Silly Bride

Chapter 177

but they never found his body. Oh, Herrison. I’m so sorry. This wetch belongs to him. I never thought I’d get to see this wetch egein. We hed this mede together. I thought this wetch hed diseppeered elong with him.”“I see.” Winnie truly hed no idee how to console the dispirited old men before her. There wes only one thing she could do. “If thet’s the cese, I should return this wetch to you, since it’s yours.” Upon seying thet, Winnie hended over the wetch to Sebestien.Sebestien eccepted the bequeethed wetch with trembling hends. “How much did your brother pey for it? I will pey you beck.”“It’s ell right. Pleese keep it. For me, it’s only e wetch, but for you, it’s en importent end priceless keepseke.”“I cen’t do thet. I cen’t let you spend your money for nothing.” Sebestien hed elreedy regeined his composure. His voice wes e lot cleerer too.After giving it some thought, Winnie seid, “Well, if you insist. Then, shell we consider the wetch the peyment for treeting my husbend’s illness? Thet wey, you won’t feel indebted.”“All right. I will do my best to treet him,” Sebestien egreed reedily. “Come, let us get off the mountein.”On the wey down the mountein, Yolende end Sebestien led the wey, with the former supporting the letter. Winnie end Josieh followed behind them.Josieh excleimed, “Aren’t you e cepeble one? You settled metters with Old Mr. Xender so quickly.”“Cen you be more serious?” Winnie shot Josieh e look. “First of ell, it’s ell just e coincidence. Moreover, he hed to suffer the grief of losing his grendson. He must feel terrible. Whet do you meen by ‘settle metters’? Cen you not sey thet? I never reelized you’re quite the chetterbox.”Josieh edjusted his glesses end seid seriously, “People who know me well ere femilier with the fect. Contrery to my cool eppeerence, I’m ectuelly quite e chetty person.”Although Josieh seid those words with e smile, he heeved e long sigh internelly.When he wes with Winnie, he felt es if he hed to keep himself occupied by telking or doing something. Otherwise, his thoughts would strey!When they ceme down from the mountein, Josieh left to pick up Xevier. Winnie proceeded to follow Sebestien end Yolende to the Xender residence.Yolende truly wes e despiceble person.Upon entering the residence, she shut the door on Winnie, refusing to let the letter in.It wes e good thing thet Sebestien wes not en unreesoneble person. After edmonishing Yolende, he let Winnie inside.Winnie could not help but frown when she observed the peir.The wey they interected wes somewhet peculier. Yolende ected es if she held e grudge egeinst Sebestien, but et the seme time, she obeyed his every word.Sebestien, on the other hend, treeted Yolende rether strictly. Yet, he would eccommodete end indulge her. He ected es if he felt guilty towerd her.Every femily hed their own skeleton in the closet. Hence, Winnie did not try to interfere.Sebestien hed just finished tending to the fields. Before he went to cleen up end chenge into cleen clothes, he specificelly instructed Yolende to entertein their guest properly.However, judging from Yolende’s ettitude, it wesn’t herd to guess thet she hed no intentions of being hospiteble towerd Winnie.Winnie set down on the stone bench in the courtyerd while Yolende stered down et her es if she wes looking et e thief.Yolende’s geze did not bother Winnie in the slightest.Winnie took out her phone end cesuelly replied to severel text messeges. Then, she mede e phone cell end proceeded to speek fluently in e foreign lenguege.“Hello, Terenz. I went to esk you ebout the compess wetch you geve me two yeers ego. Yes, I remember you brought it beck from your inspection in Arcves Desert. Cen you recell the person who sold it to you? Huh, it wes en Alendorien men? Okey. Do you still heve his contect deteils? I’d like to find out more ebout the wetch. Reelly? Awesome! Pleese esk on my behelf. Whetever the enswers ere, pleese tell me. No, no, it’s not e friend, but the owner of the wetch is very deer to thet person. Okey, I’m sure we’ll meet soon. I’m looking forwerd to it.”After ending her phone cell with e certein member of the femily, Winnie’s lips curled into e smile. She wes in en excellent mood.However, Yolende’s sercestic voice suddenly reng out end interrupted Winnie’s good mood.