Grandpa Li

Grandpa Li joined the army when he was young, and was discharged in the 1970s due to injury. He refused the unit that the army arranged for him to receive him and returned to the village with his son Li Jin.

Starting in 1981, it was said that in order to help Li Jin get into a good university and have a bright future, Grandpa Li sent Li Jin to study at the home of a comrade-in-arms in the provincial capital. Every year during the winter and summer vacations, Li Jin would come back to visit Grandpa Li.

Over the years, Grandpa Li has not remarried. Even when matchmakers introduce him to potential partners, he refuses to go through with it.

When asked if he still couldn't forget Li Jin's mother, Grandpa Li just smiled and didn't answer, but everyone assumed that he was admitting it.

Therefore, Grandpa Li is still a well-known affectionate man in the surrounding area.

Later, I heard that Li Jin got into university and joined the army, which can be considered as inheriting Grandpa Li's mantle.

Three years ago, Li Jin brought home another baby. Li Jin said that it was his son, Li Cheng, and that the child's mother died in childbirth and did not have time to bring the baby back for his grandfather to see.

Both of the father and son's wives died in childbirth, so the villagers spread rumors that the Li family was cursed to bring misfortune to their wives. As a result, everyone knew that Li Jin was doing very well in the army and was now a company commander, but no one introduced him to any potential partners.

Although the idea of ​​valuing sons over daughters still exists on a large scale in their rural areas, no one wants to bear the vicious reputation of a man who brings misfortune to his wife by sending his daughter to her death.

Moreover, Li Jin rarely comes home, so his daughter would be living like a widow after marrying into the family. She would not only have to take care of Grandpa Li, but also have to deal with Li Cheng, who is a burden, and she would not be able to help her in-laws. No one wanted such a harmful and useless marriage.

So for the past few years, Grandpa Li has been taking care of his grandson Li Cheng. Li Jin sends a portion of her allowance back to the two of them every month for them to spend. Li Cheng's presence has added a bit of color to Grandpa Li's lonely old age.

In my past life, at 8 PM tonight, both Grandpa Li and Li Cheng died, and Li Jin was in the army, on a mission, and couldn't make it back to see the old man one last time.

What's enviable is that many people from the provincial capital attended Grandpa Li's funeral. I heard that most of them were Grandpa Li's former comrades-in-arms, and each of them was a person of extraordinary eloquence.

Who would have thought that Grandpa Li, who was usually cheerful and seemed even a little too kind to be bullied, had such a powerful network of connections behind him?

What shocked the villagers the most was Li Jin's identity. He was not Grandpa Li's biological son. His biological father was implicated in the turbulent ten years and did not know what his fate would be.

Just then, Grandpa Li was injured during a mission. In order to protect Li Jin, Li Jin's father asked Grandpa Li, who was in the process of being discharged from the army, to take Li Jin away. Grandpa Li readily agreed and took good care of Li Jin.

Grandpa Li dedicated the first half of his life to the country, leaving behind a body full of injuries. Later, he selflessly raised his comrade's son as his own. (Wang Yao)

The thought that such an old man had passed away so suddenly left her feeling very sad.

If she didn't know or hadn't thought about what might happen tonight, that would be one thing, but she did. She couldn't bear to watch Grandpa Li and his lively, adorable grandson die.

She needed to find a way to get them away from that big rock, but how could she do that?

"Yaoyao, what are you doing sitting by the window like an idiot? It's raining, hurry up and close the window."

Liu Xiangmei's voice came from outside. Wang Yao came back to her senses and looked at the rain outside. It was pouring down like a waterfall, hitting the muddy ground and forming small puddles in the yard.

With such heavy rain, it's no wonder the large rocks on the mountaintop have become loose.

Wang Yao stood up, closed the two windows, and locked them to prevent the wind from blowing them open again.

The voice of her younger brother, Wang Tianhua, came from the doorway, "Sister-in-law, are you picking vegetables?"

Liu Xiangmei asked with a smile, "Yes, I picked them from the field this morning, I haven't had time to sort them yet. Are you off work?"

Wang Yao tiptoed to the bedroom door to eavesdrop on her uncle and mother's conversation.

When she heard her mother say "off work," Wang Yao pouted.

In their village, people usually don't say "get off work," they say "leave work" or "get off work."

I remember on my uncle's first day working at the village clinic, when he came home, his family greeted him and asked if he had finished work. He then asked everyone to say "finished work" or "off work" from now on, saying that those two words were too rustic. He wasn't a farmer; people with jobs all said "off work."

This word was still relatively new to my grandparents, and they thought it was fashionable to use. They were also proud that my uncle had become a doctor, so they readily agreed and even demanded that everyone say "off work" (下班). If anyone said it wrong, they would have to give my uncle a dollar.

At that time, the daily wage for a low-level worker was only about five yuan, so a fine of one yuan was not a small amount.

My parents were somewhat educated, so they didn't care whether it was "off work" or "after get off work." But my grandparents had been saying "off work" and "after work" their whole lives, so how could they suddenly change? They kept making mistakes and getting fined. Later, they stopped asking when my uncle was off work to avoid getting fined.

It is clear that Wang Tianhua is a prime example of someone who forgets his roots. Once he made a living with his pen, he forgot that he was someone who grew up crawling in the mud.

Wang Yao continued eavesdropping and heard her uncle say, "Yes, I just got off work and came to see my sister-in-law."

