When Lin's mother was carrying the dishes to the table, she saw a figure flash past the back door and asked her daughter in confusion, "Was it Zong Shao who just left?"
"It's him."
Lin Wei said as she put the sleeping little one in her arms on the rocking bed in the living room, and then pulled the rocking bed to the outside yard, so that she would not have to delay her meals and could still look after the child.
"What time is it now? Why did he just go out?" asked Lin's mother.
Lin Wei said, "It's not even seven o'clock yet."
Did Lin's mother think the point was the time? The point was clearly the second half of the sentence: "Of course I know it's not seven o'clock yet. I was asking him why he left home just now?"
"I just had a chat with him."
Lin Wei turned her head and saw her red eyes. She stopped going to the kitchen to get other dishes and asked, "What did you talk about? Were you crying just now?"
"I cried for a while, but now I've talked it out. It's no big deal, don't worry." Lin Wei said calmly.
Lin's mother believed what he said. If there was really a big problem, her daughter would not say it so directly. She was just a little curious about what the problem was. But seeing her daughter's silence, Lin's mother knew that she would not be able to get any information from her, so she said, "Wash your hands and get ready for dinner."
"I'll go call Mingming and Ruirui and the others."
Mother Lin asked in confusion, "Isn't Zong Shao going to take them to have dinner with Zong Ping?"
"No, he'll go alone."
After Lin Wei finished speaking, she went to the back, while Lin's mother stayed where she was, muttering to herself: "When Zong Shao came back, he said he would take Mingming and Ruirui with him, why isn't he taking them with him now?" This change was too fast.
…
The meal took place at the base guesthouse, in the room where Zong Ping and Wu Shujuan lived.
The base guesthouse is not very big, with only two floors in total. But there are two rows of rooms on the first floor with an aisle in the middle.
The rooms include standard rooms, single rooms and suites. Although it is called a suite, it is actually two rooms combined together, one for sleeping and the other for dining and meeting guests. There are not many suites, only two in the whole guesthouse. They are not suitable for ordinary people to stay in. It depends on the level, and of course the price will be more expensive.
Although Zong Ping came to Yazhou Island for personal matters, he was of high rank and lived in a suite, but the room fee was not reimbursed and he had to pay for it himself.
Zong Ping and Wu Shujuan would certainly not be reluctant to spend this little money on the room. In the capital, they would occasionally go out to eat out, and the cost of a meal was more than the room fee for a few days.
Even Wu Shujuan looked down on the guesthouse at the Sanlin base, thinking that the place was small, the environment was bad, and the rooms were particularly damp, and it was really inferior to the capital in any way.
Zong Ping was a little annoyed by Wu Shujuan's nagging, so he said, "Didn't you say you were coming? Why are you complaining now?"
Wu Shujuan was rebuked, so she had to say it clearly: "No matter how bad our living conditions were, we would have gone back in three or four days, but Zong Shao has stayed here for five or six years, and may have to stay for another five or six years, or even ten years. It's too hard."
Zong Ping snorted, "No matter how hard it is, it was his choice."
"He chose them himself. What about the three children? I've seen the environment on the island. Their military primary school is not picky. The school environment is not even as good as ordinary primary schools in the suburbs of the capital. I heard that many of the teachers there are junior high school students. Zong Shao's wife only went to high school for a few months, so her education level is considered high among them."
Wu Shujuan sighed and said, "This is just elementary school, and junior high school is even worse. Zong Shao and his wife are adults, and it's fine for them to stay on Yazhou Island, but the children are in their growth period and need education. If they grow up on Yazhou Island, their lives may be ruined."
Wu Shujuan's words touched Zong Ping's heart, but he thought for a moment and said, "Zong Shao will never leave the child to us to take care of."
"I didn't tell him to hand the child over to us. What I meant was that he is still young and it is not time for him to consider the child's future. But you are an experienced person, you should remind him, persuade him, and let him accept your help and move back to the capital." Wu Shujuan said earnestly.
Zong Ping asked: "I asked him to go to the East China Sea Fleet but he refused. Do you think he will listen to me now?"
"Before he had no family, of course he could do whatever he wanted, but now the situation is different. He has children, and he always has to consider the future of the children, don't you think?"
Although Lin Wei left in a hurry yesterday, as if she believed her words, Wu Shujuan was not sure whether it would succeed.
Most people in this era do not have the courage to divorce, not to mention that Lin Wei is just a country girl. How could she let go easily after marrying Zong Shao? Even if she reveals the truth about the marriage, he will most likely pretend to be deaf and dumb and put himself in a difficult position.
But what she wanted was not for Lin Wei to suffer, but to see Zong Shao's wife and children separated.
