End of Salvation

015: The Lunar Crown Hotel (II)

Hearing that clear resounding voice that reminded him of tinkling of silver bells, a much older man turns his head towards the direction of the voice. Descrying the short silvery head, a gentle smile adorns his face that shows signs aging. The genuine expression of discontent was visibly written all over his face. It was undisguised by fake smiles he has long gotten used to seeing.

The old man decides to walk over, shaking his head faintly with a gentle smile as he sees their childish pout. Standing before the young boy, he asks with light sarcasm, "Now what could have made xiao waisun¹ so upset?"

Shinyi pouts his mouth and calls out, "Laoye²~"

He puts on a wronged expression, "They're bullying us, laoye..."

The old man frowns instantly, "Tell laoye who dares to trouble you and laoye will make sure that they pay."

Shinyi unhesitantly points to the doorman who is peeing his pants at the moment. Who would've thought that they knew such an influential person?! Weren't they just supposed to be unfavored illegitimate children?! Now the doorman's intestine was green with regret but there were no pills to undo what they had done. He snitches the culprit out without any shame, "It was them."

The old man straightens out his collar and walks up to the doorman with a fox-like smile on his face. His eyes curve into crescent-like shapes as he approaches closer to the doorman. But to his surprise, the old man did not speak to him. Instead, they called out for someone else, "Get Manager Sun here."

The name made the doorman piss even harder. Wuuu. Just how did it turn out that as he was following what he was 'tipped' for, it brought him this much trouble?! Wasn't this called picking up a stone just to drop it on one's foot? If only he could go back in time to reject that woman's bribery. Who told his money grubbing mouth to say 'yes', and his money grubbing hands to take that 1,000 yuan? Now wanting to shed tears, the doorman was unable to mourn at his own funeral. The extra money was not worth the exchange of his whole career. He weeps inwardly but knows that there is nothing he can do now. If this person chose to do it... Then there was no room for any arguments.

Shinyi lets out a happy smile seeing the ever-changing colours on the doorman's face. Laughing inwardly, he had to thank his stars for being able to meet his maternal grandfather in this life.

Previously, he had only heard whispers of his grandfather being in the same hospital as him but he never knew for sure back then. Now, he was certain of it as the old man would sneakily come to visit him, stand outside his door, and leave gifts to him. At first, Shinyi assumed that it was either the nurses or his siblings but upon mentioning it, they were clueless to what he was talking about. Later, he was able to unearth the mysterious sender using his observant nature. His grandfather would always make sure that his siblings were gone first before he would go to his room. Sometimes when he was supposed to be asleep, he found him debating on what young kids these days like. He found them rather cute and observed them for a while before perceiving his actions to be non-threatening.

Shinyi wasn't sure that this person was his grandfather, as there were no photos of his maternal family and not much information was available to him. But, there was always one thing that he could count on, his instincts.

Taking the lead in making contact with his maternal grandfather, he hid by the side of his bed and popped up with a 'boo'. At first, it scared the old man silly, but they hurriedly scurried to put back on their chilly expression and coughed before leaving. Shinyi only seemed to shrug his shoulders at their reaction, but he was secretly laughing in his heart.

Knowing that he had a secret visitor, Shinyi decided to be a good person and waited to greet them as he sat in bed. But he soon ran into a problem after that day, the old man hadn't come back to visit him since. He scrambled his brain to find out the reason why they would cease their visits but came up with no plausible explanation.

Only when his ears picked up the faint noises in the hallway, did Shinyi find out that instead of coming inside, they were standing in the hallway and talking to the nurses. He was only clear about this because he opened the door and heard their voices outside. He recognized the nurse's voice but not the other one. So when he saw the old man and heard their conversation, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point.

They were concern for his well being, asking for his condition and list activities with a serious face. Shinyi could differentiate between being falsely concerned and being genuinely concerned, and he knew that the old man's disquietude was from within his heart. After all, he had lived two lives and learned how to put on a smiling and crying mask; only an idiot would still be caught up in trying to guess the authenticity of it at this point.

The next time around after his siblings were gone, he would go crack open the door a little and peek out the small crevasse. Seeing the old man stand outside for an average of four hours every day for five days in a row without any complaints, Shinyi felt they had a very strong perseverance.

On the fifth day, he saw an expression of deep longing and loss on the old man's face. Shinyi was unaware of the circumstances with the incident that caused the rift and naturally didn't understand the old man's feelings. It was only after he had sold many lifetimes worth of meng and able to drag the old man into his room to have a normal conversation, did he find out why.

His mother was the oldest of the three children from Ying Zhuqing and Ying Yunyan, and she happened to be the only girl. They had loved her dearly and treasured her like a pearl in the palms of their hands. They didn't care for who she would spend the her life with, as long as they had a good and upright character that wouldn't wrong her. But who knew that their prayers wouldn't be answered? One day, their daughter suddenly came home with a man and introduced him as her boyfriend for four years. When they saw Xiu Tianyu, they saw beneath the layer of his facade and had a feeling of apprehension. Immediately, they forbid her from meeting with him any further and for her to break off their relationship. They thought their words were enough and that their child would be sensible not to pursue the problem, but they had poorly judged the situation.

