"...I still remember the day you came back at the age of eight. When you first saw me, your older and younger brothers didn't dare to utter a word. They only took a step closer, guarding you from behind. But you..."
Mr. Lin laughed as he recalled, "He pushed them aside and rushed to me. You said you were my father? At that time, I thought this was the one who looked like me the most among my four children."
"At that young age, he ran to the regiment and said in front of many people that he wanted to be a bastard. At that time, the old leader said, "Xiao Lin, it's obvious that he is your child..."
"...More than half a year later, when I returned from the front, you were the first to rush to the regiment headquarters. You were such a stubborn child, crying your eyes out. I was terrified and chased after you, asking what was wrong. Later, after everyone had left, you quietly told me about your father. Actually, I didn't dare tell you because I was afraid you'd get killed."
"Since then, every time the troops set out, I told myself that I had to save my life. Every time I came back, the first person I looked for was you, kid..."
"...The letter said, 'Dad, I want to marry Zhou Xiaozheng, but Mom doesn't agree.' I was so angry I wanted to kill that guy. Oh well, where did this wild kid come from to try to steal my daughter? But I couldn't leave at the time, so I had no choice but to ask around."
"Luckily, a few people I asked said that this guy is a good candidate and asked if I wanted to be transferred to my team. Some of them even laughed at me and said it was impossible."
"When I think about it, he's really worthy of my Shanshan. This girl follows her father's standards, so why wouldn't she agree? Your mother said he doesn't even look down on you. This was the first time I had a fight with your mother. My daughter isn't worthy of him? But I still feel uneasy."
"Don't you say seeing is believing? I found an opportunity to go to your place, and when I saw it, well, that guy had a sullen face..."
Ping An cleared his throat when he heard this and handed Mr. Lin a glass of water. "Your body is not suitable for excitement. Come, drink some water first to calm down."
Old Master Lin looked at him deeply with his cloudy, weathered eyes, and Ping An stared at him intently, smiling, "My grandpa doesn't treat my grandma like a precious jewel, but it's pretty close. It's said that children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You're old, and you worry too much, which is not conducive to health."
Miao Lishan patted Ping An with relief and smiled at the old man, "This child... Dad, don't look at my Ping An's age, but what he said makes sense. You really worry too much..."
Old Master Lin glanced at Miao Lishan and suddenly smiled, "I really don't need to worry about you." Then he pushed away Ping'an's hand holding the cup.
Ping'an lowered his eyes unhappily, took back the cup following his force, glanced at the bedside table on the side, stood up, walked to the window, put it on the coffee table, and looked at the cup with pity.
Am I saving your life?
"Grandma, we should go."
When Ping An said this...
"It's a rare opportunity to come here, so please sit for a while."
"Okay, I have to get back to work." Miao Lishan said, then looked at Old Man Lin who spoke at the same time as her and said disapprovingly, "Dad, you've been talking for so long, you should take a good rest."
"So when will you come next time?"
Ping'an looked at the old man with amusement, and took out the malted milk and apples he brought from the net bag one by one. He wanted to listen carefully to what his grandma said.
"Dad, I'll still come whenever I'm free, but you know the regiment has things going on every day, and my place is too far away from you." Miao Lishan bit her lip and said, "Just focus on recuperating and go back to the retirement home as soon as possible."
Mr. Lin said dejectedly: "Okay, go away, busy, you are all busy."
Miao Lishan shook her head and smiled, "Dad, do you miss your eldest son? I'll go back and call the eldest son and ask him to come over."
"Who misses him? Don't call him, work is more important..."
Ping An curled the corners of his mouth in a sarcastic smile, then walked over to Miao Lishan with the net bag and handed it to her, "Grandma, it's almost time to go."
Miao Lishan took the net bag, rolled it up and said with a smile: "Okay, say goodbye to your great-grandfather."
Ping An nodded towards the old man and said, "Take care, great grandfather."
Old Master Lin looked at Ping An and said, "Okay. Just like your mother, you have a bright future ahead of you."
Ping An had no intention of arguing with him. He smiled lightly, nodded, and turned to leave. As for the womanly way of saying things, hadn't his father already visited you on his wife's behalf?
He finally understood why his mother hadn't been to the retirement home in recent years. Her hypocritical attitude and the hidden meaning in her words must have been enough to make her hate her family.
After leaving the hospital, Miao Lishan patted him and asked quietly, "Are you angry?"
Ping An chuckled and shook his head.
"Grandma watched you grow up. Even if others don't know, I know." Miao Lishan smiled and shook her head. "Every time I hear him talk, he goes in one ear and out the other. He's old, don't bother with him too much."
Ping An pursed his lips and said, "I am uncomfortable with his words and deeds trying to sow discord between you and my grandfather."
"I grew up with him, how could I not understand?" Miao Lishan sighed. "Isn't there a saying that breaking the enemy's blockade starts from within? Whether he wants to win me over or drive a thorn into my heart, I still remember that he raised me. He may be a bad guy, but he's really good to me."
Who was that person? Ping An had probably become a pain that his grandmother didn't want to talk about. But if he was really good to you, would the old man always recall those painful past events in front of you?
"...At that time, besides being my biological father, he was also the person I respected the most. Watching him return home wounded like a hero, watching him rise from company commander to regimental commander, and finally division commander... That sense of pride made me feel like I was also the daughter of a hero, and I felt so full of energy..."
"...He supports me in everything I do. He always protects me first. As long as I stomp my feet in front of him and say that I don't care about his eldest daughter, he will raise his hand and say, "Okay, little ancestor, it's all up to you."
"...He personally slipped my first harmonica to me, because none of my brothers or sisters had one. I was the only one in the family who always had two portions of pocket money, because he would slip it to me first every time he came home. He asked many of his comrades to bring my first harmonica to me from far away, just because I said I liked it very much..."
Sitting in the car, Ping An listened to Miao Lishan talk about her childhood memories, his thoughts flying. He had heard these stories countless times since he was a child...
That's good, based on the fact that he didn't know you weren't his biological child at all, based on the guilt they felt for always being with their little daughter while you were fostered as a child, based on the fact that you became independent early on, based on the fact that you secured a good horse for him, based on the fact that it didn't harm his interests...
However, these words were not suitable for a junior like him to speak. He should wait until his grandfather was free to communicate with her. If his grandmother was really cold-hearted towards her adoptive father, he would really worry that she had deliberately abandoned her daughter in the name of finding a husband. It was good that she was soft-hearted now.
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