Chapter 56

“Here, noodles are ready, and there’s canned meat too. Chaoyang, eat more, you’ve lost weight.”

Zhang Chaoyang looked down at himself. He didn’t think he had lost any weight.

Every time he came back, his grandmother thought he had lost weight.

“Grandma, please ask Aunt Wang about Xu. When is she free to meet? I want to see her as soon as possible.”

“What’s the matter? Are you in a hurry? Afraid Xu will be snatched away?”

Grandma Qian rarely had the chance to tease her grandson. She was very amused.

“Of course, you said so many good things about Xu. Your grandson isn’t stupid. How could he not be in a hurry?”

“Alright, I’ll call Aunt Wang later. Go visit your parents and your grandfather tonight.”

“Yes, I know. I’ll go see my grandfather tonight and then my parents. They’re both quite busy during the day, so I’ll just go say hello.”

Zhang Chaoyang’s relationship with his parents was ordinary. He had grown up with his grandmother.

For a while, he hadn’t seen his parents for two or three years.

His father was also a soldier. His mother, along with his brother and sisters, followed his father around the country, sometimes only returning to Beijing once every few years.

“Alright, do as you please.”

Grandma Qian wouldn’t interfere with Chaoyang’s interactions with his grandfather. No matter what, his grandfather’s position in the army was still helpful to Chaoyang’s development, although not significantly.

After spending a long time in the army, Zhang Chaoyang ate very quickly.

He was injured in his left hand, but it didn’t affect his eating speed.

“By the way, Chaoyang, did you come back by train? Did you bump your hand on the way? Should you go to the hospital?”

“Grandma, I got a ride with Grandpa Wang. They were coming to Beijing for a meeting and brought me back.”

“Old Wang is in Beijing. I wonder how long he’ll stay. I wonder if I can see him.

It’s been three or four years since we last saw each other.”

Grandma Qian mentioned her old friend and was in a good mood.

Back then, she had passed messages behind enemy lines and helped Old Wang and the others a lot.

After the war ended, they went their separate ways but stayed in touch.

This time, Chaoyang went south, and it was Old Wang who helped him, allowing him to keep it a secret from his grandfather and parents.

“I don’t know. My rank is still far from Grandpa Wang’s.

But if time allows, Grandpa Wang will definitely come to see you.”

Zhang Chaoyang’s promotion was based on his military achievements, but without Old Wang’s attention, he might not have been promoted so smoothly.

The army, although it’s about merit, is also made up of people.

Where there are people, there are unfair things. Everyone has selfish desires. Who wouldn’t want their children to have a good future?

For those whose children are capable, they just need to watch from the sidelines and prevent others from stealing their credit.

For those whose children are not capable, many become those who steal other people’s credit.

Because of Old Wang’s connections, Zhang Chaoyang’s achievements had never been stolen.

As for his grandfather’s identity, he hadn’t mentioned it. Besides the top few people, no one else knew.

“Don’t worry about Grandma’s things. Go to sleep quickly. Get some rest. You still have to go to the compound tonight to see your grandfather and parents.

I’ll contact Aunt Wang later and ask her to ask Xu when she’s free to meet.”

Grandma Qian urged Chaoyang to rest. His room was tidy, with clean bedding and everything he needed.

Zhang Chaoyang was full and a little sleepy. He listened to his grandmother and went to sleep.

In the living room, Grandma Qian couldn’t wait to call Wang Lan.

“Hello, Xiaolan, it’s your Aunt Qian.”

“I recognized your voice, Aunt Qian. What’s the good news? It sounds like you’re happy.”

“You can tell. I’m happy. Chaoyang is back. How could I not be happy?”

Grandma Qian couldn’t stop smiling. She rarely showed her emotions so openly.

“I was just thinking, who could make you so happy? I didn’t expect Chaoyang to be back. I’ve been so busy.”

“Xiaolan, find some time to ask Xu when she’s free to meet Chaoyang. I’m anxious about this.”

Phone calls were expensive, so Grandma Qian directly stated her purpose.

“I know, Aunt Qian. I’ll contact Xu right away. I’ll let you know when I have news.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for your news.”

Grandma Qian hung up the phone and went into the room to check her savings. If things went smoothly, maybe Chaoyang could get married before he returned to his unit.

Wang Lan hung up the phone and found Xu Di’s office number and dialed it.

After being transferred, she finally heard Xu Di’s voice.

“Aunt Wang, is that you?”

“It’s me. Did you guess?”

“Besides Aunt Wang, no one else calls me.”

Phones weren’t widespread at this time, and there were very few households with phones. Phone calls were also expensive.

Ordinary people wouldn’t make calls unless it was urgent. Few people could afford it.

“Xu Di, Chaoyang is back. He arrived today. I want to ask when you’re free. Aunt Wang will arrange for you two to meet.”

“Comrade Zhang is back? We should meet. Aunt Wang, I’m off work the day after tomorrow. How about the day after tomorrow?

I’ll also tell my parents. I haven’t had a chance to tell them about this yet.”

Xu Di didn’t expect Zhang Chaoyang to be back at this time. She thought they wouldn’t be able to meet for a while.

“Alright, the day after tomorrow morning, come to Aunt Wang’s house. We’ll meet at my place.”

“Okay, Aunt Wang, see you the day after tomorrow.”

After agreeing on a meeting time, Xu Di hung up the phone and thought about how to tell her parents about this tonight.

As for the blind date itself, Xu Di wasn’t excited, thrilled, or shy. She wasn’t looking for love in the first place.

Until she got on the bus, Xu Di decided to tell her parents the truth.

When she got home, Xu’s mother had already prepared dinner.

“Xu Di, Sister Yang from our canteen asked if you have a boyfriend today. She said she wanted to introduce someone to you. Do you want to take a look?

The New Year is over, and you’re nineteen. You can start looking for a partner. If there’s someone suitable, get to know them. What do you think?”

Xu Di didn’t expect anyone to introduce her to someone so soon after the New Year.

“Mom, Aunt Wang introduced someone to me before. We exchanged a few letters and thought it was okay.”

“Aunt Wang introduced someone to you? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It happened before the New Year. I thought it was okay at the time and wanted to correspond first. If we hit it off, I would tell you.

Later, before I could tell you, you received Big Sister’s letter about her getting married, and you’ve been in a bad mood, so I didn’t say anything.”

Xu Di wasn’t lying. Zhang Chaoyang’s second letter arrived around the same time they received Xu Mei’s letter.

“What does Aunt Wang’s introduction do? Is he not from Beijing?”

“He’s a soldier, from Beijing, but his unit is not in Beijing.”

Xu Di quickly told her mother about Zhang Chaoyang’s situation, telling the truth.

“His unit is in the south? That’s too far away. If you go with him, won’t you be away for years?”

Xu’s mother hadn’t considered her younger daughter marrying far away. Her eldest daughter was already so far away, and it was unavoidable.

She wanted her younger daughter to stay by her side. That way, if anything happened, they could help each other.

“Mom, I won’t go with him. Zhang Chaoyang’s rank isn’t high enough yet, and their conditions are tough. It’s not suitable for me to go with him.”

Xu Di thought about living a carefree life at home with her children in the future. How nice!

“If you don’t go with him, won’t you be separated? What if you have children in the future? You’ll be both a father and a mother, so tiring!”

Xu Di wanted to tell her mother her thoughts, but before she could speak, the others came home from work. The topic was dropped. They ate first, and they would talk later.

The two of them understood each other perfectly and didn’t say anything more. They ate first. They had been working all day and were hungry.