Chapter 595 - Negative Digits

"Elle!"

"Yes!" Raelle turned to look at Mu Chenyan who called her.

She looked troubled right now and pointed towards Grandfather Xiang, "Don't you think something is wrong with Elder Xiang? He had been distracted even during lunch. I'm not sure what happened and what is he thinking about."

"Oh, I asked him a question."

That was all that Raelle said but it was enough for Mu Chenyan to get the gist of it. She was all too well familiar with Raelle's 'questions'. They were never a good thing and they never ended well. After all, there were hardly any times when she or Grandfather Xiang were really able to answer her question even when she was a kid.

And now that she was an adult, her questions had become increasingly difficult for both of them to keep up with. Lately, the frequency of questions had decreased but today, she again said something to Grandfather Xiang and made him question plenty of things, leaving his feelings in turmoil.

And the culprit behind his turmoil aka Raelle, was completely oblivious to what she had done.

"Then let's hope he figures out an answer for you," said Mu Chenyan and inwardly prayed for Grandfather Xiang.

Shui Xian also was listening to them and couldn't help asking his wife, "What did you question him?"

Raelle didn't think there was a need to hide it from him. Perhaps, he'd be able to answer her question? So, she recounted everything to him as well leaving Shui Xian stumped. Was he supposed to know an answer to such a question? Because he didn't know at all! If anything, he was left staring at his wife wondering exactly how her brain was wired. Why were her thoughts never on the same wavelength?

Shui Xian suddenly had a thought that if there was really someone who could answer her question, that'd be Hyson. Apart from him, he couldn't think of anyone who could really answer her complicated questions.

But for a moment, he also wondered if she was really looking for an answer or she just wanted Grandfather Xiang to find an answer for himself. Because the answer won't have any impact on her life. It was different for the people around her.

"Granduncle!" 

Grandfather Xiang looked up at the newcomer and gave a welcoming smile to Zhai Yanjun. "Ah, Yanjun is here."

Zhai Yanjun hurried over to his side and announced, "Granduncle, I've accomplished my task. I brought all the things from home as I was told to do so." He looked at Xiang Weimin and added, "Weimin Ge, you can check and see if anything is missing. If there is, I'll bring it to you later."

Xiang Weimin looked at his suitcase and then at him, "You went from the Base to home and then came here just for this?"

Grandfather Xiang also thought of this and said, "You could have just asked someone to bring it here."

Zhai Yanjun shook his head, "No way. How can I do that? My rating is already in the negative digits, I should put some extra effort around here." While speaking he had pointed towards Mu Chenyan's direction who wasn't paying attention to what they were talking about.

Grandfather Xiang laughed at his words, he was truly amused by him. "Yes, yes. You should put extra effort. Who knows it might work?"

"That's what I'm saying," said Zhai Yanjun. Then he placed a box of pastries before Grandfather Xiang and stated, "Grandpa asked me to bring it for you."

"Oh," Grandfather Xiang opened the box and looked at the pastries with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. "You should have brought him as well."

"Grandpa wanted to come over but he and Grandma already made arrangements to meet some of his old colleagues. So, they couldn't come. But don't worry, they might pay you a visit this week."

"Then I'll be waiting," said Grandfather Xiang.

His impression of Zhai Yanjun was different than Mu Chenyan's. That woman was unable to look over the fact that he didn't show up for the blind date. Although she had softened up and was pretty good to Zhai Yanjun, it wasn't all that great either. But Grandfather Xiang had long forgotten about it. Since Raelle was already married to someone like Shui Xian, he didn't think much about those previous blind dates.

"By the way, I heard you join your grandparents for the Qingming Festival?[1]"

Zhai Yanjun nodded his head, "Yeah. Grandma pulled me along back to our hometown. I had time so I just went along with her." He took a pause and added, "But you didn't go back to your hometown for the festival." He looked at Raelle and asked, "Saozi, you didn't go either?"

Raelle looked straight at him and replied, "I don't go to cemeteries."

"Never?"

Raelle shook her head, "Never."

Zhai Yanjun nodded his head, "Forget it. What's good about Qingming Festival. It already passed a month ago. We should look forward to Dragon Boat Festival. I'll bring you to eat rice dumplings then."

"And why would I send my wife with you?" questioned Shui Xian.

Zhai Yanjun looked aggrieved, "Because if she goes, only then can I drag Fai with me."

"So, you're planning on using my wife for your purpose?"

Zhai Yanjun shrugged his shoulders, "Look at the bigger picture. Don't be so petty. Right, Saozi?"

"We'll see when the Dragon Boat Festival comes. For now, whether Hyson will be able to come back by then or not is unconfirmed."

Zhai Yanjun also agreed with her, "That's also true. We can wait for now."

"If you all are planning for Dragon Boat Festival, don't forget to bring Raelle to see the Dragon Boat racing. She had never seen it before. It'll be her first time and you should entertain her well," suggested Grandfather Xiang.

"Excellent idea," agreed Shui Xian as well.

[1] Qingming Festival: It's also known as Tomb Sweeping Festival when people visit the graves to pay respect to their ancestors.