When unseen, the heart aches with longing, but upon meeting, the urgency subsides.
Di Mingjue nodded in acknowledgment.
"You two, father and son, don't just stand there. Sit down and reconnect," the old lady patted an empty spot on the sofa.
Di Jianhan placed his hand on Di Mingjue's shoulder and led him to sit.
Up close, Di Jianhan stared intently at Di Mingjue, "Have you been well all these years?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Di Mingjue countered.
If he hadn't died, why had he remained hidden for so many years? If he had to hide, why reveal himself now?
Many questions swirled in his mind, yet he couldn't interrogate him like a suspect.
Di Jianhan patted his thigh and sighed, "Life has been alright. After years of recuperation, my leg can grudgingly manage to walk without a crutch."
"Leg?" Di Mingjue looked down.
His trouser leg was lifted, revealing a leg covered in scars.
The old lady gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, "What on earth happened!"
None of them, neither the big nor the small, were healthy.
Di Jianhan rubbed the old lady's shoulder, smiling to comfort her, "It's all in the past. Everything is fine now."
"If you were injured, why didn't you come back?" Di Mingjue pressed.
With the resources of the Di residence, any doctor could be found, and healing his injuries would be effortless.
Di Jianhan's attention shifted back to him, his eyes gleaming, "Speaking of which, I have someone I want to introduce to you."
"Who?" the old lady asked.
Di Jianhan spoke teasingly, "You'll know when she arrives."
Speak of the devil. A servant entered to announce that someone was at the door, claiming to be Di Jianhan.
The family turned their gazes uniformly towards the entrance of the hall. Except for Di Jianhan, who wore a pleased expression, the old lady and Di Mingjue were utterly bewildered, unsure of Di Jianhan's intentions.
A petite young girl, led by a servant, entered the hall.
As soon as she entered, she politely greeted the old lady and Di Mingjue, "Grandma, Brother Mingjue."
Di Mingjue's intense gaze seemed to pierce through her.
"And who is this?" the old lady asked with a frown.
The girl appeared to be around Di Mingjue's age, but her return with Di Jianhan indeed led to assumptions.
"This is Sisi. It's thanks to her care over the years that my leg has recovered to normal. She was also the one who personally rescued me from the car accident," Di Jianhan explained.
Upon learning she was his savior, the old lady's expression softened, "Please, have a seat!"
Lu Sisi sat nervously beside Di Mingjue, her peripheral vision stealing glances at him while listening to the old lady.
Although it was their first meeting, through Di Jianhan's usual accounts, she already knew him inside and out.
Di Jianhan kept praising Lu Sisi to the old lady, highlighting how well-behaved and sensible she was, his words radiating his satisfaction with her.
However, these words took on a different meaning when they reached the old lady's ears, making it difficult for her to express genuine gratitude for all her deeds.
"Uncle Di, you don't need to be so polite. I've been taking care of you for years, and I've treated you like my own father. Since you consider me your goddaughter, doing this is only right," Lu Sisi interrupted Di Jianhan, implicitly assuring everyone that their relationship was pure and not improper.
In that one sentence, the old lady only registered the words "goddaughter."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more," Di Jianhan replied with a smile, looking like a doting father.
Then, he turned to the old lady again, "Sisi is also quite pitiful. She's been alone and without anyone to rely on since childhood. I brought her back and let her stay at home."