“Keep watching her.”
Conrad slammed the phone down and stood up. As he opened the drawer, his hand couldn’t help but tremble.
When George walked in, Conrad was flipping through the surveillance footage.
His controlling nature-something George, as a long-time friend, understood all too well.
Placing the medical kit on the table, George asked, “How’s the wound today?”
Conrad looked up at him, his eyes filled with unmistakable agitation.
George added, “Have you been properly treating it? You keep going out, putting your life at risk. Don’t you care about your health?”
Conrad’s breath came in quick bursts, and he didn’t seem to be thinking about anything in particular.
George set the medical kit down, pulled open Conrad’s shirt collar, and took a look at the wound on his back.
It was in the healing stage, but Conrad had done something again. The wound had opened up and was now gruesome, the flesh torn apart.
“Do you even want to get better? Even Iron Man needs rest sometimes.”
Conrad closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. Only when the surveillance footage of Lillian popped up on the computer did he start to calm down.
“Do you often record these videos?” George watched this unfold, and a sense of unease stirred within him.
“It’s become a habit.”
“You watch even when she’s eating or drinking?”
“I just open it out of boredom. What’s wrong with that? Is it not allowed?”
George felt a twinge of discomfort but thought better of it. He decided to swallow the words he had been about to say.
******
Lillian had gone to the town to buy new bedding, and curtains, and had hired someone to clean the house. She made sure the air flowed freely, and the plumbing and electrical systems were all redone. A lot of things were replaced.
There were still many flowers in the yard, which her grandmother said were doing well.
Lillian stayed in the small room by the window. She could see the front gate from there, and the little balcony beneath the window was perfect for planting flowers.
In the center of the yard, there was an old tree. It had grown lush over the years, untouched by care. After trimming its branches, Lillian bought an old-fashioned rattan chair and placed a thick cushion on it, so she could push her grandmother outside to sit in the sun.
This was the life she had often dreamed of. She never expected it to come true so soon.
Life in the small town was simple and joyful.
Every day, Lillian rode the old bicycle to the village entrance to buy the handmade bread that everyone in the village loved, and then she’d stop by the end of the street to buy vegetables.
Soon, everyone in town knew that Kristin had returned, along with her particularly beautiful granddaughter. She was a student at a prestigious university, a sweet girl with a lovely smile, always greeting everyone warmly.
Her grandmother was quite happy. Of course, her granddaughter was perfect in every way.
“Kristin, your granddaughter isn’t going to school right now?”
“She’s almost done. She’s working on her graduation project. I’m not feeling well, so she came to take care of me.”
“Such a filial girl. Nowadays, young people hardly care for the elderly. By the way, where are your son and daughter? Why haven’t they come to see you?”
Her grandmother’s expression turned cold. “Don’t mention those two.”
The person speaking didn’t press the matter, and while picking vegetables, said, “You know Dr. Mike, right? He has a son who’s studying at City N Medical University. The other day, he said he saw your granddaughter and wanted to meet her. He asked me to set up an introduction.”
“My Lillian is still so young. She hasn’t even graduated from college yet. She shouldn’t think about having a boyfriend until she’s at least 25. By then, she’ll have a stable job, and it’ll be easier to have a reliable boyfriend. It’s not the right time to talk about it now.”
“Meeting someone is no big deal. You said your health isn’t great, but Dr. Mike has treated you a few times. You know him and his wife-they’re good people. With your age, if your granddaughter finds a good match, you can rest easy. She’ll have someone to take care of her, won’t she?”
She mentioned this at dinner that evening.
Lillian honestly didn’t want to meet any men.
“Does Grandma want me to go?”
“You know, Dr. Mike’s family seems nice. If you have someone to look after you, Grandma will be at ease.”
“Then I’ll go, if it makes you happy.”
“Alright, but if you don’t like him, we’ll leave.”
When it was time for the blind date, Dr. Mike and his family came directly to the small house. They brought milk and fruit.
The man was about average height, around 5’9″, wearing glasses, and seemed nervous. He was sweating a little from his nose when he looked at Lillian, clearly feeling awkward.
“Hi, I’m Robert.”
“Hi, Lillian.”
An old-fashioned TV was playing in the room. Lillian sat next to her grandmother. Dr. Mike and his wife were indeed very kind people. They didn’t mind that the old house’s furnishings hadn’t changed in years-they were all antiques-and they spoke very politely.
After a while, they asked Robert to take Lillian for a walk.
“H University, Department of Film. So, do you want to be a director?”
“It’s my dream.”
“That’s great. I’m like my dad-I’ll probably work as a doctor at the hospital. Would you mind if your partner’s job kept him busy?”
Lillian paused. “Sorry, I…”
Robert froze for a moment, then scratched the back of his neck. “I get it. With your looks, you could be the campus beauty at our school. How could you not have a boyfriend?”
“It’s not that. I’m just not interested in dating right now. I don’t want to make my grandmother worry about me.”
“Oh, I understand. I heard from my dad that your grandmother’s health isn’t too good. So, we can still stay in touch, right? Since you’re not dating anyone at the moment, I might still have a chance.”
Lillian didn’t know how to respond.
Robert continued. “Don’t feel pressured. I’m not trying to force anything. We can just be friends.”
“Alright.”
“You’ve never been to Boyd Town, have you?”
“I came when I was little, but I don’t really remember much.”
“That’s what I thought. I grew up here, so I would’ve remembered you. See, that place used to be an old factory worker’s dormitory, but it’s been torn down and turned into a hospital now. My dad worked at a small hospital in the southern part of the city, but now he’s moved here. They want me to work here too, so I’ll be close to home. But I want to stay in City N. You know about the Thomas Family Hospital, right? I heard the benefits there are great. If I can get a job there, I’d feel more confident about pursuing you.”
“I know about it. That place is definitely good.”
Robert nodded. “Too bad the competition is fierce. I’m not sure if I’ll even make the cut.”
“Believe in yourself. You’ll make it.”
Robert looked at Lillian, feeling a stir in his heart. A girl this beautiful-if she really became his girlfriend, he’d be so happy.
The two of them walked along the small path. People in the village saw them and some came up to tease them.
Dr. Mike said, “I thought Robert and that young girl were quite a good match.”
Robert’s mother said, “Well, we need to inquire about her character. I heard someone say she parked a really nice car in the parking lot in the town when she arrived.”
“I remember Ms. Kristin’s son-in-law was quite wealthy.”
“Really? I heard he went bankrupt. Could be that he still has debts. People like us, who are honest and simple, can’t afford to deal with that.”
“They only met for the first time. They aren’t even a couple yet. Let’s wait for Robert to come back and talk.”