The phone was ringing very loudly, so Zhu Fanfan naturally heard it. Without Yan Xiaoxiao holding her, she ran over and sweetly said into the phone, "Grandma, it's Fanfan. I missed you so much."
Zhu Fanfan didn't feel anything special when she didn't see her grandma usually, but when she heard her grandma's voice, she couldn't help but feel wronged, and tears kept falling down her face, which made Lin Damei feel heartbroken.
Liu Yumin's voice sounded anxious: "I've arrived at the location. The situation is quite urgent, and we must race against time to treat the injured. I might not have time to call you later, so I'm letting you know I'm safe now. We adults are fine; it's the children who were injured. You don't need to worry at home."
Zhu Fanfan wanted to speak but didn't know what to say, so she could only listen with a pitiful expression, like a homeless child. Lin Damei and Yan Xiaoxiao wished they could bring the train over for Zhu Fanfan right now so she could go find her grandmother.
Liu Yumin was still talking: "Fanfan, why are you at home now? Where is your grandfather?"
Zhu Fanfan answered honestly, "Grandpa is busy in the army, so I've been with Grandma Damei and Aunt Xiaoxiao these past few days."
Liu Yumin on the other end was finally relieved: "Good girl, let your Grandma Mei answer the phone."
Lin Damei quickly replied, "Sister-in-law Yumin, I'm right here! What do you want to say?"
Liu Yumin instructed, "I'll be busy for a while, and I don't know if I'll be able to go back before the New Year. The only person I can trouble is you. Please take good care of Fanfan for me. Even after Lao Zhu finishes his work, please give the child to my master and don't hand him over to Lao Zhu. He does nothing but make the child cry. I'm not comfortable leaving the child with him anyway."
Lin Damei was encouraged: "Sister-in-law Yumin, don't worry. If it weren't for seeing Lao Zhu all alone at home, I wouldn't want Fanfan to stay with him at night. I take care of Fanfan from morning till night, and even when I'm resting, I don't let Lao Zhu take care of the child."
Liu Yumin breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'm relieved. I need to get back to work now, and I'll call home when I have some free time."
Lin Damei said, "Fanfan has been staying at your own home these days. There are always people here. You can just call this number if you need anything."
Zhu Fanfan said with a pitiful look, "Grandma, you have to take good care of yourself. When Fanfan sees Grandma again, she wants a fair and chubby grandma."
The person on the other end laughed out loud: "Don't worry, Grandma will take good care of herself. When Grandma comes back, she will also take care of Fanfan. She will do what she can and won't make things difficult for herself. There are so many doctors here! Everyone takes turns."
After Grandma hung up the phone, Fanfan was listless, and tears fell silently down her face. She missed her grandma.
Lin Da and Yan Xiaoxiao panicked and kept trying to comfort her, but the more they tried to persuade Zhu Fanfan, the harder she cried. Then she couldn't stop crying anymore. When the mother and daughter-in-law saw this, they also remembered their sad memories and started crying loudly as well. For a moment, the room was filled with the sound of women crying, which scared Ming Laosan so much that he fell silent and sat there motionless, unusually quiet and withdrawn.
When Zhu Fanfan stopped, they still hadn't stopped. Zhu Fanfan felt exhausted, couldn't help but yawn, and fell asleep immediately. No one told her that crying out loud would make her sleepy.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stopped laughing at each other's embarrassing moments, they couldn't help but laugh again. After laughing, Lin Damei suddenly sighed, "It feels much better to cry it out."
The burden that had weighed on her heart for so many years was finally lifted. She kept her promise, but she lost herself and almost killed her son. This cry seemed to send away her former self, and she felt a new beginning in her old age.
Yan Xiaoxiao echoed, "It's like all the grievances I've held over the years have vanished."
She was neglected at home from a young age, and when she joined the revolution, people said it was because she could get enough to eat. After joining the army, she experienced many hardships and wanderings. Although it was tough, it was fulfilling. Later, she met Yunshu, who gave her a home and made her heart settle down.
However, she didn't fit in with the Ming family. Her father and eldest brother and his wife were educated people, and she couldn't understand what they were saying. Although she later learned to read, it was really harder to handle a pen than a shovel. She could recognize a few characters, but she didn't know what they meant. It wasn't that she wanted to learn, but that she simply couldn't learn them.
She knew that her father and his family looked down on her, thinking she was a country girl, illiterate, rude, and too blunt. Even though Yunshu kept telling her that she was the best and no worse than anyone else, it still couldn't stop her from feeling inferior when she saw her father and his family.
They had a fight that day, and she felt sorry for Yunshu. When she looked directly at her father and the others, she no longer seemed afraid. She cried today and suddenly felt confident that she could fight them if they dared to come. She wouldn't be afraid of them in the future. She may not be educated, but she understands reason.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law smiled at each other, seeing the relief in each other's eyes; everything was understood without words.
Time passed slowly, and life returned to normal. Everyone seemed to have gotten used to this kind of life. During the day, Lin Damei would take Zhu Fanfan to chat with her old friends, sometimes discussing whose cooking was better, trying the flavors together, and learning how to cook. In the evening, Zhu Jiabao would come home and take over Zhu Fanfan's care, and the cycle would repeat itself.
Because Yan Xiaoxiao was here, Ming Yunshu was worried that she couldn't take care of the children, so he would come to pick up the mother and her four children every night. Ming Yunshu's two children were attending primary school and daycare in the military compound and had lunch at the Zhu family's house.
The children, having been instructed by their father, did not misbehave. Even at the Zhu family home, they only stayed in the living room, yard, and exercise room, showing a great sense of propriety, which greatly increased Zhu Fanfan's goodwill towards them.
The only downside is that Ming Yunshan seems to have come to his senses. Every now and then, he would bring Ye Shuhua over to apologize and beg for forgiveness, bringing many gifts as an apology. He would come back even if she chased him away once.
Lin Damei naturally didn't give him a friendly look and kept trying to get rid of him. In the end, he had no choice but to stay at the Zhu family's house every day. Ming Yunshan knew that the Zhu family didn't like him, so even when Zhu Jiabao wasn't home, he didn't dare to stay any longer.
Ming Zhengyang reflected on himself and felt that he had neglected Yunming and Yunshu and was sorry for him. He wanted to ease the tension between them, so he would stay at the Zhu family home for a while after work, wanting to chat with him and make amends. However, he was ignored by Ming Yunshu every time.
In Ming Yunshu's words, what has he been doing for the past twenty years? He wasn't there when he was most vulnerable and needed protection. Instead, he helped suppress the murderer who hurt him. He finally made it through and gained the ability to be self-reliant. His appearance has become meaningless.
Time flies by, and before we knew it, winter was here. Another year was about to pass. That day, Zhu Jiabao received a phone call.
After hanging up, I looked at my granddaughter with a very complicated expression and a solemn look in my eyes. I didn't know what to say to her.
Zhu Fanfan's heart skipped a beat when she saw her grandfather's expression. Was this old man planning to trick her again?
Zhu Jiabao smiled and said, "Fanfan, Grandpa wants to talk to you about something."
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