### 209. Grandfather
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The girl sat anxiously on the edge of the bed, staring out the window at the sky, a storm of worries brewing in her mind with no clue how to dissipate it.
Chen Yao and her mother were deep in conversation. While that guy definitely had a thing for her, Lin Nan still hoped that Chen Yao would remain her friend.
Meeting Grandfather and Grandmother was another daunting prospect entirely. According to her mother, they could accept her changes, but that was easier said than done.
And how was she supposed to explain her surgery? Especially the cost of it.
Lin Nan pulled out a document pouch from her suitcase containing her diagnosis papers, proof of surgery, and her ID.
These documents proved that the surgery happened, but they didn’t explain where the money came from.
Should she just say Chen Yao paid for it?
Lost in her thoughts, she occasionally glanced at Cola, the TV-watching creature languishing in the living room.
The TV was one of those ancient box types, dusty from years of retirement but somehow still managed to function.
Lin Nan began to feel a bit itchy; it wasn’t that she was dirty, but rather she was used to showering daily and hadn’t washed last night, so the downtime made her feel a tad uncomfortable.
Retrieving some fresh clothes from her suitcase, she made her way upstairs to the bathroom on the third floor.
The bathroom was often empty, despite a layer of dust; overall, it was fairly clean.
After hastily rinsing out the bathtub, Lin Nan peeled off her clothes and settled in, watching the water level rise blissfully while her eyes wandered to other areas of her body.
It had been a while since she fully embraced her new identity as a girl, but she hadn’t taken a good look at herself yet.
Her skin gleamed like white jade, legs were long, waist was slender, and she had a peachy bottom—no sign at all that this body had once belonged to a male. She glanced down at the gentle rise and fall of her chest and her flat belly, feeling that familiar twinge of distaste grow stronger.
If the old, male version of her had seen this body, she’d probably have had a nosebleed!
But now, every time she took a bath, she felt a hint of disgust. If she thought about the possibility of marrying a man in the future, it was like a wave of nausea washed over her.
Not wanting to dwell on it, she lay back in the tub and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth.
The tub wasn’t particularly big, but fortunately, her petite frame made it easy to submerge herself with just a slight bend of her legs.
The warm water gradually crept up to her chest, causing a mix of discomfort and pressure to brew.
They say bathing can be risky—there have been plenty of news stories about people passing out in the tub—so Lin Nan decided to turn off the tap, stood up, and began applying shower gel.
Just as she started rinsing off, the sound of a door opening downstairs caught her attention. She thought it might be Chen Yao and her mother returning, but soon after, she heard her grandfather’s booming voice: “Is Lin Nan here? Call her down!”
His tone was characteristically stern.
Lin Nan’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly rinsed off the soap, dried herself, and got dressed to head downstairs.
“Dad, you’re going to scare Lin Nan with that voice,” Wu Guodong chimed in, and then she heard his footsteps on the stairs.
As Wu Guodong reached the third floor, he bumped into Lin Nan, who was drying her hair while emerging from the bathroom.
“Grandpa is calling for you.”
Noticing Lin Nan in her simple outfit, he couldn’t help but think that his cousin, now a girl, could rival any other girl in charm.
“Just a second, I’m almost done,” Lin Nan said, hastily toweling her hair and throwing on a coat. She followed Wu Guodong’s hurried pace downstairs.
Worry gnawed at her insides, and she stuffed her hands in her coat pockets, nervously tugging at the fabric.
Keeping her head down, she arrived in the living room and sat at the round table with Wu Guodong.
She didn’t dare to look at her grandfather’s facial expression, biting her lower lip as she listened to the sound of commercials blaring from the TV.
The atmosphere was tense, and Wu Guodong was obviously flustered. His father was notoriously harsh, and as the youngest son, he had experienced that wrath more times than he could count, even at nearly thirty years old, he still felt jitters at the sight of his father’s stern face.
Suddenly, her grandfather pushed a plate towards Lin Nan, “Your favorite kn*fe-cut noodles! I drove all the way to get them.”
Lin Nan blinked in surprise and looked up at her grandfather’s thin, aged face.
“He definitely looks like your mom did when she was young,” her grandfather mused and then began munching on a bag of sunflower seeds, propping his left foot on a chair. “What are your plans for the future?”
Lin Nan instantly felt much more at ease. At least her grandfather wasn’t showing any disdain outwardly.
She glanced over at the ever-smiling Grandmother who stood nearby.
In stark contrast, the grandmother who used to shower her with affection and cash seemed somewhat gloomy, clearly struggling to accept her.
“Uh… I guess I’ll take it one step at a time?” Lin Nan said, shyly picking up her chopsticks and starting to eat the noodles.
In front of her grandparents, it was impossible for her to entertain any other thoughts.
“Plan it out properly,” her grandfather said. Ordinarily, he didn’t talk much, but today he couldn’t pause, “I don’t know much about life’s great mysteries… but regardless of how things change, life must go on.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Make sure to take care of yourself while studying outside. If you can, find a boyfriend. Now that you’re a girl, don’t wear these shabby clothes. Boys should look like boys, and girls should look like girls.”
“I know…”
Wu Guodong seemed relieved and stretched, getting ready to retreat to his room for some gaming.
“Don’t be like your uncle; he’s thirty and still has no goals, just coasting along,” her grandfather called up to Wu Guodong who was heading out, scolding, “What are you up to now? How did that girl from yesterday go? Can’t believe I still have to worry about you at thirty! How many more years do I have to worry about you?”
Wu Guodong was dumbfounded; he had no idea how that topic had suddenly turned to him.
He was twenty-eight, but by the lunar calendar, he was already thirty.
“I just didn’t vibe with her,” Wu Guodong scratched his head and explained with a sheepish grin. “Besides, I am only twenty-eight!”
“You’re old enough to stop talking back!”
Yeah, no thank you!
Wu Guodong bolted up the stairs.
Lin Nan felt a weight lift off her shoulders; her grandfather seemed to be managing the idea of his grandson becoming a granddaughter quite well, but as for Grandmother…
At over seventy, her grandfather had likely seen a lot, and surprisingly, he seemed quite accepting of the transformation.
As she munched on her noodles, she sneaked a glance at her grandmother who was preparing dinner.
Her face was emotionless; it was hard to read her attitude, and she seemed a touch cold.
“This afternoon, let your mom take you shopping for clothes. And your hair! This short style is indecisive—grow it out and maybe get a perm,” her grandfather continued to chatter, “You don’t need to worry about your dad’s side; just take care of yourself.”
“Jiaming is at his grandfather’s place, I’ll call him later to come hang out with you.”
Lin Nan was resistant to what he was saying, but secretly, she was thrilled with what those words meant.
No matter what, at least her grandfather could accept her changes.
Gradually, her tension and nervousness eased; she never thought her usually stiff grandfather would be so easy to talk to.
On the other hand, her grandmother, who had once been her greatest support, showed no sign of recognition.
