Chapter 819 - 818: Standing Up for the Granddaughter-in-law (4)

Chapter 819: Chapter 818: Standing Up for the Granddaughter-in-law (4)

Bella Acker turned the photo album as instructed, and on the first page was a woman wearing a long white dress, holding a bouquet of wildflowers, with her hair styled in two braided pigtails.

The photography techniques back then weren’t very advanced, so the portraits weren’t very clear, but it was evident that the woman’s facial features were very pretty, likely a great beauty.

The photo was yellowed and had white spots and bubbles. Even with modern restoration techniques, it looked very old.

"She’s so beautiful," Bella Acker sincerely admired.

"Yes, isn’t she?" The old man’s expression showed a hint of pride, "Your grandmother was always a great beauty, it’s just a pity there aren’t more pictures of her when she was younger. Let me tell you, your grandmother was once a leading lady in The Grant Family, a descendant of the Imperial Yellow Banner."

"Really?" Bella Acker looked up in surprise.

"Of course," the old man began to reminisce, "Back then, the Quen Dynasty had already begun to decline. Your grandmother’s situation was not as good as it used to be. Our family lived next door to hers and we were in the clothing business, selling silk. She often came over to play and I secretly took her out to catch birds and fish. Her family was very strict and had many rules, she’d never experienced such things, so she was very happy, and I took her everywhere for fun, telling everyone she was my wife."

"Ha, was grandma willing?" Bella Acker chuckled.

"Of course not, but back then your grandfather was quite dashing, and I could take on three men at once. Your grandma admired me a lot," the old man said with a smile, "Okay, in the beginning, she was shy and resisted, even hit me, but later she got used to me saying it. I was the ruler of our alley at the time, and whenever my little brothers saw her, they would respectfully call her sister-in-law. It was splendid."

The old man spoke so vividly that Bella Acker could vividly imagine the scenes.

After a pause, the old man continued, "Those were chaotic times, and there weren’t many days of peace. Due to some reasons, your grandma’s family was taken over and everyone except her was executed. I still remember leading her on a run through miles of mountain paths. We found a cave to hide in, and she looked at me, crying, saying from then on she had only me. Seeing her like that, I thought, even if I die, I must make her live better than anyone else."

Bella Acker listened, captivated, "What happened next? How did you escape with grandma? What about your family?"

"We hid out for a few days before the adults at home found us and then hid your grandma at our place. During that time, my father said it was like I’d completely changed, no longer a troublemaker, diligently helping with the family business. After several years, once things calmed down, I was familiar with the family trade and began taking your grandma all over to conduct business. Those times were exhausting, but each time I returned home to see your grandma, all the fatigue vanished. Your grandma loved arranging and growing flowers, also enjoyed poetry and playing the zither. I didn’t understand those things, but seeing her made me happy. Young Acker, turn to the next page, there’s a portrait of your grandma playing the zither drawn by an artist I hired."

"Okay," Bella Acker turned the page as instructed and saw a flat portrait placed in the photo album.

In an antique garden, a woman in a white long dress had her long hair coiled into a bun secured with a jade hairpin. Her eyes were slightly cast down, her expression gentle and serene, as her fingers lightly strummed the guzheng, as beautiful as a celestial being.