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This was the first time Old Wu had mentioned his inner turmoil in front of her. To Wang Qian, it seemed perfectly normal for a person who had fought all his life to have such thoughts. At this moment, it wasn’t just Old Wu who couldn’t come to terms with it; many people who had suffered losses due to the enemy probably felt the same way. It’s just that no one talked about it.
She tightly held the old man’s hand, trying to convey her warmth to him. “Grandpa Wu, everything will pass. With time, perhaps your confusion will be resolved.”
When Zuo Zhanshan returned with the wild chicken and the snake, Zhang Lan was startled, and even Wang Zhenhe was somewhat at a loss. People from the north rarely eat snake meat, and everyone still had some fear and awe of this creature.
When the elderly men, Old Chen and Old Cui, saw the snake, they were almost drooling. “Old Zuo, you’ve really outdone yourself. You hand over this snake to us to handle. Our niece is from the north. Hehe, we’ll take care of it. We’ll prepare a delicious snake soup for lunch.”
Since someone was willing to handle this, Zhang Lan and the others were more than happy to oblige. “Uncle Chen, Uncle Cui, I’ll leave this snake to you. To be honest, I’m really afraid to handle this thing.”
“Zhenhe, you and Old Zhou come with me to the mountain. We’ve picked a lot of frozen fruits today. Go and get some baskets. Qianqian and your Uncle Wu are watching over them on the mountain,” Zuo Zhan Shan instructed.
The old and the young stood quietly, waiting for Zuo Zhanshan to return with the baskets. When he arrived, he didn’t even want to disturb the tranquility of the scene.
However, the grandfather and the young one still heard the commotion. Wang Zhenhe was surprised to see the pile of things on the ground. He hadn’t realized that there were still such things on the mountain. “Uncle Wu, these frozen pears are delicious. They’re a bit sour, but still good as a snack.”
Wang Zhenhe had eaten them before, so he was particularly delighted to see these items. They all worked together to bring the harvested fruits back to the house and stored them in the warehouse to keep them frozen. Old Wu took a basin and filled it with half of the frozen fruits, soaking them in clear water to be eaten after dinner.
At lunchtime, when Mingcheng and the others returned, the meal was already prepared. When the snake soup was served, Wang Qian and Zhang Lan didn’t touch their chopsticks, but Mingcheng and the others, who were hungry from playing, eagerly drank the soup. When the braised snake meat was served, they also didn’t hesitate to eat it, showing a satisfied expression.
Wang Qian and Wang Zhenhe just continued and watched, and Zuo He, who was observant might have felt something was wrong after eating it.
“Aunt, Where did the ribs come from? It’s so delicious.”
Old Wu ate a piece of snake meat and said with a smile, “Zuo He, what kind of ribs are these? This is snake meat. It’s delicious. Your grandfather caught it.” “
When Mingcheng, Mingyuan and Wang Xuan heard this, they didn’t know whether to spit or swallow, especially since Wang Xuan was also afraid of snakes.
”Sister, it’s okay. Snake meat is very nourishing. If they didn’t tell you, you’ll probably never know. Doesn’t it taste pretty good.” Zuo He reacted when he heard that it was snake meat . To everyone’s expectation, apart from being a little shocked at first, he now has a calm expression and is slowly chewing the snake meat, with a very satisfied expression on his face from time to time.
After finding out, Mingcheng and the others didn’t touch the snake meat again, but the other elderly men had no reservations and enjoyed the meal. Even Hao Lianchun joined in.
“Zhenhe, don’t just watch. Try it. It’s delicious and very nutritious, especially at your age. Eating more will be good for your health,” Wu Changyong encouraged him. At first hesitant, Wang Zhenhe finally tried a piece and found it surprisingly delicious. “It’s really good. I never thought snake, which looks so unappetizing, could taste so good. Wife, why don’t you try it?”
Zhang Lan refused to eat it. She had a natural fear of snakes, and even though it had become meat on the table, she couldn’t suppress her aversion. In the end, only Wang Qian and Zhang Lan didn’t eat any, and even Wang Xuan couldn’t resist and continued eating.
After lunch, Old Wu brought a basin of soaked frozen fruits to the kang. “Come, everyone, come and taste this. This is the famous frozen pear from the northeast. It’s not something you can have every day. Enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
Chen Minghai was the first to pick up a pear and took a bite. “Delicious and refreshing. If you have a fever or are feeling unwell, eating this will definitely cool you down.”
Mingcheng and the others regretted going out to play in the morning after learning that the frozen fruits were picked from the orchard. They wished they could have helped.
In the afternoon, the family busied themselves with cleaning. It was a tradition in the northeast not to wash clothes or sew during the New Year, so Zhang Lan and Hao Lianchun made sure to clean the house thoroughly.
