Upon learning that the woman in front of him was called Mu Ruanruan, and that her grandmother was Mu Baizhi, Ruan Zaiqing burst into tears. He stood there blankly, staring at Mu Ruanruan for a long time before he came to his senses.
Holding her hand, his lips trembling, this Air Force General had experienced countless life and death tests, but had never felt the nervousness, excitement and disbelief he felt at this moment.
He thought that Mu Baizhi was dead.
Just a few hours after he left the city, the building where Mu Baizhi was located was attacked by artillery fire and turned into ruins in an instant. Many people were buried in it, and many people disappeared in it.
He thought she was in there too.
For more than forty years, he has been regretting that he did not take her away that day and left her there.
Now, someone told him that she was still alive.
Not only was she alive, she also had a son and a granddaughter.
The son’s surname is Mu, and the granddaughter’s name is Mu Ruan Ruan, Ruan in Qing.
Ruan Zaiqing was so shocked that he pulled Mu Ruanruan into the house, trembling. "I didn't expect that I would have such a beautiful granddaughter. You look a lot like your grandmother."
Qi Siji said, "She looks like you too."
Mu Ruanruan was also deeply shocked. She suddenly had a grandfather, and this grandfather said that he was her real grandfather. Then what about the gentle and elegant grandfather from before?
Are you being too hasty in claiming kinship? How can you just meet someone and claim they're your own? Should everyone go to the hospital for a DNA test or something? Don't make any mistakes.
But she didn't dare say this, as Ruan Zaiqing and Qi Siji seemed to be completely certain of this matter.
No, she still needs to get a general understanding first.
"Commander Ruan, oh, no, Grandpa Ruan, when was the last time you saw grandma? Do you remember?"
My grandmother said that Mu Mingda was conceived during that meeting. If the timing doesn't match, then...
"Forty-five years ago, in the fall, I still remember it was September 27th. I was on leave from the 23rd to the 30th, exactly one week. I had planned to stay until the afternoon of the 29th, but a sudden assignment came up, so I left early in the morning of the 27th."
Forty-five years ago, Mu Mingda was forty-four years old.
The time does match, but why doesn't grandma mention anything about what happened back then?
Everything seemed to be right. Even though Mu Ruanruan had some doubts in her heart, she now tended to believe that the old man in front of her was really her biological grandfather.
Ruan Zaiqing recalls the scene with regret: "That afternoon, I received the bad news on the train. I immediately got off at the next stop and rushed back, but the place was already in ruins."
The feeling of being powerless watching his beloved buried in the rubble almost cost him his life.
Qi Siji said that Ruan Zaiqing never got married in his life.
The unforgettable heartache made him stay in pain for the rest of his life and choose loneliness. He would rather be alone than let go and keep the warmth in his heart.
Mu Ruanruan told him a lot about his childhood, his grandmother's education of him, etc.
"Did she mention me?" Ruan Zaiqing asked cautiously.
Mu Ruanruan then remembered that her grandmother had never mentioned him once until three years ago when she was seriously ill. Mu Ruanruan heard the name Ruan Qing for the first time. She said that if he were alive now, he would definitely be married.
She said that she really wanted to see him again, without disturbing his family, and just to see him from afar.
But she couldn't find him.
When he told Ruan Zaiqing all this, he burst into tears, as if the emotions that had been pent up for more than 40 years suddenly burst out.
Mu Ruanruan took his hand and said, "Grandma remembers you. Although she didn't tell us about you, I often saw her looking at a photo, your photo. The photo has been rubbed so hard that it's no longer clear. I just developed this one."
Mu Ruanruan handed the photo to him, and suddenly she hated Li Dazhu and herself for not being able to get back the old photo of her grandmother that she had caressed millions of times.
In the afternoon, someone brought afternoon tea and everyone ate together. Ruan Zaiqing's mood stabilized a little, and Qi Siji suggested calling Mu Mingda first.
Mu Ruanruan knew what Qi Siji meant. As the saying goes, the closer you are to home, the more you feel homesick. The person Ruan Zaiqing wanted to see the most now was Mu Baizhi, and the person she wanted to talk to the most was also Mu Baizhi.
But when the moment came, they wanted to say something but didn't dare to. For more than forty years, both of them had countless things to say and countless questions to ask, but when the time came, they didn't know how to start.
It would be better to call Mu Mingda first as a transition.
This time it was Ruan Zaiqing who called directly, using Mu Ruanruan's cell phone, and the person who answered the phone happened to be Mu Mingda.
"Mingda." Ruan Zaiqing called him, his voice full of affection.
Over there, Mu Mingda didn't say anything. Only his rapid breathing could be heard. After a long while, he finally said, "Mr. Ruan?"
Ruan Zaiqing nodded: "Mingda, I am your father."
Mu Ruanruan: "......"
Mu Mingda on the other end: "......"
Do you have to be so direct?
Fortunately, Mu Ruanruan had laid the groundwork beforehand. Mu Mingda was stunned for a moment, and the two started talking again.
It’s just that neither of them is good at chatting, especially with a stranger they have never met before. The conversation between them is very stiff and awkward.
"Your mother, is she okay?" Ruan Zaiqing finally couldn't help it.
"Do you want to talk to her?" Mu Mingda probably wanted to end this awkward conversation quickly.
Here, Ruan Zaiqing nodded: "Well, is it okay?"
On the other end of the phone, Mu Mingda called out, "Mom, I'm looking for you."
"Looking for me? Who is it?" Mu Baizhi said.
Ruan Zaiqing's hand holding the phone was shaking violently, and a trace of moisture appeared where his fingers were holding it.
His other hand, which was originally placed on his knee, was now clenched into a fist and pressed heavily against his knee. His lips were tightly pursed and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Mu Baizhi answered the phone: "Hello."
Ruan Zaiqing's lips moved but he couldn't speak for a long time.
"Hello?"
He still didn't speak.
Mu Baizhi asked doubtfully, "Why aren't you talking? Are you still there?"
Ruan Zaiqing finally squeezed out two words from his throat: "Bai Zhi."
There was a "bang" sound over there, and the microphone fell to the ground.
"Mom?" Mu Mingda's voice came, "Are you okay, Mom? Come, sit down quickly, sit down and talk. Take the microphone."
Ruan Zaiqing: "Baizhi, it's me, Zaiqing."
Over there, Mu Baizhi started to cry.
Ruan Zaiqing just listened to her crying quietly, wiping away tears. When the crying became quieter, he continued speaking: "Baizhi, I have been waiting for you."
Mu Baizhi: "Why don't you come to me?"
"I thought, I thought... I'll come find you right now. Baizhi, wait for me."
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