When Zhu Fanfan woke up, she was already at home. It was already dark outside. Had she slept for so long?
When Zhu Jiabao saw that Zhu Fanfan was awake, he explained, "Grandpa's sweetie, you're finally awake! You know, you've been sleeping all day, and we were so worried about you. Don't scare us like that again."
Although he knew that farming was mentally taxing, he didn't expect Fanfan to sleep all day and still be a little groggy when he woke up. Had he put too much pressure on Fanfan? Although the child's soul was eighteen, his body was only six months old. He hadn't thought things through.
Liu Yumin sneered from the side: "So you know how to worry now. Who was it that comforted me just now, saying that children need more sleep to nourish their brains and become smart in the future?"
He tried to reason with her, but she was wrong! She had already checked Fanfan several times and there was nothing wrong with him. She wasn't worried at all; it was this old man who was worrying unnecessarily, but he didn't want to admit that he was worried and insisted that she was the one who was worried.
Bah! She's been led astray by Lao Zhu. It's like she's playing a tongue twister with herself. She's not worried at all. Fanfan is just sleepy. She woke up twice to drink milk powder, but fell asleep quickly. She's probably having her sleep schedule reversed. Tonight is going to be tough.
Zhu Jiabao was in the wrong; he was the one who instigated Fanfan to farm. He still explained, "I trust your medical skills. With you here, Fanfan will be fine."
Liu Yumin gave another haughty snort: "I'm going upstairs to study alchemy. You keep an eye on Fanfan."
Old Zhu knew that Fanfan had slept all day and was extremely worried. She kept grumbling, which angered her master. She was afraid that he would have a fit of madness tonight and simply not come. So she had to figure it out herself.
After his wife left, Zhu Jiabao said, "Fanfan, let's do things within our capabilities and not overexert ourselves. If we can't grow it well, we won't plant it. You're still a child, so don't worry about it. We'll talk about it when you're older."
Fanfan's situation terrified him. He thought Fanfan had been attacked by a backlash. He didn't even know what he had done. He was so anxious that he really wanted to have a good talk with his master, but his master didn't come today, saying that there were guests at home.
They must be just trying to appease him. What relatives of the Xu family doesn't he know? The Xu family is the only one left in the capital; they've long since lost contact with the other relatives.
Zhu Fanfan shook her head. She didn't think she was being stubborn. She really enjoyed farming. She couldn't wake up today because she was exhausted; she was just sleepy. She didn't feel any discomfort.
Zhu Jiabao sighed: "Fanfan, you're still a child. Grandpa was just joking when he told you to grow crops, so don't take it seriously."
Today he heard the news that Chinese characters are going to be simplified, which reminded him of the words Fanfan wrote in his palm, and it made him think of some things.
Could Fanfan be from the future? What is the future like? Will Zhu Jiabao have a name in history? He thought about it all day and his heart was itching with anxiety, but Fanfan and he couldn't communicate at all.
Simplified Chinese characters are still being improved. Whether in ancient times or during the era of warlord control, the poor were always excluded from going to school and learning to read. The leaders wanted to popularize culture and wanted everyone in the country to be literate, so that there would be no illiterate people in the world.
Many of the older comrades who participated in the revolution were illiterate. Getting them to learn to read was harder than going to the battlefield. Holding a pen felt like holding a grenade with a drawn string; they were just about to throw it away and run away.
The characters are indeed cumbersome. If you encounter a character with many strokes, you can waste half a day writing it. Therefore, the top leader decided to simplify Chinese characters so that they are easy to remember, easy to write, and easy to learn.
Zhu Fanfan nodded. Anyway, she couldn't speak now. How did she end up dressed as a child? It was too troublesome to not even be able to speak.
After Grandma came down from the second floor that evening, Zhu Fanfan still felt very energetic and couldn't fall asleep, so she started to tossing and turning. Zhu Jiabao had no choice but to surrender: "Grandpa, let's go to sleep! Your grandpa has to go to work tomorrow!"
Liu Yumin said with a laugh, "You, a commander, are so unruly. You call the child 'my darling' one minute and 'my ancestor' the next. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at for acting like this in the army?"
Zhu Jiabao said confidently, "I was very dignified when I was in the army. I can only be my true self in front of you two. Fanfan is my precious baby. He will take care of me in my old age and even sweep my grave. I have to treat him like an ancestor."
Liu Yumin didn't want to argue with him. To outsiders, he was always serious and strict about rules, which made him seem intimidating, but at home he was a scoundrel.
Zhu Jiabao continued, "The rest of the Zhu family won't be coming back this year. It's like they all made a pact to call me today to wish me a Happy New Year. There are still several days until the New Year. Why don't they just wish me a Happy New Year for next year at the same time!"
In the end, Zhu Jiabao felt a little aggrieved. Back then, the entire Zhu family, regardless of age or gender, participated in the revolution. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many places needed manpower. Because the Zhu family members were good at training, they were scattered in various places to strengthen the army. He was the only one left in his generation. As he got older, he wanted some liveliness and thought that his children would come back. He wanted to introduce Fanfan to them and ask them to take care of him in the future.
Liu Yumin also sighed, "The New Year is here in the blink of an eye. It feels like last year's New Year was just yesterday. I don't know if my family will be able to reunite again in the future."
The country has only been established for a few years, but some families have already risen to prominence in the capital. Although they are very secretive, she is quite sensitive to the fact that Chinese people are instinctively sticking together. What is more trustworthy than a family member?
When fighting the Japanese invaders, we were able to unite as one to fight the enemy. Now that it's peaceful, the whole family can fight against outsiders together. Chinese people are warlike at heart, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Zhu Jiabao, however, thought his wife was homesick and tentatively asked, "How about we go visit the Liu family on the second day of the Lunar New Year?"
Liu Yumin sneered: "No need, they'd rather I never show up again."
Zhu Jiabao fell silent. He knew the Liu family's situation was somewhat complicated. Both of them were silent, which made Zhu Fanfan want to ask what had happened. She wanted to hear it and asked her to be mindful of her gossipy nature.
However, seeing that Zhu Fanfan wasn't making a fuss, Liu Yumin hugged her and turned off the light to sleep. Zhu Fanfan was thus enveloped in darkness, but she wasn't sleepy yet. Thinking that her grandparents had to work the next day, she couldn't disturb them, so she could only go play in her own space.
The next day was the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. Zhu Jiabao was given a holiday and came to the hospital with Liu Yumin to decorate. They had already submitted an application, and the hospital agreed to let Zhao Tiezhu and Miao Yang spend the New Year in the same ward and allowed them to decorate as they pleased, but they had to restore it to its original state after the New Year.
To celebrate the occasion, Liu Yumin even bought several large sheets of red paper to cut out the character "福" (fortune/blessing).
With scissors, paper, and even glue all prepared, Zhu Jiabao suddenly asked, "Wife, do you know how to cut out the character '福' (fortune)?"
Liu Yumin: ...
"Even if I lose, I won't lose face," Liu Yumin said. "Isn't that simple?"
She'd seen others cut their hair before, so how difficult could it be? She went up and started cutting away.
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