Chapter 243 Reunion
Li Huachen sat in the back seat, holding Rong Kai tightly to her chest.
"When you see your maternal grandfather later, you must call him maternal grandfather, okay?"
"Grandpa loves listening to you talk. Just hearing your voice warms his heart."
Rong Kai turned his little head away.
“Mom…actually, Grandpa told me that he really wanted to go home.”
He said...it was his fault back then, he shouldn't have driven you away.
He also said that he regretted it and often couldn't sleep at night, dreaming about what you looked like when you were a child.
Guo Zhenyi pushed the cart and walked beside him.
Upon hearing Rong Kai's words, he remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
"When we get close to the village entrance, Hua Chen, don't speak yet. Let Yu Fan go and greet them first."
"The elderly are probably still processing what's happening. Seeing you suddenly might trigger their emotions and make them prone to impulsiveness."
Li Huachen nodded.
"Um... I'll do whatever you say."
The group walked against the wind and snow for nearly two hours.
Finally, the village quietly came into view from the foot of the distant hillside.
Li Huachen patted the back of the child in her arms.
"Rong Kai, we're almost at Grandpa's house. Hang in there a little longer, okay?"
Zhou Yufan parked the car steadily at the entrance.
A moment later, he got out of the car, walked to Guo Zhenyi's side, and whispered something to him.
Guo Zhenyi nodded, then stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Is anyone home? Is it... the Li family?"
The room remained quiet for a long time.
Then, the door creaked open.
Father Li stood there, leaning against the door frame, his back hunched.
"Is it...is it Hua Chen?"
Li Huachen's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She quickly stepped forward and grabbed his cold hand.
"Father, it's me! I'm back! Your daughter is back! Rong Kai is here too, he missed you so much, he kept saying he wanted to see Grandpa..."
As she spoke, she quickly took the child in her arms and placed it in front of Mr. Li.
Li Rongkai stared wide-eyed at the white-haired old man in front of him.
He then pulled a bright red apple out of his pocket.
"Grandpa! This is an apple I brought for you! I also brought a rabbit to keep you company! It's in the car, I'll get it down in a bit! And shall I sing you a song? Do you like listening to songs?"
Li Kangjun's hands were shaking violently.
"Good boy..."
Li Huachen held her father's hand tightly.
“Dad, I know what you’re afraid of. You’ve always been afraid of being a burden to me, afraid that the villagers will gossip about me when I come back, afraid that I won’t live well… Don’t worry, you’ve never been a burden to me.”
“I know that you’ve been carrying this family and keeping this old house all these years.”
“I heard Zhou Yufan mention that you would farm, gather firewood, and help people look after their yards, and even if your fingers were cracked from the cold, you would never bow your head to anyone.”
“You feel sorry for me, and you feel that you were wrong to kick me out back then. But I have never blamed you.”
"You were afraid that the neighbors would gossip about me, that my reputation would be ruined, and that I wouldn't be able to get married, so you forced me to leave on that rainy night."
"The few silver dollars you secretly slipped to Mother the night you left saved Rong Kai's life."
Her eyes were moist, but she still smiled.
“If it weren’t for that money, he wouldn’t have been able to get into the hospital during those days of high fever. You didn’t say it, but you were always thinking about me.”
"Now that I've found you, all I want to do is stay by your side, take care of you, and make your future days more comfortable, so you can eat your fill, stay warm, and get a good night's sleep."
She gently moved closer to her father, pressing her forehead against his shoulder.
“How could I think of you as a burden? You are my father. We are connected by blood, we are family, and I will never abandon you in this lifetime.”
With each word he spoke, the old man's body trembled.
"Father, how could I blame you?"
She hugged her father and child tightly.
"Our family is reunited."
Zhou Yufan stood to the side and quietly chimed in.
“Father, Hua Chen is telling the truth. When she talks about you, she never complains, she only says that she misses you and thinks about you.”
"Now my older brother, younger sister, younger brother, and I have opened factories and started businesses in Yuxin and Ningcheng, and we've made some money. My younger brother is in Gangshi, where the medical care is advanced, and there are doctors who can perform eye surgery on you so you can see again. Then you can see Rong Kai... that little guy who calls you Grandpa every day."
Rong Kai was only three years old at the time and couldn't speak fluently yet.
But as soon as he sees the photo, he points at it and calls out "Grandpa," and he insists on sleeping while holding the photo.
Those eyes are exactly the same as Hua Chen's when she was a child.
Guo Zhenyi then spoke up.
“Father-in-law, my name is Guo Zhenyi. You and my father-in-law are old friends, do you remember him?”
A faint light still lingered before Li Kangjun's eyes.
But you can't see people clearly, nor can you distinguish objects.
"The Guo family?...The Guo family of Guo Hairong?"
Years of imprisonment, coupled with both mental and physical torment, had left him nothing but an empty shell.
Over the years, he was forced to have his head shaved in a shaved style, kneel in the snow to confess his sins, and his fingers turned black from the cold.
That last little finger was gone just like that.
Guo Zhenyi slowly took his hand.
"Yes, I am Guo Hairong's second son, Guo Zhenyi."
"Zhenyi? It's you!"
Li Kangjun's voice trembled.
This kid was dirt poor back in the day.
No one expected that he would return from the battlefield and save the Guo family.
"Uncle Li, Yu Fan's younger brother, Yu Jie, is in Hong Kong. The doctors there might be able to treat your eyes. Don't you really want to see what Hua Chen looks like now? Don't you want to see your own grandson?"
Yu Jie has already contacted an ophthalmologist in Hong Kong. After reviewing the medical records, the ophthalmologist said that while he couldn't guarantee 100% success, the chances were very high.
If the surgery is successful, Li Kangjun may be able to see the world again.
"I……"
Li Kangjun opened his mouth.
“Things are different now. Those things from the past will no longer involve Hua Chen. The government will overturn the case sooner or later, and your Li family’s house may even be returned to you.”
The policy is already being relaxed.
Although the Li family's old house has been repurposed, the property rights still exist, and it is not impossible for it to return to the Li family.
Upon hearing this, Li Kangjun's heart skipped a beat.
The Li family line cannot end. Hua Chen is a member of the Li family, and she must live with dignity.
Can……
Does the Li family still have a home?
The old house is deserted, the courtyard wall has collapsed, and even the door plaque has been smashed.
Both of his sons have passed away.
Of the Li family bloodline, only Hua Chen remains today.
"Give it back to me? What use is the house if the person is gone?"
He said in a low voice.
Even if we get the house back, it won't bring my sons back to life.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Guo Zhenyi stared at him.
"Isn't Hua Chen a girl from the Li family? Doesn't she have the surname Li?"
Her household registration book clearly states the three characters "Li Huachen".
He suddenly understood.
The older generation's obsessions are now firmly in their son's hands.
Li Kangjun's trembling hand slowly gripped Guo Zhenyi's.
“Uncle Li, times have changed. Daughters can carry on the family line just like sons. Blood ties and affections are never solely sustained by sons. Stop clinging to that old idea that ‘only sons count.’ You’ve lived in this remote mountain village for over a decade. But what about your sons? Has any of them ever truly cared about you?”
Li Kangjun's body suddenly went limp.
“My sons… are all dead… died in those years… who would still remember an old man like me who is about to be buried?”
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