Seeing that her mother was almost in tears, Han Bin said to Xiaoman, "How about we trick the children into leaving?"
Xiaoman shook her head.
"What should we do then? We can't just carry them away by force, can we?"
Xiaoman thought for a moment, then squatted down and looked at Naonao and Tengteng, saying, "Naonao, Tengteng, Mommy is asking you, what do your uncles call your grandma?"
Nao Nao looked at Han Gui and then at Han Zhuang: "Mother."
Tengteng didn't say anything.
Xiaoman looked at Tengteng and asked again. Tengteng then answered, "Mother."
What did you call me?
Nao Nao and Tengteng: "Mom."
"You want to be with your mother, so don't your uncle and your third uncle also want to be with their mother?"
Han Gui quickly added, "Yes, Grandpa and Third Uncle also want to be with Mother."
Nao Nao thought for a moment and said, "Then you can all come to my house."
Tengteng looked at Han Gui and then at Han Bin: "My dad also calls Grandma 'Mom,' and he also wants to be with Grandma."
Xiaoman: "Yes, your dad also calls Grandma 'Mom.' Your dad also wants to be with Grandma." Xiaoman made Han Bin, Han Gui, and Han Zhuang stand together: "Look, your dad, your uncle, and your third uncle all call your grandma 'Mom,' and they all want to be with your grandma. Before, your grandma always lived in our house. Now, shouldn't your grandma live with your uncle and your third uncle for a few years?"
Nao Nao and Tengteng didn't say anything.
Xiaoman emphasized again: "Your eldest uncle and your third uncle also call you Grandma 'Mom' and want to be with your grandma too."
Nao Nao and Tengteng remained silent.
Xiaoman pointed at Han Bin, Han Zhuang, and Han Gui: "Your father, your eldest uncle, and your third uncle are brothers, right?"
Nao Nao and Tengteng nodded.
"You two are brothers too. You can take turns being the eldest brother, so can't they also take turns staying with their mother?"
Nao Nao and Tengteng didn't speak.
Xiaoman knew they understood. "Let's go, or we'll miss the train. Your Grandpa Guo, Grandpa Shang, and Xiao Hei are all waiting for us at home."
Han Bin tried to pick up Nao Nao and Tengteng, but they clung to Tang Huihui and wouldn't let go.
Nao Nao: "Dad, let Uncle and Third Uncle come to our house too."
Tengteng looked at Han Gui and Han Zhuang and said, "Grandpa, Third Uncle, why don't you come to my house too? My house is very nice."
Han Gui patted Tengteng's head: "Grandpa and Third Uncle can't go. Grandpa and Third Uncle's home is here."
"Wah..." Nao Nao cried, "I want to stay with Grandma."
Tengteng also cried: "I want to stay with Grandma too."
When the children started crying, Tang Huihui couldn't hold back her tears either. Naonao and Tengteng had rarely cried since they were little, and even less so after they grew up. Now… seeing the two little ones crying so sadly, Tang Huihui really wanted to go back with them. Tang Huihui wiped away her tears: “Sweethearts, Grandma will come to see you when she has time.”
Nao Nao cried and said, "Grandma, come...come...home with me."
Tengteng hugged Tang Huihui's arm and shook it: "Grandma, this isn't your home, your home isn't here."
Upon hearing this, Tang Huihui's tears fell again: "Grandma, Grandma will come to see you in a few days."
Nao Nao: "No, you should come home with us now."
Tengteng: "Yes. Come home with us now."
Xiaoman wiped away the tears of the two little ones: "Sweethearts, Grandma doesn't belong to just the two of you. You can't hog Grandma. Mom knows you miss Grandma, and so do I. But we can't hog Grandma. Mom knows you love Grandma, but your older brother Dabao, older sister Dani, younger sister Erniu, and younger brother Jinbao love Grandma too. Sweethearts, Grandma has been with you for a long time, now it's time for her to be with your older brothers."
Nao Nao and Tengteng cried even harder.
