Inside the small courtyard.
Lu Rongde, whose hair and beard were as white as snow, was sitting in a carved mahogany chair, basking in the sun with his eyes closed.
He was dressed in military uniform, and even in summer, the buttons of his clothes were fastened up to his neck.
Although he was old, he still stood up straight, giving people an undeniable sense of authority.
Beside the cane, the half-empty trouser leg stood out conspicuously.
"grandfather."
"Grandpa," Jiang Xuan called out as well.
Lu Rongde opened his eyes and saw his beloved grandson bringing in a beautiful girl.
His face darkened. Hadn't he been repeatedly told that he was engaged and shouldn't get too close to other girls?
Although their grandson is getting old, the Lu family will definitely honor the marriage agreement since it exists.
For some reason, his letters to his old comrades-in-arms have been going unanswered for the past year or so.
I don't know what the situation is like in the Jiang family.
Lu Rongde stood up, leaning on his cane, snorted, and walked towards the main room.
"Grandpa, let me help you."
"Need not."
His voice was loud and clear, not at all like that of an old man who was almost 80 years old.
Jiang Xuan's heart skipped a beat; it seemed the old man didn't like her.
She turned her head to look at Lu Shengye and was surprised to find that he was smiling.
Is this funny?
"Let's go in."
Jiang Xuan asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with Grandpa? Why does he seem unhappy?"
"It's normal for him to be unhappy, but he'll be happy soon."
Inside the house, Lu Shengye first poured water for Jiang Xuan, and then poured water for his grandfather.
Lu Rongde sat at the large square table, completely disregarding the presence of others, and said to his grandson in a stern tone: "Have you forgotten what I said?"
Lu Shengye said casually, "What did you say?"
Lu Rongde picked up his cane and slammed it hard on the brick floor. "You brat, stop grinning at me."
Lu Shengye bent down and pressed his grandfather's shoulder, saying, "Grandpa, your words are like imperial edicts, how could I dare to forget them?"
You can't forget? You brought this person home?
Lu Rongde was furious, his anger rising rapidly.
This brat is getting more and more unruly.
Seeing the grandfather and grandson, Jiang Xuan recalled some heartwarming scenes of the original owner of the body spending time with her grandfather.
Grandpa sat in a wicker chair, and in his lap sat a little girl with two pigtails and a face as pink as a peach.
Grandpa held his granddaughter in one arm and pointed to the pages of the book with the other, slowly reading the words from the book.
The little girl was engrossed in her book, occasionally glancing up at her grandfather with eyes full of respect and dependence.
"This character is pronounced 'shan'. It means a tall mountain, like this."
Grandpa gestured in the air with his hands, and the little girl copied him, repeating in her childish voice.
"Take her back quickly." Lu Rongde's unquestionable voice pulled Jiang Xuan back from her wandering thoughts.
"Grandpa, I'm not kidding you anymore. Do you know who she is? She's Jiang Xuan, Grandpa Jiang's granddaughter."
Lu Rongde was taken aback. "Jiang, Xuan? You're really Jiang Mengyuan's granddaughter?"
He carefully examined the girl in front of him.
"Hello, Grandpa, it's me." Jiang Xuan took out the military medal and respectfully handed it over. "This military medal was given to me by my grandfather. He asked me to give it to you."
Lu Rongde took it, and his hands began to tremble as he looked at the familiar little object.
Memories, like smoke, well up in my heart.
“Brother Jiang…” he murmured softly.
The war flashed before his eyes again; amidst the hail of bullets, he was hit by an enemy shell and lost his left leg.
Just when he was in despair, it was Jiang Xuan's grandfather, Jiang Mengyuan, who risked his life to rescue him from the enemy's fire.
“Your grandfather was an extraordinary man… If it weren’t for him back then, I probably wouldn’t be alive today.” Lu Rongde’s voice choked with emotion, and his gaze became profound.
Jiang Xuan's eyes also reddened.
Lu Rongde picked up a handkerchief and wiped his eyes. "How is your grandfather? He hasn't written to me in over a year."
Jiang Xuan said softly, "Grandpa had been bedridden for a long time and passed away last week."
In an instant, the room became very quiet, so quiet that only the breathing of a few people could be heard.
After a long while, Lu Rongde suddenly burst into tears.
Lu Shengye and Jiang Xuan were both startled and didn't know what to do for a moment.
“Brother Jiang… why did you leave so early? You don’t even want your old comrade-in-arms anymore… We, we haven’t even seen our children get married yet.”
Lu Shengye helped his grandfather up and said, "Grandpa, don't do this. Your body can't take it."
Jiang Xuan walked over, took Lu Rongde's hand, and comforted him, "Grandpa Lu, don't be sad. If Grandpa knew that you missed him so much, he would be very comforted in heaven."
Lu Rongde nodded, took Jiang Xuan's hand, and said, "Child, I know that your grandfather is most worried about you. He often mentioned you in his letters before."
Perhaps influenced by the original owner's emotions, Jiang Xuan couldn't help but shed tears.
“Child, don’t be sad. From now on, treat this place as your home. I am your grandfather. With your grandfather here, no one can bully you.”
Jiang Xuan choked up, "Thank you, Grandpa."
After a moment of silence, Lu Rongde said to Lu Shengye, "Your Grandpa Jiang saved my life; we can't forget that kindness. Do you have any missions coming up?"
"We haven't received any notification yet."
"Tomorrow is Saturday. Take two more days off and take Xuanxuan to offer incense to Grandpa Jiang."
Lu Shengye nodded solemnly: "Yes, Grandpa."
After thinking for a moment, Lu Rongde said, "Qinshui is quite far away. We'll take this opportunity to visit Xuanxuan's family and propose marriage. I'll find out your birth date and time later. Take it with you and see what customs Xuanxuan's family has. We'll follow them."
"Since this is your first visit, you must be impolite. Buy everything you need today, and bring enough money for the betrothal gifts. Xuanxuan just took a two-day train journey, which must have been tiring. When your dad comes back, I'll have him apply for a car for you."
"When you get back, you can go and submit the marriage application report. I'll find someone to choose an auspicious date and hold the wedding banquet."
Lu Shengye nodded, "Okay, Grandpa, I understand."
Although it felt good to be valued, Jiang Xuan really didn't want to give Jiang Qiutang's family such an advantage.
She quickly said, "No need, Grandpa. I don't care about these formalities. Besides, Shengye just went on a mission a few days ago and hasn't had a break yet. Driving for such a long time again would be too tiring. My idea is that Shengye and I can just get our marriage certificate here and have a simple banquet."
Hearing Jiang Xuan's understanding of him, Lu Shengye felt a strange feeling welling up inside him.
“Silly child, how can that be? Marriage is a major event in one’s life. I only have this one precious grandson, so we must make sure it’s done properly. Besides, we can’t let others look down on you.”
Lu Shengye looked at her with gentle eyes and said, "It's alright, let's listen to Grandpa."
“Oh, right,” Lu Rongde said, standing up while holding onto the table, “help me get the key.”
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