Kyoto's winters are incredibly cold and windy, with fierce, howling winds that make the snow on the ground swirl around.
After Su Qingci and Song Jingzhou got their marriage certificate, they did not hold a banquet. Instead, they went back to Liuhuai Lane and had a meal with their relatives.
Song Jingzhou didn't have many friends in Kyoto, so he bought a bag of candy and distributed it to some of his close comrades and friends.
He then took Su Qingci to the hospital to visit Vice President Zhang, thus making their affair public knowledge.
Thanks to Su Qingci's wedding, Su Yi finally had the opportunity to formally meet Su Changzhi's family during this meal.
Su Changzhi had been prepared by Li Yueniang beforehand, so he didn't show any displeasure. Although he wasn't particularly enthusiastic, the family was quite harmonious.
Su Yi humbled himself, preparing wedding gifts not only for Su Qingci and her husband, but also for Su Changzhi's entire family.
Si Gui and his two siblings each received a new schoolbag bought from a department store.
Children are innocent and don't understand the grudges and entanglements of the previous generation. After receiving the gift, they didn't hide their joy. Knowing that their grandfather had arranged their schooling and house, they immediately started calling him "Grandpa."
Su Yi looked at the children whose faces were starting to fill out, and his heart melted.
Liao Fengmei received a pair of lambskin boots as a gift, and she turned to look at Su Changzhi with a questioning expression.
Su Changzhi nodded. His mother was right. Since they couldn't deny that he was his father, why bother...?
Seeing the joy on the faces of Si Gui and his two siblings, he suddenly understood what his mother meant.
"Just keep what your father gave you."
When Liao Fengmei heard her husband's reply, she immediately felt relieved. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry for her husband, but if he hadn't ended up on the island, he wouldn't have met her, and they wouldn't have had their three lovely children.
Moreover, after returning home, her father arranged everything for her, including the house, household registration, children's schooling, and her job, according to her husband and mother.
She didn't understand her mother's grievances; she only knew that if she received a favor from someone, she should be grateful. If her husband and father had a falling out, she would also side with her husband, but that would be considered ungrateful.
"Thank you, Dad. I really like it."
Upon hearing Liao Fengmei's words, Su Yi's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
He was extremely nervous before he came, and he spent the whole day shopping at the department store with Xiao Liu, afraid that the gift he picked out would not meet their expectations.
Thank goodness.
Su Yi turned to look at Su Changzhi.
"Changzhi, I don't know what you like. My only impression of you is from the time when you and your mother went to Kyoto three times."
“Back then, Dad remembers you looking at the military uniforms worn by some kids in the compound with great interest, and you reached out to touch them, but they pushed you away.”
"Back then, Dad thought he had to get you one too, but unfortunately he never had the chance."
Su Yi carried a duffel bag, unzipped it, and took out one brand-new military uniform after another.
"After all these years, Dad doesn't know if you still like me."
"Look, this winter coat weighs seven or eight pounds, it's really heavy and very warm. I also have autumn and summer clothes made to your size."
As Su Changzhi watched Su Yi fawn over him, presenting him with one military uniform after another as if they were treasures, his thoughts immediately drifted back to that day.
At that time, he and his brother followed their mother, traveling a long and arduous journey straight to the capital.
They were taken into a large courtyard.
There were quite a few people inside, curiously observing the mother and her two children. Compared to their own ragged clothes, the military uniforms they wore looked both respectable and imposing.
Later, his mother was taken inside for questioning, while he and his brother stood in the courtyard.
Several children, about the same age as the older brother, came over and asked who they were.
He looked enviously at their hats with five-pointed stars on their heads, and reached out to touch their military uniforms, but one of the children pushed him to the ground and cursed Su Changzhi for getting his clothes dirty.
Su Yi, who had just entered, saw this scene, walked over, chased away the children, and helped him up.
He didn't recognize Su Yi, so he could only lower his head awkwardly and say, "Thank you, Uncle."
As Su Yi brushed the dust off his trousers, he asked, "What's your name?"
"Su Changzhi."
Su Yi seemed to be taken aback for a moment, looked him over carefully, and then asked, "Do you want to wear the same military uniform as them?"
He looked up, his eyes filled with longing. Although his mother had told him not to take things from others, he really liked and wanted the military uniform so much. He felt that if he wore the uniform, he could become a hero as powerful as the Red Army uncles and protect his mother.
So he mustered his courage and nodded at Su Yi.
Su Yi patted him on the shoulder, left him with the words "Wait here," and strode into the house.
He stood outside the courtyard, guarding the gate, filled with immense joy, waiting for him to come out.
But later, he didn't wait for Su Yi, because he was carried away with a knife stuck in his abdomen.
He recognized the knife; it was the knife his mother had carried with her all the way for self-defense. The handle was broken and wrapped in rags, and he recognized it at a glance.
It wasn't until then that he realized who the other person was—his father, whom he had never met since birth.
"Changzhi?"
Seeing Su Changzhi standing there in a daze, Su Yi couldn't help but call out to him.
Su Changzhi snapped back to his senses, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
You still remember?
"Thank you, I like it very much."
Su Yi immediately laughed, "I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it."
Are you feeling any better?
"Much better, thank you."
The father and son chatted quietly, taking turns asking and answering questions. Although the conversation was distant and polite, at least there were no awkward silences.
Su Changzhi lowered his eyes, suppressing the sadness within them.
There is no child in the world who doesn't want a mother, and there is no child who doesn't long for a father.
Although he had never met his father since childhood, he and his brother knew that they had a father, but their father was away doing important things to protect the country and could not stay at home with them.
Mother always said that their father was a great hero. The father she imagined in her mind was a tall and mighty figure who could protect them and protect Mother.
However, after receiving that letter, Mother could no longer hold back. She led them all the way to Kyoto, as if the pillar that had supported her for decades had collapsed in an instant. She couldn't help but curse Father all the way.
They cursed him, called him ungrateful, and said all sorts of nasty things about him.
He and his brother were terrified, helpless as they watched their mother cry. Recalling their experiences from childhood, they had always resented their father.
He was abandoned before he even met his father.
Even now, Su Changzhi still thinks that if his father hadn't abandoned them back then, it would have been worth it no matter how hard or tiring it was.
If only Father had chosen Mother back then, and the whole family could have stayed together, how wonderful that would have been!
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