Li helped his mother-in-law sit on a stool inside the house and cry, and then helped his father-in-law in.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault for not taking good care of Fu Nian."
No one answered him; all that awaited him was weeping—the weeping of two elderly people who had lost their only daughter.
Li Sheng stayed by Naituan's side silently, knowing that nothing he said would help at this moment, and cried for more than half an hour.
Only then did the mother-in-law raise her head to look at Naituan and Li Sheng.
She pulled the baby girl into her arms, wanting to say a few words to Li Sheng, but she couldn't help crying even more sadly. The baby girl reached out her hand and gently patted her grandmother's back, just like her mother comforted her when she cried.
Men are stronger after all; the father-in-law wiped the tears from his face.
“It’s not your fault. It’s my daughter’s life that’s so hard. She can’t enjoy happiness. I want to see my daughter. Since he can’t come, I, as her father, will go to her.”
His wife was cremated. Before she died, Fu Nian told him that she always thought it would be very romantic to have her ashes scattered in the sea after she died.
"After cremation, his ashes were scattered into the sea, fulfilling Fu Nian's last wish."
Xia Dong felt heartbroken looking at her lovely granddaughter who had lost her mother at a young age. Perhaps Li Sheng would remarry soon, it was only a matter of time. This time, he might leave his granddaughter with them. After all, Li Sheng was still so young, it was normal for him to remarry soon. He lost his wife in his twenties, a good young man couldn't stay a bachelor for life.
“Li Sheng, you are a good son-in-law. Now that Fu Nian has passed away, you are still so young. The child will be a burden if she stays with you. My wife and I are both teachers. I have a retirement pension, so supporting my granddaughter is not a problem. If you want to get married, we can understand. But a stepmother is not a biological mother. Let the granddaughter stay with us.”
Did my parents-in-law misunderstand?
“I have been an orphan since I was a child. After I married my wife, you treated me like your own child. Although Fu Nian is no longer here, I will always be your son. I promised Fu Nian that I would take care of you and I will keep my promise. I will also take good care of Nai Tuan. I have no intention of finding another partner. Although I cannot guarantee it, I can definitely do the first two things: treat you as my own parents and take good care of Nai Tuan.”
This is his responsibility, an inescapable responsibility.
The two elderly people were deeply moved, but they were not selfish people. The mother-in-law stepped forward and held Li Sheng's hand: "I know you are a good boy and have a responsibility, but people still have to look forward. Fu Nian will not blame you, and neither will we."
Fortunately, he still had the milk ball, which greatly helped to regulate the emotions of the two elderly people.
Li Sheng felt as if he had returned to his own home. He went to the room where he and his wife used to live, just as it had been when he left. On the wall hung his and Fu Nian's wedding photo, and the two of them were smiling happily in the photo.
At dinner time, Li Sheng skillfully put on his apron and sleeves. His parents-in-law were heartbroken and probably didn't have much of an appetite, so he made something light.
When Li Sheng's mother-in-law saw that he was about to start cooking, she immediately came over to stop him.
"Go away! Go and rest. You've just come back and are exhausted from a long day. How can I let you cook? I'll do it."
Li Sheng handed a bag of edamame to his mother-in-law, saying, "Let me do it. My cooking skills have improved a lot. Mom, just shell the edamame for me. I'll make some stir-fried edamame with meat later."
Then, carrying the small shed, we arrived at my father-in-law's vegetable garden, where all the bok choy were homegrown, lush and green, and had never been sprayed with pesticides. They were sure to be exceptionally sweet when stir-fried.
Mr. Li prepared four lightly flavored dishes for dinner.
Stir-fried bok choy, stir-fried edamame with meat, scallion omelet, and seaweed soup.
Li Sheng also had a couple of drinks with his father-in-law and talked about his wife's life. His mother-in-law fed the baby bit by bit, just like she used to feed her daughter when she was young.
The meal was eaten slowly, with tears occasionally dripping onto the edge of the table. He knew that his parents-in-law's grief would last a long time.
As a husband, he was trapped for more than a month before he was able to get out of his wife's absence because he needed to take care of the baby.
I don't know how long it will take for them, as parents, but it doesn't matter, he and the baby will always be there for them.
Seeing her grandparents so sad, Naituan felt very sad too.
"Dad, can I go over and sleep with Grandpa and Grandma tonight?"
"Why?".
Naituan has always slept with him and has never made such a request before. He doesn't object, but he wants to know the reason.
"Grandma and Grandpa must be very sad. I want to keep them company. Didn't Dad say that Grandma and Grandpa have healing magic? I want to spend more time with them so they won't be so sad."
Li Sheng squatted down and removed a grain of rice from the tip of his nose.
"You'll need your grandparents' permission first."
Of course, I agree without a doubt.
That night, Li Sheng slept alone in the familiar room, surrounded by familiar scents, feeling a sense of peace. He had never slept so comfortably before.
The next day, Li Sheng got up very early, at 5:30 a.m. As always, the first thing he did after getting up was to train himself. He couldn't slack off, as he still had to participate in the challenge. Strong physical fitness would increase his chances of success.
Although my parents-in-law are retired, they still get up very early. At 7:30, we heard a sound that Mr. Li's vegetable and egg noodle soup was just ready.
The two elderly people were deeply moved by this scene. Their daughter was so lucky, but she didn't get to enjoy it. Such a good man was hard to find even if you searched high and low, but her daughter found him. And yet, he's gone now.
Seeing that his mother-in-law was about to burst into tears again, Li Sheng quickly pushed the two elderly people into the washroom.
"Mom and Dad, hurry up and wash your faces and brush your teeth, otherwise the noodles will get soggy."
Zhang Hang is currently taking care of his father at the city hospital, and we don't know what the situation is. Now that he's back, he definitely wants to go and see him.
Zhang Hang and his wife both grew up in the same village and were childhood friends. When asked about Zhang Hang's father, both of them sighed.
"Your Uncle Zhang Mu was also unlucky. He was walking peacefully on the side of the road when a car suddenly came crashing into him. I heard that the car flew several meters. After hitting the ground, the driver was scared and immediately stepped on the gas and fled, running over the person lying on the ground. The lower half of the person was turned into a bloody pulp."
At this moment, Li Sheng already had a picture in his mind.
Wouldn't Zhang Hang's father be in a very critical condition, perhaps even dying?
"But your Uncle Zhang is also lucky. He didn't die, but his legs below the thighs were all amputated, and he lost one hand. He is basically paralyzed from the waist down."
This is worse than death; it would be better to just be brutally killed.
Thinking about how Zhang Hang's father was in such a state, and how Zhang Hang's first thought when he contacted him wasn't to ask for his money back, but to worry about his safety, I realized this was a trustworthy brother.
He had to go find Zhang Hang today; it would be good if he could take care of Uncle Zhang for a couple of days and give him a break.
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