Offering unsolicited favors is either suspicious or malicious; it's definitely not a good thing.

Wang Yao was mentally nagging when she heard her mother say, "If you need anything from me, just say it directly, don't waste time talking nonsense."

See, Mom knows what kind of person her uncle is.

Wang Tianhua chuckled and lowered his voice, saying, "Sister-in-law, I really have something urgent to attend to. You have to help me, or I'm doomed."

"What happened? Could it be that serious?"

Wang Tianhua clasped his hands together, bowed to Liu Xiangmei, and pleaded, "Sister-in-law, please help me. You have to promise me first, otherwise I dare not say anything."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yao remembered what it was about.

Her fists clenched tightly, and anger surged up her face like a tidal wave. Her eyes flashed with cold light, and her rage was almost making her lose her mind. She wanted to rush out and smash her fist hard into Wang Tianhua's face, to kill that disgusting little man.

Inside the main room, Liu Xiangmei's voice rang out again: "Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do? Then I..."

"Mom~"

Wang Yao suddenly spoke up from the bedroom doorway, interrupting Liu Xiangmei.

Liu Xiangmei patted her chest, "Oh dear, why did you suddenly shout so loudly? You scared me to death!"

Wang Yao suppressed her anger and forced a smile, "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask where the gentian violet is?"

"Look, I almost forgot," Liu Xiangmei said, her fingers still covered in dirt. She patted her forehead with her palm and said to Wang Tianhua, "Could you bring me a bottle of gentian violet after get off work tomorrow? We're almost out of the last couple of days' worth at home."

Then he turned to Wang Yao and said, "It's on the dresser next to your bed. Go find it and I'll apply it for you."

Wang Yao didn't go to find the gentian violet. Instead, she walked over to Liu Xiangmei, squatted down, picked up a small bok choy that hadn't been picked yet, and said:

"No rush, I'll apply it later. My uncle is here, I want to talk to him."

She then looked at Wang Tianhua and asked, "Uncle, do you enjoy your job?"

Wang Tianhua's expression wasn't good either; he had just seen Liu Xiangmei about to agree.

Knowing Liu Xiangmei's personality, if she had agreed, she would definitely have kept her promise knowing her own difficulties. But this girl messed things up, which is really infuriating.

"Uncle, why aren't you saying anything?"

Wang Tianhua forced a smile: "There's no fun in work, it's exhausting!"

"It's definitely more fun than going to school. I don't want to go to school anymore."

Hearing this, Wang Tianhua's eyes lit up, but Liu Xiangmei tapped Wang Yao on the head with a vegetable: "What nonsense are you talking about? If your dad knew you weren't going to school, he'd have to crawl out of the fields in the middle of the night to drag you to school."

Wang Yao brushed the dirt off her head and feigned a coquettish tone: "I was just saying, everyone who got into the county's top high school, who wouldn't go? That would be a complete idiot, wouldn't it, Uncle?"

“Yes, he has to go to school,” Wang Tianhua said, standing up and turning to Liu Xiangmei. “Sister-in-law, I’m leaving now. I’ll go back and check if Da Bao has finished his summer homework.”

Liu Xiangmei said, "Then go quickly."

After Wang Tianhua had walked away, Liu Xiangmei remembered what Wang Tianhua had just said and muttered, "I don't know what your uncle wanted me to do for him. He only said half of it and left before he finished."

Wang Yao, with her head down picking vegetables, chimed in, "Of course we're not in a hurry. If we were, we would have said so already."

"Too."

"Mom, if someone asks you for help in the future, don't agree before they say what it is. If you agree and then can't do it, you'll make things difficult for yourself if you don't back out, and you'll make the other person uncomfortable if you do."

Liu Xiangmei chuckled lightly: "You're lecturing me now? I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and you're always worrying about nothing."

Seeing that Liu Xiangmei didn't take it seriously, Wang Yao insisted, "You'd better promise me quickly! If someone tries to cheat you, given your pride, you'll definitely stick to your word and not back out. I don't want you to be like that, you have to promise me."

Liu Xiangmei: "Everyone in this area knows me. Who would try to cheat me? Don't think so much at such a young age."

Yes, they will!

They don't care whether we are their relatives or not, nor do they care whether we are familiar with each other or not. For their own sake, they would like to suck our bones dry.

Wang Yao silently condemned in her heart. If she could say these words out loud, Liu Xiangmei would definitely be able to hear the blood in her words!

Seeing Wang Yao staring stubbornly at her with tears welling up in her eyes, Liu Xiangmei quickly assured her, "Okay, okay, I know. From now on, I'll listen to other people's requests first before agreeing, alright? When did you develop such a tendency to cry!"

Even if it's your uncle, grandparents, or great-uncle, you have to do it this way!

Liu Xiangmei nodded and assured her again, "Yes, no matter who it is, I'll always be the same, okay, my little housekeeper!"

Wang Yao was relieved. Since her mother had promised, she would definitely keep her word. Unlike some parents, her mother's promises to her children were just empty words.

Liu Xiangmei carried the selected vegetables to the kitchen, and Wang Yao grabbed a small stool next to her and sat down, looking at the rain outside, which fell in layers, like the mountains she almost couldn't leave in her past life.

She remembered that in her past life she was disobedient and was beaten countless times by the family that bought her. Later she learned her lesson and thought she should gain their trust first.

Through spending time with them, I gradually learned the reason why I was sold.