The kitchen seemed to have prepared the food a long time ago and had already set them on the table. As we entered, the caregiver smiled and said, “They’ve all been heated up!”
Channing nodded and said, “Get a glass of beet juice for Nora.”
Then, he turned to me and asked, “What would you like to drink, Ms. Stanhope?”
I smiled politely and replied, “I’m fine with anything, Mr. Oberick. I’m not picky.”
He laughed. “Why don’t you try Nora’s favourite beet juice as well then?”
I nodded. “Sure, thank you!”
Just then, the sound of an engine came from outside. It sounded like a car had just parked by the door.
Nora had only just picked up her chopsticks and had not even taken a bite. She turned to Channing and asked, “Grandpa, did you invite someone else?”
He was taken aback for a moment, then he shook his head and replied, “No. Who would come and visit an old man like me in the middle of the night?”
The housekeeper then entered the room and said, “Mr. Oberick, a Mr. Featherstone wish to see you.”
Nora tutted and looked at me. “Anthony?”
Confused, I shook my head and replied, “He should be busy now. I don’t think he’ll come here.”
However, I was not very certain of my words. Since Joe and Rylee are in A City, he should be taking them around to view the city. I don’t think he’d come here to accompany me for dinner, right?
Channing smiled and turned to the housekeeper. “What a good timing. We’ve only just sat down. Invite him in quickly!”
The housekeeper nodded and left, then soon came back.
Behind the housekeeper followed a slender, handsome man with an outstanding appearance. It was Anthony.
Nora could not help but laugh. “Mr. Featherstone, are you afraid that I’d abduct your wife? I don’t think you’d be so petty as to not even let me take her out to play for a while, right?”
After Anthony greeted Channing, he turned to Nora and replied, “Sienna doesn’t sleep very well and gets insomnia easily. You two can go ahead and chat. I won’t interfere!”
“Please take a seat!” said Channing as he pulled out the chair beside him. He then turned to Nora and scolded, “Nora, where are your manners?”
Anthony laughed. “I was the one who came here uninvited. Sorry to disturb you.”
Recalling what Nora had just said, Channing then looked at Anthony and asked, “Nora said that you were here to see your wife. Isn’t your wife Ms. Zimmer? Why…”
“Grandpa, you’re confused!” said Nora, “What do you mean by Ms. Zimmer? She’s just a fake. The granddaughter-in-law who was chosen by the old Mr. Featherstone is here!”
She pointed at me and smiled. “You gave Grandma’s bracelet to the wrong person. She’s going to be angry!”
Taken aback, Channing looked at Anthony, puzzled.
Anthony was not the least bit upset. He quickly got up and bowed in apology. “Sorry, Mr. Oberick. I’d always wanted to explain what happened at the hotel then, but I didn’t get the chance to. I’ll officially make amends to you today.”
Then, he took out the bracelet that Channing had given Rachel and returned it to him. “Actually, Sienna is my wife. We just had some conflicts on the day that we ate in the hotel. We can’t accept this bracelet.”
Since it had come to this, I stood up and bowed in apology as well.
Channing seemed to still be a little stunned. He looked at me in a daze and said, “You guys…”
Just then, Nora spoke. “Don’t you understand yet, Grandpa? They had some conflicts before, which resulted in that big mess. But Mr. Featherstone’s right. Grandma left that bracelet behind, so you can’t just give it away so casually. If you want to give them a gift, you can get them something else. The bracelet contains your memories with Grandma, so you shouldn’t just give it away.”
Channing smiled as he opened the box to look at the bracelet. He then looked at Anthony and me, who were still standing, and said, “It’s fine, you two can sit down. At least we resolved this misunderstanding.”
When we had taken our seats, he continued, “It’s normal for married couples to fight once in a while.”
Anthony and I quickly nodded in response. Nora then looked at me and whispered, “I didn’t think that your handsome icy husband would be so humble in front of the elderly!”
I smiled faintly. Anthony’s charms were not only because of his appearance and how commanding he was. His granitelike sternness with his subordinates and his disinterest in outsiders were all just habits of his.
