In the evening, Fan Hua took a pair of couplets and calculated the time to come to the newsstand downstairs. Today was the day Zhao Yilu was supposed to call her.
In the past few months, Zhao Yilu would call Fan Hua every Saturday afternoon after training. The two would chat about the latest events of the week. Most of the time, Fan Hua would talk and Zhao Yilu would listen. Occasionally, Zhao Yilu would ask questions or make a joke to tease Fan Hua...
Fan Hua likes chatting with Zhao Yilu very much. She feels very relaxed when chatting with Zhao Yilu. As time goes by, she will come to the newsstand every Saturday evening to wait for Zhao Yilu's call.
"Hey, Lihua, Comrade Zhao is going to call you again today?" Aunt Sun asked with a smile.
Fan Hua smiled and nodded, and handed the couplet to Auntie Sun, "Auntie Sun, this is the couplet I wrote for you, and I wish you a happy new year in advance. I hope you will have more blessings, longevity, wealth, glory, color, and good fortune in the new year!"
"You are such a sweet girl! The New Year is coming soon, can Xiao Zhao take some time off to come and see you? You are about to give birth, right? It would be great if Xiao Zhao could come back during the New Year, so that she can spend the New Year with you and catch up with you when you give birth."
Fan Hua knew that Auntie Sun had long misunderstood her relationship with Zhao Yilu, so she was too lazy to explain further and replied along with Auntie Sun: "I don't know about this either. I have to ask him on the phone today. It's not easy to ask for military leave."
"Yes, yes, it's hard for soldiers to defend the motherland, but I think it's even harder for you as military wives. You look quite old, when will your mother-in-law come to take care of you?"
Fan Hua thought about it. It was mentioned in the original novel that He Siyan and Zhao Yilu’s father He Mingqi was also a soldier. He unfortunately died in a border counterattack. When He Mingqi died, Zhao Mengyun had just given birth to Zhao Yilu. Her already weak body and excessive grief caused her to fall seriously ill and she died not long after.
The Zhao family is a scholarly family with only one daughter, Zhao Mengyun. Upon hearing the news that their daughter and son-in-law had both passed away, the old couple were deeply saddened!
He Mingqi's father He Zhengxiang felt that the He family had not taken good care of their daughter-in-law Zhao Mengyun. He was afraid that the Zhao elders would not be able to bear the pain of losing their daughter, so he decided to let his three-month-old grandson take his mother's surname and let him grow up with the Zhao elders.
However, the two elders of the Zhao family were afraid that raising two children separately would affect the relationship between the brothers, so they did not take Zhao Yilu with them. Until the Wenhui Revolution began, the situation of both the Zhao and He families became very tense. The two families decided to raise one child each, so that if something really happened, they could have a descendant for the deceased He Mingqi and Zhao Mengyun. The Zhao family was forced to take Zhao Yilu and hide in the countryside, while He Siyan stayed with his grandfather He Zhengxiang.
…
Fan Hua drew her thoughts from the plot of the original novel, so no matter whether she chose He Siyan or Zhao Yilu, she would not have a mother-in-law.
So she said straightforwardly, "Auntie Sun, my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago."
When Aunt Sun heard this, she felt even more sorry for Fan Hua, and said a little embarrassedly, "It's good not to have a mother-in-law. You're more free, and no one is controlling you."
Fan Hua smiled, "I think so too!"
As the two were chatting, the phone rang on time. Aunt Sun winked at Fan Hua and walked away, tactfully giving the young couple some private space to talk.
Fan Hua picked up the phone and said "Hello" softly.
When Zhao Yilu heard Fan Hua's voice, his expression softened immediately, and even his tone was very gentle, "Lihua, have you been waiting for my call at the newsstand?"
"I just happened to write a couplet that I wanted to give to Aunt Sun, and I thought your training would be finished soon, so I chatted with her for a while and didn't go up again." Fan Hua explained. Of course, she would not admit that she was waiting for his call on purpose.
"Can you also write calligraphy?"
Zhao Yilu really feels that Fan Hua is like a treasure, the more he gets to know her, the more amazing she is!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