It’s just that Yazhou Island is too far away. It takes three or four days to stay there, plus the time for traveling back and forth, so I have to take at least half a month’s leave. Zong Ping accompanied her here this time, and he will definitely not accompany her here a second time in the short term. So she could only persuade Zong Ping to find a way to transfer Zong Shao back to the capital. Since he was closer, it would be more convenient for her to do whatever she wanted.
As expected, Zong Ping was persuaded by Wu Shujuan that if Zong Shao could return to the capital, it would be a great benefit to him.
After thinking about it, Zong Ping held Wu Shujuan's hand and said, "Zong Shao treated you like this, and you still care about him so much..."
"You only have Zong Shao as your child. If I don't think about him, who should I think about?" Wu Shujuan lowered her head and smiled.
When she first got married to Zong Ping, she had thought about having another child. She was in her early forties at the time, a little old, but there was still a chance for her to have a child.
But she waited and waited, but not only did she not get the child, she also lost her only daughter.
After planning their future, the two smiled at each other, both looking forward to Zong Shao's arrival.
…
As soon as Zong Shaogang entered the guesthouse, the military wife sitting at the front desk asked, "Deputy Battalion Commander Zong, why are you here?"
"I'm here to find someone."
The military wife asked immediately, "Are you here to see your father, Comrade Zong? He lives in room 210."
The fact that Zong Ping attended his granddaughter's full-month banquet was no secret in the family area. Firstly, he was brought by Shen Wenjin himself, and it was said that he worked at the Navy Headquarters and his rank was not low.
When this news got out, there was an uproar in the family compound, mainly because no one thought Zong Shao was a child of a wealthy family. They all thought he came from a very ordinary family. Especially after Lin Wei followed the army to the island, she said herself that her family was from the countryside, but her husband's family was from the city, and her mother-in-law worked in the local cotton mill, but these conditions still fell within the range of an ordinary family.
Who would have thought that Zong Shao's biological mother was of ordinary conditions, but his biological father was an extraordinary person. However, the two of them were divorced. Looking at Zong Shao's situation, he probably followed his biological mother at the beginning.
After figuring out the connection, some people brought up the fact that Luo Shuzhi wanted to match her niece with Zong Shao. At the time, everyone thought that Zong Shao was marrying above his station. When they heard that he refused, many people muttered behind his back that he was a fool and couldn't think straight.
It was not until now that everyone realized that the one who was trying to marry up was not Zong Shao, but Luo Shuzhi's niece. Xie Zhengwei was just the political commissar of the division, while Zong Shao's biological father was a senior official at the Navy Headquarters. No wonder he didn't like Luo Yun.
Secondly, many people were complaining about the fact that Zong Shao kicked Wu Shujuan out. Some people felt that the stepmother was also an elder, and Zong Shao's move was too much. But some people think that there might be something going on between Zong Shao's biological mother, father and stepmother. Besides, Zong Shao's biological father was not angry after his wife left, which clearly shows that the problem lies with his stepmother. Therefore, many people support Zong Shao.
In short, Zong Ping and Wu Shujuan's trip to Yazhou Island became a hot topic of conversation among the officers' and their wives in the family quarters.
The wife of a soldier who worked in the guesthouse was well-informed, so she naturally heard about these things. Since Zong Shao did not mention any names, she guessed who he was going to meet and diligently led the person over.
When they arrived at Room 210, the military wife wanted to stay and listen to the news, but Zong Shao looked at her before he knocked on the door. She felt uneasy, so she laughed dryly and said, "You guys chat slowly. If you have anything, just come downstairs and call me." After that, she ran away.
Only after the military wife went downstairs did Zong Shao raise his hand and knock on the door.
As soon as it rang, Zong Ping's voice came from inside: "Here I come."
The next second, the door was opened from the inside, and Zong Ping said with a smile: "Come on, come in and sit down, you Juan..." He wanted to say that the dishes were cooked by Wu Shujuan herself, but thinking of his son's attitude towards his wife, he swallowed his words and said, "The dishes have been prepared a long time ago, just waiting for you and... Mingming Ruirui and the others didn't come?"
The smile on Zong Ping's face gradually faded, but within a few seconds, he smiled again: "It's okay, it's good for the two of us to have a drink together."
Zong Ping said this and turned to go into the house to find a cup.
Zong Shao followed him into the house, closed the door and said, "Don't bother me. I just came here to talk to you for a few minutes and then I'll leave."
Zong Ping paused and said, "Didn't we agree to have dinner together?"
Zong Shao said nothing, but took out the watch box from his pocket and put it on the dining table.
