Standing Next To You-Chapter 35: The Life Without Grandma Bei

The Bei family’s yard was full of the noise of chickens.

In the hut, Grandma Bei held Bei Sangyun’s hands tightly as the two sat on the bamboo bed.

"How come you are here? Did they know you are here?" Grandma Bei asked, worried. After crying while hugging her granddaughter, Grandma Bei had calmed down.

She had returned to being the stern but affectionate Grandma Bei that Bei Sangyun knew.

"I came here to take you away, Grandma. We promised each other that once I came here, you would leave with me. So come with me this time, okay?" The corners of Bei Sangyun’s eyes were a bit red.

Grandma Bei stared longingly at Bei Sangyun’s face. She held back her tears as she affectionately fixed her granddaughter’s hair, saying, "Grandma is too old to come along. I am fine here. Don’t worry about me. I am happy as long as I know you are doing well."

Bei Sangyun lowered her gaze. "But I am not doing well there, grandma. Without you, I will become sick. I’ll go crazy until I die alone, in pain, and full of regret."

Bei Sangyun leaned down onto Grandma Bei’s lap, greedily yearning for her warmth.

"Grandma, I can already envision my future without you. I will work hard tirelessly like a dog to appease the people in the Lin family. I will employ any means necessary just to earn that old man’s favor and secure my position as his heir. In the process, I will lose you, lose myself, and ultimately descend into madness. There is no one there who genuinely cares for me. When I am sick and in pain, I will bear it silently, fearing it could be exploited against me, until it’s too late to do anything." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Bei Sangyun concealed the trace of reminiscence in her eyes.

"Grandma, in that place, I might very well lose my sanity. So please, don’t abandon me there." Bei Sangyun pleaded.

Grandma Bei was dumbfounded. Bei Sangyun’s tone was calm and soft, yet her words resonated deeply within her heart. She was overcome with shock and fear.

Cupping Bei Sangyun’s face, her expression fraught with concern, she asked, "Why are you saying this? Has your condition... worsened?’

Bei Sangyun smiled, attempting to ease her grandmother’s worries. "It has its relapses from time to time, especially when I am burdened with stress and consumed by loneliness. Grandma, I am determined not to endure a life like that."

’Not any more’, Bei Sangyun silently added.

Grandma Bei’s heart ached. How painful must it have been for her strong and resilient granddaughter to plead to her like this? Had her decision truly been the right one at all? Or was her choice only brought tremendous pain to her granddaughter instead?

Grandma Bei was consumed by guilt. She found herself unable to shake off the blame she placed on herself and those who had led her granddaughter to feel this way.

"Did they mistreat you? Were you bullied? I’ve always told you to stand up when others try to push you down!"

Bei Sangyun leaned on Granma Bei’s hand. The rough but warm palm caressing her face soothed the madness in her heart. It was as if the storm that had never been calm was able to find a rare tranquility with this warm touch. It felt peaceful and magical.

"They did bully me. But I did not let them step on me. I already paid them ten times. They won’t be able to touch me any longer." Bei Sangyun said lightly. As if the past did not matter anymore.

That’s right. The reason she was no longer as bothered as before by their malicious words and mocking gazes was because she had already beaten those people and made them suffer.

She had come out as the winner. She had no interest in beating down an already defeated opponent.

Besides, if those people have memories too, they won’t be able to face her directly and would cower at her feet with fear.

The sight of those prideful people kneeling at her feet to forgive them was a sight to behold.

But...

It only made her happy for a few days.

No matter how much wealth she had, no matter how many people feared her, her ending could not be changed. She was doomed to suffer excruciating pain until she died.

"They are not important, grandma. I am not scared of them. I am more scared of losing you. So please, come with me. If you don’t want to leave here, then I will stay here with you."

Grandma Bei was stunned. She looked deeply into Bei Sangyun’s eyes and noticed she wasn’t joking.

In her granddaughter’s pleading gaze, Grandma Bei could feel her desperation and a deep void her granddaughter concealed.

Despite not meeting her for years, Grandma Bei was still able to discern her granddaughter’s emotions well. The innocence in her granddaughter’s eyes was gone. Her liveliness and her enthusiasm for the future disappeared. Instead, there was unspoken sadness and madness in it.

It was as if her granddaughter had fallen into a deep abyss and was still in there.

Grandma Bei’s eyes turned red. How much did her granddaughter suffer in that place for her to change like this?

She was a bad grandmother for sending her to that hell.

"I’m sorry, my child. I’m so sorry..." Grandma Bei’s arms enveloped Bei Sangyun as her heart-wrenching sobs filled the room.

Bei Sangyun did not expect Grandma Bei to burst into tears. She patted her back and waited for the storm of emotions to subside.

"Grandma, this time let’s live longer. Let’s live a life of happiness and good health," Bei Sangyun whispered softly.

With tearful eyes, Grandma Bei nodded in agreement, their shared understanding and resolve unspoken was deeply felt.

When Bei Sangyun suggested that she could stay if Grandma Bei preferred not to leave, the latter promptly dismissed the idea and instead proposed they depart from the town. Grandma Bei couldn’t bear the thought of Bei Sangyun being trapped in this place.

With enthusiasm, Bei Sangyun assisted Grandma Bei in packing her belongings. She carefully folded her grandmother’s clothes and included her worn straw sandals.

As Bei Sangyun held the modest bundle of luggage in her hands, a genuine smile graced her petite face.

How long had it been since she had felt such peace and joy?

Seeing her grandma alive and knowing that she would spend her future with her, Bei Sangyun’s once-emptied heart was filled with enthusiasm. Her grandmother’s warmth melted the frozen valley around her heart little by little. The void within her was filling up slowly.

Yes. This life would be different than the exhausting and painful life she had lived before. Now that she confirmed her grandma was alive and that her grandma would continue staying beside her, she felt that only good days would come.

However, things were just starting yet.

"Grandma, there’s a place we should visit first before we start looking for a place to settle down."

"Wherever it is, I’ll be right there by your side."

Bei Sangyun’s smile bloomed; her heart brimmed with contentment at Grandma Bei’s unwavering support.