Chapter 22: Dongdong’s Big Move (Part 2)

“Mingyang… Mingyang, are you okay?” The first to enter was Grandma Xu, her expression full of worry and sweat on her forehead. She had run all the way. When she heard her grandson was on the ground crying in pain, she was terrified. In her mind, if a child was crying on the ground in pain after being beaten, how badly must he have been hurt?

But when she saw her grandson standing there, not out of breath or flushed, and with no visible injuries or tears in his eyes, she was confused. Didn’t the children say that her grandson was crying on the ground, saying he had been beaten?

“Grandma, I’m fine. I’m totally fine.” Afraid his grandma would take him to the hospital, Xu Mingyang quickly said. His grandma loved to send him to the hospital. Even a runny nose meant a trip to the hospital and a shot. But what child doesn’t have a runny nose? Just sniffle it back in.

Seeing that he really seemed fine, Grandma Xu finally relaxed and looked at the teacher. “Teacher, how did my grandson get into a fight with other kids and still be okay?” Since the boy looked fine, her tone wasn’t as anxious anymore.

The teacher had interacted with many families before and knew that Grandma Xu wasn’t unreasonable. She immediately began explaining, “I haven’t had time to ask what exactly happened. When I came in, I saw Ji Dong and Qin Jiadong pressing Xu Mingyang on the ground. But some children said it was Xu Mingyang who first insulted Ji Dong’s grandma, dad, and mom, and then started the fight.”

Grandma Xu immediately became worried upon hearing that her grandson had acted before speaking. Ji Dong was a well-known child in the family compound, especially since he was the adopted grandson of the Qin family, and they raised him very well. Even after the real grandson of the Qin family returned, it did not affect how much the Qin family cherished Ji Dong.

Although the Xu family lived far from the Qin family and did not usually interact, the family compound was only so big. Grandma Xu was well aware of Ji Dong’s situation. Ji Dong’s father had sacrificed himself to save Third Brother Qin, Ji Dong’s mother had never appeared, and his grandmother had suffered a stroke and entrusted Ji Dong to Third Brother Qin.

This was one of the old courtyards in the capital. Most of the elderly people living here had fought on the battlefield with guns and knives. To be able to live here meant their achievements had been earned through combat. But many of these people were not like the Qin family. The Qin family did not come from humble beginnings but were from a powerful and influential family with strong connections.

Thinking of this, Grandma Xu, like many parents, understood how to avoid trouble. She did not blindly protect her grandson and instead asked, “Mingyang, is what the teacher said true?”

Xu Mingyang pouted but did not deny it. He was a good child who did not lie. It was indeed true that he had spoken first and acted first. But Xu Mingyang defended himself, saying, “But I didn’t lie. Ji Dong’s grandma is a liar. Ji Dong’s dad died. Ji Dong’s mom ran away and didn’t want him. I heard you and Mom talking about it.”

Grandma Xu was startled by her grandson’s words, and her heart tightened. How had the private conversation she had with her daughter-in-law been overheard by her grandson? But she never said that Mother Qin was a liar.

Before Grandma Xu could say anything, Dongdong’s eyes were already red with anger. “Your grandma is a liar. My grandma is not. My dad isn’t dead. He’s out fighting bad people. My mom didn’t run away and didn’t abandon me. She’s sick and in the hospital. Wuwuwu…” Dongdong said as he cried loudly, “You’re a grown-up. How can you lie? Wuwuwu… you’re a bad grown-up…”

Dongdong could bravely fight when facing another kid like Xu Mingyang, but when facing an adult like Grandma Xu, he felt so wronged. How could a grown-up talk like that? Wuwuwu…

Dongdong’s crying grew louder and louder.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry, I…” Before Grandma Xu could finish speaking, she was pulled aside by a figure who had rushed in.

It was Aunt Zhang. She had heard Dongdong crying and thought Grandma Xu was bullying him. She quickly pulled Grandma Xu away and held Dongdong in her arms. “Dongdong, be good, don’t cry, don’t cry…”

“Grandma Zhang…” Seeing someone familiar, Dongdong cried even harder. “Grandma Zhang, they’re all bad people. Xu Mingyang is a bad person. Xu Mingyang’s grandma is also a bad person. They said my grandma is a liar. They said my dad is dead. They said my mom ran away and didn’t want me. Wuwuwu… wuwuwu…”

Seeing his younger brother cry made Qin Jiadong feel upset too. He tugged at his brother’s clothes, and tears welled up in his eyes as well.

Aunt Zhang was truly furious. She gently patted Dongdong’s back. “Dongdong, be good. Your grandma is not a liar. Your dad is not dead. Your mom is in the hospital, and you know that, right? So she didn’t abandon you. They love you the most. Your dad sends you milk powder every month. If he were dead, how could he still send you milk powder? Isn’t that right?”