Seeing the box, Zong Ping frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I don't have any use for this watch. I wanted to return it to you on the day of the full moon banquet, but there were too many people there. I thought about it and decided not to. I brought it to you today."
"Zong Shao, we are father and son. It's fine that you didn't inform me when you got married, but can't I give you a wedding gift now?" Zong Ping asked in a deep voice, with obvious displeasure on his face.
Zong Shao said calmly: "Whether we will be father and son in the future is your choice."
Zong Ping heard these words like thunder. He stood up suddenly and said, "Zong Shao, what do you mean? Are you so independent now that you don't even want to acknowledge me as your biological father?"
Zong Shao did not answer, but looked up at him and said, "You and Wu Shujuan divorce, and we will still be father and son. If you don't divorce, please don't contact me again."
Zong Shao finished speaking, and before Zong Ping could react, the door to the inner room was opened. Wu Shujuan walked quickly to her husband's side, glared at Zong Shao and said, "I know you hate me, but your parents and I were all wrong in the past..."
"You are not worthy to mention my mother!" Zong Shao raised his voice to echo Wu Shujuan's words.
Zong Ping's face completely darkened: "Zong Shao! I was too soft-hearted at the beginning. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don't involve Xiao Wu."
Zong Shao was not surprised by Zong Ping's choice. In his opinion, this was just a repeat of what happened five years ago.
When Zong Ping wanted to bring Zong Shao and Yang Qian together, the reason why Zong Shao was so angry was not only because this matter was too absurd, but also because he realized that he and his mother had no weight in his father's eyes.
Therefore, his marriage and his future could be used by his father as a tool to please Wu Shujuan and her daughter.
He was in pain at the time and asked his mother why, but now he knows the answer and no longer feels sad about it.
Zong Shao said calmly: "Since you have chosen her, please don't disturb my life again in the future."
If Zong Ping only felt angry when he heard this just now, now, there was only panic in his heart. He knew that if he let Zong Shao walk out like this, he would lose his son forever, so he shouted loudly to stop Zong Shao.
But when Zong Shao stopped, he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to compromise, nor did he want to bow his head. After struggling, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "I gave birth to you and raised you for so many years. Can you just sever the father-son relationship if you want to?"
"What do you want?" Zong Shao asked.
"Unless you put an announcement in the newspaper saying you want to end your relationship with me."
When Wu Shujuan heard Zong Ping's words, her eyes lit up. It was not difficult to place an advertisement in the newspaper. The morning and evening newspapers of every province and city would reserve space for people to publish missing persons and found items notices. The difficult part was making the decision.
Although there were many people who wrote letters or published statements to sever ties with their parents after the movement began, most of the parents of those people had problems with their positions and were labeled as such. Therefore, severing ties with them would not be criticized as being unfilial, but would be praised for having high ideological awareness.
However, filial piety is still an important criterion for measuring a person. If Zong Shao breaks off relations with his father for no reason, he will definitely be labeled as unfilial, and his character and even his entire thinking will be suspected.
Simply put, if Zong Shao published his report in the newspaper, at best he would ruin his own future, at worst he would be sent to a labor camp.
In Wu Shujuan's opinion, if Zong Shao was demoted, it would be a case of reaping the consequences.
Wu Shujuan thought so in her heart, but with tears on her face, she advised: "No matter what, Zong Shao is still your son. It's too serious to sever ties with him in the newspaper. Old Zong, you have to think it through!"
Zong Ping didn't think Zong Shao would dare to sever ties with him by publishing in the newspaper, and shouted, "Don't try to persuade me! Let him go! If he dares to publish in the newspaper, from now on I will pretend that he doesn't exist—"
"good."
Zong Ping's voice suddenly stopped. He glared at the young man in front of him and asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"
"I will publish an announcement in the newspaper to sever ties with you, and I hope you can keep your promise." Zong Shao said, opened the door and was about to walk out.
But before he walked out, he heard Zong Ping roar: "Stop right there!"
With a roar, Zong Ping strode to Zong Shao's side, slammed the door shut, and panted, "Zong Shao, do you hate me so much? In order to sever ties with me, you even give up your future?"
Unlike Zong Ping's anger, Zong Shao said calmly: "It was your request to publish the article in the newspaper, and it was your own choice to sever ties with me."
"Choice? Did you give me a chance to choose?" Zong Ping raised his hand and pointed outside. "Go out and see, whose son is living a good life and suddenly forces his father to divorce?"
"I also want to live a good life, but your wife is unwilling to give me a chance, so I can only resort to this last resort."
Zong Ping was startled and turned to look at Wu Shujuan, who immediately denied it: "I didn't!"
If it were any other time, Zong Ping might have believed Wu Shujuan's words, but having just experienced his son's determination, he did not immediately blame his son, but asked, "What do you mean?"
