An elderly woman couldn't pay for her meals, and a young woman covered the cost for 3 years. After the elderly woman passed away, the young woman was left stunned.

(From a reader submission, images in this article are from the internet)

An elderly woman couldn't pay for her meals, and a young woman helped cover the cost for 3 years. After the elderly woman passed away, the young woman was left stunned.

"Why hasn't Grandma come to the shop today..." Ayuan gazed out at the pattering rain and began to worry about the elderly woman. For three years, at this time every day, a kindly elderly woman had come to the shop for breakfast. The elderly woman had a poor memory and always forgot to pay, always saying she would pay once her son came back. But Ayuan was kind-hearted and fond of the elderly woman, so she always covered her breakfast costs, and the two got along very well. The people at the shop said that maybe the elderly woman's son had come back, and she was so happy she forgot to come. But Ayuan was uneasy. She called several times, but no one answered. She rushed to the elderly woman's home, only to find that she had already passed away. A suicide note left Ayuan stunned...

Ayuan's parents died in an accident when she was very young, and she had lived with her grandmother since childhood, the two depending on each other. Her grandmother doted on Ayuan. Although Ayuan had no parents, she had her grandmother's love as she grew up. But when Ayuan grew up, in her 17th year, her grandmother could no longer stay with her and passed away to heaven. After that, Ayuan was all alone. She went to a new city and worked at a small restaurant. And it was here that Ayuan met an elderly woman. The first time the elderly woman ate here, she forgot to pay and asked if she could pay after her son came back. When Ayuan saw the elderly woman, she thought of her own late grandmother, and her heart softened, so she said she would treat her.

And that treat lasted three years. Every day the elderly woman came to the shop for breakfast, and every time she forgot to bring money and asked if she could wait for her son to pay. But Ayuan said: "Grandma, from now on I'll treat you to breakfast here every day. Just come see me often." After that, the two grew closer and closer, more and more like family. The elderly woman also learned about Ayuan's background. Sometimes the elderly woman would invite Ayuan to her home as a guest, and only then did Ayuan learn that the elderly woman's living conditions were quite good, but her life was very frugal, and her own son rarely came home. The elderly woman said her son worked hard and that was why things were so frugal, but Ayuan felt great sympathy for the elderly woman and also resented this son for not coming back to see her.

That day, it was drizzling outside. The elderly woman still hadn't come for breakfast. Ayuan gazed outside the shop and began to worry about her. The people at the shop knew Ayuan and the elderly woman were very close, so they teased that maybe the elderly woman's son had finally come back, and she was so happy she forgot about Ayuan. Ayuan didn't believe it. She started calling the elderly woman, but the other end of the phone gave no response. Ayuan knew the elderly woman was home alone and feared something had happened, so she braved the rain and rushed to the elderly woman's home, calling for the property management to help open the door. The door finally opened, but the elderly woman, like Ayuan's grandmother, had passed away.

The elderly woman had left, but she left peacefully, while Ayuan could not stop crying. In Ayuan's eyes, the elderly woman was as close as her own family. Beside the elderly woman was also a suicide note. Ayuan opened it and was stunned: it said the house was left to Ayuan. Ayuan knew the elderly woman had a son out there somewhere, so she asked around, wanting to return the house to the elderly woman's son. But upon asking, all the neighbors said that the elderly woman's son had been in an accident on his way home three years ago and had long since passed away. The elderly woman had eaten breakfast here for three years, and Ayuan had helped cover the cost for 3 years, yet only after the elderly woman passed away did she learn the truth. The elderly woman had been deceiving herself, waiting for her son to return, preferring to live frugally rather than sell the house her son had bought her. Ayuan and the elderly woman had no blood relation, but there was still a deep family bond between them, wasn't there?