The next day, Yan Xiaonan took her grandmother and parents to Mushroom Mountain in Beijing again. Liu Jin held the fawn and stood in the courtyard, listening to the car leave. He said to the fawn, "Fawn, we must pray to the Bodhisattva to bless Auntie so that everything goes well and smoothly."
Yan Aidang brought Ye Chen'er over. Last night, Nan Nan asked her to go to the furniture factory in Beijing to see how their business was going and whether they had any plans to contract or sell it. If so, she asked her to sign the contract on Nan Nan's behalf.
Xue Ying was eating breakfast. Breakfast was simple: flatbread and congee, plus some pickles and chili sauce. But Xue Ying ate with great relish. The flatbread had eggs and lard in it, making it especially delicious.
"Chen'er, come quickly, your aunt has prepared breakfast for you. Eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold." Xue Ying said indistinctly as she served porridge to her son and daughter-in-law.
Yan Aidang took out twenty yuan from his pocket and handed it to Xue Ying: "Mom, this is the retirement money that Chen'er and I gave you. Also, please give ten yuan to your aunt. You can't keep eating and drinking for free."
Xue Ying accepted the money while drinking her porridge: "Yes, son is right. We can't just eat and drink for free. Your aunt and uncle don't have jobs."
Liu Jin was worried: "Grandma, my school's money hasn't come through yet. What am I going to do if I don't have money to support Grandpa and Grandma in their old age?"
Xue Ying chuckled. Luckily, she swallowed the porridge in her mouth, otherwise she would have sprayed six jin of porridge all over her face.
"Go away, you little brat, thinking about giving money for your retirement. When your subsidy comes in, just buy your great-grandmother some snacks, that's enough. Don't think too much about it."
Liu Jin nodded, making up his mind that he would wait for his aunt to come home and ask her what she wanted to do, and he would do whatever she said.
"Chen'er, you should rest well at home today. I'll take you for a walk tomorrow," Yan Aidang said.
Ye Chen'er nodded. She had heard what Nan Nan said to Ai Dang yesterday. Nan Nan was so kind, always thinking of others. This furniture factory must be a way out for Southwest China.
Xue Ying glanced at the two of them suspiciously, but wisely remained silent. Her son was already married, and it wasn't appropriate for her to join their conversation.
"Chen'er, you have to give me a grandson or granddaughter soon! I'm young now and can still take care of them, but in a few years when I'm old, there won't be anyone to help you take care of the children." Xue Ying really wanted a grandchild.
"Mom, you should probably give up taking care of the child. I'd rather have my aunt take care of him than have you do it. Otherwise, my child will definitely starve to death when I get home," Yan Aidang said.
"What do you mean by that? How could I let my own grandson starve to death?" Xue Ying said, displeased.
Ye Chen'er covered her mouth and laughed. She thought about how Xue Ying would hold her son in one arm and feed her grandson with a spoon in the other, and then nine out of ten mouthfuls of food would end up in Xue Ying's mouth. Wouldn't her son starve to death?
Looking at Ye Chen'er's smiling face and Yan Aidang's disgusted expression, Xue Ying couldn't help but feel angry. Everyone says that raising a son is for old age security, but she raised a son to make her angry.
"Old Yan, Old Yan, why don't you come out and teach your son a lesson? If Aiguo were here, he certainly wouldn't treat me like this," Xue Ying said angrily.
Yan Daqiang, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. Aiguo, his eldest son, had been stationed on the border for many years. Unfortunately, he was hit in the heart by a stray bullet and died on the spot in the border territory.
This matter was known only to Xue Honggen and himself; no one else knew about it. Those who did know were given strict orders to keep it a top secret. Xue Ying and her son Aiguo had a very deep bond, and the news of Aiguo's sacrifice was kept secret so as not to upset Xue Ying.
Xue Ying had different views on patriotism and love for the Party. She let her son grow up freely as long as he behaved properly. However, she placed great hopes and expectations on her son, who was indeed outstanding and made great contributions at a young age. Just a few days before he was to be transferred back to his hometown, he heroically sacrificed his life.
Yan Daqiang was depressed for several weeks, which aroused Xue Ying's suspicion. Fortunately, Xue Honggen mediated between them, finding someone to write a letter in Aiguo's handwriting and having someone impersonate Yan Aiguo to make a phone call to Xue Ying, thus dispelling Xue Ying's suspicion.
Yan Aiguo has been dead for almost a year. Last year during the Spring Festival, Xue Honggen found an excuse that things were too busy over there and Aiguo couldn't come back. Xue Ying even packed her bags. If her son couldn't come back, she would go and see him herself. But not everyone can go to the border. Xue Ying had to give up. So how could she fool Xue Ying this year?
Xue Ying called out several times but Yan Daqiang didn't come out. Feeling strange, she put down her chopsticks and ran into the back room. She saw that Yan Daqiang's hand was trembling as he was smoking, and he could barely hold the cigarette. She quickly ran up to check on him, wondering if he had suffered a stroke.
Yan Daqiang dared not look at Xue Ying, but his heart ached in waves until he clutched his chest tightly with his hand, which relieved the pain slightly. Xue Ying panicked and hurriedly called out to Yan Aidang. Yan Aidang, Ye Chen'er, and Liu Jin rushed in.
Seeing his father's pale face, Yan Aidang felt a pang of pain in his heart. He quickly carried Yan Daqiang on his back, had Chen'er prepare the bicycle, carefully placed Yan Daqiang on the back seat, and pushed it towards the hospital.
Xue Ying supported him from the side, her steps a little unsteady. Ye Chen'er instructed Liu Jin to lock the courtyard gate after they left, and not to open it for anyone except family members. Liu Jin nodded repeatedly, understanding the situation. As soon as they left, he locked the courtyard gate and pushed the table to the side of the gate to block it.
After the bicycle had been moving for about ten minutes, Yan Daqiang returned to normal and asked Aidang to return to the courtyard. Yan Aidang was unwilling, and Xue Ying insisted that this had happened many times before and that they should investigate thoroughly to find out what the problem was.
Yan Daqiang knew that there was definitely nothing wrong with his body. It was just that when it came to patriotism, he felt a normal, overwhelming sadness. The most painful thing was that he had to bear this sadness alone, with no one to confide in.
Yan Daqiang lay on the hospital bed, and various instruments could not find the cause of his illness. It was only after a renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor took his pulse that a few words were said: "Grief injures the lungs and overthinking injures the spleen. The patient must control his emotions and vent what needs to be vented."
Xue Ying glanced suspiciously at the expert in traditional Chinese medicine, then at Yan Daqiang, wondering what he meant by those words.
Yan Daqiang nodded repeatedly: "Work matters are indeed troubling and distressing me. The Holy Doctor is truly remarkable."
Xue Ying nodded in understanding. In fact, it was true; her father had even vomited blood from anger over work-related issues.
"Old Yan, why don't you stay here for a couple of days and get better before being discharged?" Xue Ying advised.
Yan Daqiang shook his head. Medical resources are still quite strained, and he didn't have anything wrong with himself, so he shouldn't waste resources.
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