Chapter 162 Reluctance
Jiang Haitang's throat felt tight, and it felt like a piece of warm candy was stuck in her Adam's apple.
Looking at the glossy braised pork and steaming rice dumplings in fermented rice wine on the table, she recalled the winter days when she was six years old and making a living in the Li family.
She huddled in a leaky woodshed and could only drink cold water when she was hungry. At that time, she wished so much that a pair of warm hands could hand her a bowl of hot soup.
How she wished that someone would suddenly fall from the sky and claim to be her relative...
Unexpectedly, my dream came true today.
She has a grandfather now.
Even though she still couldn't recognize him, this was definitely her biological grandfather.
I don’t know what happened twenty years ago that led to her being adopted.
But twenty years have passed and her parents have passed away. Even if she wants to investigate what happened back then, she probably can't, right?
Lu Liangchen raised the enamel pot at the right moment: "Grandpa Jiang, I toast to you! I wish you good health and that you can eat such delicious braised pork every day!"
He tilted his head back and drank half a jar of malted milk. The malted milk was really sweet. The old man didn't know how much malted milk he put in. It was all out of his love for his only granddaughter.
Little Taozi suddenly put down her chopsticks and said in a baby voice, "Grandpa, I want a toast too."
Jiang Guozhu, who was originally a little sad, smiled after being interrupted by Xiao Taozi.
"Come on, let's have a toast with Great Grandpa and our little peach."
The old man and the child really toasted in a proper manner. After Xiao Taozi finished drinking, he even smacked his lips twice in a pretentious manner.
Jiang Guozhu was amused by the little guy and laughed heartily.
"Xiao Li, take out the jar of aged Huadiao that I hid!" Jiang Guozhu suddenly spoke.
“Grandpa Jiang, you can’t drink.”
"The doctor said I can't drink too much, but it's okay to have a sip or two occasionally." Jiang Guozhu insisted.
Today is a happy day, how can we not drink?
The moment the wine jar is opened, the rich aroma of the wine, wrapped in twenty years of time, hits you in the face.
Jiang Guozhu tremblingly poured wine into Lu Liangchen's jar. The amber liquid condensed into a full arc surface at the rim of the cup, with tiny foam appearing.
"This jar of wine was collected 20 years ago. I thought it would be useless..."
Jiang Guozhu didn't finish the rest of his words, but Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen both understood.
This should have been collected after he found out his daughter-in-law was pregnant. Maybe he planned to drink it when his grandchildren were one month old, or maybe he wanted to wait a little longer.
"Grandpa Jiang's wine smells rich and mellow."
"You've loved drinking since you were little. I still remember that time you rummaged through my wine cabinet and drank half of a bottle of Moutai and spilled the other half... How's your drinking capacity now?"
There is a smile hidden in the old man's complaints, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes are filled with the past.
"Not bad!" Lu Liangchen smiled. "However, although the wine today is good, Grandpa Jiang, you can't drink too much. If you drink too much, my grandfather will beat me with a stick."
"That year, not only did you steal some wine, you also accidentally broke my treasured cup. When you got home, your grandfather beat you up!"
Lu Liangchen scratched his head sheepishly and smiled: "Grandpa Jiang has a really good memory. I was only twelve years old at that time."
Lu Liangchen scratched his head and smiled foolishly. He felt embarrassed that Haitang heard such an embarrassing thing.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the dimple on Jiang Haitang's lips, and suddenly she felt that the embarrassing thing that was exposed had become sweet.
Jiang Guozhu snorted, a smile evident in his eyes, and put a piece of braised pork with crispy bones into his bowl. "We'll settle the score for smashing the cup later. Eat the meat first. I'm an old man with bad teeth and can't chew this anymore."
Lu Liangchen hurriedly took the ribs and put them in his mouth and started chewing them.
At the dinner table, Xiao Taozi was very active, holding an enamel spoon to scoop soup for Jiang Guozhu. Jiang Guozhu hurriedly used a bowl to catch it, and the soup dripped onto the front of his military coat, leaving dark marks.
He was completely unaware and just looked at the child's serious face.
Although I know that this child and my granddaughter are not related by blood, I still feel that my granddaughter must have been in the same situation back then.
Xiao Taozi held up her empty bowl to ask for more rice, and Jiang Guozhu grabbed the rice spoon to help her, as if he wanted to make up for his apology to his granddaughter on this child.
"Eat slowly and don't choke." His voice was soft. Looking at the little peach chewing with puffed cheeks, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with smiles.
The dining table for a family of four was bustling with activity. Aunt Li served the freshly cooked glutinous rice balls made of fermented rice. The glutinous rice balls floated in the amber soup, and the steaming heat blurred everyone's eyes and brows.
Jiang Guozhu scooped three tablespoons into Xiaotaozi's bowl, and secretly hid a poached egg at the bottom of Jiang Haitang's bowl. The egg yolk slowly spread in the fermented rice, and it was very warm.
Jiang Haitang also took the initiative to pick up food for the old man and told him things he wanted to know.
The family of three stayed at the Jiang family for the entire day. It was not until dusk that Lu Liangchen suggested going home.
Jiang Guozhu stuffed a handful of White Rabbit milk candies into Xiao Taozi's pocket, and also brought a lot of food and drinks for Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen. He was still reluctant to let them leave and offered to take them back.