The remaining family members helped with cleaning the windows. Even the neighbor, Liu Hui, admired the large number of people helping out. “Auntie, your family is really something. I envy you for having so many people helping out. I wish I had that many people helping me.”
Liu Hui was cleaning the windows alone, with her eldest daughter helping inside. The others were still young and causing trouble.
The two families lived next to each other, and Zhang Lan and Liu Hui could see each other clearly. “Hehe, envy us, do you? Next year, invite all of us over for a meal, and we’ll make sure to clean your windows until they shine,” Zhang Lan teased.
In the afternoon, Wang Zhenhe and his older brother went to pay the elderly care fees, but when they returned, they didn’t look too good.
Zhang Lan could tell that something was wrong just by looking at her husband’s expression. “What’s wrong? Did your mother upset you again?”
Wang Zhenhe shook his head. “No, she didn’t say anything this time, but it’s just that she’s the only one working at home. The two younger ones were even arguing while cleaning the windows. I don’t know why I have such irresponsible siblings.”
Wang Qian, who was cleaning the window frames inside, couldn’t help but speak up when she heard her father’s complaints. “Dad, why worry about it? Grandpa and Grandma didn’t say anything. Money can’t buy willingness. What can you do?”
“Yeah, Zhenhe, don’t worry about it. They still have the elderly at home. Even if you want to discipline them, they won’t listen to you. Why bother getting upset? Just live your life well,” Wu Changyong advised.
Wu Changyong also looked down on the two younger members of the Wang family. They lacked manners and didn’t seem to have been raised with the same upbringing as Wang Zhenhe. It was really unacceptable.
At that moment, a familiar bicycle bell rang outside. Dressed in green, Xiao Bai had arrived at their doorstep again.
“Wang Zhenhe, do you have someone named Zhou Yonglian and Chen Minghai? I have a package for them.”
Old Chen and Old Zhou, who were helping clean the windows, were stunned. They never expected to receive a package at this time. They dropped the cloths and rushed out, looking nothing like elderly people.
The two men received their packages directly, and from the outside, they didn’t seem very large. However, the two elderly gentlemen were very satisfied, knowing that someone was still thinking of them.
Back inside, they eagerly opened the packages. Old Zhou’s package was sent by his wife and contained a new set of clothes. There was nothing else inside.
Surprisingly, Old Chen’s package was sent by his teenage grandson. It contained a set of underwear, a bag of candy, and a letter.
Old Chen eagerly opened the letter, but upon reading its contents, tears streamed down his face. It turned out that his wife had passed away, and even his current address was found by his grandson. The items sent to him were purchased by his eldest grandson using his saved pocket money. In the letter, his grandson expressed his intention to save more money to buy more things for him.
The other elderly men, not understanding the situation, hurried inside to see what was happening. However, when they read the contents of the letter, they couldn’t help shedding tears for Old Chen. His wife had passed away not long after he was taken away, and no one had informed him. If his grandson hadn’t seen the letter he had written back, he might have remained in the dark for the rest of his life.
“Old Chen, please accept our condolences. But you have a good grandson. You should be happy to have such a grandson,” Zuo Zhanshan comforted his old friend, hoping that letting Old Chen cry might help him feel a little better.
After hearing the general situation from the elderly men, Zhang Lan and Wang Zhenhe decided to help. “Zhenhe, go to the cooperative store and buy some paper money and gold ingots. We’ll help Old Chen burn some paper money and gold ingots for his wife.”
“Zhenhe, count us in as well. We, the old brothers, will also contribute,” the elderly men said, handing money to Wang Zhenhe.
The rest of the arrangements were left to Wang Zhenhe. Mingyuan and Zuo He stayed quietly by the old man’s side, while Wang Qian poured a cup of hot water and placed it in front of the old man.
“Grandpa Chen, the departed have passed, and the living must continue. I believe Grandma is watching over you from heaven. So, for Grandma’s sake, you must live well. You have us, and you also have your grandson far away. Even for his sake, you must stay strong. Grandma in heaven would be happy to see that,” Wang Qian said. She could only say so much. It was natural to feel pain when losing someone so close, but it was important to live well after the pain. This was the greatest wish of the departed.
“Girl, I’m fine. Your Grandma Chen and I have been together for so many years. She didn’t enjoy much happiness, and I even misunderstood her at first. I’m sad about that. You haven’t met your Grandma Chen, she was a good woman,” the old man said, reminiscing about his wife. Everyone sat quietly, listening to him. Some things needed to be expressed, and recalling the moments with his wife was Old Chen’s way of cherishing her memory.
Wang Zhenhe quickly returned with the items. Everyone in the room silently burned the paper money and gold ingots, including the siblings.