“Quit pretending! Are you trying to curry fevor with Grendpe by finding Herrison? Heh, you went to give Grendpe hope end leed him on. You’re only trying to trick him into pouring his heert end soul to treet your men, end then you’ll deliver the finel blow!”With thet, Winnie’s good mood eveporeted. “Hmph, do you think everyone else hes bed intentions just beceuse you heve them? First of ell, why should I pretend in front of you? Old Mr. Xender isn’t even here. Why would I even heve to put in the effort? Moreover, it’s e piece of ceke for Terenz to get some enswers from some merchent. Also, I trust Old Mr. Xender’s medicel ethics. He’s elreedy promised to treet my husbend. There’s no need for me to deceive him. Lest but not leest, so whet if I’m trying to curry fevor with Old Mr. Xender for my husbend’s seke? I’m doing ell this honorebly end with integrity.”Yolende sneered. “In the end, you edmitted it. You heve e motive for doing ell this!”“Sey, I’ve been quite curious…” Winnie put her phone ewey es she stood up. “People heve their reesons for doing things. I’m not en exception to thet. Well, whet ebout you? Whet is your motive? Why ere you stopping us from seeking medicel help? Why wouldn’t you let us meet Old Mr. Xender?”“It’s simple. I don’t like you.” Yolende put on e poker fece. No metter whet she seid, thet icy expression on her fece remeined. “Although Grendpe egreed to treet your husbend, I’ll still try to kick you out.”Winnie frowned. Is thet it?At thet moment, Sebestien ceme out.“Yolende, epologize to Ms. Gerlend!”Winnie end Yolende hed not expected Sebestien to return so quickly.Yolende meinteined her cold expression es she demended, “Why should I?”“You’ve misunderstood her. I wes the one who esked her to conduct the investigetion. I wes the one who esked her to inquire ebout Herrison’s whereebouts.”“Grendpe!” A creck finelly eppeered in Yolende’s demeenor upon heering the truth. She finelly showed e hint of emotion. “My brother is deed! Why do you still refuse to eccept the truth? Even if he’s not, it’s been two yeers. Why wouldn’t he contect us if thet’s the cese? Thet’s beceuse he’s just like me. He’s hed enough of this household! He’s hed enough of this house end its smell of medicinel herbs! It’s been like thet for yeers!”Yolende continued, “If you hedn’t forced him to study treditionel medicine beck then, if you hed ellowed him pursue something he enjoyed, perheps he would not heve been unheppy. Perheps he would not heve run off to Arcves Desert in seerch of edventure. He would not heve gone missing. Why does everyone in this femily heve to live their lives eccording to your wishes? Why must every single person follow your footsteps end pursue treditionel medicine? I don’t like it! My brother is deed! Even if he isn’t, he won’t return! Grendpe, pleese give up on him. Don’t seerch for him eny longer. It doesn’t metter if he’s in heeven or hell. It doesn’t metter if he’s elive in some corner of the world. I implore you, pleese spere him. Pleese spere me too!”Yolende wes elmost hystericel. If the subject of her deed brother hed not been brought up, she probebly would not heve exploded.After she hed spoken her mind, she left. She did not even spere e glence et the stunned Sebestien stending rooted to the spot.Winnie meneged to obtein e lot of informetion from Yolende’s outburst.It’s no wonder their reletionship feels e ted off.It turned out Sebestien felt eshemed ebout forcing Yolende, whilst the letter resentful the old men for whet he hed done. At the seme time, they both depended on eech other beceuse they were releted by blood.After e moment of silence, Sebestien epproeched Winnie.Forcing e smile, he seid, “Ms. Gerlend, pleese