Not only did Ying Ye not stop herself from seeing him, she also developed a rebellious attitude. She would always defend him whenever they mentioned his name. Who knew what kind of drugs Xiu Tianyu was feeding to Ying Ye to make her this love-struck; he was leading her by the nose and she willingly followed. Many times, they tried to dissuade her but she would only firmly shake her head.

They too had a limit of how much they could tolerate, enough was enough. Unable to change the mind of their daughter, they gave her an ultimatum: leave him, or choose to go with him and cut off their ties. Ying Ye chose the latter option and disappeared from their lives. Their ego and feelings were heavily shaken by her choice. But since they were the ones who gave out the options, they could not put down their pride and find her. In a similar fashion, Ying Ye could not go back to her parents and let them continue to suffer for her actions. She had let them lose a ton of face, but she could not leave and let her child be fatherless.

When Ying Zhuqing and Ying Yunyan heard about Ying Ye's death, they were distraught and came to her funeral. At the doors to the funeral home, they were refused by Xiu Tianyu's henchmen and blocked from accessing the service. Only after Ying Ye was buried, were they able to come and see their daughter off. Ever since then, the two families were at odds with each other and they would have disputes, but it would always be done underneath the radar of the public's eye.

Now Ying Zhuqing saw an uncanny resemblance to his daughter from Shinyi, it brought back many hurtful memories from the past. He recollected to when he first carried her in his arms, still bloody and the sounds of her first cry rang out. It was as if he could still feel the distinct and surreal feeling of becoming a father, the feeling swelled in his chest. He then thought to her first smile, her first laugh, her first crawl, and her first steps, his chest tightened with dolefulness.

Hearing this 'tragic' story, Shinyi's mouth twitched. The only thoughts he had were that his mother was very very very stupid, but he couldn't entirely blame her for being madly in love. Because he too, at one point suffered at the hands of it once. It was like an endless void, constantly consuming, pulling you in deeply and making you forget about everything else. Thinking about their fates, perhaps he was more akin to his mother, for the both of them died in the pursuit of love.

Looking at their reddened eyes and their unshed tears, he pitied his grandfather. One, for his love-struck of a fool daughter, and two, because of what will happen to him in the future. He does not know much of anything that will happen on their, only the results of raising a white-eyed wolf.

Shinyi accompanied the old man daily, and they became more open to him. There were even the rare moments of boisterous laughter between the two. Eventually, he found out the reason for their stay; they had pancreatic adenocarcinoma³ and had just received their surgery.

Although they could still be considered young, the chances for surgery were much slimmer for someone their age and not all were suitable. It was very lucky that Ying Zhuqing was a part of the 15% populace that was eligible for the surgery, but that didn't mean that he was in the clear. The five-year survival rate with good treatment was only 8% and those who go through the Whipple surgical procedure only have a 21% survival rate. Even with those numbers, his chance of living up to five years were very narrow.

Shinyi knew the outcome of their fate and felt a little despondent that their accidental life savior later on in the apocalypse would eventually pass away by the end of a year and a half. This news was told to them by Xiu Tianyu later on.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Yunsheng, who raps his shoulder softly, "Yi'er... You know who this man is?"

Shinyi nods, "He's our laoye."

Yunsheng has a troubled look on his face, but he was quickly assured by Shinyi. "He doesn't have any bad intentions, dage. I only met laoye at the hospital by chance during my stay."

Winking, Shinyi whispers the last part, "Don't worry, he's just shy and a little awkward at the prospects of meeting us after so long without contact. He truly cares for us."

Yunsheng makes a sound of acknowledgment and doesn't proceed to ask any more questions from Shinyi. It seems the person would tell him by themselves. As their little interchange went on, Manager Sun walks out of the building with quick steps with his back drenched in cold sweat. He amiably greets Ying Zhuqing with a bow, "Good day to you, Ying daren⁴."

Ying Zhuqing glances at the scared shitless manager with narrowed eyes. The kind temperament from before was nowhere to be seen, the corner of his lips curves down, "I must have been gone too long for the rats to scurry whichever way they pleased."

Gulping harshly, Manager Sun shakes his head as he keeps his smile plastered, "It is my mistake to have let this happen."

Turning to the doorman, Manager Sun had a you're-so-dead-face before it changes back to what it was previously, "This servant here must have horse shit stuffed in their eyes for them to have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai⁵. I will deal with this as the rules state, please forgive this lowly one for failing to teach the employees."

Ying Zhuqing snorts in disdain, "Make sure to find out who is daring enough to eat a bear's heart and a leopard's gall⁶ to stall my granddaughter and my grandsons in my own establishment!"

Manager Sun jumps at their harsh tone and fiercely nods his head as if he was pecking rice, "Yes, Ying daren!"

He whips his head around and chastises the doorman, "Come and apologize to the young miss and young masters for your imprudent actions!"

The doorman wishes the ground would split open and swallow him whole at the moment. It ws too bad that it would never happen. He makes haste and bows in a decorous manner to Yunsheng and the others, a 180° from his previous attitude, "I sincerely apologize for my temerarious actions from before. I was a fool, blinded by my own greed."

