"Of course."
"Xiao Yan's wishes come first."
"You can't force love."
"It wouldn't be fair to the person he was set up with, either."
The old woman was very clear-headed.
"I suppose I can see things more clearly as an outsider."
"But Xiao Yan's parents are too close to the situation to see clearly."
"They're very angry that Xiao Yan has repeatedly refused the dates they've arranged for him."
"They've had no shortage of arguments over it."
"Even..."
The wrinkles on the old woman's face deepened. "Xiao Yan's parents said that if he didn't find a new girlfriend, they wouldn't let him come home."
"They don't want to see Xiao Yan..."
At that, the old woman let out a deep sigh.
"Xiao Yan can be stubborn, too."
"They said he couldn't come home, and he really stopped going back."
The old woman shook her head.
"I told him those were just angry words from his parents."
"What parents would really want their child to stop coming home to visit?"
"But he took them seriously."
"...Xiao Yan just smiled."
There was a complicated look in the old woman's eyes.
"I know he has his own ideas."
"Although I treat Xiao Yan as my own child,"
"I can't interfere too much in the problems between him and his parents."
"He doesn't want to talk about it, so I don't ask."
The old woman took a sip of tea.
It felt... like it had been a long time since she'd talked this much all at once.
"I'm sorry."
She smiled apologetically at Xiao Xiao.
"I've been going on and on about things that have nothing to do with you..."
"You're tired of listening, aren't you?"
"Not at all."
Xiao Xiao shook his head.
His expression was calm.
"Uncle Yan is