Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 505 - 481: This Is the Elder Daughter

The old man, leaning on a cane and trembling, walked out and carefully scrutinized Quentin Thorne for a while before exclaiming in surprise, "Mr. Thornton? Are you Mr. Thornton?!"Quentin Thorne’s expression was indifferent: "May I come in and sit?"

"Yes, yes..." The old man hurriedly opened the iron gate, rambling incoherently, "Come in, come in..."

Quentin Thorne did not spare the old man another glance and went straight into the courtyard.

The old man moved to the side, his eyes glued to Quentin Thorne, only turning to look at Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester as they entered the courtyard, nodding continuously, his old eyes filled with undisguised envy.

Sienna Thornton followed Quentin Thorne into the house, feeling heavy-hearted as she surveyed the environment.

The light inside the house was dim, and the cement floor was a mixture of dust; the mottled white walls had turned a dirt-yellow due to disrepair, with pieces of cement flaking off. A worn Eight Immortals table was lit by a kerosene lamp, and had four long benches around it. Further in, there was a simple wooden platform with some candles and wine glasses on top, and... two black-and-white memorial photos hanging on the wall.

An elderly woman, also with graying hair, sat at the table eating. On it, there was a small yellow ceramic basin containing some indistinct black food.

Sienna Thornton’s eyes reddened, and she bit her lower lip.

The old woman saw three well-dressed strangers enter her home. Due to the backlight, she couldn’t see their faces clearly, and perhaps fearing they brought bad news, she stood up nervously, her voice trembling, "Who... who are you looking for?"

The old man came in from outside, excitedly saying, "Dear, it’s Mr. Thornton!"

The old woman was stunned for a moment, put down her chopsticks, and walked out from inside to Quentin Thorne, looking carefully at him several times; her eyes, hidden beneath drooping lids, were suddenly brimming with tears...

In an instant, the old woman knelt in front of Quentin Thorne, her hands, thin as twigs, clutching his trousers, pleading, "Mr. Thornton, we were wrong back then, please save Melinda Linton’s brother, he’s been inside for twenty-five years already... sob sob..."

The old woman wept bitterly.

Seeing this, the old man also knelt down and kowtowed to Quentin Thorne.

Quentin Thorne, dressed in a sophisticated, well-tailored coat, black trousers, and black leather shoes, stood upright like a deity in the dim, rundown house, ignoring the two elders pleading bitterly beneath him.

The old man continuously kowtowed to him, weeping and recounting how poorly their youngest son was faring in prison...

The entire house was suffused with a sense of sadness, helplessness, and despair.

Seeing all this, Sienna Thornton broke down, tears streaming down as she cried, rushing forward to help the elderly couple up.

The old man refused, unwilling to stand.

Quentin Thorne glanced contemptuously at the old man and said lightly, "Stand up and speak."

Only then did the old man rise.

Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester helped the elderly couple to sit by the table.

The old man looked at Sienna Thornton’s face, which was so similar to Quentin Thorne’s, and asked cautiously, "Young lady, are you Mr. Thornton’s daughter?"

Sienna Thornton nodded with tears in her eyes.

"How old are you?"

"Thirty."

The old man sighed, "Ah, I wonder if Melinda Linton’s child was born back then. If so, they’d be your age."

Sienna Thornton turned away, covering her mouth as tears silently fell.

Quentin Thorne glanced over sternly, sharply questioning, "Do you think Melinda is still alive? Back then, you drove her out of the village while she was pregnant, left to wander outside. Do you think she could survive in such conditions?"

The two elders remained silent, just lowering their heads, tears falling.

Back then, with sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, the family was lively and joyful. Although they had regretted and felt conflicted when they drove their daughter out, faced with the opinions of their daughter-in-law and son, and the strange looks from villagers, they still banished her, convincing themselves it was to give their disgraceful daughter a way out. At the time, indeed, they gained a period of peace and happiness.

However, later on, as their three sons encountered consecutive misfortunes, and their daughters-in-law left with their grandchildren, the two elderly were left alone in the empty house. Instead, they often thought of the daughter who had disappeared after being driven away and occasionally imagined what their grandchild might have looked like. But it was only occasional; most of their thoughts were focused on overturning their youngest son’s case, hoping he could find a new wife, marry, and carry on the family line.

Therefore, when Quentin Thorne arrived today, their first reaction was to ask him to save their youngest son still in prison, not even mentioning Melinda Linton, only recalling the unknown fate of the grandchild when they saw Sienna Thornton, who was about the same age.

To this, Quentin Thorne was naturally angry. The resentment from years ago was already deep, and seeing it all again today only intensified his anger, prompting him to deliberately say those words to provoke the two elders.

The old woman remained seated, crying quietly, while the old man invited them to sit on the other three benches at the Eight Immortals table.

Quentin Thorne frowned slightly at the sight of those blackened, dust-covered chairs.

Seeing this, the old man quickly picked up a dirty cloth nearby and wiped them down haphazardly.

Sienna Thornton observed this, took out some wet wipes from her bag, and walked over to help the old man wipe, "It’s all right, I’ll handle it, you have a seat."

She swiftly cleaned the chairs, then looked at Quentin Thorne, "Dad, come and sit."

Quentin Thorne walked over and sat down, and the old man happily took a seat across from him.

The old woman got up to pour some water.

The old man looked at Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester and asked, "Mr. Thornton, are these young people your daughter and son, or your daughter and son-in-law?"

Anyone with eyes could tell Sienna Thornton and Quentin Thorne were father and daughter. Although Simon Forrester didn’t resemble Quentin Thorne, nephews often resemble uncles. Hence, the old man boldly asked.

Quentin Thorne turned to Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester, responding lightly, "Daughter and son-in-law."

The old man quickly congratulated, "Congratulations, Mr. Thornton! Your daughter and son-in-law make a perfect match! They’re both outstanding individuals!"

Melinda Linton’s father had some education back then, enjoyed reading, and was rather cultured, so he knew exactly how to flatter Quentin Thorne.

But his words had no effect on Quentin Thorne, who remained expressionless, not displaying a hint of a smile.

The atmosphere lapsed into wordless awkwardness again.

The old man, trying to ease the tension, asked, "Did you have more children later on?"

Quentin Thorne: "Two, both daughters."

"Ah, daughters are good too, little cotton-padded jackets!" The old man looked at Sienna Thornton, "So, is this the older daughter or the younger one?"

"The older one."

The old man continued to look at Sienna Thornton, his cracked, dry lips starting to tremble slightly. After a moment, he rubbed his eyes and said sadly, "If Melinda’s child had been born back then, they too would be this age, almost thirty-one in two months..."