Yunsheng and the others were all so shocked at what was going on. They were used to people insulting and mocking them only, never have they had someone give out an apology. Their faces flash with awkwardness, what were they supposed to say to someone in a situation like this? It was okay? It is alright? But the situation wasn't alright nor was it okay. They weren't saints, they had been angered by the other's action, no matter how small it may seem and the person was only getting what they deserved. So, they only stared in silence at the person bowing without the intentions of saying a word.

Ying Zhuqing naturally understands their looks and sighs in distress. He did not allow this situation to continue as it may seem as if they're bullying an employee, pulling Shinyi and he barks an order at the others, "You, clean up this mess. The rest of you follow me."

Shinyi happily waves at his sibling, "Let's go~"

He didn't forget to send a sneer at the doorman, hopping after his grandfather. He then starts to chat away like a chipmunk.

"Hi, laoye~"

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Is lao lao⁷ still mad at you?"

"Did you buy her flowers yet?"

"What about jiumu⁸? Did she give birth yet?"

"Oh, they must be pretty~ Is it a boy or a girl?"

...

Ying Zhuqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his suddenly energetic grandson, but he patiently answered each and every one of his unrelenting questions.

"Yes, I'm feeling better. The doctor says that there isn't anything to worry for the time being."

"Yes, Yun'er is still upset with laoye."

"Yes, I bought the flowers that you suggested. I saw her smile and she stored it in a vase."

"Your jiumu has already given birth to another little boy. His name is...."

The other four were just quietly observing the two. Two with a deep contemplating face, while the other two were lost at sea. Noticing their gazes, Shinyi's mouth turns into an 'O' when he realizes that he has forgotten about his siblings. He coughs, "Ahem. Laoye, you haven't officially met your granddaughter and other grandsons yet."

Staring from the oldest, he introduces them to Ying Zhuqing, "The handsome one with hazel eyes is da- Xiu Yunsheng. The one next to him who's equally dashing is Xiu Yijun. Jiejie is next, she's called Xiu Qiuyue and..."

He runs over and hugs his twin, "This is Xiu Shunyu, my better half."

Ying Zhuqing roars with laughter at his silly introductions, "Ahaha!"

He covers his stomach, wiping the tears from corners of his eyes. He grins at the four of them and nods his head, "As you can already assume from the conversation, I am your laoye."

His eyes wanders onto Shunyu's body and a gentle smile appears on his face. He lets out a deep sigh filled with reminiscing, "When I saw Yi'er, I thought he resembled your mother... But now I see that you, you look even more like her with those green eyes."

A feeling of guilt washes over him as he looks at his grandchildren. He closes his eyes briefly and apologizes, "I'm sorry for what you have been forced to go through. Although laoye's arrival is late, I hope that this old man is still able to become a proper grandfather for you and make up for the time lossed."

Once he opens his eyes again, there was a spark of hopefulness in them. Yunsheng has mixed feelings about Ying Zhuqing but he's able to see their goodwill. Thinking about his siblings, he made up his mind and was the first one to speak, "There's no need for an apology, laoye. You had your own family to care for and muqin⁹ had done something unforgivable. We only hope to not cause you any further troubles."

Ying Zhuqing warmly looks at them and smiles. The rims of his eyes were red as he gazes at them once more. In a blink of an eye, the grandchild that he had received news of who was only just a baby then, had already grown up. In just a couple more years, they would be an adult. Nodding in satisfaction, he repeats the word 'good' three times.

He pinches his soured nose slightly and beckons them, "Come, let's not keep your fuqin¹⁰ and the others waiting."

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A/N: I know that I was originally using english terms here, but I will be going back to change it later on. Sorry! Also, I did very simple research on the pancreatic cancer and things might not be 100% true, please forgive me if there's anything that is wrong there. Hehe... Then there's the... Complicated family tree. ( ◞･౪･)~ puuu

Thank you guys for reading and let me know if there's any mistakes that you see. See you guys by the end of the week for another update on EoS.

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¹Xiao waisun: '小外孙' means little grandson. 'Xiao' means small and 'Waisun' means grandson from a daughter and not a son.

²Laoye: '姥爷' means maternal grandfather (informal) (Not 'master', as it would be '老爷'). This term is more used in northern China and '外公' waigong (informal) is used more in the south.

³Pancreatic adenocarcinoma: Another name for 'pancreatic cancer'.

⁴Daren: '大人' A title/ suffix used for someone who has authority.

⁵To have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai: Idiom that means to fail to recognize someone or something of great status; or to be ignorant or arrogant.

⁶A bear's heart and a leopard's gall: '熊心豹胆' Means fearlessness.

⁷Lao lao: '姥姥' means maternal grandmother (informal). Same as Laoye, it is used in northern China and '外婆' waipo (informal) is used more commonly in the south.

⁸Jiumu: '舅母' means mother's brother's wife.

⁹Muqin: '母亲' means mother (formal).

¹⁰Fuqin: '父亲' means father (formal).