"Yesterday afternoon, your wife found my wife and slandered me for having an improper relationship with her daughter, and said that the reason I married my wife was to be angry with you."
Seeing Zong Ping looking at her again, Wu Shujuan quickly explained, "I did go to see Comrade Lin Wei yesterday, but I was hoping that she could persuade Zong Shao to stop getting angry with you. Old Zong, I really didn't say these words to her."
When Wu Shujuan was talking to Lin Wei yesterday, there were many students playing on the playground. Although they were all children, she did not dare to look down on them, so she admitted that she had looked for Lin Wei. As for what they talked about, as long as she doesn't admit it, who can prove that she said those words?
Wu Shujuan was fearless, but in order to gain Zong Ping's trust, she still squeezed out tears and pretended to be pitiful.
Seeing Wu Shujuan's tears, Zong Ping really chose to believe her and said to Zong Shao, "Is there any misunderstanding here?"
But Zong Shao had no intention of arguing with Wu Shujuan. He reminded her, "Chief Zong, you may have misunderstood. I am not here to seek justice, but to let you make a choice. You can only choose one person between me and her."
Looking at Zong Shao's indifferent face, Zong Ping stepped back and sat on the stool. He knew that there was no room for maneuver and he had to make a choice.
But he didn't understand. Zong Shao's attitude had softened the day before yesterday, so how come two days later, they, father and son, had come to this point.
In the suffocating silence, Wu Shujuan finally began to feel scared.
She didn't expect Zong Shao to be so cruel. He didn't even listen to her arguments and forced Zong Ping to make a choice. She didn't expect that Zong Ping still couldn't bear to be cruel to Zong Shao in the end and actually started to think about it.
Zong Shao thinks Zong Ping will choose Wu Shujuan, but Wu Shujuan doesn't think so. The words Lin Wei said yesterday have long been etched in her heart.
Zong Ping was able to give up her for his reputation, and now he can give her up again for his children and grandchildren.
She is at this age, has no children, and has an ordinary career. What will happen to her life if she is abandoned again?
Wu Shujuan didn't dare to think about it. She half-knelt in front of Zong Ping and cried, "Brother Ping, you are the only one I have."
Hearing this long-lost name, Zong Ping raised his head slightly and saw Wu Shujuan with tears streaming down her face. In an instant, he thought of many things, including their past acquaintance, her resolute back as she turned away, and her pain when Yang Qian passed away...
Zong Ping turned his head and looked at his grown-up son, and asked in a dry voice, "Will we be able to meet again in the future?"
"I will attend your funeral."
He opened the door again, but before he could walk out, Zong Ping called him, "Wait."
Zong Shao stopped but did not look back.
Seeing him like this, Zong Ping's shoulders slumped and he said in a depressed voice, "You don't have to put it in the newspaper. From now on, I...I won't bother you again."
Zong Shao said "hmm" and left the room without looking back. Only Wu Shujuan was left half-kneeling beside Zong Ping, looking at his struggling expression, her heart feeling cold.
Although Zong Ping has chosen her now, Zong Shao's words just now must have left a mark in his heart. Even if she explains it now and he believes it, what about one year later, two years later, or ten years later?
The older people get, the more they value family affection. Isn't that why she persuaded Zong Ping to come to Yazhou Island?
He will eventually regret his choice today. What should she do then?
The author has something to say:
Because some readers asked about the newspaper advertisement, let me explain here. In fact, Zong Ping asked the male protagonist to publish an advertisement to sever the relationship just out of anger, and Zong Shao also wanted to tell him his determination. If Zong Ping insisted on letting him publish the advertisement, he would do it. But in fact, Zong Ping had already been defeated the moment he closed the door, and asking in the end was also a compromise. In his heart, he didn't actually want Zong Shao to publish the advertisement, because even if they really severed the relationship, in his heart Zong Shao was still his blood, and he didn't want Zong Shao to ruin his future.
As for the issue of publishing in the newspaper, even now, it is not acceptable for children to publish in the newspaper to sever ties with their parents. In the end, it will end up in court, and support will still be provided. Form is more important than form.
In the 1970s, publishing in newspapers was equivalent to making relatives hate and enemies happy, and it was a choice that would only be made under duress. So after Zong Ping compromised, Zong Shao certainly would not rush to hand a knife to his enemy.
It was Zong Ping's choice to sever the father-son relationship, and it was also Zong Shao's attitude. He said that he would attend Zong Ping's funeral, which meant that he would not see him again while Zong Ping was alive.
This part was previously written in a rather subtle way, and many readers asked about it, so I revised the ending to make it seem more straightforward.
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