"Who do you think would just take a baby out and abandon him like that?" Grace Winslow asked, sitting in Archer Rhys’s hospital room. She peeled an apple for him as her curiosity got the better of her.

Archer Rhys couldn’t help but chuckle. "You’re really that curious, huh?"

"If you really want to know, you’ll find out when we find his family. There’s no point in thinking so much about it now."

Grace Winslow pouted. "I’m just curious. Oh, by the way, the baby’s been recovering well the last couple of days. The New Year is almost here, and my mom was thinking... if we can’t find his family for the time being, we should take him home with us. He has nowhere else to go, and if we don’t take him, he’ll just be sent to an orphanage. He’s so little. I’m afraid he’ll just get sick again if he goes there."

"It’s up to you. If you like him, you could even adopt him later," Archer Rhys said, having no objection.

Grace Winslow seemed to realize something and shot him a glare. "What are you talking about? Adopting him? It’s not like his parents have decided for sure they don’t want him."

"Has your wound still not healed?"

As she spoke, Grace Winslow leaned in, about to move Archer’s clothes aside to check his wound.

Just then, the door to the hospital room swung open.

Old Master Rhys, standing at the door, cleared his throat twice and said with a grin, "Oh, dear. Did I come at a bad time? Am I interrupting you youngsters from your... important business?"

Grace Winslow’s face flushed hot at his words. Forgetting all about checking Archer’s wound, she covered her face, turned, and fled.

Archer Rhys didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at his grandfather and asked, "Grandpa, why are you at the hospital? Did something happen at home?"

"Hmph. What else could happen at home? It’s your second grand-uncle and his family. All they do all day is wish for this old bag of bones to kick the bucket so they can inherit my fortune."

"I’ve already contacted a lawyer and drawn up my will. When I’m gone, everything I have will go to you. They won’t get a single cent. A bunch of insatiably greedy bastards!"

The old master cursed, his face stern, then turned back to Archer. "I heard from that boy from the Holland family that something’s not right with your wound. That you were poisoned, and they still haven’t found a solution?"

"Yeah. Those people have all sorts of strange poisons. The doctors haven’t figured out a solution yet. But it’s not having much of an effect. The wound just has trouble healing. It’s not bleeding anymore, so it shouldn’t be a big deal." Archer Rhys smiled casually, unconcerned.

"What do you mean, ’not a big deal’? A wound that won’t heal is a very serious problem! You studied Chinese medicine with your grandmother for a few years when you were a kid. How can you not understand something so simple?"

"I know a few of those old geezers from the Chinese Medicine Association. I’ll have them come take a look at you. You... honestly. If Howard hadn’t told me, you’d still be keeping me in the dark. You haven’t told Grace Winslow about this either, have you?"

"You’re planning to confess your feelings to her, start a relationship, and even get married. How can you hide something like this from her?"

"What if something happens and you... pass away? What’s she supposed to do, all by herself?"

"You’re a thirty-year-old man, and you’re still so clueless."

The old master jabbed a finger in Archer’s direction and let him have it.

Archer could only take it with a helpless look on his face, not daring to argue back.

After a few more words, the old man grew tired. He sat down and sighed. "Your parents died young. You were only seventeen when they left, and you’d already been in the army for over a year. I know how much you’ve suffered, and I know you’re full of resentment. It’s my fault. I knew exactly who killed your parents, but I held on to old feelings and was unwilling to make a move against them."

"The affairs of the older generation are in the past. We have to look forward. You can’t let yourself be shackled by hatred forever. It’s time for you to live your own life."

"My boy, Grandpa’s getting old. I don’t know how many years I have left. My greatest wish is to see you let go of that hatred and start a new life. Don’t let the past blind you to the good things right in front of you."

"That girl from the Winslow family is a good person. She’s a good match for you. You need to treasure her."

At this, Archer nodded seriously. He stood and took his grandfather’s hand. "Grandpa, you’ll definitely live to be a hundred. You have to wait and see my and Grace’s baby."

The old man chuckled, looking at Archer. "What’s this? You’ve just started dating and you’re already thinking about having children?"

A thought seemed to cross Archer’s mind, and his face flushed. He coughed twice and shot his grandfather an exasperated look. "Grandpa, what kind of thing is that to say!"

"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. Can you get out of the hospital for the New Year? I need you to come home. I have something to announce." The old man’s smile vanished, and his tone became serious as he questioned Archer.

Archer remembered Grace’s recent invitation and hesitated. "Grandpa, is it urgent? Grace invited me to her family’s place for the New Year. She said I should bring you along, too."

"Oh? My granddaughter-in-law invited us? Well, her business is more important! We’ll go to her place for the New Year first. Our business can wait until after. Right, when are we going? It’s already the twenty-eighth. New Year’s Eve is in two days. Why don’t you just get discharged early? We can move in today." The old man’s eyes lit up, and he sounded almost frantic.

Archer was speechless. "Grandpa, you don’t have to be in such a rush, do you?"

"Why not? For years, you’ve been a total block of wood. Girls would chase you, and you’d just ignore them. I was starting to wonder if you were into men. Now you’ve finally come to your senses and brought me back a granddaughter-in-law—and one I actually like! How could I not be in a rush?"

"Right now, I wish you two would go get your marriage license tomorrow, hold the wedding banquet the day after, and get pregnant a few days after that so I can hold my great-grandchild! Do you think I’m still young? Your grandpa is over eighty years old. I could drop dead any day now!"

The old man grumbled, jabbing an irritated finger at Archer.

Archer rubbed his nose, looking a little guilty.

With his heart already set on Grace, he naturally had no interest in other women.

When Grace Winslow returned that afternoon, she found another person in the room. The grandfather and grandson were sighing dramatically, looking as if they were about to die from worry.

"Grandpa, what’s wrong? You don’t look so well. Are you feeling unwell?" Grace asked, worried when she saw the old man’s pale face.

The old man sighed. He looked at Grace, his eyes turning red. "I’m just so happy. I don’t have many years left, you know. Before I die, all I wanted was for my Archer to find a wife. I never expected him to do me so proud and find you."

"While he’s been in the hospital, the house has been so empty and cold. That’s why I came here. I was afraid I’d die at home one day and no one would even know. This rotten kid is never home anyway."

Archer’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. ’To move into Grace’s house sooner,’ he thought, ’Grandpa’s really started selling me down the river, huh?’