Grandpa's Small Backyard Farm

It did not take too long for Violet and Sarah to arrive in A City.

However, when the girls stepped into the house, they both found out that their grandfather was somewhere on the small backyard farm.

Grandpa Wu had always loved gardening. After he retired, he chose to stay in his mansion in A City and continued his hobby. He planted a lot of flowers and vegetables all around the house.

There was also a small chicken coop at the back of the house.

The small farm was the hard work between their grandparents. 

When their grandma passed away, the old man stubbornly refused to move in with his children. The vegetable garden held so many memories of his wife and he was not willing to let go. 

Besides, Grandpa Wu seemed to be alive whenever he was working in his garden.

Each time he spent his time there, Grandpa Wu would feel as if his wife was still around.

Initially, his children were worried about letting him work on his mini farm. But Grandpa Wu said that sweating and working in the garden would keep him healthy.

Fortunately, the gardeners would often come to help him around the place. 

Seeing that the old man seemed to enjoy the place, his children decided not to say a word.

Nowadays, they won't have to go out to the market that much. Grandpa Wu would always pick something from his garden to cook a meal.

Seeing that their grandfather was busy with gardening, Violet and Sarah decided to head back to their room and rest. 

The distance between L City and A City was not that far. However, the traffic was bad as there was an accident along the way.

"What are you going to do about this Sunday?" Sarah asked as she placed her luggage in the closet. She turned to her cousin and waited for her answer.

Last time, it was decided by the elders for Violet and Ryan to go on their first date. 

Sarah knew well how Violet hated the idea of going out with Ryan. She was curious to know what Violet had in mind. Surely, Violet would not obediently listen to the elders' wishes, right?

Violet dropped her knapsack on the floor and slammed her body against the mattress. She rolled herself on the bed, stretched her body, and moaned lazily. "I don't know. I don't want to think about it. I guess I'll play along to it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Sarah could not hide her surprise. She thought that Violet was ready to come up with something to avoid this date.

"I thought about avoiding this." She leaned to one side and propped her head with her hand. "But Ryan's mother seemed like a difficult person. If I managed to skip this date once, his mother would make us continue this dating period for another month. I cannot let that happen."

Sarah pondered over her cousin's words. "Have you considered talking about this with Grandpa? I'm sure that he'll talk some sense into your dad. Then perhaps your dad would think over his decision."

"I know," Violet said with a sigh. "But I did not want to trouble Grandpa. His health is not that good and I'm worried that he will fight with my dad about this arrangement. I don't want to see them fighting."

Violet felt that she could still handle this matter. It was just going out with Ryan for a month. Then, they would both split.

It should not be difficult.

Sarah fell silent. Since Violet had made her decision, she would not interfere.

Seconds later, Violet sat up straight and clapped her hands in enthusiasm. "Alright! Let's forget about all this. Besides, it's not that we have the chance to slack around every day. I think we should spend more time with Grandpa and enjoy ourselves."

Sarah forced a smile. "You're right!"

The girls changed their clothes and went out. They walked along a small pavement and arrived at the backyard where a small vegetable garden was located. 

There were a lot of vegetables that their grandfather had planted. 

Both Violet and Sarah were discussing what they would eat for dinner when they spotted their grandfather harvesting some tomatoes.

The girls picked up their pace and called, "Grandpa!"

The old man turned around and smiled at the sight of his granddaughters running over to him. "What are you girls doing here? Shouldn't you get some rest after that long journey?" He heard from the housekeeper that his granddaughter had arrived and was resting in their rooms.

Sarah giggled. "It wasn't really a long journey."

Violet nodded. "Besides, our fatigue seems to vanish when we get to see you." She took a step forward and kissed Grandpa on his cheek. 

The old man took a step back. "What are you doing? Don't kiss me. I'm full of sweat."

Violet merely smiled. "We missed you so much, Grandpa."

The old man heaved a sigh as he looked at his granddaughters. "I missed you girls too," he laughed. "Alright. What would you girls like to do today?"

Sarah and Violet exchanged their glance and smiled.

"We were wondering if there's anything that we could help you with," Sarah said.

"Mmm... It's been a while since we both helped around."

"Well," Grandpa paused as he placed his hand on his hips and looked at his granddaughters. His eyes scanned around his garden as he tried to find something that the girls could help him with. "I don't see there's much you can help me with. I'm almost done with tidying up the place." 

Violet and Sarah swept their gaze around the place and saw that the garden was neat.

"Why don't you girls prepare something special for dinner? I've harvested some carrots and arugula in the morning." The light in his eyes lit up when he recalled something else. "That's right. My neighbor next door, the Shen couple, gave me a basket of apples. Maybe you can bake me an apple pie for dessert." He turned to Violet and smiled. "It's been a while since I got to taste my granddaughter's apple pie."