Chapter 132 The Last Tenderness Before Parting 2
Because the journey was a bit long, it was already noon by the time they arrived.
The old residence was in a small town, bustling with people and very lively.
Looking around, a strong sense of everyday life permeated the surroundings. Jessica suddenly felt a deep sense of familiarity.
They first went to his grandparents' old residence. Standing in front of the door, Jessica was a bit surprised.
The old house was made of bricks, with a strong small-town character. At first glance, it looked simple and unpretentious, still retaining the style from decades ago, though it appeared somewhat old.
Gabriel explained, "Xavier and Ximena used to live here. They got married here and had Jonah here."
"Although they became wealthy later, Ximena was nostalgic and always felt that the old house preserved their past memories, which were very precious. So, they kept the old house as it was and never renovated it."
Gabriel continued, "When Ximena was still around, we would always find time to come and stay for a few days during holidays. After Ximena passed away, we came less often because we were worried that Xavier would be too sad seeing the old things, but we still came occasionally."
Jessica walked inside, step by step.
She walked very slowly. Although the house was old, and many of the wooden door frames had lost their color, revealing the original color, she particularly liked this house.
Listening to Gabriel talk about Xavier and Ximena's past in the old house, Jessica felt as if she had stepped into that era.
When she went to the Walton family, Ximena had already passed away.
So, she had never met Ximena.
She hadn't even seen a photo of her.
Behind the main gate was the courtyard floor paved with stone bricks. Although it was a common sight in the small town, Jessica found it particularly charming.
What surprised her even more was that there was a whole row of trees on the right side of the courtyard, lush and verdant. On the left side of the courtyard was a small garden, filled with various flowers—red, yellow, and white—vibrant and beautiful.
Jessica ran over, pleasantly surprised. "Wow, it's so beautiful here. How come there are flowers, and they're blooming so well?"
Gabriel explained, "Although no one lives here, we have someone taking care of it, responsible for daily cleaning of the house. Most importantly, they carefully tend to these delicate flowers you see."
Jessica looked at Gabriel, puzzled.
He continued, "After Xavier and Ximena got married, he discovered that Ximena loved flowers. But at that time, they didn't have much money, so Xavier made a small garden in the courtyard and personally planted Ximena's favorite flowers. There were flowers for every season, just so Ximena could see vibrant flowers all year round and feel cheerful."
Listening to this, Jessica felt warm inside and found it particularly tender.
Before, she had only heard that Xavier and Ximena were very much in love, and Xavier cherished Ximena very much.
Sometimes, she would hear some stories about Xavier and Ximena from Danielle, who always marveled at how lucky Ximena was to have met Xavier.
At that time, she didn't quite understand.
But this trip to the old residence truly opened her eyes and filled her with emotion.
Sighing lightly, she looked at the old house and suddenly felt a deep fondness and envy.
She envied the people living in this house, but even more, she envied the delicate, gentle, yet stunning love story that had unfolded within its walls, a love story that had dazzled an entire lifetime.
These were all things she longed for, but unfortunately, she wasn't as lucky as Ximena and was destined not to meet someone like Xavier.
So, she felt even more envious.
Jessica walked over, squatted by the small flower bed, brought her small face close to the vibrant flowers, and then looked up at Gabriel. "Can you take a picture for me?"
Gabriel replied, "Sure."
Gabriel took out his phone. At the moment the photo was taken, Jessica smiled brightly.
This was the first time in many days that she had shown such a radiant and captivating smile.
Gabriel was unconsciously a bit dazed, and at the same time, he felt even more certain that this trip was worth it.
He didn't ask for much; even if this trip was just for this smile, he felt it was worth it.
After taking the photo, Jessica entered the hall. On the cabinet in the hall was a large photo frame, particularly eye-catching. Jessica saw it as soon as she walked in.
Looking at the bright and beautiful girl in the photo, and then at her clothes and smooth long hair, Jessica hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is this Ximena?"
Gabriel nodded. "Yes. This is Ximena when she was young."
"So young, so beautiful." Jessica couldn't help but sigh.
Gabriel picked up the photo and gently wiped it. In fact, someone cleaned it every day, and it was very clean with no dust at all, but he still softly wiped it for a while.
Then he put it back in its original place, saying, "Ximena married Xavier at 18 and had my dad at 20. This photo was taken shortly after they got married."
"Ximena said that they had originally agreed to each take a photo to capture their youthful appearance. Due to financial constraints, Xavier agreed on the surface but actually only paid for one person. So, in the end, only Ximena took a photo, and Xavier didn't."
Jessica asked, "So, this should be the only photo of Ximena when she was young?"
Gabriel replied, "Yes."
"In that case, with Xavier's personality, he would definitely carry it with him after Ximena passed away. How come I've never seen this photo at the Walton family?"
Gabriel nodded. "You're right. Ximena knew Xavier would carry it with him. So before she passed, she specifically instructed to leave this photo here to prevent Xavier from being even more heartbroken by carrying it with him. Xavier agreed with us on the surface, but actually..."
At this point, Gabriel smiled, filled with emotion. "Xavier played a little trick. He had Ximena's photo reduced to a very small card and carried it in his pocket all the time."
Jessica was also moved. He must have harbored a profound love for Ximena, as evidenced by his many tender actions.
Now, she felt nothing but envy.
The love back then was truly beautiful.
Jessica asked, "How did you find out?"
"One year, on Ximena's death anniversary, Xavier drank a bit too much. He must have missed her too much, so he took out Ximena's photo and told us. But none of us told Xavier, and Xavier doesn't know that we already know."
"Ximena was truly fortunate," Jessica sighed.
Gabriel looked at her. "Do you envy Ximena?"
Jessica nodded. "Of course, I'm envious. Having someone committed to her for a lifetime is the type of love and happiness that all women around the world yearn for."
Gabriel asked her, "And you?"
"Me?" Jessica pointed at herself and smiled faintly. "I'm the same as them, just an ordinary girl. Of course, I also want to have my own unique love and..."
"And what?" Gabriel asked again.