“Mm.” Hearing Grandma Zhang’s reassurance, Dongdong cried more quietly. His grandma wasn’t a liar. His dad wasn’t dead. His mom certainly hadn’t stopped loving him. The aunties in the hospital also said that his mom loved him the most.

Seeing Dongdong no longer crying as loudly, Aunt Zhang sighed in relief. After comforting him for a bit longer until he stopped crying, she then asked the teacher, “Teacher, what’s going on here? And this child and this adult, why would you say such things? Since when has our Sister Qi been a liar? When did our Qin Zhan die? As for Dongdong’s mother, she’s sick and in the hospital. The one treating her is the famous Professor Yang. How did she become someone who ran away and abandoned her child in your words?”

Aunt Zhang was no soft and weak woman. With the backing of Mother Qin, and being a military wife herself, she was educated and not someone to be easily bullied.

Grandma Xu truly felt wronged. “I didn’t say Madam Qin is a liar.” She explained for herself.

But Xu Mingyang contradicted her. “Dongdong said his grandma told him the milk powder was sent by his dad. But his dad is dead, so it’s impossible for him to send milk powder. So his grandma lied to him.”

A five-year-old child already had a basic understanding of what “death” meant.

“Your dad is the one who’s dead.” No longer crying, Dongdong raised his little voice. With Grandma Zhang around, he had confidence.

“Mingyang…” Grandma Xu called out to him. She knew the two children weren’t even talking about the same person. They were referring to Ji Dong’s biological father, but the “dad” in Ji Dong’s words referred to Third Brother Qin. It seemed the child didn’t yet know his real background.

But that made sense. He was only four or five years old. How could he understand clearly?

Grandma Xu thought that no one was really at fault here. Ji Dong wasn’t wrong either. The two sides were just talking about different things. But gossiping behind people’s backs and getting exposed by her grandson was indeed embarrassing. Everyone gossiped, but it shouldn’t be exposed in front of others.

Grandma Xu took a deep breath, dropped her pride, and explained to her grandson, “Mingyang, Grandma didn’t get it right. Ji Dong’s dad is not dead. His grandma is not a liar. His mom didn’t run away.”

As for Ji Dong’s mother, it had only been a guess between her and her daughter-in-law. In their opinion, if Ji Dong’s mother hadn’t run away, how could she have handed the child over to the Qin family? That’s why they had privately speculated. It was just…

Grandma Xu regretted not being careful about her surroundings when she spoke. But it was at home, who would’ve thought Mingyang was listening?

Xu Mingyang opened his eyes wide. He didn’t expect his grandma to be the one who was wrong. His mouth opened in shock. He couldn’t believe it. How could his grandma lie?

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Finally, Xu Mingyang squeezed out the words, then ran out. He hadn’t admitted fault when he was tickled, nor when he was exhausted from playing, but hearing his own grandma say it, he admitted fault.

Xu Mingyang felt utterly humiliated. It turned out that the one who lied was his own grandma. He had lost so much face. He didn’t want to come to the kindergarten anymore.

Just as he ran out, he saw his mom rushing over with his little brother in her arms. He suddenly remembered something and ran back into the classroom, loudly asking Grandma Xu, “Grandma, can big kids also drink milk? Ji Dong said big kids can drink milk to grow tall. His dad sends him milk powder. Big kids can drink milk too, right?” He wasn’t a little kid anymore, not that easy to fool.

Before Grandma Xu could answer, Dongdong spoke up, “Of course they can. I drink it every day. My brother drank it too. My sister drank it too. My grandma never lies.”

Unlike Dongdong, who drank milk every day, Qin Jiadong and Qin Wenjing only drank it occasionally. Qin Zhan could get milk powder coupons and send two cans a month. But Qin Shun couldn’t get milk powder coupons every month. Even when he did, with two kids to raise, he couldn’t afford to let each of them drink daily, so they only drank twice a week.

Even so, Qin Wenjing and Qin Jiadong were very content.

In this matter, Mother Qin didn’t intervene. She bought a children’s tricycle for Dongdong and could buy one for Qin Jiadong too. She treated both grandsons equally. But the milk powder was provided by their own fathers, so she didn’t get involved.

Dongdong sometimes shared his milk powder with his older brother and sister, but he mostly drank it himself. It was sent by his father, and he was reluctant to give too much away.

Perhaps it was the idea that “distance makes the heart grow fonder.” The father he had never met seemed especially cherished in Dongdong’s eyes. So everything his father gave him was very precious to him.

He treasured the milk powder from his dad. He treasured the little bed his dad used to sleep in, which he now slept in himself. He treasured the rattle toy his dad used to play with, now stored in his little box for his own play.

Dongdong had collected many of his dad’s belongings. But the one he treasured the most was his dad’s photo. Mother Qin had made a photo frame for him and placed it by his bedside. Dongdong looked at it several times a day.

