Chapter 218 Old Wen
"dad!"
Wen Shihua threw the muddy load aside and hurried into the yard. He raised his hand but then put it down again. From a distance of three or two steps, he looked at the little girl with red eyes, his nose slightly sour. "What happened? Why did you get here?"
Wen Wan looked at his face full of wrinkles and weather-beaten features, tears welled up in her eyes but she tried hard to hold them back. As soon as she opened her mouth, her voice choked.
"I'm on vacation, I came to see you, to see you."
Wen Shihua grinned and said, "Girl, you are already married, but you are still the same as before, so opinionated and do whatever you say. What's so good about daddy? He is fine!" As he spoke, his eyes fell on Lu Dongping behind Wen Wan.
Receiving his scrutiny, Lu Dongping tried his best to calm himself down, met his gaze, and shouted, "Dad!"
Wen Shihua didn't respond, but nodded.
Then, his eyes fell on Wen Wan again: "Let's go to my place." Since people have already come here, their embarrassment can no longer be hidden, so there is no need to hide it.
Wen Wan thought that Wen Shihua lived in this red brick bungalow, but she didn't expect that Wen Shihua was walking away with a load full of mud on his shoulder. She followed him closely, and people who knew Wen Shihua greeted him along the way.
Wen Shihua was cheerful and happy, and he never tired of telling people over and over again: "This is my daughter, and she and her son-in-law are here to see me!"
Those people's eyes fell on Wen Wan and Lu Dongping.
Wen Wan didn't care. Her eyes and steps followed Wen Shihua all the time. Listening to his pretended cheerful voice, watching his barely vigorous steps, his thin body could no longer support the shirt he was wearing, her eyes finally fell on his graying hair, and she couldn't help but reach out to wipe her eyes.
Old Wen was really old, and he was aging so fast that she couldn't accept it at all.
Following him along the road for a while, we turned and saw a poplar forest. On the other side of the forest was a very spacious dam, next to the dam was a warehouse, and not far behind the warehouse were the cowshed and sheep pen. Before we got there, the stench of feces and the smell of sheep rushed towards us, almost suffocating Wen Wan.
There are several houses with mud walls and green tiles nearby, but no one knows when they were built. They are in a dilapidated state, with cracks everywhere on the walls. There are not many good green tiles on top, and they are covered with some grass, making a mess.
Wen Shihua stopped and turned to look at Wen Wan: "This is it. It's quite messy in there. You and Dongping can walk around. I'll ask for leave over there and come back to talk to you."
Wen Wan nodded: "You go."
Wen Shihua left with his load on his shoulder.
Wen Wan stood there and looked at him, watching his back disappear at the intersection ahead. Then she slowly squatted down, holding her head and crying out loud.
Lu Dongping squatted beside her and patted her back: "Don't cry anymore after you're done crying. It's not easy to come here. You have to be happy, otherwise Dad will feel bad too."
Wen Wan looked up, took out a handkerchief and wiped her face carelessly, sniffing and sobbing, "I know, I know, I won't cry in front of him. I just, he's not here right now, so I'll cry first. I'm afraid that if I don't cry now, I won't be able to hold it back later."
"Whether I'm angry with him or not, I never thought he'd end up in this situation one day. I used to hear him tell my mother that while he's still able to work, he should naturally make himself shine and live out his value. When the day comes that he can no longer work and retires, he'll stay home with us, tending flowers and growing some vegetables. He's got so many wounds on his body. He went through life and death in exchange for military medals and scars, but in the end, he has nothing left. He can't even live a simple life like growing vegetables and flowers. It's only been a short time, and he won't tell me the truth. He was probably sent down here last year, and it's only been a year, and he's become like this. How long will he stay here? Will he stay here for the next few decades? How long can he hold on—"
Lu Dongping didn't know either. He could do nothing but watch Wen Wan cry.
When Wen Shihua came over, Wen Wan had almost vented her anger. Apart from her red eyes, there was nothing unusual about her. She even smiled at him.
"Dad, let's go in. I made clothes for you and shoes for you. You didn't like wearing cloth shoes before, and I didn't know how to make them. Now I know how. When I have time, I will sew the soles for your shoes and make new shoes for you every year."
Having said that, without waiting for Wen Shihua's response, he had already entered the house behind him.
The room was dark with a low door and narrow windows. There was a bed propped up by a door panel, with a hard, old mattress on top.