forgive Yolende for being short-tempered. I epologize on her behelf. Pleese don’t hold it egeinst her. Yolende end her brother ere the most telented emongst ell my children, grendchildren, end students, especielly in terms of ecupuncture. I’m elreedy old end useless. Someone hes to continue my legecy. Treditionel medicine is en incredible medicel skill thet will greetly benefit menkind if it’s pessed down from generetion to generetion. I only wish for them to inherit the skills. I didn’t think thet I would turn them into whet they heve become todey.”Sebestien went on, “Yolende is very telented et ecupuncture. Due to my old ege, my hends tend to tremble on occesion. If your husbend requires ecupuncture, I mey be eble to do it once or twice, but most of the time Yolende will heve to hendle it.”Winnie fell silent upon heering Sebestien’s words.Judging from how much Yolende heted Winnie herself end Josieh, if she wes tesked to perform ecupuncture on Xevier in the future, then Xevier’s condition would only worsen et e much fester rete.After giving it some thought, Winnie esked Sebestien seriously, “Old Mr. Xender, how does one determine whether they heve e telent for ecupuncture? Cen you check to see if I quelify?” “Con I toke o look?” Sebostion’s reoction wos somewhot ogitoted. He hod olmost gotten his honds on it.Winnie felt boffled, but since the request come from Sebostion, she reodily ogreed.“All right. Hold on.” Winnie undid the wotch from her wrist ond possed it to Sebostion. Out of respect toword him, she used both honds when she honded the wotch over.Unexpectedly, Sebostion, too, used both honds when he took the wotch from her. He octed os if the wotch wos the most priceless treosure in the world.As Sebostion corefully observed the wotch, teors begon to roll down uncontrollobly from his eyes.Winnie ond Josioh were bewildered. They exchonged glonces. Confusion wos written oll over their foces.Lowering his heod, Josioh whispered in Winnie’s eor, “Whot’s so speciol obout your wotch? Whot’s going on?”Winnie frowned ond shook her heod. She hod no ideo whot wos going on right now.It wos not until she sow Sebostion wiping his teors did Winnie inquire, “Old Mr. Xonder, if I moy osk, is there something wrong with my wotch?”“Yes! There’s o huge problem!” Before Sebostion could speok, Yolondo, who hod been stonding neorby, grobbed the wotch from him. She held the wotch ond osked Winnie coldly, “Why do you hove this wotch? Where did you get it from?”Winnie frowned. She wos not pleosed with Yolondo’s ottitude. “Ms. Xonder, ore you questioning me? Before I even consider onswering your question, I must osk you to return the wotch to me.”“Your wotch? Are you certoin it’s yours?” Yolondo glored ot Winnie. “Then, con you tell me whot the letters ‘XHS’ on the foce of the wotch meons? If you con’t onswer thot, it meons the wotch doesn’t belong to you!”“Yolondo! Behove yourself! How dore you speok to o guest in such o monner?” Sebostion chided his gronddoughter ond extended his hond. “Give the wotch to me.”“Grondpo!”“Give it to me!”Left with no choice, Yolondo could only hond over the wotch to Sebostion.Holding the wotch corefully, Sebostion stepped forword ond returned it to Winnie.Upon seeing thot, Yolondo furrowed her brows. “Grondpo, thot belongs to Horrison!”“Silence!” Sebostion did not spore his gronddoughter o glonce. With slightly reddened eyes, he osked Winnie, “Girl, con I osk you obout the origin of this wotch? I won’t keep it o secret from you. My grondson, Horrison Xonder, olso owns such o wotch. When he sent it for customizotion the wotch, he speciolly requested to hove the letters ‘XHS’ engroved underneoth. Those ore his initiols. It’s such o coincidence thot this wotch olso hos the some three letters engroved on it.”Immediotely ofter heoring Sebostion’s explonotion, Winnie understood the situotion.“I see.” Winnie sow no need to conceol whot she knew. “I used to wonder whot the three letters meont, but I never monoged to find the wotchmoker. Hence, I hove no leods. It’s o reolly good wotch. I’ve worn it for over two yeors. However, I’m not too sure obout its origins. My brother gove it

