At this moment, a doctor came out of the emergency room and whispered a few words to Lin Zhengguo. Lin Zhengguo was stunned and then looked at Su Wanwan standing to the side.
He sighed softly and said, "Wanwan, wait here for a moment, Grandpa will go in and take a look first."
Ten-year-old Su Wanwan stood in the hospital corridor, her little leather shoes kicking the fire hydrant in the corner of the wall.
The smell of disinfectant made her nose itch, but she dared not rub it—her grandmother said that good children shouldn't rub their eyes and nose with their hands, as it would spread bacteria.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the emergency room opened again.
"Wanwan, come here." Lin Zhengguo beckoned to Su Wanwan, signaling her to come over.
Su Wanwan walked over hesitantly, her eyes constantly glancing into the ward. Her grandmother lay on the white bed, like a withered leaf sinking into a snowdrift, with many tubes inserted into her hands.
"When will Grandma get better?" she asked softly. "I want to go home and wait for Mom and Dad."
Lin Zhengguo's Adam's apple bobbed a few times. He reached out to touch Su Wanwan's head, but stopped mid-air and instead straightened her crooked hair clip.
"Soon." His voice sounded like it had been sanded clean. "Wanwan, do you want some ice cream? Grandpa will go buy some."
Su Wanwan shook her head. She remembered that the last time she ate ice cream was when her parents bought it together. That day, the sun was very strong, and the ice cream melted quickly, dripping onto her favorite dress. Her mother smiled and helped her wipe it off, while her father gave her his own ice cream cone.
"I want to draw a picture for Grandma," she suddenly said, taking crayons and paper from her little backpack. "Grandma will feel better after I draw it; that's what she did last time I had a fever."
Lin Zhengguo watched silently as the little girl lay on the ground drawing. A red crayon outlined her grandmother's smiling face, yellow represented sunlight, and green... that must have been the apple tree in the yard. In the corner of the drawing, she had carefully left two blank figures.
"These are Dad and Mom," Su Wanwan explained without looking up. "We'll draw them when they get back, otherwise we'll make mistakes."
The crayon snapped in Lin Zhengguo's palm with a "snap".
The ward door opened, and a doctor in a white coat came out, exchanging a glance with Lin Zhengguo. Su Wanwan immediately got up, but was stopped by a nurse.
"Little one, Grandma needs to rest." The nurse crouched down to be at her eye level. "How about I take you to the playroom? There are puzzles and dolls there."
Su Wanwan hugged the drawing paper tightly: "I want to wait for Grandma to call me."
"Listen to me." Lin Zhengguo suddenly became stern, then softened his tone, "Grandpa promises, I'll tell you as soon as Grandma wakes up."
The clock in the playroom ticked away. Su Wanwan built a block castle, then knocked it down; she changed Barbie's clothes three times; and looked at two picture books. Outside, the sky was darkening, and still no one had come to pick her up.
"Late night."
Lin Zhengguo finally appeared at the door, his eyes red as if he had stayed up all night. Su Wanwan jumped up, the drawing paper slipping from her knees.
"Is Grandma awake? Can I go see her?"
"Wait a little longer." Lin Zhengguo picked up the drawing; the blank human figure on it stung his eyes. "Wanwan, do you... want to meet the other children?"
Su Wanwan took a step back warily: "I want to go home with Grandma."
"Grandma...needs to stay here for the time being." Lin Zhengguo struggled to find the words, "There's a very safe place with many children your age—"
"No!" Su Wanwan suddenly screamed, kicking the building blocks everywhere. "I want to go home and wait for Mom and Dad! They promised to come back for my birthday!"
The breakdown came suddenly. The ten-year-old child finally erupted after suppressing her emotions all day, tears streaming down her face. She kicked and tried to run out of the room, but Lin Zhengguo grabbed her and held her tightly.
"Let me go! You bad people! You hid Grandma too!" Su Wanwan cried her heart out, "Mom and Dad will be so worried when they come back and can't find me...they'll be so worried..."
Lin Zhengguo's arms were stiff as iron hoops, letting the little girl's fists rain down on his chest. Only when Su Wanwan cried until she was exhausted did he gently pat her back and hum a song, a tune that Su Qiming loved to sing. He had once heard Su Qiming say that his daughter liked to hum this tune.
Strangely, Su Wanwan quieted down. She looked up at her tear-streaked face: "Grandpa Lin, are you and my mom and dad good friends?"
"...Hmm." Lin Zhengguo wiped her face with his sleeve. "Your father and I are very good friends."
"When is he coming back?" Su Wanwan pressed. "And Mom. Grandma said they went to do some very important work. I've been waiting for them for a long time, but they haven't come back yet."
Lin Zhengguo looked out the window at the deepening twilight, where the last ray of sunlight was disappearing. He remembered the strength with which the old woman on the sickbed gripped his hand, and her plea, "Wait until she's older."
"Soon," he finally said, picking Su Wanwan up. "Grandpa will take you to see Grandma now, but you have to promise me you won't cry."
The machines in the intensive care unit beeped. Su Wanwan tiptoed over the bed and carefully placed the painting next to her grandmother's pillow.
"Grandma, I drew the sun," she whispered. "Get well soon, and we'll wait for Mom and Dad to come home together."
Grandma's withered fingers twitched, as if she wanted to stroke her granddaughter's face, but ultimately she couldn't lift them. Lin Zhengguo stood in the shadows, his fists clenched until they turned white.
Three days later, Su Wanwan was draped in an oversized black coat at her grandmother's bedside. She didn't understand why everyone was wearing black, nor why her grandmother was being placed in a long box. Lin Zhengguo held her hand tightly the whole time.
"Where did Grandma go?" she asked, looking up.
"Go somewhere...where there is no pain," Lin Zhengguo said in a hoarse voice.
"What about Mom and Dad? Why didn't they come back to see Grandma off?"
Lin Zhengguo squatted down, his knees, clad in military uniform, pressed against the cold marble floor. He grasped Su Wanwan's shoulders with both hands: "Wanwan, from today onwards, how about you come live with Grandpa somewhere? There will be many people there to keep you company."
Su Wanwan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Grandpa Lin, do my mom and dad not want me anymore?"
A drop of water landed on the back of her hand. This soldier grandfather, who always stood tall and straight, was actually crying.
"No." Lin Zhengguo pulled her into his arms, his voice, trembling, reaching her ears, "They love you more than the whole world."
Su Wanwan didn't understand what all this meant. She only knew that from today onwards she would be living with this Grandpa Lin, and she had a vague feeling that her grandmother would never speak to her again.
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