Little Taozi threw herself into the old man's arms and said, "Grandpa, I'll come again in a couple of days!"
Jiang Guozhu froze in place, and after a while he gently hugged the child, rubbing his chin against her soft head, and turbid tears quietly slid down.
"Grandpa Jiang, please don't see us off. It's getting late, you should go to bed early. We won't be back until the tenth day of the first lunar month. We will come to see you again before we go back." Lu Liangchen also immediately promised.
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll wait for you at home."
"good!"
Under the guidance of the guard, Jiang Guozhu looked at the backs of Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen holding Xiao Taozi's hands and the three of them leaving. He turned his face away, not wanting them to see his red eyes.
The guard saw that tears were welling up in his eyes, but they never fell.
"Old General, let's go back. It's cold, be careful not to catch a cold."
Jiang Guozhu waited until the three of them showed up, then he slowly walked home with the help of the guards.
After returning to the Lu family, Jiang Haitang opened the oil-paper packages one by one, and found that they were all filled with various fragrant snacks. The sweet aroma spread out, which was very tempting.
She suddenly understood that even if some fate was delayed for twenty years, it could still turn into a bowl of hot soup on the table or a piece of crispy candy in the palm of one winter afternoon...
From now on, Jiang Haitang is no longer an orphan without parents and relatives, she is also a child who is loved by others.
"Liangchen, do I really have a grandfather?" She felt like she was dreaming.
"She should have a biological grandfather now. My Tangtang will also have someone who loves her in the future." Lu Liangchen hugged her gently to comfort her.
Jiang Haitang's tears fell down.
Seeing Jiang Haitang's mood, Lu Liangchen smiled and comforted her: "In two years, we will bring grandpa over to live in Jincheng for a while. Then you will have a lot of time to spend with him."
"Well, in two years, if the overall environment improves, I can meet my grandfather openly."
Lu Liangchen sighed in his heart. Will the overall environment really be better in two years?
Even if the overall environment improves, will the people who are eyeing the Lu family give up on dealing with them?
Over the next two days, Lu Liangchen took Jiang Haitang and Xiao Taozi to walk across the bluestone slabs of Tiananmen Square, count the arches of the Seventeen-Arch Bridge by the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace, and have a whispered conversation in front of the Echo Wall of the Temple of Heaven.
Jiang Haitang has lived two lifetimes as a human being, but this is his first time in the capital.
It was my first time visiting these attractions.
I have to say that the scenic spots in Beijing are all good, especially the classical gardens. Even though many of them have been destroyed due to wars, natural disasters, invasions by imperialist powers, warlord infighting and other reasons, the surviving gardens are still magnificent.
Jiang Haitang has had a very eye-opening experience these past two days. Although she is very tired from visiting every day, she feels that it is worth the trip to see these attractions once.
"Are you tired these two days?" Lu Liangchen was very considerate, worried that the two girls, one big and one small, would be exhausted.
Xiao Taozi was indeed too tired to walk anymore. She just lay limply in Lu Liangchen's arms, her big eyes blinking but she didn't have much energy.
Jiang Haitang felt fresh and naturally did not feel tired. She was still looking at the surrounding scenery with great interest.
"I think it's fine. Good morning, there are already new buds on the trees! Spring is almost here!"
Jiang Haitang remembered that Jiang Guozhu said: The peach blossoms in Beihai are the most beautiful in spring.
However, she was about to go back, so she was destined not to see the peach blossoms in Beihai this year.
However, there will always be a chance to come again in the future.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Haitang and her family of three went to Jiang Guozhu's house again. This time, Jiang Haitang not only prepared homemade buns for the old man, but also brought him a scarf that she had knitted late at night.
The scarf is dark gray and very suitable for the elderly.
"Grandpa Jiang, I saw that your sweater is old. I wanted to knit you a sweater, but I didn't have enough time, so I could only knit you a scarf. When I get back, I'll knit you a sweater and send it to you."
Jiang Haitang warned Jiang Guodong in a gentle tone, unable to conceal the concern in her voice.
"Hey, I get it. When you go to the Northwest, be careful and don't take risks. If you encounter problems that you can't solve, call me and your grandfather. We always have more experience and may be able to help you."
The grandfather and grandson talked a lot, but the last layer of window paper was never broken.
When they were leaving, Jiang Guodong stuffed them with a big red envelope.
"Grandpa Jiang, what are you doing?" Lu Liangchen quickly refused.
"I promised to give Haitang a small gift, so just accept it. I should have given it to you the last time you came, but since you were going to the northwest, you wouldn't be able to use the bills from the capital, so I had someone exchange them for nationally recognized bills these past two days."
Hearing Jiang Guodong's intentions, Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen were both deeply moved.
They had already walked a long way, but they could still see Jiang Guozhu standing under the door light, his figure stretched out very long.
"Little Taozi likes Grandpa." Little Taozi looked back, and her big eyes were filled with tears, obviously she was reluctant to leave.
"Don't cry, little Taozi. Daddy and Mommy will bring you to see Great Grandpa later, okay?"
"Are you coming back by train?" asked Xiao Taozi.
"Well, let's take the train back to see great-grandfather." Lu Liangchen picked up the little girl and comforted her in a low voice.
Jiang Haitang was also very reluctant to leave, but she had no choice but to leave.
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