Chapter Forty-One: The Tale of the Poor Boy and the Millionaire’s Daughter

Xie Yong muttered under his breath, “If Grandma has some treasure, why not show it to all of us? Why keep it all hidden…”

“Quiet!”

With a sharp glare from Xie Jiacheng, Xie Yong shrank in fear and immediately shut his mouth. He was afraid of nothing and no one—except his old man.

The old lady led Zhang Can into her bedroom. The room was simple: a bed, some old wooden furniture, and nothing of modern flair to be found.

She gestured to a single armchair in front of the bed and said kindly, “Little Zhang, let’s have a seat and talk.”

Zhang Can did as told and glanced around, using his special sight to scan the room. Yet, even with his penetrating gaze, he saw no valuable antiques—nothing of worth at all. It seemed the old lady truly cared nothing for material possessions.

He couldn’t understand: if she had no antiques here, why had she called him in so mysteriously?

“You must be curious, aren’t you?” she said, smiling at him with grandmotherly warmth. “I haven’t brought you here to look at antiques—there aren’t any left in here. I just wanted to have a private chat with you, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” Zhang Can replied, though he wondered what this talk could be about.

The old woman’s smile faded as she studied him, her gaze lingering until he felt uneasy. He thought hard—this was indeed their first meeting. They couldn’t possibly know each other.

After a moment, she nodded slowly. “Little Zhang, from your accent, you’re not a local, are you?”

“That’s right. I’m not from around here. My hometown’s far away, in Sichuan…”

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed her face, but she quickly regained her composure. “Which university did you graduate from?” she asked.

Zhang Can was taken aback. She hadn’t called him in to appraise antiques, but to ask these seemingly random questions. But if these things were unimportant, she could have asked in the living room—so why here, in private?

Perhaps it was because of Zhou Nan.

The thought struck him, and he realized she was asking on Zhou Nan’s behalf. Given Zhou Nan’s looks and talents, things couldn’t be so simple.

Since he harbored no unrealistic hopes, Zhang Can felt little anxiety. In truth, he hadn’t even known why he’d come here today; everything had happened so abruptly. So he answered honestly, “I never went to college. I finished high school in my hometown but didn’t get into university. Even if I had, my family couldn’t have afforded to send me. After graduating high school, I started working. I’ve been in Jincheng just over three years.”

“I see…”

The old lady’s expression grew completely neutral as she gazed out the window, lost in thought. After a long pause, she shook her head and sighed, “What a pity, Little Zhang. You and Nannan… That’s Zhou Nan—when she was little, she was so chubby and sweet, we all called her Nannan. The name just stuck…”

Zhang Can smiled. “Granny, Zhou Miss and I are just ordinary friends. We haven’t known each other long, just happened to meet by chance.”

She looked at him intently. He spoke naturally, without any pretense, which convinced her they really were just friends. Still, she felt uneasy. Zhou Nan was her own niece, and she knew the girl’s temperament well. If she hadn’t liked him, she’d never have brought a strange man to her grandmother’s house.

But her parents… that hurdle could never be crossed.

With a sigh, the old lady’s mood improved a little, though she seemed to lose interest in further conversation. “It’s nothing,” she said lightly, “I was just curious. Zhou Nan studied in Cambridge, in England. She’s been back a year. She’s careless, not at all serious. If you’re friends, just keep each other company and chat.”

Zhang Can wasn’t foolish—he understood perfectly. He was just a village boy, while Zhou Nan’s parents were officials, her family was good, she was beautiful, capable, and had studied abroad. They were clearly not a match. The old lady might have been interested at first, but after learning about him, she’d lost all interest. By mentioning Zhou Nan’s degree, she was making her point clear: they were not on the same level.

Naturally, Zhang Can saw no reason to stay. He stood up and said, “Granny, I have something to attend to, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Happy birthday!”

“Very well, Little Zhang. Don’t let me hold you up,” the old lady replied, also rising to see him out.

Back in the living room, Zhang Can said to everyone, “Miss Zhou, you all enjoy yourselves. I’ll be going.”

Zhou Nan had been talking happily with her cousins. When she saw him leaving, she was surprised. “Why so soon? Did you finish looking at my grandma’s antiques?”

Zhang Can nodded. “Yes, I finished. My friend just called, so I need to go.”