Xiaoman hugged the two little ones into her arms: "Sweethearts, Mommy knows you understand everything. Yours is just reluctant to leave Grandma, right?"
Nao Nao sniffed: "Mom, I don't want to be separated from Grandma."
Tengteng: "Mom, we don't understand."
Xiaoman pinched Tengteng's nose: "No cheating allowed."
Tengteng: "Then let's leave tomorrow."
"no."
Nao Nao and Tengteng wanted to cry again.
Xiaoman: "Mom will bring you back to see Grandma whenever she has time."
Nao Nao: "Really can't we take Grandma back with us?"
"cannot."
Tengteng: "We can't stay a few more days."
"cannot."
Nao Nao and Tengteng wanted to cry again.
Xiaoman looked at them and said, "Crying won't help. Be good, say goodbye to Grandma."
Nao Nao and Tengteng looked at Xiaoman without saying a word. After a while, they realized that Xiaoman's attitude had not changed at all.
Nao Nao: "Will you bring us back to see Grandma?"
"Um."
“Okay.” Nao Nao looked at Tang Huihui and said, “Grandma, this isn’t your home, my home is your home.”
Tang Huihui: "Yes. Your house is Grandma's house."
Tengteng walked up to Han Gui and Han Zhuang and said, "Grandpa, Third Uncle, this is your house, not Grandma's house. My house is Grandma's house."
Han Gui: "Yes, your house is your grandma's house."
Hearing the answer he wanted, Tengteng returned to Tang Huihui's side: "Grandma, I'm waiting for you at home, please come back soon."
"good."
Xiaoman picked Tengteng up.
Han Bin picked up Nao Nao.
Xiaoman asked them to say goodbye to everyone, but they didn't want to. Xiaoman asked them to say it again, and only then did they say it.
After they finished speaking, Han Bin looked at everyone and said, "Grandma, Dad, Mom, Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Third Brother, Sister-in-law, you take the children and go back. We're leaving."
Tang Huihui didn't want to go back, but Han Dashan pulled her back: "Go back, or the children will cry again."
After they returned, Han Bin and Xiao Man carried the children and walked towards the village entrance. Nao Nao and Tengteng kept looking back.
The militiamen knew Xiaoman was leaving today, so they were already waiting at the village entrance.
As soon as Xiaoman's family arrived, Hu Niu saw them and said, "Uncle Yong, the captain is here."
Han Yong and his men went to greet them: "Captain, Binzi, we've come to see you off."
Xiaoman smiled and said, "Train hard, and write to me if you need anything."
Han Yong: "Okay."
Tiger Girl took out two small bows and arrows from her schoolbag: "Captain, these were made by my grandpa for Nao Nao and Tengteng."
Xiaoman looked at Naonao and Tengteng. Naonao and Tengteng looked listless. Xiaoman took the bow and arrow: "Thank you, Grandpa, on behalf of Naonao and Tengteng."
"good."
Three days later, Xiaoman's family returned to the military region. Naonao and Tengteng were listless the whole way, and they didn't feel better even after arriving home. Xiaoman asked them to go out and play, but they wouldn't go; other children called them, but they still wouldn't go out. Even when Lao Guo cooked something delicious, they would only eat a few bites and then stop.
Han Bin would take them to the performing arts troupe whenever he had free time. But even when they went, they couldn't seem to get into the spirit of it.
It's hard for everyone to accept that a child who used to be so lively has suddenly become like this.
Wang Erni and Ma Xiumei both urged Xiaoman to take the children to the hospital. Xiaoman said the children weren't sick; they just missed their grandmother. Wang Erni and Ma Xiumei didn't believe her. They thought children had no memory. But they forgot that Naonao and Tengteng had been very smart since they were little.
That night, after Nao Nao and Tengteng fell asleep, Han Bin looked at Xiao Man and said, "Why don't you go back and bring your mother here, and let her go back when the children are a little older?"
“Mom has been taking care of our children for several years now. Besides, it’s not right to leave Dad alone at home all the time.”
"What should we do then?" Han Bin touched his sons' little faces: "The children have all lost weight."
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