Deep down, he was actually a gentle and loyal person. He was patient with children and respectful and filial to his elders. Those were the qualities that made him charming.
As Channing looked at the bracelet in his hands, he sighed a little. “Just as you guys said, I shouldn’t give this bracelet away. However, it’s actually something that your Grandma told me to do. We’ve been friends with the Featherstones for decades, and this bracelet was originally given to our family by the old Mrs. Featherstone. Sixty years ago, when everything was in a mess and we were busy trying to escape war to stay alive, we met the Featherstones, who were poor just like us. Unlike now, we had to worry about everything back then. We had no food, so it was normal for us to eat tree bark. We were lucky if we even got to eat some bran.”
Channing could not help but sigh, then continued, “This silver bracelet may not look much now, but back then, it meant a lot to our friendship when we were gifted this. The old Mrs. Featherstone had initially given this to us so that we could sell it for money to buy some food.”
He then looked at Nora and continued, “But your grandmother refused to do that. No matter how hungry we were or how tough our lives were, she treasured this bracelet. When we went to Venria to aid the war, she still did not sell it no matter how tough she had it and even when she had to take care of your father. When everything ended, we could have lived a good life from then on. But she’d been malnourished for too long, so her body had given up on her slowly. She’d always wished to take this bracelet to the daughter-in-law of the Featherstones, but she’d passed away before her wish was fulfilled.”
Channing was choking up by the time he was done speaking. He lowered his head and wiped away the tears in the corner of his eyes. “I know this bracelet is not as valuable as those gold or jade ones, but it holds the memories of people of my generation. So we want to give it to you, in hopes that it will serve as a reminder to the two of you that no matter how tough life may be or whatever difficult problems you might face, the two of you will still have mutual understanding and continue to live well together. Once you have lived through certain phases in life, wealth no longer has much value. What’s really valuable is the relationship that you have with each other.”
Anthony took my hand in his and interlocked our fingers, then said, “We will!”
The things that he wanted to pass on to us were simple and heart-warming. There were many wealthy people in the world, but not many could find peace in their hearts.
He hoped that even after facing the mess and filth in the world, we would still be able to face our lives with ease. Having such a mentality would be more important than anything else.
Channing’s eyes held a hint of longing and reluctance as he stroked the bracelet. After a while, he handed it to me. “I’m old. I’ve been through the hardship that I had to and enjoyed the blessings of living a good life too. So many things happened in my lifetime, and everyone I miss is already gone, so I’ve nothing left to worry over. All I want is to grant my wife’s wish. Keep this bracelet and let it pass on from generation to generation.”
My heart was warm, and my nose started burning. As I took the box into my hands, I nodded at Channing and replied, “Mr. Oberick, we’ll definitely pass it down to the younger generations.”
He nodded and broke into a smile. “Good. The future lies in the hands of young people like you.”
I nodded while opening the box. In it, laid a pair of bracelets. I took one out and said to Nora, “Grandma would be happy if we bring one back. As for the other, Nora, would you be willing to realize Grandpa’s wish with me? If we pass the bracelets down as a family heirloom, we would be one big family.”
Nora was taken aback at my suggestion. She then turned to Channing.
Channing was bewildered too, then laughed heartily. “Nora, it seems you got a good friend!”
Nora laughed at his remark and accepted the bracelet. “It would be my honor. From now on, we are one big family.”
The mood lightened at dinner.
The day had turned dark when dinner was over.
Everyone sat chatting while sipping tea in the living room when Nora asked, “Sienna, you told me that you have something to ask Grandpa. What is it?”
I almost forgot about it if she didn’t remind me about it. “Mr. Oberick, I have something to ask you.”
Channing was happy that he had more of an appetite than usual. He sat casually on the couch and grinned, “There is no need for you to be that courteous. Ask away.”
“I wanted to ask you about Winona Stanhope. You mentioned her the other day when we had a meal together.”
Channing sat up straight after hearing Winona’s name. “How are you related to her?”
I replied, “She adopted me.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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