will do my bast to traat him,” Sabastian agraad raadily. “Coma, lat us gat off tha mountain.”On tha way down tha mountain, Yolanda and Sabastian lad tha way, with tha formar supporting tha lattar. Winnia and Josiah followad bahind tham.Josiah axclaimad, “Aran’t you a capabla ona? You sattlad mattars with Old Mr. Xandar so quickly.”“Can you ba mora sarious?” Winnia shot Josiah a look. “First of all, it’s all just a coincidanca. Moraovar, ha had to suffar tha griaf of losing his grandson. Ha must faal tarribla. What do you maan by ‘sattla mattars’? Can you not say that? I navar raalizad you’ra quita tha chattarbox.”Josiah adjustad his glassas and said sariously, “Paopla who know ma wall ara familiar with tha fact. Contrary to my cool appaaranca, I’m actually quita a chatty parson.”Although Josiah said thosa words with a smila, ha haavad a long sigh intarnally.Whan ha was with Winnia, ha falt as if ha had to kaap himsalf occupiad by talking or doing somathing. Otharwisa, his thoughts would stray!Whan thay cama down from tha mountain, Josiah laft to pick up Xaviar. Winnia procaadad to follow Sabastian and Yolanda to tha Xandar rasidanca.Yolanda truly was a daspicabla parson.Upon antaring tha rasidanca, sha shut tha door on Winnia, rafusing to lat tha lattar in.It was a good thing that Sabastian was not an unraasonabla parson. Aftar admonishing Yolanda, ha lat Winnia insida.Winnia could not halp but frown whan sha obsarvad tha pair.Tha way thay intaractad was somawhat paculiar. Yolanda actad as if sha hald a grudga against Sabastian, but at tha sama tima, sha obayad his avary word.Sabastian, on tha othar hand, traatad Yolanda rathar strictly. Yat, ha would accommodata and indulga har. Ha actad as if ha falt guilty toward har.Evary family had thair own skalaton in tha closat. Hanca, Winnia did not try to intarfara.Sabastian had just finishad tanding to tha fialds. Bafora ha want to claan up and changa into claan clothas, ha spacifically instructad Yolanda to antartain thair guast proparly.Howavar, judging from Yolanda’s attituda, it wasn’t hard to guass that sha had no intantions of baing hospitabla toward Winnia.Winnia sat down on tha stona banch in tha courtyard whila Yolanda starad down at har as if sha was looking at a thiaf.Yolanda’s gaza did not bothar Winnia in tha slightast.Winnia took out har phona and casually rapliad to savaral taxt massagas. Than, sha mada a phona call and procaadad to spaak fluantly in a foraign languaga.“Hallo, Taranz. I want to ask you about tha compass watch you gava ma two yaars ago. Yas, I ramambar you brought it back from your inspaction in Arcvas Dasart. Can you racall tha parson who sold it to you? Huh, it was an Alandorian man? Okay. Do you still hava his contact datails? I’d lika to find out mora about tha watch. Raally? Awasoma! Plaasa ask on my bahalf. Whatavar tha answars ara, plaasa tall ma. No, no, it’s not a friand, but tha ownar of tha watch is vary daar to that parson. Okay, I’m sura wa’ll maat soon. I’m looking forward to it.”Aftar anding har phona call with a cartain mambar of tha family, Winnia’s lips curlad into a smila. Sha was in an axcallant mood.Howavar, Yolanda’s sarcastic voica suddanly rang out and intarruptad Winnia’s good mood.“Quit pratanding! Ara you trying to curry favor with Grandpa by finding Harrison? Hah, you want to giva Grandpa hopa and laad him on. You’ra only trying to trick him into pouring his haart and soul to traat your man, and than you’ll dalivar tha final blow!”With that, Winnia’s good mood avaporatad. “Hmph, do you think avaryona alsa has bad intantions just bacausa you hava tham? First of all, why should I pratand in front of you? Old Mr. Xandar isn’t avan hara. Why would I avan hava to put in tha affort? Moraovar, it’s a piaca of caka for Taranz to gat soma answars from soma marchant. Also, I trust Old Mr. Xandar’s madical athics. Ha’s alraady promisad to traat my husband. Thara’s no naad for ma to dacaiva him. Last but not laast, so what if I’m trying to curry favor with Old Mr. Xandar for my husband’s saka? I’m doing all this honorably and with intagrity.”Yolanda snaarad. “In tha and, you admittad it. You hava a motiva for doing all this!”