Zhao Aiguo reached out and tied the scarf around Zhao Dahu's neck, saying, "Dad, I don't want to go. My nipples hurt, and I'm afraid my grandpa won't be able to handle it at home. You and Mom go! I'll go see my grandma alone tomorrow."

Before Wei Shuqing could say anything, Zhao Dahu nodded and said, "That's fine too. You stay home and visit your grandmother tomorrow." With that, he took Wei Shuqing away.

After turning around, Zhao Aiguo felt someone was watching him, so he quickly closed the door, leaving Qi Zhijun with a large door.

Hearing the sound, Zhao's mother saw that Zhao Aiguo had returned. She half-stood up and said, "Why are you back? Weren't you going to see your grandmother?"

"I'll go again tomorrow, Grandma, are you sure you can handle it? Or should we go to the hospital? I'm worried!" Zhao Aiguo sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) looking at his mother with concern.

Mr. Zhao smiled and said, "Look, your grandson is worried about you! He's better than your son! Your grandma is fine, she just didn't sleep well yesterday and has a headache!"

With a sigh, Zhao Aiguo had his mother rest her head on his lap and began massaging his head. His mother was still muttering, "Oh dear! My grandson. My hands are getting sore from massaging, no need."

"It's not sour, I'm happy to give my grandma a massage, and I'll give you one later, Grandpa!"

"Okay! I'll go wash my feet, and when I come back you can massage them before I go to sleep." Father Zhao hummed a tune as he walked away, a little happier.

"This old man is not polite at all. He keeps pressing with his tender little hands. Are you going to tire him out?" Zhao's mother was still shouting.

"Oh dear! It's alright, can't you even do this little bit of work? Grandma, close your eyes, I'll sing you a song!" Zhao's mother nodded and said, "Okay!"

"In the dead of night... I long for dawn..." This is the most popular song this year. He queued twice to buy movie tickets for this movie for the first time, and watched it no less than ten times. Whenever a movie was showing, he would go wherever it was, whether it was the machinery factory or the food factory; if not, he would go to the cinema. Li Qiuxiang even found him a place at the steel mill to watch two movies.

When Zhao's father returned and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), the three of them chatted casually. Before long, Zhao's mother, whether from the effects of the medicine or from the comfortable massage Zhao Aiguo had given her, fell asleep snoring.

Zhao Aiguo carefully laid his mother's head flat, covered her with a blanket, and then massaged his father's back. After half an hour, his father said, "Okay, that feels so good. I'll get a good night's sleep tonight."

Zhao Aiguo grinned from ear to ear. This child was naive; he genuinely believed that he had given his grandparents a good night's sleep. In his mind, being able to eat and sleep well meant good health and longevity.

Then he poured hot water into the empty jar, tightened it, put it in the cotton bag that Zhao's mother had made, gave it to Zhao's father, and said, "Drink it if you're thirsty tonight!" Then he left.

If I were to ask if I have any regrets in this life, I would definitely say yes, for not being able to have a son. But if I were to ask if my regrets are great, they wouldn't be great either, for the grandson I raised is closer to me than my own biological child.

The next day, the elderly couple got up. Zhao's mother's headache was better, and she drank all the water her grandson had poured for her. Then she got out of bed. Zhao's father said, "That's good. You need to eat something nutritious and not work so hard. Go buy some fried dough sticks and soy milk! Otherwise, you won't have any energy if you don't have any oil in your stomach."

Zhao's mother thought about it and agreed. She needed to eat well so that everyone would stop worrying about her. Besides, eating well was more cost-effective than taking medicine.

The couple went to a breakfast stall and bought five servings of soy milk, five fried dough sticks, five plain fried pancakes, and ten sugar-coated fried pancakes before going home.

Just as Zhao Dahu and Wei Shuqing finished distributing the soy milk, they came in. Wei Shuqing asked, "Mom, is your headache better yet?"

Zhao's mother said with a smile, "It's all right now. Thanks to Aiguo, he massaged me for more than an hour. I had a good sleep and I feel much better today!"

Father Zhao nodded, "Yes, Aiguo also massaged my back, he's exhausted. Shuqing can have two of those fried dough sticks, but Dahu, you're not allowed to eat any. Save the rest for Aiguo!"

Zhao Dahu shook his head, picked up a white fried dough stick, and started eating it with soy milk. A moment later, Aiguo came in, his eyes lighting up. "Eating sugar-coated fried dough sticks! Fried dough sticks, oh my! These are all my favorites, thank you, Grandpa and Grandma!"

"This little mouth of yours! All you know is how to talk about whether you want steamed egg custard or not! How about I steam one for you?" Zhao's mother still felt that Zhao Aiguo wouldn't be full without steamed egg custard.

"That's enough. How about giving me fifty cents? I'll go out and buy a tea egg later..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Dahu stuffed a piece into his hand and said, "Mom, that's enough! This kid is almost as tall as me now, he doesn't need to eat so well, just eat normal meals! Besides..."

Looking at Zhao Aiguo's eating habits, she curled her lip. This was only possible because it was her own family. In an ordinary family, he would probably have eaten them out of house and home.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Aiguo wiped his mouth and smacked it with lingering satisfaction. Zhao Dahu said, "By the way, you're about to graduate. What are you thinking? Going to work or going back to school?"

Zhao Aiguo thought for a moment and said, "Go to school! Oh, I forgot to mention, my teacher recommended me to go to a sports school. But I haven't decided yet, it's too tiring."

When Zhao's parents heard that it was tiring, they refused to continue. Zhao's father said, "Aiguo, if it's too much, we won't go. How about I find you a job driving a car?"

Zhao's mother nodded, "Driving a car is good, working for a leader is an honor! Our Aiguo is good-looking and has a good tongue! Aiguo, listen to your grandma, get your diploma, and let your grandpa find you this job. Even if you only graduated from high school, you might not be able to find a better one. When your grandpa retires, we won't have this connection anymore."

Wei Shuqing has completely given up on this matter; after all, her opinion doesn't count.

Zhao Aiguo said, "I'll think about it!" He really loves playing basketball, but he's not willing to endure hardship.

Then he went to Li Qiuxiang and told her about it. Li Qiuxiang slapped Zhao Aiguo on the back and said, "Are you out of your mind?! Do you even need to think about it? You don't want to drive a car, why go to a sports school? What can you do after that? Don't be stupid!"

Zhao Aiguo scratched his head and said, "I want to play for a few more years! I don't want to go to work!"

“Listen to your sister, go drive. Haven’t you heard of the saying, ‘Even a minor official has to be near the prime minister’s door!’ Being close to the water tower means you get the moon first! Isn’t it better to earn your own money and spend it yourself?” Zhao Aiguo listened to his mischievous friend Li Qiuxiang’s advice and thought it made sense.