"..."
Hearing Aunt Li's voice, they saw an old man emerge from inside the courtyard gate, trembling as he walked. His hair and beard were completely white, his face was gaunt, and he wore an old scholar's robe that had been washed pale.
The newcomer was none other than Jia Dai Ru himself, Jia Rui's grandfather—the very man Aunt Li had called out to.
"!!"
When he saw Aunt Li bringing people over, especially the little girl at the front, dressed in a gorgeous red palace gown and small in stature yet imposing in bearing, a glimmer of hope instantly flared in his cloudy old eyes. Then he couldn't hold back his tears; his eyes reddened and swelled.
"I, I..."
Perhaps from overwhelming grief and nervousness, his lips quivered as he clasped his trembling hands in a salute, wanting to say something. But all that came from his throat was a hoarse "heh, heh," and he was too agitated to get out a single complete sentence for quite some time.
"All right, no need for formalities!"
(*--*)
Seeing this, Annie couldn't be bothered to listen to him stammer. She waved her little hand and strode right past Jia Dai Ru into his small courtyard, where she saw the main room that served as the hall.
The room was sparsely furnished, with only a few old tables and chairs, along with a writing desk and the like. But at that moment, it was permeated by a strong medicinal smell and a heavy, oppressive Negative Energy.
A few middle-aged men and women who looked fairly capable were keeping watch there with worried expressions. They were probably close relatives of Jia Dai Ru's family.
When those people saw Annie and the others enter, they didn't bother with formalities and hurried forward to greet