Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Brother and Sister

"Old Bones’" surname was Gu. He used to be the manager of the An Family’s kitchen and was a fantastic cook. His bone soup, in particular, was absolutely incredible, which is why those close to him called him Old Bones.

However, back when the An Family was moving to Xiangcheng, Old Bones was unwilling to leave his hometown, so he resigned. Old Mrs. An wasn’t one to force people against their will, so she agreed to his request and even gave him a generous severance package. But after moving to Xiangcheng, although the city had countless delicacies and the family employed skilled chefs, Old Mrs. An often found herself missing the meals Old Bones used to make.

It was just that she hadn’t returned to Xiyuan County in all these years, so she’d never had the chance to eat his cooking again.

She never would have thought that the chef at this state-owned restaurant in Xiyuan County would cook in a style that had a hint of Old Bones’ flavor. Of course, this couldn’t be his handiwork, but Old Mrs. An was sure this chef had to be connected to Old Bones somehow.

At this thought, Old Mrs. An sighed softly. ’I wonder how Old Bones has been doing all these years. Under normal circumstances, the severance pay I gave him should have been more than enough for his family to live comfortably.’

"Ma’am," Mrs. Lin said, seeing Old Mrs. An’s nostalgic expression.

"Find out where Old Bones lives. Since we’re back, we should pay him a visit," Old Mrs. An said softly. ’Xiyuan County has changed so much, and the people are no longer the same. Very few people know the An Family or recognize me anymore.’ Although Old Bones had been their employee, he was also an old friend.

"Of course," Mrs. Lin quickly nodded.

After their meal, Old Mrs. An took Mrs. Lin to Hongji Hall. They had already inquired on their way over and learned that Mr. Gong was there.

"Hello, are you here for medicine?" a young man behind the counter asked when he saw Old Mrs. An and Mrs. Lin enter Hongji Hall.

"Excuse me, is Mr. Gong here?" Mrs. Lin asked.

"Oh, you’re looking for Old Mr. Gong," the young man said with a smile. "Please wait a moment. Mr. Gong is in the back drying herbs. I’ll go get him."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Hearing that someone was looking for him, Mr. Gong assumed it was a former patient returning for a consultation and came out to the main hall. He didn’t recognize Old Mrs. An at first glance; after all, it had been over thirty years. "Excuse me, you are...?"

Old Mrs. An, however, recognized Mr. Gong at once. She let out a soft sigh and smiled. "It’s been a long time."

The moment he heard Old Mrs. An’s voice, Mr. Gong knew who stood before him. His expression darkened instantly. "It has been a long time. There’s no need to see each other again. Please leave."

With that, Mr. Gong turned to return to the rear courtyard.

Seeing this, Old Mrs. An hurriedly said, "It was my An Family that wronged you back then. I have always felt terribly guilty about it. But I’ve come such a long way today. Can’t we just catch up like old friends?"

"What old times do you think I have to catch up on with your An Family?" Mr. Gong said coldly. "I admit I was careless in choosing my friends back then. But I must ask your An Family to stop disturbing my peace and quiet."

After saying his piece, Mr. Gong turned to leave again.

Seeing him about to walk away, Old Mrs. An quickly called out, "Cousin! Forget the An Family. Can we not just talk as cousins?"

Mr. Gong paused. He turned his head to look at Old Mrs. An and said in a low voice, "Come to the rear courtyard."

Seeing Mr. Gong relent, Old Mrs. An couldn’t help but give a small smile. Leaning on Mrs. Lin for support, she followed Mr. Gong to the rear courtyard.

Once they were seated, Mr. Gong poured Old Mrs. An a cup of tea but remained silent.

Old Mrs. An sighed softly. "Cousin, about what Yiliang did to you back then..."

"Stop." Mr. Gong cut her off with a wave of his hand. "If you are here today to see me as your cousin, I can accept that for now. But do not mention that treacherous bastard. You were kept in the dark about what happened back then, so I don’t blame you. But I will never, ever forgive the An Family."

He then looked at Old Mrs. An and said, "Yun Juan, the only reason you’re able to sit across from me right now is that you are my cousin. It has nothing to do with the An Family."

"Alright. I won’t mention it," Old Mrs. An sighed. "But I must still apologize. Even Yiliang deeply regrets what happened back then."

"Hah. Regrets?" Mr. Gong sneered. "If he’s so regretful, how come I haven’t seen that old bastard run over here and get on his knees to apologize to me?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"He can’t come," Old Mrs. An said calmly. "He’s in a coma, completely bedridden. We don’t even know if he’ll ever wake up."

"Hmph. Serves him right," Mr. Gong sneered upon hearing this. He took a sip of his tea and raised an eyebrow. "Now that I’ve heard this news, I find this tea tastes much better."

Old Mrs. An was aware of Mr. Gong’s deep-seated hatred for the An Family, so she only gave a faint smile in response to his gloating.

Mr. Gong glanced at Old Mrs. An. "So, was it that grandson of yours who told you I was here?"

He had only been back in Xiyuan County for less than two years. The An Family knew he had left Xiyuan County to travel far away and would never have guessed he’d return—unless someone told Old Mrs. An.

"No," Old Mrs. An said, shaking her head.

"Hmph, I doubt that," Mr. Gong said coldly. "That grandson of yours has had his people looking for me, both openly and in secret, several times now. If he didn’t tell you, then who did? You’re just here to be his mouthpiece, to persuade me to treat him."

Old Mrs. An sighed. "Believe it or not, it really wasn’t my grandson who told me. To be perfectly honest, my grandson here in Xiyuan County wants nothing more than to draw a clear line between himself and the An Family and cut all ties. He refuses even the slightest bit of concern from me. Why on earth would he ask me to act as his persuader with you?"

"Oh?" This was news to Mr. Gong. He had wondered why a young master of the esteemed An Family would forsake a life of luxury in Xiangcheng to return to a place like Xiyuan County. So there was a story behind it. He curled his lip. "You’ve done a real bang-up job as grandparents, haven’t you? Your own grandson won’t even acknowledge you."

Old Mrs. An let out another soft sigh. She didn’t elaborate on the An Family’s situation; it was all rather embarrassing to speak of. Instead, she sighed and said to Mr. Gong, "I learned you were in Xiyuan County through other channels. And while I didn’t come here specifically to find you, I do have a favor to ask. For the sake of our kinship as cousins, please, just take a look at Zhi Han."