He Tingjun was so pestered by Yun Qiao that he could only nod and admit it, saying, "I've met him a few times."
"Then why didn't you tell me before?" Yun Qiao asked her with his head tilted.
He Tingjun: "You were too young back then, only seven years old, about the same height as the table. You were just a little brat, completely different from when you grew up. What's there to talk about?"
"So, eight years ago, when we first met at the state-owned restaurant, you didn't recognize me?"
"No." He Tingjun said frankly, "Later, when I went to your house and saw you again, I vaguely felt that you seemed to have some shadows of your childhood."
"Oh, you recognized me again then?" Yun Qiao's eyes widened. "That's why you gave me pocket money when we first met!"
He Tingjun touched his nose awkwardly and whispered, "You are my uncle's niece, and I treated you as... my niece back then, so I thought I should give the younger generation something as a gift when we meet."
Yun Qiao quietly glanced at the driver's seat in front. While his cousin was driving, he leaned over to He Tingjun's ear and whispered, "You didn't think back then that you would one day marry your friend's niece, did you?"
He Tingjun blushed: "I really didn't think about it."
He was also hesitant and entangled at the time, despising himself for being a beast in human clothing. It was only after he had a close call with death and survived the battlefield that he made up his mind.
After waking up, he saw Yun Qiao being given an injection by his father in front of the hospital bed. He was so moved at that moment that he had even thought about what to name their child in the future.
Yun Qiao leaned closer to him and asked, "When did you start liking me?"
He Tingjun pursed his lips and said nothing.
This time, no matter how Yun Qiao asked, he remained silent.
Because there was someone driving in front, Yun Qiao didn't want to press him too hard and had to let him go for the time being.
The car quickly arrived at its destination and stopped.
He Tingjun's grandparents lived on the first floor of a staff building in a large house with three bedrooms and a living room. There was also a small courtyard of about 30 square meters in front of the door. Evergreen plants and flowers were planted in the courtyard. Yun Qiao had no knowledge of this and could only recognize that one of them was a rose.
Both elderly people are over 80 years old and have some underlying diseases, but they are generally in good health.
From the outside, it seems that Grandma He is a little deaf and she needs to speak very loudly to hear her. Grandpa He is not very flexible in his legs and feet and needs to use a cane to walk.
Both of them were very kind old people. When they met Yun Qiao for the first time, they both gave her red envelopes. When they heard He Yan call them great-grandfather and great-grandmother, they were very happy. Grandma He even gave He Yan the bracelet she was wearing and asked her to play with it.
The wooden bracelet wasn't worth much, but it was something Grandma He had worn since she was young and never took off. It held special meaning. The fact that she gave it to He Yan showed just how deeply she loved her grandson, He Tingjun.
This was the first time Grandma He met He Yan. No matter how much she liked him, there was a limit. She would definitely love He Yan as much as she loved his family.
The feelings of the elderly towards their grandchildren whom they raised with their own hands are always different.
After dinner, Yun Qiao and He Tingjun stayed at the old couple’s house.
The house has three bedrooms and a living room. The two elders live in the master bedroom facing south, Yun Qiao and his family live in another secondary bedroom facing south, and the remaining slightly smaller north room is occupied by the nanny who takes care of the two elders.
The female nanny was in her forties and her surname was Song. She used to be a nurse at the Affiliated Hospital of Shanghai University. Later, her husband was paralyzed in an accident, so she quit her job and went home to take care of him. But her husband died one day, and her in-laws turned against her. They disliked her for not leaving any offspring for their family. Not only did they kick her out of the house, they even disowned their own granddaughter. The mother and daughter were homeless and were about to starve to death on the streets. The daughter had no choice but to go to the countryside to become an educated youth, which was considered a way to make a living. The mother shamelessly looked for her former customers and managed to survive for a while by relying on the old relationship. Later, she was introduced to come and take care of the two elders.
She was careful and thorough in her work, and worked very seriously and responsibly. She treated the He family elders as if they were her own elders and served them very attentively. The He family elders were very satisfied with her, so they kept her at home forever. She has been working in the He family for more than ten years.
After staying at the second elders' house for a day, Yun Qiao felt the considerateness of the nanny, Sister Song.
There is always warm water at hand that is neither too hot nor too cold, bibs that are tied around the children during meals, handkerchiefs that are handed to them in a timely manner, and foot washing water that is prepared for them before bed without being asked.
Otherwise, why would the two elders praise her so highly?
People's hearts are made of flesh. After decades of living together day and night, even the coldest heart will melt.
Before going to bed, Yun Qiao heard He Tingjun say that his grandmother had once thought of introducing a partner to the nanny, Sister Song, who was a middle-aged widower who had lost his wife and worked in the school's logistics department.
But the nanny, Sister Song, didn't even listen to the other party's basic information and rejected it immediately.
She told Grandma He bluntly that she never wanted to get married again. She felt that her current situation was good. She earned 20 yuan a month, and the host provided food and housing. She didn't even have a place to spend her money. She didn't spend her 20 yuan salary at the beginning of the year, and she could still save 150 yuan at the end of the year. After more than ten years, she had saved more than 1,000 yuan.
She wanted to save more money now so that when her daughter came back from the countryside, she could buy a small house in Shanghai, no matter where in the city, so that the mother and daughter would have a place to live.
But if she got married, she would have to quit her job to take care of the man's children and his mother. She would still do the same work, but she wouldn't get any salary. If her husband's family was unhappy, they might even scold her for being a slave.
She had already been married once and knew that was not a good place.
So I don’t want to put myself in that situation again.
After hearing this, Yun Qiao particularly admired Sister Song's clarity of mind.
It's rare that she is illiterate but has such profound thoughts.
When Sister Song woke up the next day, she was faced with Yun Qiao's admiring gaze. She didn't understand why, but she smiled at Yun Qiao.
"I made shepherd's purse wontons last morning. Would you like a bowl?"
Sister Song is the nanny of the two elders. She usually only cooks for them. When other people come over, they basically buy food from outside.
Yun Qiao was unaware of this and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I like dumplings and wontons made with shepherd's purse the most."
When He Tingjun came back from outside with the steamed buns and fried dough sticks, Yun Qiao was already sitting at the dining table with He Yan, Grandma He and Grandpa He, eating.
He Tingjun raised his eyebrows and smiled, finishing all the breakfast he bought by himself. After all, he had a big appetite, and he couldn't hold back even after eating a few extra fried dough sticks.
At noon, He Tingjun's uncle, aunt and uncle came home, and a long group of his cousins also came with them.
With so many people coming at once, Yun Qiao was a little dazzled. Fortunately, He Tingjun was always by her side giving her some pointers, so she didn't make any jokes.
Although Yun Qiao, the 'new daughter-in-law', was no longer new, she still accepted the red envelope given by the elders when she recognized her.
The old couple's house was not big, and with so many people coming at once, the room was a little full. At noon, they went to a nearby restaurant to eat.
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