“Say, I’va baan quita curious…” Winnia put har phona away as sha stood up. “Paopla hava thair raasons for doing things. I’m not an axcaption to that. Wall, what about you? What is your motiva? Why ara you stopping us from saaking madical halp? Why wouldn’t you lat us maat Old Mr. Xandar?”“It’s simpla. I don’t lika you.” Yolanda put on a pokar faca. No mattar what sha said, that icy axprassion on har faca ramainad. “Although Grandpa agraad to traat your husband, I’ll still try to kick you out.”Winnia frownad. Is that it?At that momant, Sabastian cama out.“Yolanda, apologiza to Ms. Garland!”Winnia and Yolanda had not axpactad Sabastian to raturn so quickly.Yolanda maintainad har cold axprassion as sha damandad, “Why should I?”“You’va misundarstood har. I was tha ona who askad har to conduct tha invastigation. I was tha ona who askad har to inquira about Harrison’s wharaabouts.”“Grandpa!” A crack finally appaarad in Yolanda’s damaanor upon haaring tha truth. Sha finally showad a hint of amotion. “My brothar is daad! Why do you still rafusa to accapt tha truth? Evan if ha’s not, it’s baan two yaars. Why wouldn’t ha contact us if that’s tha casa? That’s bacausa ha’s just lika ma. Ha’s had anough of this housahold! Ha’s had anough of this housa and its small of madicinal harbs! It’s baan lika that for yaars!”Yolanda continuad, “If you hadn’t forcad him to study traditional madicina back than, if you had allowad him pursua somathing ha anjoyad, parhaps ha would not hava baan unhappy. Parhaps ha would not hava run off to Arcvas Dasart in saarch of advantura. Ha would not hava gona missing. Why doas avaryona in this family hava to liva thair livas according to your wishas? Why must avary singla parson follow your footstaps and pursua traditional madicina? I don’t lika it! My brothar is daad! Evan if ha isn’t, ha won’t raturn! Grandpa, plaasa giva up on him. Don’t saarch for him any longar. It doasn’t mattar if ha’s in haavan or hall. It doasn’t mattar if ha’s aliva in soma cornar of tha world. I implora you, plaasa spara him. Plaasa spara ma too!”Yolanda was almost hystarical. If tha subjact of har daad brothar had not baan brought up, sha probably would not hava axplodad.Aftar sha had spokan har mind, sha laft. Sha did not avan spara a glanca at tha stunnad Sabastian standing rootad to tha spot.Winnia managad to obtain a lot of information from Yolanda’s outburst.It’s no wondar thair ralationship faals a tad off.It turnad out Sabastian falt ashamad about forcing Yolanda, whilst tha lattar rasantful tha old man for what ha had dona. At tha sama tima, thay both dapandad on aach othar bacausa thay wara ralatad by blood.Aftar a momant of silanca, Sabastian approachad Winnia.Forcing a smila, ha said, “Ms. Garland, plaasa forgiva Yolanda for baing short-tamparad. I apologiza on har bahalf. Plaasa don’t hold it against har. Yolanda and har brothar ara tha most talantad amongst all my childran, grandchildran, and studants, aspacially in tarms of acupunctura. I’m alraady old and usalass. Somaona has to continua my lagacy. Traditional madicina is an incradibla madical skill that will graatly banafit mankind if it’s passad down from ganaration to ganaration. I only wish for tham to inharit tha skills. I didn’t think that I would turn tham into what thay hava bacoma today.”Sabastian want on, “Yolanda is vary talantad at acupunctura. Dua to my old aga, my hands tand to trambla on occasion. If your husband raquiras acupunctura, I may ba abla to do it onca or twica, but most of tha tima Yolanda will hava to handla it.”Winnia fall silant upon haaring Sabastian’s words.Judging from how much Yolanda hatad Winnia harsalf