He looked at it when he woke up in the morning and looked at it again before going to sleep at night.

After hearing Ji Dong’s reply, Xu Mingyang realized his mom had also lied to him. He cried in anger and said to his mom nearby, “You’re all liars. You won’t give me milk. I hate you all.” Then he stormed off, even running out of the kindergarten.

And just like that, the whole thing came to an end, leaving the teacher both amused and speechless.

When Mother Qin came home from work, Aunt Zhang told her everything. Others might find it amusing, but Mother Qin felt a little heartbroken hearing it.

Especially during dinner, when Qin Jiadong and Qin Wenjing called Qin Shun “dad,” Dongdong suddenly asked, “Grandma, other people’s dads can come home every day. Can my dad come home every day too?”

Mother Qin gave Dongdong a chopstick full of green vegetables and comforted him, “Dongdong, your dad went to fight bad guys. He can’t come home every day.”

Dongdong pouted, “Don’t other people’s dads fight bad guys?”

Mother Qin didn’t know how to answer that.

Father Qin said, “Your uncle is going to fight bad guys tomorrow too. Starting tomorrow, he won’t be coming back either.”

Qin Shun: “…” The saying that grandparents favor grandchildren is definitely true. He had now personally confirmed it.

“Huh?” Dongdong looked at Qin Shun.

“Dad, are you really going to fight bad guys too?” Qin Jiadong looked at Qin Shun. But since his dad came home every day, in Qin Jiadong’s mind, his dad going out to fight bad guys and not coming home didn’t mean much. Seeing him every day made him less special.

“Like before, when you didn’t come back for a few days?” Qin Wenjing remembered that back in the county, when Dad was busy with work, he sometimes didn’t come back for a few days. At that time, Mom would take them to Grandma’s house.

Thinking of her mom, Qin Wenjing wasn’t as sad as before. This place was much better than her home with her mom. There was Grandma Zhang, who cooked delicious food, a grandma who bought them pretty clothes, and a little brother who played with them. Qin Wenjing was now very content.

Qin Shun, who didn’t want to go catch bad guys and not come home, was forced to nod under the watchful eyes of the whole family. “Yes, Dad is going to catch bad guys. He won’t be home for a few days. You must listen to Grandma at home, understand?”

Qin Jiadong: “Got it, Dad.”

Qin Wenjing: “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll take good care of little brother and listen to Grandma. You must eat well while you’re out too.”

Qin Shun was very moved when he heard this. His daughter really was better; she cared about him. Look at his son…

His son Qin Jiadong was already excitedly telling his younger brother, “Dongdong, my dad is going to catch bad guys too. Now our dads are the same.”

“Mm.” Dongdong nodded. But he wasn’t that happy. He would rather Dad not go catch bad guys and come home every day.

At night

Mother Qin had just returned to her room after bathing. As she reached the door, she heard a series of soft sobs coming from inside. Her heart tightened, and she hurried in, thinking something had happened to Dongdong. But when she got in, she saw a bulge on Dongdong’s little bed. The crying came from inside the bulge.

Father Qin was not in the room. Dongdong was crying alone. No one knew how long he had been crying. Mother Qin rushed over and gently patted the bulge. “Dongdong, what’s wrong?”

The bulge moved slightly under the blanket. Then the crying stopped, and there was no more movement. He was pretending to be asleep.

Mother Qin was helpless. She lifted the blanket. If he stayed under there any longer, she was worried he’d get a heat rash.

When the blanket was lifted, their eyes met. Inside the bulge, his eyes were full of tears. His face was covered in tear stains. Both cheeks were red from the heat under the blanket. In his little hand, he was still holding a picture frame. It was obvious what had happened.

As a big boy, crying and getting caught by Grandma made Dongdong feel a bit embarrassed. He decided to save a bit of face and said, “Grandma, there was a little bug under the blanket. It crawled into Dongdong’s eyes and made them hurt. That’s why they teared up.”

Mother Qin: “… Yes, yes, yes, it’s the bad little bug’s fault.” She held Dongdong in her arms. “Come, Grandma will tell you a story about the little bug today.”

…

Qin Zhan applied for family leave that very day. In the compound, Dongdong and his brother happily went to school. As soon as they entered the classroom, they were called by Xu Mingyang. “Ji Dong, did you drink milk today?”

Xu Mingyang, who had felt embarrassed and didn’t want to come to school yesterday, came again today.

Dongdong, who had heard Xu Mingyang say sorry yesterday, was no longer mad. “Yes, I drank it at home.”

“I drank milk today too. My mom said she will let me drink milk every day from now on. I want to grow taller and fatter than you.” Xu Mingyang declared his great ambition.

Worried the kids might fight again, the teacher, who had arrived early, heard this and felt that Xu Mingyang might have had too much milk today.