Lin Xinsheng looked at the mother and daughter with relief, feeling a pang of sadness. When he left, his wife was worried about a rift between them, but he'd said, "No one in the Lin family is stupid. Thankfully, this child is open-minded and generous, and doesn't hold a grudge against her mother." He was finally relieved. Looking around, besides the still-sleeping baby, the women were weeping, and the men weren't much better off.
Seeing the atmosphere filled with sadness and the people in the room tearing up, he had to interrupt. Otherwise, the guests would not have felt comfortable staying.
"Okay, just talk it out. Mother and daughter can go to the room and talk slowly at night when you have time. Hold back your tears. Does crying like a soldier? Jiaojiao, grandpa happened to have a mission to come to the Northern Military Region this time and came to see you. Now you see that your in-laws are all kind people. Your parents-in-law treat you like their own daughter, and you sisters-in-law are as close as sisters. You should also treat the elderly well and get along well with your family. It can be said that Old Man Zhou did something right. That fool is always a fool."
Zhou Jiao chuckled. She felt no sense of strangeness at all, looking at her grandfather, who resembled Old Master Zhang. In her previous life, Old Master Zhang, who made children cry in the eyes of outsiders, treated her like a granddaughter. Looking at Grandpa Lin, it was like seeing her grandfather. From now on, as long as he didn't have any intention of taking advantage of her, she would treat him with sincerity.
Seeing Zhou Jiao's calm gaze towards him, without any resentment, Lin Xinsheng nodded secretly and explained, "Grandpa, I'm sorry for letting you suffer in the Zhou family. At the beginning, your father had an accident, and your uncle also had an accident. Your mother's two closest family members left, and she was completely crazy. Your grandmother couldn't stand it and was directly hospitalized. Your eldest uncle's two children are just beginning to walk, and the younger one is still in his arms. Your eldest aunt also collapsed. Your second uncle's family is out of town, and the house is a mess. It all depends on your fifteen or sixteen-year-old aunt to take care of it.
Your grandparents came under these circumstances. I had no choice at the time. Besides family matters, I also had to lead troops to war. Your grandparents repeatedly insisted that you return home, saying that no one would take care of you now. The world was in chaos, and the Lin family had two children to take care of, so how could they care for you? I was worried that your grandfather and your father wouldn't get along well, and that it wouldn't be good for you, but I was confident in your grandmother; she was a good person. Your grandfather agreed to many of my requests and took you away.
We agreed to send you back to Beijing once things stabilized, allowing you to start a family there. I didn't even let them move your household registration, just to prevent them from taking over the courtyard your father left you. Your grandfather gave me a note regarding your father's compensation, saying it was yours and no one could touch it. As long as you're in your hometown, I'll send money back, regardless of whether your mother recovers or not.
Before you were five, we corresponded many times. He said you were doing well and getting along well with your brothers and sisters. I asked him to send me a photo several times, and I finally received your first photo when you were almost ten.
When you were ten years old and called your mother to say you wanted to go look for her, she called me, crying and saying you'd definitely run away to the capital, and you'd never find her without her. She told me to send someone to pick you up, or you'd really get lost. I immediately sent an urgent telegram to your grandfather, asking him to keep an eye on you until someone could pick you up.
It was just after the liberation, and I was very busy. I didn't have anyone I could trust to pick you up, so I planned to take a military plane to the Northern Military Region to bring you back. Before I left, your grandfather sent me a long letter, saying that you had thought it through and wanted to stay in your hometown to go to school. He said that your father had passed away, and you were his only child. You grew up in his care, gentle and polite, but timid and dull. He didn't want you to leave and was worried about you. He said that your mother worked everywhere, and even if you went to Beijing, you couldn't follow her. He said that he wanted to wait until you graduated from junior high school, when you would be a grown woman, bolder and more mature. By then, they would be old and couldn't take care of you, so he asked you to return to Beijing to attend high school and university, and leave your marriage and childbirth to us.
