After seeing off Old Mrs. Jiang and eating tofu rice, on the third day Zhang Guoqing finally handled the funeral perfectly. The next thing he thought about was the old man's later years.
In the room, the old man rubbed Ping'an's head with a look of relief, hugged the child tightly, and shook his head at Zhang Guoqing.
"Grandpa, if you come back with me, I can take Ping An out for walks more often. My dad can see you more often too, and if you have a headache or a fever, we can be by your side."
"Here you can still chat with your childhood playmates, drink some wine together, and even sit by your grandmother's grave. You've seen these days that the villagers are nice people who will come to help if you need anything. So, go back with peace of mind. I can't even stay in Hai City, so I'm used to staying in Beijing. Don't try to persuade me, it really won't work."
Zhang Guoqing was helpless against this stubborn old man. However, he also understood. Compared to the capital thousands of miles away, the familiar hometown and people of his hometown made the elderly man nostalgic.
Ping An blinked his eyes and said, "Dad, let the little beggar brother accompany Grandpa. He is good."
Zhang Guoqing took the opportunity to persuade him, "Grandpa, how about taking that child in? I think that child is really pitiful since he has no parents. A ten-year-old child can easily go astray if no one teaches him."
The ten-year-old beggar they were talking about was named Fan Lin, and he was also from the village. However, compared to the village where the Jiang family was the majority, Fan Lin's family was considered an outsider.
People from other families more or less had no well-established relatives, and in those days when even their own families could not get enough to eat, the child suffered a lot.
Fortunately, this child has a good character and never steals or does anything unscrupulous. Among those who wore mourning this time, this child was the most sincere, having knelt in the mourning hall for two full nights.
Ever since Zhang Guoqing had the idea of asking the old man to raise an orphan, he went to the team leader, his cheap third uncle, to inquire about the child's situation. After learning the details, he decided to sponsor the child.
Zhang Guoqing saw the old man's hesitation and asked, "You don't think he's lucky, do you?"
Old Master Jiang shook his head. "I'm just an old widower, how could he possibly bring bad luck to me? Your grandmother had considered adopting him before, but then we thought about how much longer we had left to live. We didn't want him to be saddled with bad reputation once we left. It's a good thing we didn't adopt him, otherwise, we would have been so sorry for the child."
"That child has a strong character and won't care about those rumors."
Mr. Jiang thought about it for a while, then shook his head. "Forget it. I'll just take care of him as usual. Adopting him will bring up a lot of problems in the future. People's hearts are fickle, and who knows what he'll be like when he gets married and starts a family. I don't want to have to worry about whether he'll cause trouble for you when I'm old."
Zhang Guoqing laughed. The fact that the courtyard was registered under Zhou Jiao's name showed his concern. But he didn't try to persuade her any further. As long as the old man was happy, that was all that mattered. If this path was blocked, he could just try another one.
Before leaving, Zhang Guoqing went to find the ten-year-old child and took out the thirty yuan he had earned from the ill-gotten gains in the black market and thirty kilograms of national food coupons.
A shabby table was cleaned up tidyly, and a huge sum of money was placed on the smooth surface. Fan Lin's first reaction surprised him.
"You don't have to give me these things. I can take care of Grandpa Jiang. I know the wages in the city are not high, not much better than in the village. You can take them. I don't need them."
Zhang Guoqing didn't rush to reply, instead surveying the main room of the thatched house, which had fallen into disrepair for years. There was a large bed with neatly patched sheets, old books by the bedside, and a single chest of drawers, its red paint faded but still shining brightly.
Zhang Guoqing observed the child again and realized he had underestimated him. The little beggar before him seemed to have wild hair and patched clothes, but there was no dirt under his fingernails. Even in such a hot day, he wasn't barefoot like the other children in the village, but a pair of cloth shoes that had been patched beyond recognition.
He rubbed the hair of the child with his hands. It was really clean, without any grease.
This kid has become a spirit!
Fan Lin was stunned for a moment, quickly took a step back, and looked at Zhang Guoqing in surprise. How long had it been since someone hadn't disliked him? And even touched his head?
"My grandpa and his wife originally wanted to adopt you, but they were worried about their own age and the bad reputation you would bring to the table. I was also worried about how you would survive on your own. It seems I was overthinking it."
"I know. Grandma Jiang told me."
Zhang Guoqing looked at him, lowered his head, and patted him. "You are a smart child, so I won't say much. I'll leave my grandpa in your care. I'll keep this money for you just in case. The address above is my home. Whether it's you or my grandpa, you can come to me if you encounter any difficulties."
Fan Lin hesitated for a moment, looked up and kept looking into his eyes, and after a long while, he said, "Okay."
Zhang Guoqing's heart clenched at the sight. He didn't dare to show his emotions easily. This child was too sensitive and didn't need sympathy or pity from outsiders.
"If you want to go to school, go find my grandpa and he will take you to register."
Fan Lin shook his head. "My dad taught me a lot before. I can read books on my own."
Such a child is too stubborn and Zhang Guoqing has no way to persuade him. Moreover, even though the child is only ten years old, his IQ may not even be as high as his.
He'd seen what genius was like from his own son. He'd better not show off his skills before an expert and make a fool of himself. It was a pity his wife wasn't here, or they could have had a good chat.
On the day of their departure, when Yi Jiefang drove over to pick them up early in the morning, the bridgehead was filled with people bidding them farewell. Looking at the elderly man, Zhang Guoqing wondered when he would see him again.
The car drove far away from the village, but Zhang Guoqing could still see that the figure had not left.
"This old man is really stubborn. He wants us to be safe so much. It would be great if he could go to the capital. He has no ties here. I don't know what he wants."
Ping An pouted, "Grandpa said he was returning to his roots."
Zhang Guoqing didn't want to talk about this, so he changed the subject and asked, "How was your fun yesterday?"
Yi Jiefang shuddered after hearing this and almost let go of the steering wheel. "Don't mention it. Next time, you should serve your mother-in-law yourself. She's really good at shopping. It's terrible that she and Aunt Zhao can't be together."
Zhang Guoqing and his son laughed miserably after hearing this, and turned their heads to look out the window with the same expression.
"It's okay for them to go shopping, and it's okay for them to just browse and not buy anything. The key is that they ask for things, and then at the end they say it's terrible and leave. I'm so embarrassed behind them."
Oh my, these two people really could do it!
Zhang Guoqing quickly asked, "Did they say where they were going today?"
"I escaped early in the morning, so I didn't know yet. But they were bored yesterday and discussed a lot of activities. Linzi, should we go?"
Zhang Guoqing shook his head and said, "Forget it. He wrote me a letter earlier saying he was extremely busy lately. I guess he must be working in the fields on the farm right now."
"commit a sin!"
Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement. Indeed, after five years of university, they'd spent at least two full years working on the farm. Now, each of them was a skilled farmer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