Zhou Nan stood up at once. “Let me see you off.”

Since his friend had called, she didn’t insist on keeping him. After all, her purpose in bringing him was to surprise her grandmother with a highly skilled appraiser—though the main reason had been that gold bracelet.

“Nannan, wait a moment. I have something to tell you—come here,” her grandmother said, waving her over.

Zhou Nan glanced at Zhang Can, uncertain. He smiled. “It’s fine, I can see myself out. I’ll just grab a taxi downstairs—no need to worry, I’m not a child. Go on, your grandma wants you.”

Zhou Nan, still unsure what her grandmother wanted, said, “Alright, wait for me downstairs a few minutes—I’ll be right there!”

Zhang Can waved and smiled in agreement, so she turned and followed her grandmother into the bedroom.

She helped her grandmother sit on the sofa, then asked, “Grandma, what is it that you couldn’t say out there?”

Her grandmother pointed at the bed. “There, sit down. Let’s talk.”

So Zhou Nan sat, puzzled as to what this could be about.

“Nannan, I want to ask you something. You’re closer to Yong Yong—tell me, what’s going on with him? His teachers have called, saying he’s skipping classes all the time. This child…”

Zhou Nan was surprised. She’d thought her grandmother had something important to say, but it was just about this. Still, she couldn’t refuse to answer. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “Grandma, kids his age are all rebellious. I was too, wasn’t I? Tell Uncle and Aunt to spend less time making money and more time with him.”

Her grandmother’s tone grew exasperated. “Those two never pay attention to their son. They just hand him money. Yong Yong’s grades are at the bottom, and they don’t even care. Whenever I mention it, your uncle says he didn’t finish high school himself, and you don’t need a high degree to make money. Besides, Yong Yong’s grades have always been like this—he’s not cut out for studying. Let him do what he can. After graduation, he’ll just follow and learn business…”

Zhou Nan couldn’t help but laugh. With such parents, her cousin could hardly turn out well!

“Grandma, don’t worry. That’s just how Uncle and Aunt are—talking to them won’t change anything. How about I go to Yong Yong’s school when I have time, talk to his homeroom teacher, and see what’s really going on. Then we can decide what to do.”

Her grandmother nodded in agreement. “That’s true. Yong Yong only listens to you, his cousin.”

Zhou Nan sat there, listening to her grandmother’s endless chatter about this and that. By rights, since her uncle and aunt were there today, her grandmother should be talking to them. Why her?

She felt as if there was something important she’d forgotten, but her grandmother’s rambling had muddled her thoughts. She patted her forehead, trying to remember, but couldn’t recall what she was supposed to be doing.

Her grandmother took up the gift Zhou Nan had brought, opened the box, and said with mock annoyance, “Nannan, I told you not to spend money on unnecessary things. I’m already half in the grave—what use do I have for gold and silver? I can’t take them with me when I’m gone. I’m old, I just want you all to visit me often, talk and chat. That’s what makes me happiest!”

Seeing her grandmother holding the gold bracelet, Zhou Nan suddenly remembered—she’d asked Zhang Can to wait for her downstairs! She’d promised to see him off, but her grandmother’s rambling had made her forget everything.

“Grandma, I’ll talk to you about this later. I need to go see Zhang Can off—he’s still waiting for me downstairs!” Zhou Nan stood up and hurried out, calling back as she went.

But the more she hurried, the more things went wrong. At the elevator, one had just gone down, and the other was heading up—so she had to wait. She didn’t even have Zhang Can’s phone number, so she couldn’t call him.

At last the elevator came. But every floor had someone getting in or out, so by the time she reached the ground level, she rushed outside, scanning the area—no sign of him. She checked the parking lot—no one. Strange, had Zhang Can already left?

She was sure she’d told him to wait. Why had he gone?

Zhou Nan stood uneasily under the building for a long while, finally convinced he’d truly left. But she hadn’t even asked where he lived, didn’t know his workplace or phone number, so she couldn’t even thank him. Disheartened, she went back inside. In the elevator, she suddenly slapped her forehead—oh no!

The money for the gold bracelet—seventy or eighty thousand! She hadn’t even paid him yet.

Her grandmother had chosen the worst possible moment to talk, and now Zhang Can was gone, with no way to contact him. What should she do?