Chapter 246 More carefree than a god
Rong Kai nodded immediately, his little hands gripping Li Kangjun's clothes tightly.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Will you teach me how to write the character '福' (fu, meaning good fortune)? I want to write so many characters, one sheet to stick on the door, one sheet on the window, and one sheet next to the stove! I want every corner of our house to be prosperous and thriving!"
Li Kangjun's heart softened, and he gently patted Rong Kai's head.
"Okay, okay. Once Grandpa's eyes are healed, I'll teach you to write the character '福' (Fu, meaning good fortune). From the first stroke to the last, every single one must be perfect. I'll also teach you to write your own name. I'll explain each stroke of '黎容開' (Li Rongkai) to you slowly, okay? I'll make sure you write it neatly, like it's been printed."
"good!"
Rong Kai jumped for joy.
He then whispered sweet nothings in Li Kangjun's ear.
"Grandpa, after you finish teaching me to write, let's recite poems together! I can recite 'The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains' now! Listen, the Taihang and Wangwu Mountains are seven hundred li in circumference and ten thousand ren in height..."
He read it aloud, word by word.
Zhou Shufen listened and smiled.
"Look at this clever little devil, his words are as sweet as honey, and he even knows how to please his grandfather. Father-in-law, with Rong Kai by your side from now on, you'll be laughing out loud every day. This house finally feels a bit more lively again."
As Li Kangjun listened to Rong Kai recite poetry, his eyes welled up with tears.
In the past, there were many children in the family, who would gather around the main hall, chattering and making a lively scene.
He taught them to recognize characters and recite poems step by step, and whoever wrote well or memorized them well would be rewarded with a piece of candy.
Later, the family fortunes declined, the family scattered, and the old house was left empty.
"Yes, it's great to have Rong Kai around."
He patted Rong Kai's hand.
At this moment, Zhou Liya brought over a peeled apple.
She carefully handed the apple to Li Kangjun.
"Grandpa, this will help you cut through the grease. You ate a delicious meal earlier, so have some meat. Now, some fruit will help you cleanse your palate."
Afraid that he might not be able to hold it properly, she deliberately pushed the apple closer to his hand.
"Here you go, it's very sweet, I picked the ripest one. I just washed it with cold water, so don't burn yourself, please enjoy it slowly."
Li Kangjun quickly caught it with both hands.
"Thank you, Ya Ya."
"You grew up in the South?"
Zhou Liya nodded vigorously.
She squatted in front of his chair, her knees on the carpet, her hands gripping the edge of the chair.
“Grandpa, I lived in Guangzhou for several years when I was a child. Back then, I ate morning tea and drank double-skin milk every day. You could smell the aroma of roast meats from the street vendors as you walked.”
"Later, my mother was transferred back to Yuxin for work, and that's when she brought me back. Now my uncle and I are studying in Gangshi. The rented house is not far from the sea, and I can always hear the ship's horn when I get out of school. I always go back to Yuxin during holidays. Grandpa, you know, Yuxin is my root."
“I’ve also learned this Yu Xin dialect. I can chat with the neighborhood grandmas about everyday things, and I can also argue and bicker with my cousins. It’s just that I always have a bit of a Cantonese accent. I drag out the last syllable of my words. I say ‘eat’ as ‘qi fan’ and ‘don’t know’ as ‘wu zhi ya’. They all laugh at me and say that I speak ‘Cantonese Yu Xin dialect’ like a local who has only learned it halfway through.”
As she spoke, she chuckled to herself.
Li Kangjun also smiled.
He suddenly remembered that the Li family also had relatives in the south, living in a small brick building in Xiguan.
At that time, he had not yet joined the army, and his brothers and sisters often sat around in front of the main room, listening to their father tell stories.
Later, amidst the chaos of war and the flames of conflict, a letter from home was lost en route and was never heard from again.
"It sounds nice."
He spoke slowly.
"It warms my heart, like holding a bowl of hot ginger tea on a winter's day, warming me from my throat all the way down to my stomach."