I read the letter for a long time. I called your mother several times but couldn't reach her. I went back to discuss it with your grandmother, and she finally agreed. I was still worried he'd trick me, and that you'd sneak out. A 10-year-old might be sensible, but he's not. He can't really be considered an adult. Your mother had asked me for help, just in case you got lost. I asked someone passing by Zhoujia Village to secretly check on you. Later, a comrade called to reassure me, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as the food coupons came out in 1955, your mother got anxious. She said that your household registration was in Beijing and you had to go back. You were about to graduate from junior high school, and it was just right for you to go back to Beijing to attend high school. You were older now, and you could take care of yourself even if she wasn't there. It just so happened that you also had to renew the lease for your small courtyard. Your mother and I each wrote several letters to your grandfather explaining the reasons, and we were waiting for your mother to pick you up and take you back to school as soon as you graduated. Your grandfather wrote back and said that he would discuss it with you, and as long as you agreed, he wouldn't have to pick you up and could just send you back to Beijing. Your mother happily bought a lot of things and sent them to your grandfather.
A few months later, your grandfather wrote to say you were getting married, and he was throwing a tantrum when she refused. He said you and your partner had grown up together and were very close, so he had no choice but to agree. He did this to inform us and ask us not to interfere with your marriage. He said the child was old enough and might have some problems, so he thought it would be best to marry you off sooner rather than later.
At the time, I couldn't contact your mother, and I didn't know what your grandfather's letter meant. I couldn't tell anyone about it, so I secretly asked someone to find out about Zhang Guoqing's situation. I heard he was pretty good, but there was nothing I could do. You didn't grow up with me, and I couldn't stop the marriage. My own two daughters found their own partners. I could only wait for your mother to come back and discuss it.
When your mom returned from abroad, your grandpa wrote to say you were getting married and the date had already been set. The letter was dated over ten days ago, and you'd already been married long before then. Your mom was furious, saying your grandpa did it on purpose, asking why he hadn't sent a telegram. We hadn't expected the wedding to be so hastily arranged. We assumed you were just clamoring for marriage, and that you'd need a household registration certificate and a marriage certificate, and that you'd have to go to Beijing to ask about it later. We were stunned when we heard that.
Later, your grandmother persuaded your mother. She said, "You've already graduated from junior high school. Your mother sends money every month, and you can borrow money from others to buy a train ticket. If you didn't want to get married, you would have run back to Beijing long ago. You and your mother agreed to return to Beijing as soon as you graduate. It's probably because you two are so close and she's afraid of breaking up." She said, "Your mother never raised you a single day, so don't let you get hurt again." She told your mother to get the marriage certificate quickly. Your household registration is in Beijing, and without it, you can't even get a marriage certificate. You can't make any more mistakes."
Your mother used her connections to get you a marriage certificate, and since she couldn't get a long vacation, she kept applying. It just so happened that your mother's old regimental commander was retiring, and besides your mother, there was also a competitor who would take over. Your mother wanted to rush over to see you, but she didn't have the time. Without a long vacation approved, she couldn't leave. Your mother wasn't at that level of military power. A few months later, your grandfather wrote to say you were pregnant. Your mother couldn't sit still any longer and was anxious to come back. She had originally planned to take you and your wife directly to school in Beijing, and had already negotiated a place at the military children's school. But having a child was different. She was approved for five days of leave, and just as she was about to pack her things, something big happened, and she couldn't leave again. This time, your mother wasn't in a hurry, nor was she in a hurry to pick you up. What should you be thinking about? "After saying this, Old Master Lin laughed.
After saying this, he looked at the couple and continued, "Jiaojiao, Grandpa feels very sorry that he didn't come to see you in person. If he had come to see you earlier, you would have found that you are completely different from what your grandfather said in the letter. Grandpa believes that you are a good child. There may be other reasons why you married Zhang Guoqing, but you are both good children. Grandpa believes in his own judgment, and Grandpa is very happy to have such an outstanding granddaughter like you."
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