Something Terrible

Shui Xian didn't know what he could say to that. "It seems my wife had a habit of making people speechless even at that age." He really didn't know whether to say that she was very mature even at that age or find it very sad that she matured too early. Someone at that age should be enjoying the beauty of childhood, not living the cruelty of life.

"She had never been like other kids her age," said Shui Koshing. "Her brain development had been exceptional. And even though she can't differentiate between emotions, she is certainly very good at handling it all."

Shui Xian's finger was tracing the seam of the cup placed before him as he stared ahead absentmindedly. With a lot of things running through his mind, he wasn't sure about what to say. "Bà, what about her parents? Did they never tried to meet her either?"

"Uncle Yu would never let them come near her," said Shui Koshing.

"Why is that so?" questioned Shui Xian. He didn't think Grandfather Xiang was an unreasonable person. And he had seen how much he loved Raelle which made it harder for him to believe that he'd want to keep her away from her parents.

"That I'm not very clear about," stated Shui Koshing honestly. "Although I don't know the exact details of what really happened back then, however, I'm certain it was nothing good. In fact, I believe something terrible happened. Because whenever I so much as bring up this topic, both Uncle Yu and Chenyan have a strange reaction."

"So you think there is more to this?" asked Shui Xian with furrowed brows.

Shui Koshing nodded his head in reply, "There is definitely more to it but don't go around asking Raelle about this."

"Bà, why would I ask her?" Shui Xian looked at his father as he went on, "She was too young to even know what conspired at the time of her birth."

"She knows," said Shui Koshing.

"Huh?"

"There is no such thing as secrets between Uncle Yu and Raelle. She likes absolute transparency in her life. If something is uncertain, she'd keep her distance. That's why Uncle Yu and Chenyan made sure to tell her everything truthfully."

"But is it alright to tell something so bitter to someone so young?"

Shui Koshing sighed out, "And what if you heard the same thing from a third person instead?" Shui Xian paused as he heard that. "No matter how painful the truth is, your wife still values the truth. She is an honest person who likes honesty in return."

After hearing it all, Shui Xian came to a conclusion. His father's conjecture might be right. Something terrible must have happened that made Grandfather Xiang so reluctant to let Raelle's parents into her life.

He stood up to leave and took his coat from the back of the chair as he said, "Don't worry, I don't plan on asking her about any of this. If she doesn't want to talk about it, I don't think there is any need for me to bring it up."

He turned around to leave but stopped at the door. Turning back, he asked, "You always wanted her to be your daughter-in-law, didn't you?"

Shui Koshing lifted his eyes to look at his son, "What makes you say that?"

"She has mom's pendant," replied Shui Xian. "I always wondered why such an important thing would end up at an auction. Now, I think you had planned it that way. You wanted it to end up with her."

Shui Koshing smiled at his son, "My son, you're really being observant these days." He took a pause before adding, "She doesn't like taking gifts. But she'd spend any amount of money to get what catches her eye."

Shui Xian exhaled a long breath, "That pendant was auctioned even before my first marriage, that means you really saw her as your daughter-in-law for a very long time now." He took a pause before adding, "But why? Why has it always been her?"

Shui Koshing thought about it before asking, "Son, why don't you ask yourself that question?" Shui Xian raised his brows in question. "Why are you so attentive towards her? Why do you want to spend time with her? What really made you agree to marry her?"

"I'm not sure about that yet," Shui Xian replied. He didn't refute his father's words. He couldn't do it. It was true that he was very attentive towards her because he wanted to figure out the depth of her. And it was also true that he seemed to want to spend more and more time with her as well. Because whenever she was around, it seemed like he was looking at life for the very first time.

"When you find the answer to that, you'd understand why I wanted her to be your partner in life," told Shui Koshing. "She isn't just any girl. She is a very special one."

Although Shui Koshing never stopped his son from making his own decision, it was also true that he always wished to have Raelle as his daughter-in-law. But seeing his son with his first love, he couldn't bring himself to tear them apart. He thought his wish would never come true but fate had its own ideas which took some time to shape up but it shaped up beautifully in the end.

"Yesterday, Yanjun said that Raelle looked similar to someone he knew," began Shui Xian. "Who was he talking about?"

"Her father," replied Shui Koshing. "She has indeed inherited all the best features of her father. It'd a surprise to me if Yanjun didn't find the similarity."

"Since he is familiar with her dad, that means there is a possibility that her dad is in the military. It won't be a surprise though since the Xiang family has a long history."

"Son, aren't you getting late today?"

Shui Xian looked at his father who either dodged his question or agreed with his inference by dodging his question. "I'm leaving. I'll see you in the evening."

"I'll be waiting," replied Shui Koshing. "Not like I have anything better to do."