He paused, then raised his hand and took a small bite of the apple.
"These apples are sweeter than the ones from the mountains back home! When I was a kid, my brother and I would go up the mountain to pick prickly pears, but they were so sour and astringent that they made our teeth ache after just one bite. These apples are like heavenly fruits; one bite and your whole body feels comfortable."
"Then please eat more!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Liya's smile immediately widened.
As she spoke, she reached out and patted her little schoolbag.
“There’s another box at home, right next to the shoe cabinet in the entryway. The box still has a ‘Hong Kong Special’ label on it. My uncle brought them back from Hong Kong. If you like them, I’ll bring you two before school tomorrow! They can be packed in a lunchbox, so they’ll stay warm and fresh.”
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Li Kangjun readily agreed.
He no longer held back and took another big bite of the apple.
In the living room, Zhou Yufan and Guo Zhenyi sat side by side on the sofa.
Guo Zhenyi flipped through his phone's schedule, his brows furrowed slightly.
"The flight is at 8:00 AM on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, so you need to arrive at the airport two hours in advance. Please check in your luggage as much as possible..."
Zhou Yufan, biting the pen cap, stared at the calendar on the wall.
"If all goes well, we can close the deal in three days and still make it back in time for the annual meeting."
In the corner of the study, Xiao Rongkai was lying on the desk with his Chinese textbook spread out in front of him, his face flushed red.
"Mother! Mother! What's the next line? 'The wise old man of Hequ... the wise old man...' What comes after that? I can't remember!"
Li Huachen sat next to him, knitting a light blue woolen scarf beside her.
She wasn't in a hurry at all, and a smile played on her lips.
The wise old man of the river bend laughed and stopped him, saying, "How foolish you are!"
Rong Kai slapped his forehead.
"Yes, yes, yes! That's it!"
He breathed a sigh of relief and continued reciting aloud.
These sounds, though a bit noisy, are more reassuring to the ears than anything else.
Li Kangjun slowly chewed the last bite of the apple.
He felt that the liveliness in this room was the thing he most wanted to protect in his life.
I remember those years when only the wind howled outside the window every night.
He was wrapped in a thick quilt, huddled in the corner of the bed, and wouldn't even turn on an extra lamp.
What's even more desolate is the silence all around.
Unlike now.
The house was brightly lit, and the family sat around a table, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks filling the air with laughter and chatter.
This was a scene he never dared to dream of in his village.
"Grandpa, are you done eating the apple? Shall I massage your legs?"
Seeing that he was eating with relish, Li Rongkai immediately came over.
With a quick movement, the little one obediently stood close to the chair.
The chubby little hand gently rested on Li Kangjun's knee.
My mother used to say that you have to massage your legs gently for it to feel comfortable.
He kept it in his heart and never forgot it.
Now, he is imitating the adults very well.
"Grandpa, will this hurt?"
He tilted his head back and stared at Li Kangjun's profile.
Li Kangjun reached out and patted his head.
"It doesn't hurt. Rong Kai massaged it just right. Grandpa's leg feels much better now."
Actually, his legs had gone numb halfway through the bike ride.
But pressing that little hand made me feel much better.
He couldn't help but smile.
Zhou Liya, who was standing nearby, saw this and her eyes lit up. She quickly came over as well.
She imitated Rong Kai and placed her little hand on Li Kangjun's other leg.
"Grandpa, I'll do it too! It'll be more comfortable for you if two people massage you!"
The two children gently pounded on each other.
They would occasionally whisper and discuss things.
Zhou Yufan and Guo Zhenyi were talking, but when they saw this scene, they both stopped talking at the same time.
Guo Zhenyi raised the corner of his mouth and teased him deliberately.
"Uncle Li, you live a life more carefree than a god. The two kids are always around you, and their sweet 'Grandpa' is enough to melt anyone's heart. We adults stand by and watch, and we're so envious that our eyes are red with envy."
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