It was already half past eleven when Gong Linglong knocked on the Shui family's door again. She came with Lu Jingchuan. Their jeep was parked at the street corner outside, and she was holding a bag of white bread and steamed buns in her hands.
After the two of them entered the house, Bai Shuixian introduced them to each other, "Teacher, this is my son-in-law Lu Jingchuan. He is a soldier and works in the Seoul Military Region."
After that, he introduced his son-in-law: "Jingchuan, this is Professor Shui Tingyi, the one on the bed is his wife, and next to them is their daughter Shui Meirong, and their two grandsons Shui Hongjie and Shui Hongbin. Last time, I burned my hands, and the burn medicine you gave me was Professor Shui's family's secret medicine passed down from generation to generation."
Lu Jingchuan stepped forward and shook hands with the elder. "Professor Shui, I've heard of your great name for a long time. I'm so sorry for the suffering you two have endured over the years."
"Comrade Xiao Lu, you look familiar. Have we met before?"
Professor Shui had been looking at him since he entered the room. He felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where.
"Professor Shui, my hometown is Kyoto. My grandfather is Lu Jingtang and my maternal grandfather is Zhou Zhangchao. You should have met my maternal grandfather."
Upon hearing the names of these two old leaders, the Shui family elders and Shui Meirong were shocked. Professor Shui was silent for two or three seconds before speaking: "I was saying you looked familiar. You look a bit like General Zhou, and you have the demeanor of his youth."
Lu Jingchuan smiled when he heard this, "Yes, of all the grandchildren, I look most like my grandfather."
Professor Shui also smiled and looked at the young couple standing side by side. He smiled and praised: "The man is talented and the woman is beautiful. They are a match made in heaven."
"Thanks."
Lu Jingchuan smiled as he accepted the elders' praise and blessings. He handed Shui Meirong the noodles he had just bought from the state-owned restaurant. "Aunt Shui, I came here in a hurry and didn't prepare any special gifts. I just bought some steamed buns on the way. They'll be your lunch today. Have a simple meal."
"Xiao Lu, thank you."
The Shui family is now living in poverty. After eating this meal, they are worried about the next meal. Shui Meirong stopped being pretentious and took the bag of noodles to share with everyone.
Lu Jingchuan and his wife refused to accept any of the food, letting the Shui family keep it for themselves. He also discussed business with the two elders: "Professor Shui, I already know the general situation of your family. I'd like to ask, where are your son and daughter-in-law now?"
"My son and daughter-in-law both studied Western medicine. Twelve years ago, they were sent to study in Country D on government scholarships. At the time, my two grandsons were less than four and two years old. To support their further studies and contribute to their country, my wife chose to retire early and focus on taking care of our two grandsons at home."
"Two years later, the special period began. We had two international students in our family, and with my job and my personality and temper that didn't want to go along with them, things started to go..."
Professor Shui didn't say anything else and sighed again: "The last time I received a letter from them was seven years ago. They wanted to come back, but I didn't let them."
The current situation is special. It is useless for them to return home at this time and it cannot change the current situation of the Shui family.
Professor Shui also thought about sending his two grandsons abroad so that the four of them could reunite abroad, but although the two grandsons were young, they were very stubborn and refused to leave their side.
In addition, their spouse and daughter are in poor health and need care. As he gets older, his health has declined and he is unable to do many things. The family needs his two half-grown grandsons to earn money to support their lives, so he has not thought about sending them abroad in recent years.
Lu Jingchuan understood what was going on and didn't ask any more questions. He just went on with his plans: "Professor Shui, I heard that your friend secretly helped you return to Seoul. Now your family is using fake identities. In that case, I'll arrange a suitable place for you where the Meng family won't be able to get involved. However, you'll have to continue using fake identities."
Professor Shui hurriedly said, "Xiao Lu, there's nothing wrong with this. As long as I can protect my family, I'm willing to remain anonymous for the rest of my life."
"Then you don't have to hide your identity for the rest of your life. When the black fog dissipates, you can return."
Lu Jingchuan gave his word, and believed that this day was coming soon. He said seriously, "Don't wait too long. It will be soon."
Given his family background, he must have been exposed to more news about power struggles. Professor Shui understood what he was saying and nodded with a sob, "Xiao Lu, I understand. Thank you."
"Okay, eat first, then pack your luggage. Take what you can use and throw away what you can't use."
Seeing that he had made arrangements, Bai Shuixian asked, "Jingchuan, where did you arrange for the teachers to go?"
"There's a medicinal herb planting base within the jurisdiction of the Seoul Military Region, only a dozen miles away from the troop station. Professor Shui is a professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and should be familiar with the growth habits of medicinal herbs. I'll arrange for them to live there for a while, and it's also a good opportunity to ask Professor Shui for professional guidance and instruction."
"Jingchuan, this place is well arranged."
Bai Shuixian was particularly satisfied and told him with a smile: "Master's wife was cultivating Chinese medicinal herbs before she retired, and Master is also an expert in processing Chinese medicinal herbs. They are both suitable for this job."
"That's great! The medicinal materials base needs two experts to provide guidance."
Just before Lu Jingchuan came, he went to see Commander Zhu and Political Commissar Zhao. After they learned about the Shui family's experience, they decided to protect them without saying a word. This place was also suggested by Commander Zhu.
"Xiao Lu, I can't really give you any advice. With my half-dead body, I'm afraid I'll just be a burden to others." Grandma Shui sighed.
"Master's wife, no, your health is not at the point of dying yet. I will find a way to buy you a wheelchair and prescribe some good medicine for your recovery. You will surely be happily reunited with your son and daughter-in-law in the future."
"Wantang, I'm sorry to trouble you." Grandma Shui held her hand tightly.
"Teacher's wife, please don't say such polite words. Once a teacher, always a father. You and the teacher are like my parents to me. Taking good care of your health is what children should do."
Grandma Shui listened to her words and tears welled up in her eyes: "Good child, you are a good child, your parents..."
"Teacher's wife, my parents are very happy in heaven. They must be happy with two brothers accompanying them." When Bai Shuixian thought of her parents, her eyes instantly turned red and tears welled up.
They had just chatted for a long time. The Shui family already knew that the disaster that happened to the Gong family was not an accident. They also knew about her experiences over the years. Grandma Shui was heartbroken and said, "You are such a kind and good-hearted child, why do you have such a miserable life?"
"The suffering is over. Everything is going in the right direction now. Things will get better and better in the future." Bai Shuixian comforted her and also comforted herself.
After chatting with them for a while, when Shui Meirong and the others had packed their simple luggage and Professor Shui had vacated the apartment, Lu Jingchuan immediately carried Grandma Shui on his back, and the group went to the alley entrance to take a bus and leave.
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