Chapter 62

Zhang Chaoyang bought two movie tickets and a bag of sunflower seeds. The time was just right, five minutes before the movie started.

They entered the cinema, found their seats, and sat down.

“What movie is it? It doesn’t seem like there are many people.”

“An old movie. You must have seen it many times.”

“That’s good. We’re at the back, so we can talk freely.

It would be great if it were summer. We could find a spot in the park and stay for a long time. It’s too cold this season.”

Xu Di thought, there weren’t any tea houses or coffee shops at this time.

“I might not be able to come back in the summer. The next time I take leave, it will be at the earliest at the end of the year, if I don’t have any missions.”

Zhang Chaoyang felt a little embarrassed. He could spend so little time with Comrade Xu.

“It’s okay. We’ll cherish the time we have together, try not to argue, and hurt our feelings.”

“The movie is starting. Let’s keep it down. Tell me about Grandma Qian’s story.”

Xu Di was truly curious. Grandma Qian seemed to be a straightforward and decisive person. What kind of story did she have?

“It’s actually a very old-fashioned story. You’ve probably heard many similar ones.

My grandfather and grandmother were betrothed since they were children. When they grew up, they naturally got married.

My grandfather wasn’t a settled person since he was young. He always wanted to go out.

When my father was just a few months old, my grandfather left with a passing troop to fight the revolution. It was chaotic everywhere at that time.

The year after my grandfather left, my father was a little over a year old, and the village was attacked by bandits. Half of the village was slaughtered.

When my grandfather heard the news and returned, the survivors told him that my grandmother and the others had been killed by the bandits.

After his grief, my grandfather left the village and returned to his troops.

Time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, over ten years had passed.

In the 1930s, my grandfather saw my grandmother in a women’s armed force.

Although ten years had passed, their appearance had changed somewhat, but they still recognized each other.

My father was twelve years old at that time.

My grandfather thought my grandmother was dead, and my grandmother never thought she would see my grandfather again.

At that time, bandits had entered the village. She was cutting grass with her one-year-old child. When she heard the noise, she was scared and hid in the mountains, not daring to come out.

Later, she met someone who had escaped and said that everyone in the village had been killed. The bandits had set up camp in the village. They had to escape.

My grandmother used a basket for carrying grass to carry my father. She walked through the mountains, stumbling along, and was later rescued by kind people.

It was chaotic outside, with wars everywhere. They went through many places, endured many hardships, and finally survived.

Later, my grandmother also joined the revolution and followed the troops everywhere.

My grandmother took my father with her, following the troops everywhere. She was hoping that one day, she would meet my grandfather. She always believed that my grandfather was still alive.

They met, but my grandfather had already married another woman and had three children.

The eldest child was only two years younger than my father.

My grandmother was a strong person. She saw the difficulty and estrangement in my grandfather’s eyes.

She went directly to the organization and asked them to help issue a certificate proving that they were no longer a couple.”

Zhang Chaoyang rarely mentioned his grandmother. This was the first time he had talked about it to an outsider.

Thinking about his unfilial parents and his lonely grandmother, he still resented his grandfather.

“Grandma is really amazing. In that environment, it was hard to survive alone, and she still raised such a young child.

So, your father and grandmother should have a good relationship, right?”

Xu Di thought that after so many years of relying on each other, their relationship should be very close.

“After my grandmother met my grandfather, their troops merged, and they had more opportunities to see each other.

My father lacked a father’s companionship since he was young. He always wanted to be close to his father who suddenly appeared.

My grandfather’s second wife was a doctor, a college graduate.

My father often went to that house. He didn’t have much resistance to my grandfather’s new wife and got along well with his siblings.

My grandmother felt that my father had been without a father since he was young, and it was good that he wanted to be close to his father.

Just then, the organization gave my grandmother a mission, and she had to leave for a while.

My father was left in the care of my grandfather and the others. She went to complete her mission.

At that time, communication was not good. My grandmother’s mission had problems. She was supposed to be back in a few months, but she ended up being gone for three years.

When she returned after completing her mission, my grandfather and the others were no longer in the same place.

The organization helped them get in touch. They finally got in touch, and my grandmother had to go do something else.

Back and forth, when she saw my father again, five or six years had passed.

He had grown from a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy into a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man. He had already joined the army.

The mother and son who had relied on each other for so many years had been separated for five or six years. There were also some people and things involved, and their relationship became very subtle.

My grandmother tried several times to mend their relationship, but it was like something was in the way.

Later, my father got married. The person he married was introduced by my grandfather’s new wife, Grandma Fang.

My grandmother and my mother didn’t get along, and my grandmother didn’t get involved with them.

Later, my parents had my older brother, then me, and then my younger sister and brother.

My mother couldn’t handle so many children alone, so she wanted my grandmother to help.

At that time, my brother was the eldest son and grandson. My younger sister and brother were rare twins. Only I was in the middle, neither here nor there. In the end, my grandmother took me back to raise.

My mother said at the time that she and my father hadn’t taken good care of my grandmother, so they would compensate her with a son. She didn’t owe my grandmother anything.

My grandmother had seen all kinds of storms. She said directly that from then on, no one except her could interfere with this child’s affairs.

And so, I was taken back by my grandmother at the age of two and raised little by little.”

Xu Di listened, tears welling up in her eyes. Comrade Zhang was quite pitiful.

“So, Comrade Xu, don’t worry about my parents.

They compensated my grandmother with me. They have no right to control me.”

Zhang Chaoyang’s self-deprecating tone made her feel even more heartbroken.

Xu Di thought, it was good that she was a person with special experiences. If she were a real nineteen-year-old girl, she would have been crying her eyes out, her whole heart would have been given away.

Once a woman’s maternal instincts are triggered, it’s easy to get emotional.

“Comrade Zhang, it’s all in the past. What I’m about to say might not be appropriate, but I can’t help but ask.”

“Ask away. Let’s bring up all the possible problems and try to solve them.”

“It’s just, I don’t have to deal with your grandfather’s family, do I?”

Xu Di didn’t know if Zhang Chaoyang’s work required him to rely on his grandfather.

“You don’t have to worry about them. My grandfather can’t control where I go. That’s why I secretly went to such a far place to join the army, to avoid being held back.

In my grandmother’s words, my grandfather’s only use is to prevent my military achievements from being stolen by others.

Besides, I’ll tell you, my grandmother is also very capable. My grandfather feels guilty towards my grandmother and also respects her. My grandmother is definitely the head of the house, but she’s just low-key.”

Zhang Chaoyang felt that he had foresight. He didn’t bask in the shade of his grandfather’s tree.

“That’s good, that’s good. Otherwise, I might have to give up on Comrade Zhang.”

Xu Di said it seriously, and Zhang Chaoyang knew it very well.

The story was over. Xu Di secretly made up her mind. In the future, she would hold onto Grandma’s leg and live a good life together.