Grandpa?” Lily called him with a trembling voice.
‘What‘s wrong with him?‘
“You‘re back!” Wilfred answered her in a soft tone but did not shift his sight.
Lily quickly stepped forward and stopped in front of him. She wanted to continue forward but felt a little
timid. Only now did the older gentleman turn his wheelchair around to look at her. He was still the same
as how Lily remembered.
However, he looked much older and had whiter hair and more wrinkles. His eyes were not as sharp as
before and looked more peaceful and kind.
Could it be because Lily had been away for a long time that she felt he had become gentle? At this
moment, Lily suddenly felt that maybe her grandfather did not hate her as much as she thought he did.
Wilfred gave her a once–over and said, “You‘ve grown up!” Lily could hear the relief and regret in his
voice. The little girl shorter than his waist had grown up, and now he could only sit and look up at her.
That was how life went, after all. The younger generation would soon grow up and replace the older
generation.
‘His legs look fine, but the wheelchair...‘
“Grandpa, your legs...” Lily looked up and asked hesitantly.
“Grandpa‘s leg is like that due to gout. He can‘t stand or walk most of the time. Occasionally he can
stand up when it‘s not too serious.” Justin, who was standing behind her, answered.” It‘s an old ailment.
It‘s been so for a few years...”
No one had ever told Lily about her grandfather‘s condition. The Lodge family always kept tabs on Lily,
but she was oblivious to what was happening with them.
Her so–called cut–off family ties were just her unilateral belief. Ultimately, she was still a member of the
Lodge family.
Lily tried to put her hand lightly on Wilfred‘s knee. She was glad no one reprimanded her for doing this.
“The doctors can‘t cure him?”
“There‘s no cure for gout. It‘s usually fine, but when the pain relapses...”
“All right, it‘s not a big deal. It‘s common for old people to get pain and soreness like this.” Wilfred
probably felt Justin had said too much and impatiently interjected. Justin stopped explaining and stood
there quietly upon being scolded. “I heard you won an award recently?” Wilfred lowered his head and
asked.
“Yeah, I won the perfumery competition. It‘s not a big deal either.” Lily said. It was still quite a distance
away from her goal, after all.
Wilfred smiled fleetingly, “It surprised me that you can continue doing this. Excellent.” He saw Lily‘s
hand still on his knee and held it, “Stand up.”
Lily was stunned when Wilfred held her hands. She looked up at him, and he forcefully led her to stand
up. Lily stood, but her eyes involuntarily fell to his knees. ‘It probably hurts a lot even though he says it
was nothing.‘
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