My Alleged Husband

Chapter 1583: Chapter 1377: Crimson Lips

We’ve all experienced growing up, and everyone’s growth process is different. I might not always feel particularly happy, but there’s a discomfort in my heart.

Time is continuously and slowly flowing into the distance. Zhang Yichen and Ran Zhihan’s child is already slowly learning to walk on the ground. This day has come too fast, catching everyone a bit off guard, not expecting the child to grow up so quickly. But as the child grows day by day, their parents also age day by day, bringing a mix of excitement and somberness to everyone’s heart.

Old Master Zhang watched as Zhang Ni began to walk, muttering to himself: Time really does fly by quickly. A few months ago, the child was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, and now they can walk steadily on their own. It turns out I am truly getting old now. I don’t know how much more time heaven will grant me to stay in this world. If, on the day I am laid to rest, I could fulfill all my inner wishes, how wonderful that would be. But why are all my wishes so small to me, yet so difficult for everyone else? Why is there no one willing to put in a little bit of effort for my small wishes? Everything seems to end up this way because of me. Why can’t anyone strive a little for my sake? Is it really that hard to fight a little for myself?

Ran Zhihan heard her grandfather talking to himself every day, saying things she often found incomprehensible. She didn’t know what some of the things Old Master Zhang said meant, so she asked her husband to tell him what her grandfather had asked. It was then she realized how much pain her grandfather was harboring inside.

”Husband, what do you think Grandpa is mumbling to himself about over there? As I watch him, his eyes turn red as if he’s about to cry. I’ve never seen Grandpa look so vulnerable. In my heart, he has always been a strong person, never shedding a tear over trivial matters. But today, why is Grandpa talking to himself, saying what he wants to say, and his eyes are already turning red?”

”Wife, don’t you understand what kind of person Grandpa is? Our Grandpa always gives others the impression of being strong and upright, but no one knows how much pain he holds inside. No one has ever taken over what he’s done to try to understand or feel the pain he carries. Everyone only thinks about their own interests, never considering what kind of encouragement Grandpa might need inside. Can’t you see that every day Grandpa smiles at us as if he is full of joy? Don’t you know that in truth, his heart is full of sorrow? But he doesn’t want to share that pain with us, so even when he is deeply troubled, he forces himself to smile in front of us. He wants us to know that only by facing life with a smile can you expect returns. He believes that as long as you always repay the world with a smile, one day, heaven will smile back at you. Yet Grandpa doesn’t know that his smile has brought many people love, without ever expecting his own reciprocation by any.”

”Yes! Grandpa has indeed had such a pitiful life. He has done so much for us, yet we can’t do anything for him in return. Oh, I wish time could flow backward. If I could go back, I’d make sure to honor Grandpa, make him live happily every day, ensuring every moment with him is filled with genuine smiles from the heart, not just forced smiles to make us happy. But the past can never return; time has already flowed into the distance, never to come back. And as time flows by, our Grandpa is slowly aging. We grow day by day, watching our son learn to grow up, seeing him get cuter each day, feeling a bit reluctant. I’m afraid time will forever flow in this direction, and I won’t even have time to see what my son truly grows into! In life, the scariest thing is not losing someone but failing to understand what you’ve lost until they’re gone. When you look back and realize you’ve lost the one who cared for and loved you the most in this world, then the pain hits you a thousand times harder, and nothing can ease that. No one can fully comprehend where the pain comes from, nor can anyone bear it on your behalf.”

Zhang Yichen knew every word his wife said was heartfelt and true. Yet he didn’t know how to respond. He had heard such things more than once, but he always felt hopeless in the absence of a solution. He understood that inner pain doesn’t arise from words uttered easily but from a fate predetermined by others, continually pouring salt into your wounds, a pain so sharp and desperate that no one would willingly help share your burden.

Zhang Ni saw his parents approaching, and he hugged Ran Zhihan tightly, saying, ”Mom, why do other kids seem to have grandparents by their side, but I don’t? Where are my grandparents? Why don’t they want to come back and be with me? Do they think I’m not cute enough or not obedient enough? I wish my grandparents could come back and stay with me, even just for a day. I’d be happy to have them with me. Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen my grandma. I miss them so much. Mom, can you tell me where my grandparents went? I want to find them and bring them back so they can play with me. Other kids have both mom and dad playing with them, along with their grandparents. But I only have mom, dad, and a great-grandpa. My grandparents are not with me, and it makes me so sad inside.”

No one present expected such words to come from a little child not even two years old. His intelligence was astonishing, his appearance beyond words, intelligence also unmatched, a future heartbreaker no doubt.

”In the future, we will all become frail and slow. We must support each other and help each other, for it’s the only way we can stay together for a lifetime. We should live happily!”