It was this hand.
The voice slowly overlapped with her memories.
Huo Rou looked at Grandpa Qin in disbelief, listening to his conversation with Grandma Liu, her thoughts drifting back to that year.
At that time, she had just lost her parents. She stayed at school on weekdays, and on weekends, the homeless girl would be taken to the office by her father's comrades to do her homework. Uncle Chen was seriously injured and receiving treatment, so there was no fixed person to look after her, and she often stayed overnight at others' places.
Alone and adrift.
She lived like this for nearly a year.
The little girl had no expression, no one could see into her heart, and no one was on guard. Coupled with her agility, when people in the office were busy, she could always overhear follow-ups about her father's matter.
That year, on a dark, moonless night.
As she passed an office, she overheard a conversation inside. They mentioned Huo Jinyi...
There was a guard at the door, so she slipped to the window by the wall. In the cold wind, she saw a tall figure through the gap in the window. His back was straight, and he raised his hand as if making an oath.
From her angle, she could only see the man and the mole on his index finger.
The man's voice was loud and firm, "I swear by my faith, my hat, and my life that Cheng Guozhong is absolutely not a traitor! The evidence is not undisputed. I request that he be released from Jiushan Prison on the principle of innocent until proven guilty..."
Cheng Guozhong was the traitor who indirectly caused her father's death. She had investigated it clearly. According to the punishment regulations, he should have been imprisoned in Jiushan Prison for life.
She had checked, and those imprisoned there were impossible to release, even their bodies were hard to retrieve. She had accepted this outcome.
But that day, someone wanted to release Cheng Guozhong!
The little her at the time, with tears streaming down her face, only remembered that hand and that voice. Later, there were sounds of things being thrown, someone shouting, and someone trying to persuade. Her eyes were red as she listened to the end.
"Fine." Before this hand, a group of people were persuaded by him. "Cheng Guozhong can be released from Jiushan Prison, but you, who vouched for him, will be demoted by two ranks and transferred to Yizhou."
The speaker paused, and with an extremely majestic voice, he cautiously asked, "Are you still going to be this guarantor?"
The person with the mole on his index finger nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, and said clearly, "Yes, Cheng Guozhong is innocent."
"After working so hard for so many years to reach this position, what does it mean for you to go to Yizhou at this age?!" The person opposite raised his voice.
The wind rustled. Little Huo Rou only remembered the last sentence: "Tomorrow I will send a letter to Jiushan Prison to have Cheng Guozhong returned to his original registration..."
On the starless night, her tears formed a river of stars, only to be completely swallowed by the darkness.
Now, the person who made the guarantee, the person with the same imposing aura, the person with the mole on his index finger...
Was right before her eyes!
Before Huo Rou, Grandma Liu was laughing heartily at Grandpa Qin's words.
"Xiao Rou is indeed talented and versatile..." Although Grandpa Qin's face was stern, the satisfaction and admiration in his tone were undeniable.
Huo Rou listened to his voice as if falling into an ice cellar.
Even Qin Ningyi's smile beside her blurred in her eyes.
So, was her salvation still salvation?
Beside them, Grandpa Qin looked at the smile in Grandma Liu's eyes and couldn't help but soften his gaze. Grandma Liu pointed to An An and said with a smile, "Old Qin, guess who he is?"
Qin Han looked at the boy who looked exactly like Qin Ningyi in his childhood in Su Nianzhu's arms. No matter how calm he was, he became a little flustered.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, and his slightly pale eyebrows swayed with the movement. His breath fluctuated slightly. "Ningyi's... son?"
Grandma Liu listened to his somewhat rapid breathing and then reached out to calm him. "Don't rush, your illness isn't healed yet. I thought you were calm, but you're more excited than me!"
Qin Ningyi and Qin Qijian also persuaded him from the side: "Grandpa, you're not fully recovered yet. Take a deep breath, don't get excited!"
Although Su Nianzhu was a little afraid of Grandpa Qin, she still respected and loved this father-in-law. She took a step forward with An An in her arms. "Dad, are you alright?"
Grandpa Qin took two deep breaths and quickly recovered. He looked at An An with surprise. "Boy, what's your name?"
His usual interrogative tone softened significantly.
An An was not afraid of him. He curved his lips. "Great-grandpa, my name is An An, Huo Ji'an."
"Huo... Ji'an?" Grandpa Qin repeated An An's name and a smile appeared on his face. "It's a good name."
So they already had a child. He hadn't heard about it for so many years. If Huo Rou was from the Jiang family, she would have come to the Qin family long ago when she got pregnant.
Thinking this way, the danger of Huo Rou's identity could be completely ruled out.
He looked at An An again. He was polite and spoke generously. Huo Rou had taught An An very well.
"You brat, after the New Year, we'll have the wedding!" He glared at Qin Ningyi. "How long are you going to drag this out?"
In his eyes, there was no such thing as being nameless. Even if Huo Rou was from the Jiang family, for An An to have a good living environment, he would have to force Qin Ningyi to marry her.
Qin Ningyi looked at Grandpa Qin's change in attitude. It turned out that he had been holding a "trump card" to convince Grandpa Qin all along but had never used it.
He smiled and said, "I will."
"What do you mean 'I will'?" Qin Han pretended to kick him. "Propose! You can get married when she agrees. Do you think you can just say 'I will' and it's settled? What did I teach you?"
The smile on Qin Ningyi's lips did not fade. Only when a grandfather truly liked someone would he consider that person's feelings.
His A'rou would not be like his grandmother back then. Qin Ningyi smiled and turned to take Huo Rou's hand. A'rou had been silent for a long time. Was this topic making her feel embarrassed?