Wen Shihua is a clean and tidy person who likes to tidy up. This is a habit he has developed over many years of life. No matter how bad the environment is, he will always try his best to clean himself and the place he is staying.
The same is true here.
In addition to the bed, there is a fire pit not far from the door, with an iron triangle on it and a clay pot on it. This is where he cooks.
There are two wooden blocks on the side, which serve as chairs and benches.
Lu Dongping put down his pockets, and Wen Wan took out the items from them one by one. "This pair of shoes was made by me, and this pair was made by Dongping's mother and my mother-in-law. Don't be reluctant to wear them. I will make more for you later. This dress, I started making clothes for you last year. I made it according to your original size when you were at home. It may be a little big for you now, and I don't have a needle and thread with me, so it's difficult for me to alter it for you."
Wen Shihua smiled and said, "Very good, everything is fine. It's more comfortable to wear when it's older. Anbao is growing up, and he is really getting better and better." He has experienced all kinds of hard times, so what does this mean to him? He feels that it doesn't matter now. The only thing he is worried about is the little girl Wen Wan. She has never experienced any hardships since she was a child. She was raised in the palm of her hand by a big family. She went to such a remote place and started a family there. Although every letter she wrote about the good things over there, and every reply he wrote was mainly encouraging, but when a child travels a thousand miles away, how can a parent not worry. He was worried that she would be hungry and cold, that she would not be able to endure the hardship and cry alone, and that she would not get along well with the people over there and be bullied.
Now that he saw her, he felt relieved. He had certainly experienced hardship before, but he could see that the little girl was doing well outside after leaving him.
And the man she had found was a spirited young man, not bad looking. He didn't know his character, but since he had come from such a long distance to accompany An Bao for such a long time, he must be very good to An Bao.
Wen Wan smiled and took the cigarette from the backpack on the floor. "I don't know what's going on here. It's hot, and other things are hard to buy. I know you used to like this the most, so I bought the whole carton. I'm not giving it all to you, but I'm trying to see if I can give it to someone else, so that you can live better here. Save the rest. You don't have any money left, right? You sent it all to me, didn't you? I'll leave you some money, hide it, and buy whatever you want quietly without letting anyone know."
There was a smile in Wen Shihua's eyes, and she nodded in agreement to everything she said.
Lu Dongping said, "Dad, you guys talk, I'll go take a look around."
Wen Shihua said, "Okay, come over and take a look around. This place is different from yours!"
Lu Dongping nodded and turned to leave the house.
After he left, Wen Shihua asked Wen Wan, "He seems to treat you very well, but can you get used to living there?"
Wen Wan sniffed and said, "Yes, he's very good to me, and the whole family is also good to me. You don't know what kind of personality I have, but I will definitely not suffer any loss. It's just that I wasn't used to it when I first went there. I had never worked at home before, and I hadn't walked very far. There was a mountain outside the door. By the time I climbed up, everyone had started working, and the road was difficult to walk on. My legs were shaking when I came down the mountain, and it was dark when I got back. I only endured it for about two months, and then I went to his house to share the food. In April, he asked someone to let me work as a substitute teacher in an elementary school. Now I have a salary and can support myself."
After a pause, she continued, "After we started dating, and after we got married and had our wedding, he never let me go to the fields again. Even on busy days and holidays, I never went to work. I just helped to get some pig feed and cook at home. I'm not the kind of person who would be polite or try to show off, nor would I deliberately curry favor with anyone. I just do what I think is right and try to make myself as comfortable as possible no matter what the circumstances. So if he doesn't let me go to the fields, then I won't go. I'll just do whatever makes me feel comfortable."
Wen Shihua touched her head and nodded: "That's good, Anbao, you have to remember what your father said, you have the ability to live without relying on anyone, so you don't have to deliberately curry favor with anyone. If you want to be good to someone, it must be when he is good to you, and you are willing to be good to him. There is no need to be humble and do small things to deliberately cater to him. If you do that, you will truly let down the hard work of your mother and me over the years."
"However, now that I'm a family, I still need to be filial and considerate. After all, it's all about sincerity in return. I just need to find the right balance."
Wen Wan nodded: "I know all this. I remember everything you taught me. I've always remembered it! I'm fine, don't worry about me. Just tell me about yourself. I heard from Brother Qi that you were suspended and under investigation. How can you be demoted just like that? What happened? Dad, I'm not a child anymore. You can tell me anything. Maybe I can't think of a solution, but it's better to say some things out loud than to keep them in your heart."
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