Chapter 58

On Xu Di’s side, the blind date was out in the open. Whether it would work out or not, whether she would agree or not, they would talk about it after they met the day after tomorrow.

What about Zhang Chaoyang?

After sleeping for a while and eating another meal of red-braised pork made by his grandmother, he finally got up when his grandmother felt he was truly full and went to visit his grandfather and the others.

As Zhang Chaoyang walked out of the house, he felt his belt was tight.

He couldn’t loosen his belt in public. It was easy to be mistaken for a hooligan and arrested.

He took the bus to the compound, a journey of half an hour, requiring a transfer.

By the time he arrived, they should have finished dinner.

He got off the bus and walked a few steps before reaching the military compound.

He registered at the gate and walked towards the general’s building where his grandfather lived.

His grandfather had left with the troops to fight the revolution when his father was just a few months old.

He had spent his life in the army, and what he had gained was worth it.

“Chaoyang is back. Your arm is injured. Are you okay?”

As Zhang Chaoyang entered the house, he ran into the housekeeper.

“I’m fine, just a minor injury. Thanks for your concern. Is my grandfather at home?”

“He’s at home. The commander is at home.”

Zhang Chaoyang nodded in thanks and walked towards the living room.

“Grandpa, I’m back.”

“When did you arrive? What happened to your arm?”

“I arrived today. My arm is fractured.”

Zhang Chaoyang looked at his grandfather sitting on the sofa. He was in good spirits, not like a seventy-year-old man.

Logically, his grandfather should have retired long ago. But for some reason, he and several other old men of the same age, although officially retired, still had some influence.

“Did you eat?”

“I did. Grandma made me red-braised pork.”

The two of them sat in the spacious living room without speaking. It was quiet, silent.

It was just after the New Year, and those who were supposed to leave had left. Those who couldn’t come back were still out playing and hadn’t returned yet.

“Call Zhang Peng and the others to come over. That way, Chaoyang won’t have to make another trip. His arm is injured.”

The old man gave the order, and the orderly quickly went to do it.

“Chaoyang is back. Did you eat?”

“Grandma Fang, I did.”

Zhang Chaoyang stood up and greeted Grandma Fang.

“Alright, you two chat. I’ll go to the study to check a medical record.”

“Go ahead. Zhang Peng and the others will be here soon.”

Grandpa Zhang and his wife waved their hands, with a hint of a smile on their faces.

Zhang Chaoyang suddenly thought of his grandmother. He knew this was something between the elders and he shouldn’t be bothered by it. But he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

“Chaoyang, when did you come back? Why didn’t you go home to see them?”

It was Zhang Chaoyang’s mother, Zhou Hong, a rather strong-willed woman.

“I came back today. I had hot soup noodles made by Grandma.”

Zhang Chaoyang didn’t directly say he had been home, but the meaning was clear.

Mentioning his mother-in-law, Zhou Hong was like a balloon that had been deflated. She immediately deflated.

“Chaoyang, you’re injured. How are you? Is it serious?”

Zhang’s father was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, with a cheerful smile, looking like a kind father.

“It’s not serious, just a fracture.”

Zhang Chaoyang replied to his father and didn’t say anything else.

Zhou Hong finally noticed that Zhang Chaoyang’s arm was in a cast. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t.

“Where’s Chaorong? Is he still not back?”

“No, he said he has a mission.”

Zhou Hong quickly answered the old man’s question, trying to make up for her eldest son.

During the New Year, the couple had been arguing incessantly, making the children cry.

“Such good children, I don’t know what you’ve done to them. They’re losing their vitality!

I told you before, let him choose his own wife.

Now, look at you, arguing every other day. What kind of life is this?

Such a promising future. If you let family matters hold him back, I wonder if you’ll regret it.”

The old man became angry when he thought about it. Back then, his grandson had a girl he liked, but his eldest daughter-in-law refused, and she completely messed things up.

He married the girl his daughter-in-law chose, someone from a good family, but their life was a mess.

“Dad, I’ll talk to him. The kids are running all over the place. He should be more considerate of his wife.”

Zhou Hong also regretted it. It wasn’t that she regretted breaking up her eldest son and the girl he liked, but that she regretted not choosing the right daughter-in-law. She didn’t know how to compromise at all.

The old man said it nicely, but he didn’t know what kind of girl Chaorong liked.

A girl from a worker’s family, not only couldn’t help Chaorong in any way, but her family also had a lot of burdens. How could he possibly agree?

Seeing his eldest daughter-in-law who refused to see reason, the old man didn’t want to say anything more.

“Chaoyang, how long can you stay this time?”

“Grandpa, I can stay for a while this time. I haven’t been back for over two years. Grandma misses me, and she’s also worried about my marriage.”

“That’s right. Since you’re back, spend more time with her. She’s not easy.”

The old man felt guilty towards Chaoyang’s grandmother, but he didn’t do it on purpose. Sigh…

“Chaoyang, your grandmother is also hoping for you to get married. Now that you’re back, I’ll arrange for you to go on a blind date.”

Zhou Hong thought, Chaoyang was also of marriageable age.

“You don’t need to arrange anything. My grandmother has arranged it for me. I’m going on a blind date the day after tomorrow.”

“Your grandmother arranged it? You agreed?”

Zhang’s father was quite surprised. He had mentioned it before, but Chaoyang had always refused.

“Yes, I agreed. We exchanged a few letters before. I think she’s a good person, and Grandma likes her too.”

Zhang Chaoyang thought about the meeting the day after tomorrow and felt a surge of anticipation.

“Does your grandmother know people in the government compound?”

Zhou Hong knew her mother-in-law had a wide network of contacts, but she didn’t know which family’s daughter she was introducing.

“My grandmother knows her. She’s not from any compound. After what happened with my brother, how could my grandmother introduce me to a girl from the compound?”

Zhang Chaoyang’s harsh tone made his mother’s heart ache, but she couldn’t say anything.

She was afraid of her mother-in-law.

“Your grandmother has good judgment. She’s very good at judging people. If your grandmother likes her, it means she must be a very good person.”

The old man gave his full affirmation. What else could anyone say?

Zhang’s father didn’t care. It was Chaoyang who was getting married, and it was Chaoyang who would be living with her. As long as he thought she was good, that was all that mattered.

What could Zhang’s mother do if she had objections? Chaoyang wouldn’t listen to her, and his mother-in-law wouldn’t let her interfere in Chaoyang’s affairs.

Zhang Chaoyang wouldn’t listen to his mother. He made his own decisions, and he had always done so since he was a child.

His mother had two other sons and a daughter. That was enough for her to worry about.

“Grandpa, I’ll try my best to win her over. If it works out, I’ll bring her to see you.”

“Alright, I believe in you.

As a soldier, once you set your sights on a target, you must move forward towards it. There’s no such thing as giving up halfway.”

“Yes, guaranteed to complete the mission.”

Zhang Chaoyang thought, it wasn’t easy. Finally, his grandfather was on the same page as him.

“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, it’s getting late. I should go back.”

“Go back where? Aren’t you going home?”

“Mom, where Grandma is, that’s my home.”

Hearing his son’s indifferent tone as he spoke these heartbreaking words, watching his departing figure, Zhou Hong couldn’t describe her feelings.

“Alright, he grew up with his grandmother. Of course, that’s his home.”

Zhang’s father didn’t care. It was his own mother, not someone else.

Forget it, he couldn’t explain it to him.

The two of them didn’t stay long. They said goodbye to the old man and left. The news of Zhang Chaoyang’s blind date was also out in the open in the Zhang family.