Jian Junruo’s heart ached. "Little brother, I want to stay here and accompany Dad."
Saying this, regardless of whether it was clean or not, she found a stone and sat down.
Jian Junyu followed suit, finding a stone to sit on.
The cool valley wind blew on them, peaceful and harmonious.
Jian Sheng felt a bit bored. She found a stone too and took out some spirit herbs from her innate space, fiddling with them.
Jian Junyu and Jian Junruo thought she was just picking random weeds to play house with, so they let her be.
Jian Junyu even teased:
"It's rare to see Sheng Sheng acting like a normal child, picking weeds and playing in the dirt."
Jian Junruo also managed a rare smile.
The rich spiritual energy from the spirit herbs emanated outwards, absorbed into their bodies, making them feel exceptionally comfortable.
Their bodies felt much lighter.
Jian Sheng used her magic power to extract the medicinal properties from the spirit herbs. She looked at her grandfather, who showed no reaction, and tilted her head in curiosity.
Jian Junruo occasionally chatted with her brother, finding the time quite pleasant.
However, after a while, Jian Junruo asked curiously:
"Little brother, are there really fish in this small lake? Why hasn't the fishing float shown any movement for so long?"
"There are many species of fish stocked here, it shouldn't be like this."
Jian Junyu also frowned and went to inform Grandpa Jian.
He helped to reel in the line and change the bait.
Only after reeling in the fishing rod did they realize with a start that there was no bait on the hook.
Jian Junruo asked Grandpa Jian where the bait was.
After a few seconds, Grandpa Jian blinked:
"What bait?"
Jian Junyu and Jian Junruo exchanged glances and simultaneously turned to look at Grandpa Jian with burning eyes.
"Dad, you haven't been putting any bait on while fishing for so long, have you?"
Grandpa Jian stared at them blankly, then tilted his head in confusion after a moment.
Jian Junruo and Jian Junyu thought Grandpa Jian had remembered.
But the next moment, Grandpa Jian leaned back into his chair, staring blankly at the lake as if in a daze.
It was as if they didn't exist at all.
Jian Junruo and Jian Junyu looked at each other.
At that moment, an elder wearing a butler's uniform, moving with utmost elegance, walked over from not far away.
"Uncle Zhong?"
Jian Junyu exclaimed in surprise.
Uncle Zhong was an old servant of the Jian family, having practically watched him grow up.
Jian Junyu had fewer opportunities to come home after starting his career. He hadn't seen Uncle Zhong during his infrequent visits and had assumed Uncle Zhong had retired.
The old butler smiled and kindly greeted, "Young Master, Eldest Miss."
Jian Junyu felt a sense of familiarity.
Perhaps only the old butler would still call him Young Master in the entire Jian family.
It made him feel like the carefree boy he once was in the Jian household.
After greeting them, the old butler slightly bowed, "Little Miss, hello."
His expression became even more amiable.
The little girl blinked her big eyes and said, "Grandpa Zhong, hello."
The old butler smiled even more happily, his wrinkles creasing with joy.
Jian Junruo looked at Grandpa Jian, who had returned to his chair and sat like a statue.
She asked doubtfully, "Uncle Zhong, what's going on with Father?"
"Has Father's condition become so serious that he forgets to put bait on when fishing?"
"Since you've been watching, why didn't you remind him?"
The old butler straightened up, his expression immediately becoming somber.
He sighed softly, "Eldest Miss, from what you've just seen, was Father really here to fish?"
Jian Junruo and Jian Junyu fell silent simultaneously.
Looking at their father's current state, they knew the answer.
Even without a fishing rod, he remained motionless, sitting there.
It was as if he was quietly waiting for a fish that would never bite.
Sensing their worry, the old butler comforted them:
"Young Master, Eldest Miss, you don't need to worry too much."
"Grandfather has fallen into a state of apathy due to the immense shock he experienced years ago."
"According to the private doctor's diagnosis, Grandfather has early symptoms of dementia, which are not serious and have not worsened in the past two years."
Jian Junruo frowned. "Not worsened in two years? How long has Father been like this?"
The old butler and Jian Junyu both gave a wry smile.
Of course, it had been as long as Grandpa Jian had decided to relinquish power and fade from public view.
It was just that Grandpa Jian's symptoms were not as obvious back then.
The Jian family members thought it was merely a psychological issue and sought a psychologist for him.
Later, when the family doctor examined Grandpa Jian, he subconsciously overlooked the brain problem.
The brain has always been the least explored area of the human body. Even the world's top neurologists cannot claim to understand it fully.
Not to mention that Grandpa Jian was still in his prime back then. His thinking and reactions were only slightly delayed, with no other abnormalities.
No one expected that Grandpa Jian would already have the precursor to dementia.
Even now, Grandpa Jian's precursor symptoms of dementia are still just precursors.
To say it has worsened is actually just that the reaction delay has become slightly longer.
Jian Junruo felt her tears welling up again.
What had she missed during the years she had run away from home!
She gently crouched down and rested her head on Grandpa Jian's lap.
Countless fragmented yet unclear memories flashed through her mind.
They were memories suppressed by trauma, still indistinct.
But Jian Junruo could feel a warmth and intimacy that seemed to have seeped into her very bones.
Seeing this scene, Jian Junyu couldn't help but wipe his eyes.
How many years had he yearned for this day!
The old butler's voice trembled, "It's good that you're back, it's really good."
"Although Grandfather rarely shows emotion, I can tell he truly misses Eldest Miss."
"Many times when Grandfather was lost in thought, or when he was unconscious, he would murmur Eldest Miss's name."
Jian Junruo's nose stung, and she couldn't hold back any longer.
Tears rolled down her eyes and dripped onto Grandpa Jian's trouser leg.
Grandpa Jian's body stiffened. On the surface, he maintained his vacant, self-absorbed demeanor.
It was as if he hadn't noticed someone resting their head on his lap at all.
Jian Sheng tilted her head, her eyes filled with almost overflowing confusion and bewilderment.
She looked at the green pill she had just rolled in her hand and trotted over to Grandpa Jian.
"Grandpa, eat this."
The old butler's mouth twitched violently.
He quickly stopped Jian Sheng. "Little Miss, you can't just eat things made from unknown weeds like this!"
He had witnessed the entire process of how this green pill was made.
It was just grass the little girl had pulled from somewhere, crushed into juice.
And then, she had mixed in who-knows-what and rolled it into the green pill before him.
If Grandfather ate this thing, it might as well send him away directly.
Jian Sheng looked at the pill she had painstakingly refined without any tools, and lowered her head in annoyance.
But the next moment, Grandpa Jian seemed to come alive.
He suddenly reached out, snatched the green pill from Jian Sheng's hand,
And popped it directly into his mouth.
The speed was so fast that no one had time to react.