Chapter 18: Grandfather and Grandmother

After more than an hour of travel, they arrived. The temperature in Liverpool was slightly higher than in Manchester, with an average of around 6°C. As he stepped out of the station, Li Shenxing felt a sense of coming home.

He took Hyori to the bus stop at the station entrance, and after a few turns, they got off and walked a short distance with their luggage to reach his grandparents' house.

Pushing open the wooden gate at the entrance, he walked in. The front yard was filled with various plants, and the lawn was neatly trimmed, showing that the owners took great care in maintaining it.

Li Shenxing pressed the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door.

"Oppa, what should I do? I'm a bit nervous," Hyori said anxiously at the door.

"Don't worry, Grandfather and Grandmother are very kind and easy to talk to. There's no need to be nervous. You're Lee Hyori! What's there to be afraid of?" Li Shenxing said, trying to ease her anxiety.

"Being Lee Hyori doesn't help outside," Hyori muttered.

"Click." As the door opened, an elderly man in his sixties came out.

"Grandfather, I've come to see you. Are you happy?" Li Shenxing said, spreading his arms wide.

"Oh! My dear grandson, I'm so happy to see you." Grandfather opened his arms and hugged him, patted his shoulder, and then let go. "Aren't you going to introduce me to this beautiful lady?"

"Of course, this beautiful lady is your granddaughter-in-law," Li Shenxing said with a playful smile.

Hyori, however, bowed respectfully to Grandfather and introduced herself in awkward Chinese: "Grandfather, hello, I'm Hyori."

Grandfather warmly embraced her, "Good child, welcome. Come in!" He then turned and walked inside, calling out, "Anna, Anna, come out and see who's here."

The door closed, and the two of them walked in. Hyori looked around the house, clearly attracted by the traditional style of the decor. They entered the living room, put down their luggage, and the door to the backyard opened, revealing an elderly lady with silver hair.

"Hi! Grandmother, are you happy to see me?" Li Shenxing opened his arms and walked over to her.

"Oh! My God, my favorite little troublemaker is here. I'm so happy to see you." Grandmother was pleasantly surprised and hugged him.

Li Shenxing introduced Hyori to Grandmother, and Grandfather brought out some tea and snacks. They sat in the living room and chatted. During the conversation, Hyori presented the specialties she brought from Korea to Grandfather and Grandmother. After a brief introduction, they were quite satisfied with this granddaughter-in-law, finding her to have a good personality and easy to talk to.

Later, Grandmother and Grandfather went to the market, saying they wanted to welcome them with a local dinner.

Li Shenxing took Hyori to his fixed bedroom. The room was very clean and free of dust, showing that it was often cleaned. He put down their luggage and sat on the bed, asking Hyori, "How do you feel now?"

"Grandfather and Grandmother are so easy to get along with. There's no sense of restraint like when meeting elders. It feels like we're friends," Hyori said happily, lying down on the bed.

"Seeing you get along so well, I'm really happy," Li Shenxing said, lying down and hugging her.

"Me too, Oppa," she said, turning to lie in his arms.

They hugged each other, enjoying the warmth of the moment in silence. When they heard the sound of Grandfather and Grandmother returning, they got up, tidied up, and went downstairs to help Grandmother prepare dinner.

Li Shenxing and Grandmother were busy in the kitchen, while Grandfather took Hyori on a tour of the house, explaining the stories behind the photos on the walls and how he pursued Grandmother, which fascinated Hyori.

"That old man is boasting about his old stories again," Grandmother muttered when she heard.

"Who wouldn't, given that my grandmother was a great beauty? If I were born in that era, I would have thrown a glove at Grandfather," Li Shenxing flattered.

Li Shenxing's flattery made Grandmother laugh, "Hehe, what a sweet little guy. Did you use this to pursue your wife?"

Li Shenxing instantly recalled the past with Hyori, a smile of happiness on his face.

"Hmm!" Grandmother raised an eyebrow, "It seems to be a romantic story!"

"Our meeting was guided by God, destined to be together," he turned and winked at Grandmother, "just like you and Grandfather."

Grandmother touched his face, "Marriage is a lifelong study, more difficult to manage than a business. I hope you can be tolerant, understanding, respectful, and cherish each other, and not hurt each other. Life is long, yet short."

Li Shenxing hugged Grandmother, "We will, thank you." He knew this was Grandmother's experience in marriage.

"Hey! Buddy, how long are you going to hug my lady? Do you want me to throw a glove at you?" Grandfather stood at the kitchen door, holding his hands, and laughed, with Hyori standing behind him.

"Stop fooling around, come and help. Dinner isn't ready yet!" Grandmother let go of her grandson and said to Grandfather.

Grandfather bowed and said, "As you wish, my queen," and walked over to Grandmother, kissed her on the cheek, and then helped with the vegetables.

Hyori stood at the door, looking at him with affection, clearly having heard their conversation.

Li Shenxing walked over and gave her a gentle kiss. "Let's go help," he said, pulling her into the kitchen.

Everyone pitched in, and dinner was quickly ready.

The dinner was rich, with roasted lamb, pudding sausages (a traditional British dish made from sausages and Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and gravy), Irish stew, apple pie, and more.

Grandfather brought out crystal glasses and wine. They gathered around the table, eating and chatting, and the meal lasted about two hours. Most of the time, Grandfather and Grandmother shared stories from their years together and their experiences in marriage.

By 9 PM, after their goodnight kisses, Grandfather and Grandmother went to bed. After they left, Li Shenxing and Hyori also went to their room to wash up and rest.

Lying on the bed, Hyori was still a bit emotional. The conversation that evening had a significant impact on her. Although she was prepared to marry the man she loved, she had never worried about the trivialities of life because she had a man who cared for her.

Hyori leaned against Li Shenxing's chest, reaching up to touch his face, "Oppa, it's so good to have you."

He kissed her forehead, "Me too, go to sleep." He stroked her back, soothing her emotions.

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The living environment in this community was excellent, without the noise of a bustling city. They woke up around 8 AM the next morning, washed up, and went downstairs. Breakfast was already set on the table. Grandfather and Grandmother were not there; they were walking in a nearby park at this time.

Next to the breakfast was a note in Grandfather's handwriting, saying that the car keys were in the usual place, the tank was full, and wishing them a pleasant trip.

After eating the lovingly prepared breakfast by Grandmother, Li Shenxing and Hyori took their bags, grabbed the car keys left by Grandfather, and drove to the center of Liverpool.

The Liverpool One is the largest open-air shopping center in the UK, a paradise for shopping enthusiasts. Located in the heart of Liverpool, it connects to the surrounding commercial streets and is linked to large shopping centers like Debenhams and John Lewis. It offers numerous well-known stores, with 5 shopping centers, 2 department stores, and over 400 shops, including more than 160 famous high-street brands and smaller independent boutiques. It also has two theaters, many cafes, and restaurants, where you can rest and recharge when tired.